Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Athletics

October 28, 2009: 24 days in the Making

I know, I know. I’ve been seriously slacking and missed the last three weeks of updating, but I had some halfway decent reasons! My computer was broken and in the shop for over a week, and with the flu going around, I didn’t have a whole lot of interesting things to write about while I avoided sick people.
 
Since the last time I wrote, we haven’t had a whole lot of luck in some games. We were on a bad streak, losing five in a row before defeating Hartwick 1-0 in tonight’s rainy game. For the most part, everyone got some minutes and it was good to see some new faces get experience! Although making the conference tournament is out of our reach, we are looking to end the season on a good note with a win in our last game of the season, which also happens to be senior day and Halloween. To us, we look at every game as an opportunity to improve and we have fought to the bitter end this entire season. We’re not about to just give up because the end is here.

Tomorrow we have our last practice of the year (for us seniors anyway!) followed by the 3 vs. 3 Halloween tournament on Friday. My team is looking to repeat as champions, and not get cheated out of best costume award this time!! It was a great event last year, and I think we have some freshman who will give us a run for our money. I’m sure it will be a great pump-up for Saturday’s game against Utica.

For us nine seniors, it’s our last chance to play together representing RPI. We’ve all been on the team for four years (with the exception of one “junior”) and have been great friends off the field. Six of us even live together! We’ve had four different uniforms, called three separate fields ‘home’, experienced two coaches, but still play for one reason: we love the game. Next year won’t be the same, as most of us will be leaving RPI for graduate school elsewhere or jobs in the ‘real world.’ I know we look back at all the tears and sweat and inches, and we don’t have a single regret. In the end, it was all worth it.

So thank you for reading and keeping up with the little things that went on for the most part of our season. I enjoyed this! Thank you parents, who faithfully attended games and always had tasty treats waiting for us (and loved us no matter the score). Thank you friends & fans, who stuck out poor weather to cheer us on (we can hear you, it always helps!). Thank you Amie, you’re the best announcer ever! Thank you Aileen, you are a great addition to the team and GK land is much more fun when you’re around. Thank you Cord, for your knuckleballs that left us bruised for weeks. You’re my second favorite person to have run GK land, don’t worry. Thank you to my teammates, for always making me laugh, having great dance parties, supporting me on the field, and for letting me graduate in peace, knowing you have it all under control next year. And finally, thank you fellow seniors, for the best four years I’ve ever had. I know we’ll always have soccer to bring us together & I couldn’t love you more. <3


October 4, 2009: More Conference Play!

So I can't believe it's October already, and there are less than thirty days remaining in my college soccer career. While it's really sad to think about, we have made great strides thus far, and our upcoming games are looking promising!
I hope Lauren's post last week was interesting and a good change of pace, I'm working on another one for this week! Overall, not a whole lot has happened these past few days, with the exception of Saturday.  We've just been practicing really hard, doing lots of fitness, stopping finger-breaking shots from Cord Farmer himself, and trying to get ourselves pumped for the game against Vassar!  Oh, and one more thing: our freshman have implemented 'British Friday' and I think the cultural experience is really benefiting our junior, Tracy Breslin.
Yesterday was an eventful day for everyone on campus here at RPI.  In between the ribbon cutting ceremony and the football game, many of my teammates had to rush away to the career fair in hopes of finding a job ( I wish them all the best)! I finally got to explore ECAV and it is SO nice!  The new weight training room is first rate, and I'm excited to start using it!! 
Our match was at four, just after the conclusion of the football game.  I think our goal in the first minute of the game showed how ready we were for this conference game.  At times we were a bit frantic, but at the end of the day, the score is what counts (and our cooler of chocolate milk).  Coming away with the 3-1 win improves us to 1-2 in the Liberty League, and gives us confidence going into our biggest game on Friday (against Union).  I don't think anyone will object to the hard practices this week, as it will all be worth it when we step on the field this Friday. 
For the few of you who aren't aware, our men's team is ranked 6th in the nation, moving up from 14th last week!  And although we'd rather have fans make the trip to cheer for us this weekend, if you're around campus you should head over to the guy's games on Friday and Saturday!
I hope no one else has the need to turn on the heat already, like our unfortunate selves, and enjoys the cool weather we're having! Keep supporting the team- we definitely hear & appreciate our fans!

September 30, 2009: Lauren Lisle Reporting!

(Like I promised, from time to time I hope to get some of my teammates to share their thoughts, days, or just random facts with you!  This is the first & hopefully not the last one of these! PS- Hi Consuelo!)

Hi!  I’m Lauren, a senior biomedical engineer on the soccer team.  Jaclyn asked me to be a guest writer for her blog to fill in for a different perspective.  Well, all I can say is that it feels like school has started for real now!  The first couple of weeks of school are normally the easiest, when you are just learning new material.  The really great part about going to RPI, however, is the tests that seem to come from out of nowhere.  One second you’re cruising along, going to lecture, taking notes, nothing too difficult, and then the next thing you know, three tests in a week sneak up on you, which unfortunately, seems to be this week.  It’s a month too early for Halloween but people already are turning into zombies, spending every waking moment ingesting coffee and trying to cram crazy equations into their heads. 
On the bright side, even though soccer is a huge time commitment, it is also definitely a good stress reliever.  It’s nice to leave all the hassles of school in the locker room for two to three hours, and focus on playing hard and having fun.  Even though I wouldn’t call the fitness we have at the end of practice a perk, I guess to look on the bright side, the endorphins feel good afterwards?  Anyways, our next game is this Saturday, during the opening of ECAV, and I’m really looking forward to it…more motivation to get through Friday!  We’re squaring off against Vassar, at 4 PM after the football game.  It should be a really exciting match, and we would love to have some loud fans!


September 27, 2009: Regroup & Rebound

I can’t believe it’s Sunday again, and another week has gone by. It’s funny to see how much has gone on in addition to soccer.

We only get one day off per week, which we usually spend watching bad television. On Sunday, however, we were motivated enough to make a small field trip and go apple picking! It was Amanda Nicklin’s first time at the orchard, and she was a little grumpy her favorite apples weren’t available. I still think it was because she couldn’t really reach them. Good thing we have tall friends to help!

Repeating how long class is every day gets boring, so I’ll just assume by now you get it. There was and Art History test, though, and ten ‘pity points’ were given because the test was on a Monday. Awesome. Practice was a little lengthy that day, taking up over two hours and finishing off with the “Circle of Death” fitness routine. I remember there being a lot less cones last year and the circle not being as big! Yes, Monday is also Gossip Girl night. Yes, our team is still rooting for the suspenders-wearing Chuck Bass, but no one cares as much as Briana Gallup. She’s really pulling for him to fall in love with her. We’re all rooting for you too, Bri.

Our third week of morning lifting sessions was Tuesday at what felt like the crack of dawn. We concentrated on the upper body circuit again, saving the new workout for next week. After getting out of class early, I found the energy to make pastry and follow it up with Jeopardy! My roommates’ plan is to get good enough at trivia that she can live off the winnings from Jeopardy and all the following ‘Tournament of Champions.” Sounds like a good backup plan to me. Possession was the focus of practice, and we worked on drills that switched the point of attack frequently. It was hard to not be able to practice, AGAIN, as I was still out with my new ankle issue. I really wanted to get out there!

Wednesday was a day for meetings and appointments, as I had a graduate school seminar, short talk with Coach (crazy, I know), and a PD3 speech practice. For PD3, (a class) we have to sell ourselves in 60 seconds to an executive for next class. I think I need some practice... One benefit this season is that we get more early practices than we did last year. But just when 6:30 rolled around and it looked to be over, Coach hit the team with some awful partner sprinting fitness. It’s by far the most un-fun partner fitness EVER.

I can’t really say much about Thursday, other than the fact that it was pretty routine. Class, the ice bath, and a high energy practice were the only points that are somewhat relevant. So instead, I’ll just fill you in on the excessive amount of Disney movies we have been watching lately. Mulan, 101 Dalmatians, The Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo and Pocahontas pretty much cover our viewing. This is all within six days, mind you. If you have any other good ones, send them along! (We're really hoping for The Lion King).

It was hard to focus on my Sport Psych test on Friday because our game at 4 was on my mind. It was the first conference game and meant a lot that we came out ready to win. We had a new warm-up routine, music mix, and newly assembled couch in our locker room. The first half was a bit of a tennis match in terms of scoring, with the halftime tally being 2-1 in favor of Hamilton. They were able to capitalize on our mistakes and unfortunately we were not able to do the same. Overall, we played well as a team and focused our efforts on the next day.

Yesterday’s afternoon game against nationally ranked William Smith was going to be one of our toughest games this year. We kept them to 1-0 all game, and played with them. We proved to ourselves that we can do it, we just need to figure out how to get that extra step and take the win. Fortunately, we have the rest of conference play in front of us, and the confidence to know we can keep up with the best. So for the rest of our games, I hope our mindset is ‘Can THEY keep up with US?’ The team tailgated afterwards with the families, and Mrs. Nicklin, we missed those brownies. Thank you to everyone who contributed! It was great! With some of the families of my roommates being in town, we headed to Albany Pump Station for dinner. We also had two recruits this weekend, one of which we were able to hang out with on Saturday night. I hope that they had a good time and liked RPI!

Lazy Sundays are the best, although most of the time I feel bad for not going outside or doing something outdoor-ish. The constant rain today made me feel a lot less bad about watching America’s Next Top Model for eight hours. I wasn’t alone, either: my teammates value Sundays just as much! To cap off our night, we took US History quizzes to help our Canadian roommate “study.” Currently, two unnamed teammates are singing along to Aladdin (add it to our Disney list), which is about as pleasant as you can imagine. I was just about to say how much I wish the rain would stop before practice tomorrow, but I realized Coach gave us off tomorrow as well! This makes program history! Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend, I’ll check back in soon!


September 20, 2009: Just Getting Started

So yet again I failed to update this during the week. Sorry!  Having seven games in two weeks can keep you a little busy, not to mention classes! I'm keeping track of everything that happens, though!

Saturday was the start of the Union Classic, and our first game was at noon against St. John Fisher. We quickly got ahead 2-0, but let them come back to tie it before regulation time was over. After two grueling overtimes, the match ended in a draw. While it was a little disappointing (since we know we can play better), we headed into Sunday’s match knowing we could win the tournament if we could hold off Cortland.

There’s nothing more disheartening then losing a game in the final minutes that you know you should have won. With nine minutes remaining in Sunday’s game against Cortland, they found the back of the goal on a corner kick. As a team it was hard to deal with because we played good soccer, connected passes, and kept up. Since we fought hard, we got ice cream afterward, which picked everyone up!  To settle in for the night, our house got together and watched I Love You, Man ( It was alright, so we only give it a 3.5 out of 5)

Mondays have been everyone's favorite day so far, since we get to relax and get a break from practice! In my Sculpture class (which I take with teammates Lauren Lisle, Briana Bet and Amanda Brophy), we finished our projects and Lauren’s was fantastic enough to be drooled over by the teacher. You should ask her about it!  The best part of the day, however, was the season premiere of Gossip Girl.  For anyone who knows the show, we got twelve or so of my teammates together and made headbands and scarves mandatory for the viewing. On another good note, the Patriots beat the Bills! Yay Tom Brady! (Sorry Cord)!

Tuesday was back to the daily grind, getting ready for the next day’s game against Middlebury. Everyone has been rather exhausted lately, with two midweek games sandwiched between a couple weekend tournaments for the past two weeks in a row. Afterward, we watched the guys take down Oneonta by a score of 3-0, keeping their unbeaten streak alive (I think they play well because of their awesome fans). Also, Cord finally updated his blog on Tuesday, and for those of you reading, I must disagree with his take on the upperclassmen’s ability to win the Song Game on the bus. We WILL win the title next time!

Unfortunately the long ride to Middlebury on Wednesday got to us. The field is also grass, and looking back at our team’s history, we are terrible on it!!  The team just looked tired and unorganized, and I think a lot of things like schoolwork and personal issues had people’s heads elsewhere.  We ended up going home on the bad end of a 5-0 score, which is the worst loss I have suffered in my four years here. It’s painful, but it’s a motivator for the rest of the season. One of the few bright spots of that day were the "gifts" the parents brought us after the game.  We have to try every cookie, cupcake and treat beacuse who wants to hurt the parent's feelings?

After such a low point, we needed to get back on our feet Thursday and pump up the team. What better way then by assembling furniture? We put together a couch (with the technical help of almost-engineer Cord Farmer), and we’re pretty sure those five screws weren’t really necessary anyway. Once we got on the field, we just played some relaxed but quick 11 vs. 11, with Cord and Aileen playing as well. The horrible referee, Jacquelyn Garlasco, made some questionable calls and our scrimmage ended up scoreless.

Friday saw a good pre-game practice, with everyone getting psyched for Springfield. Unluckily for me, I managed to roll and crack my “good” ankle while SKIPPING during warm-ups, and it currently looks like a bruised balloon. Sophomore year I did the same thing, injuring the same foot while skipping.   I’m never allowed to do that AGAIN. I hope I don’t miss too much more time, but my lack of stable ankles makes it a toss-up. I guess only time will tell!

Our wonderful trainer, Matt, treated a quarter of the team early Saturday morning, before the team left for Springfield. We're the walking wounded!  Springfield is ranked #18 in the nation, and we felt we could take them down. We couldn’t have been more right, or played much better. Although we lost 2-1, they score on two awful unlucky goals for us.  Referees have it out for us, as this is the second game we've narrowly lost where a penalty kick was awarded to the other team.  I think it was a perfect game to end on before conference play begins on Friday, because we now know we can play with the best of them. Lots of parents made it to this game as well, and Mrs. Nicklin, keep making those brownies!

Lastly: our guy’s team is still undefeated, having beaten Ithaca 2-0 on Saturday as well. Congrats!  They have yet to be scored on as well!   I know how much Kevin Swift and Ben Russell wish they had a blog, so here’s to you. Maybe you can even write my next one.

We have a full week of practice ahead, ending with our conference opener against Hamilton on Friday.  It's a home game so everyone should plan to come out to the field!!  We're wondering which freshman will bring the most shirtless fans with her name spelled on their chests!

September 11, 2009: Busy, Busy, Busy!

Last time I updated, we had one game left to play in our tournament, although winning the entire thing was out of reach. Turns out on Sunday, right before we played, Plattsburgh beat Union 2-1, taking home our trophy. I hope it makes my teammates angry enough to win it back next year!! For our game, we played Saint Joseph’s of Connecticut, and came out with something to prove. Three first half goals by three different players helped us earn the 4-0 victory, and name Shannon Maguire the ‘Player of the Game.’ Our record now stands at 2-1!

Monday we had the day off from school & soccer, and sleeping until noon felt GREAT! What better thing to do on our day off than to get the house together and watch awful Disney Channel Original Movies? Camp Rock was perfect. When that got boring, we started our own rock band and dressed in old Halloween costumes. Yes, there are videos. I swear we’re 21.

Whatever sickness has been floating around campus finally caught up with me on Tuesday. Getting through classes was a challenge, and I stocked up on Nyquill for the remainder of the week. Best news that came out of the afternoon was that Melissa was healthy again, and could finally return to practice! To cap off a good session, we received our training gear we’ve all been dying to get. Getting backpacks, sweatshirts, tees and shorts made it feel like Christmas! We now look like a small army walking around campus in all the same clothes.

Tuesday I also got an exciting email from our Athletic Director, Jim Knowlton. The Liberty League was recognizing me and the men’s keeper, Alex Penny, as Defensive Performers of the Week. I don’t think I’ve ever even been the Poly’s ‘Player of the Week’ so this was pretty sweet! Also, I think my teammates would be disappointed if I failed to mention our little nature adventure on Tuesday. We saw the meanest fish at RPI and watched a snake make quick work of a mouse. And it won’t be the last time. And yes, we're girls.

It’s been four months since we last hit the weight room, and Wednesday marked the start of our in-season program. I strongly recommend everyone use the foam rollers: they work wonders. After a short class at noon, we took off to Bard College for our first away game! I’m not sure if it was the fact that we played on grass, but we had a really tough first forty-five minutes and were down 2-0 at halftime. The second half we were a completely different team, and rallied for a 3-2 win, capped off with a sweet header by senior Jess Batty.

To keep the bus ride back interesting, we played the “Song Game,” where we split into two teams and each took turns singing a song with a particular word in it. There can be no repeats, and the first team to fail to think of a song, loses. The word was ‘love,’ and let’s just say by the time we pulled up to 15th street, the game was still going on.

FINALLY! Thursday we moved into ECAV! We got to see our locker rooms for the first time, and they are so much better than the little ones we’ve been using in the Armory! I think that psyched everyone up because practice was fast paced and everyone played hard! Thursday is also Study Hall for us, so we met up until ten or eleven in the Union to do work. For me, ‘work’ meant reading the Poly and playing Sporcle. I can’t help it, I don’t have homework!

Today I had one early class and after some errands, spent more time in my second home, the training room. They are also in the process of moving into ECAV, and from what I hear, the place is fantastic! I’m so upset I’m a senior, I want more time! Today’s practice will be focusing on shape and set plays, as tomorrow we are playing at noon in Union’s tournament. We’re looking to take home the trophy! Wish us luck!!


September 5, 2009: First Week Done!

I know, I know! The first week of classes has kept me relatively busy, so I haven’t had a chance to update! I’ll start back at last Saturday, the second to last day of preseason.

Saturday morning’s session was simply to get our legs back and begin the recovery for our Tuesday game. We played bocce for fun to end our easy morning. The evening saw more playing 11 vs. 11, and a whole lot of rain. It was a sad day because we no longer got meals and had to do our first grocery shopping of the semester. We were just getting used to free food!

Sunday was the last day of preseason!! We only had one session, but it was incredibly hot and everyone was mentally tired. When the session was over, I was officially done with preseason for the rest of my life! I’ve put in my four years, and while I know I’ll miss the sport, I don’t think I’ll long for the Man U test. That night was pretty low key, with everyone getting their classes straightened out for the next day.

You’d think being a senior I would finally not have an early class, but it’s apparently not true. While waking up for 8 a.m. class on Monday was still late compared to 7am fitness, it’s still too early for my liking. I had a management class at eight and a sculpture studio at noon. I’ve become a frequenter at the ice bath (along with the rest of my teammates) and spend most of my free time there. Practice that night was focusing on corner kicks and set plays, and was intended to just get everyone excited. Unfortunately, our keeper, Melissa, was injured towards the end of practice and had to take some time off. That means I had to step in for the next day! Ahh!

Although on Tuesday I had three classes in a row, it wasn’t enough to distract me from the game we were about to play. Props to our freshman girls because a TON of fans showed up due to their awesome advertising! Hopefully we can keep up this attendance for most of the season! Once game time rolled around, my teammates made me less nervous by scoring two goals in the first 13 minutes of the game. We beat Castleton State by a final score of 3-0, and were rewarded with chocolate milk!! It was a great first game for us and the freshman really showed they can play at this level.

Wednesdays are my favorite because I only have one class at noon, and it’s not all that challenging. A tradition us seniors have is going to the Cheesecake Factory whenever it is someone’s birthday, and we hit the road once everyone was out of class. It was a great dinner, but a little sad, since it will be our last one together for Amanda Nicklin’s birthday. On the bright side, we made it back to campus in time for the RPI Athletics’ seminar, where Dr. Jackson spoke to us. The best part was the FREE ice cream! I think our Athletics Department really knows how to raise attendance at meetings!

Thursday really wasn’t that memorable, with all the same classes I had on Monday. I added Art History, which brings my semester up to two art classes, a psychology class, a management class and a civil design course. Don’t harp on me yet, I deserve a somewhat easy semester!! I put in my time in semesters past! In other news, my ankle is getting better, slowly on the mend. Hopefully I’ll be clear for contact play really soon!

The last day of the week, Friday, and it didn’t even feel like it. I have six hours of class, but four of them happen to be art. I love it! On a sour note, I jammed my finger pretty decently. I don’t think I’m destined to be healthy. After practice, we had the team over to our house for a pasta party. Fitting 30 girls into our living room was challenging, but what better way for team bonding?

Finally, the weekend! SATURDAY IS GAME DAY! To make sure everyone was awake and cheery, we met at 8:45 a.m. for bocce. It’s 90’s throwback weekend too, so we blasted some quality music on our way to and from the field. Today was hot, hot hot, and it played a big factor in the game. Plattsburgh scored a goal in each half, and we ended up losing 2-0. I come from a family of referees, so I know to respect them, but a penalty kick and a yellow card to Cord leaves me with many unanswered questions... And I swear this year Coach didn’t actually mean to get one!

Afterwards, all the families had set up a tailgate for the players and we got to mingle and unwind. The food was AWESOME, and I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who contributed! Also, the seniors & juniors want to wish a somewhat-recently-graduated Kristy Kolb a speedy recovery from her knee surgery! Feel better girl!

We hit the turf again tomorrow at 2 p.m. and take on St. Joseph’s, while Union and Plattsburgh play at noon. I hope to be updating this soon with a little teammate spotlight, but until then, come out to games to support the team!

August 28, 2009: Living for Sunday

It’s been awhile since I’ve written, so I’ll try and get everyone up to speed as to what has gone on these past four days. It's going to be a long post, but bear with me!

Tuesday was the first day without a fitness test in the morning!  While we still had strength training, it was MUCH more enjoyable than other early morning sessions (sorry Cord).  Practice had to be intense on Tuesday just to get everyone back into the swing of things after a day off.  It entailed lots of agility stations, ball work, and finally an 11 vs. 11 scrimmage at the end of the day.  If ‘Angry Cord’ wasn’t any motivation to run hard, the mosquitoes were: they were out in full force that night and we are all paying the price now.  Due to a lack of lights, we just did the next morning’s fitness and got to sleep in late the next day.

Snoozing past 6:30 is considered sleeping in.  It’s a little sad, but we’ll take it.  Wednesday’s morning practice was my chance to return, if only for light passing and footwork.  Everyone was focusing on pushing each other to be more vocal, step up the pressure, and mark tighter in the box.  We have a game in less than a week and have started to amp up the intensity.

In other news, Commons (the dining hall) was teeming with freshman, therefore no seats for us. As much as I hate eating my lunch standing, it’s good to see the campus finally alive with people again!

Thursday marked our last 7:00 a.m. workout, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.  The team is starting to get a little tired, to say the least!  Yesterday was all about competitive shooting and finishing drills, and sadly my team lost...several times.  Since August is ‘push-up month,’ the losers (us) are working on getting jacked.  Another accomplishment of the day was fitting three of our players up to their waist in a very small ice bath.  Clearly it was a day of triumph. Dinner was also surprisingly good, thanks to the musical styling of the football players.  I’ll leave their song choices up to your imagination.  Who knew they could sing?

Night sessions are focusing on more 11 vs. 11 playing, as our first season game is only five days away!   And while I will hopefully have exciting things to write about on game days, once class starts things might get a little redundant.  So I’ve decided to do a small feature on one of teammates from time to time, so everyone can get to know the players a little better.

Finally, we got through today.  Almost to the weekend!  This morning was an easy walk through session, introducing the corner kicks and defensive positioning for set plays.  Since tonight was our Red vs. White game (intrasquad scrimmage), we were split into our teams and given some time to prepare.  I was on the Red Team and since I still can’t play contact, I took over as goalie.  The White Team was composed of those most likely to be in a starting position come Tuesday, so we our team was really focused on showing our abilities.  To pass time in between sessions, we watched more Gossip Girl, and only have the season finale left.  It is perfect timing since preseason ends on Sunday!  Everyone who watches it with us is totally rooting for Chuck now (and you should too).

Tonight was constantly rainy, but I think it actually pumped everyone up.  It sort of makes playing for 90 minutes more bearable.  After a scoreless, somewhat frantic first half, the score was still 0-0.  At halftime, both teams came out with a fire and you could tell it was going to be an interesting 45 minutes.  White was the first to score (yes, on me) on a great lob shot by freshman Nikki Goodsell.  Red recovered about ten minutes later and tied it up on a penalty kick by Amanda Nicklin (thanks Referee Cord).  The last twenty minutes was a defensive battle for both teams, with each having some great chances. The game ended in a tie, but judging by our post-game team picture (which will come later), everyone still loves each other!  I have turf babies EVERYWHERE, and judging by the trail of them in my house, so do my housemates. We’re going to warm up and just relax for the night, so I’ll write again once classes start!


August 24, 2009: The Tests Are Over!

Have we really only gotten through four days of preseason? With three practices a day, and three fitness tests behind us, it makes it seem like we’ve been here for weeks! Anyway, there has been a lot to write about these past few days!

The big scrimmage showdown at the end of the first day’s practice ended in a 1-1 draw thanks to an offsides call (or lack thereof) by the referee, Mr. Cord Farmer. It was in no way the fault of the partially injured yet talented goalie(s) for the upperclassmen team. I’m sure we’ll have more chances for redemption!

Friday started off awesome: 300 yard shuttle test. A lot of people either passed or came close, which is a nice step up from yesterday’s Man U test. We celebrated with breakfast from the dining hall (something we enjoy while we can) and hiked it back to the second practice of the day. One downside of a morning practice and a late evening practice: lunch is at noon and dinner is at four. It makes it hard (for those actually practicing) to eat a big dinner before a 6:30 session. But we always make exceptions for anything delicious! And thanks to a thunderstorm, we got to do some team bonding inside the Field House while the lightning passed. It’s the first rain of preseason, and it was a welcome change to the 90 degree heat wave we’ve been having!

Saturday the team finished up fitness testing with the mile, with a required time of 6:35.  That time is something that is incredibly challenging for me, yet attainable for the lucky few on the team. This test only had five people pass, but for the most part, the times were better than those last year. Luckily the weather held up for the first two practices of the day, but it absolutely let loose an hour into the night session. As much as playing in the rain makes me feel like Rocky, it’s not the same when you’re sitting on the sideline, dodging raindrops. Needless to say, our clothes are still drying, and probably will be for a good long while.

Yesterday’s scrimmage against SUNY New Paltz was the first and only one of this year’s preseason. I was still sidelined with this ankle issue, but it was an awesome game to watch. After a great goal by freshman Kelsey Byrne, New Paltz scored at the end of the first half to tie it up. The second half had a lot of great chances and several different line ups, but at the end of the game the score was still 1-1. For a team that is nearly half composed of freshman, it was a good debut! We played good enough to get us the evening practice off (which meant more time to watch Gossip Girl) and spent our time planning today’s day off.

The team got to relax from any soccer today, but still ate all meals together and, after taking new headshots for the year, went to Latham Circle Mall to see Inglourious Basterds. I think the other ten people in the theater probably laughed at us when we writhed in our seats at the extremely gory parts. Let’s just say the movie wasn’t what we were all expecting it to be (but who can complain when you get to look at Brad Pitt for three hours?). Tomorrow it’s back to practice, starting off with a morning strengthening session. Hope you’re getting a good look at what preseason has been like for us so far, and I’ll be back in a few days!


August 20, 2009: Let Preseason Begin!

Good morning from hot and humid Troy! I will be checking in regularly throughout the season to keep everyone updated as to what the RPI Women’s Soccer team is doing. Through the perspectives of both myself (and sometimes my teammates), you will be able to see what an average day in the life of a college student-athlete is like. First, just a little bit about me. My name is Jaclyn Henry and I am a senior here at RPI, studying Civil Engineering. For (hopefully) a short time, I will be writing as the eyes on the sideline, as an ankle injury has me sitting out for the first week or two.

This is my fourth year with the squad, and I’m going to miss it so much when this season is over! I am part of a class that will graduate 9 seniors this year; the largest RPI has had in a long while. These girls are more than my teammates: they are my classmates, housemates and best friends!

So far, this year’s group looks promising with 6 juniors, 3 sophomores and 12 freshman (in addition to the 9 seniors) attending training camp. There is also another newcomer: our assistant coach, Aileen. I think everyone is pretty pumped about getting to know her, and she will be tested this preseason: her job is to order/organize food and meals for us. It’s not an easy thing to do (especially for our team!).

Yesterday marked the official start of camp with the freshmen moving into their dorms, group meetings, and team dinner to wrap up the evening. I got to move in three of my new teammates, and I am incredibly jealous they get to live in air conditioned dorms! After an interesting round of icebreakers at our team meeting, I found out some quirky things about my teammates (like who wears stick-on earrings, who tends to chickens and who loves office supplies) before everyone headed home for the night. All the upperclassmen knew just how much rest we would all need for the dreaded fitness test that was waiting for us this morning.

The Manchester United test. The three words our team hates to hear more than anything else (other than “no more food”). It is one of three fitness tests we will be running at the start of this year’s preseason, and it is the hardest. It consists of running the distance of 100 yards and then recovering back to the starting line, all in one minute’s time. Up and back makes ONE level. In order to pass the test, you must pass 18 levels. It gets a little trickier, though. Of that one minute, you get 25 seconds to make it 100 yards, and 35 seconds to recover. That stays constant for 10 levels, then the time you have to reach the end ticks down by one second per level. For example, on level 11, you have 24 seconds to make it to the end, and 36 to recover to the start. Sounds like great fun, doesn’t it? Thanks Cord.

This year saw a big improvement in regards to last year, with seven girls passing the test, and a freshman outlasting everyone by one level (freshman for some reason always do the best!). As much as I wish I wasn’t injured, I can’t say that I’m upset I missed this test … although I know I’ll have to take it later!

The second of three practices on the day was more about ball work and technique. It was also incredibly hot. I was sweating just watching everyone run around. There was a fun little 5 vs. 5 tournament at the end of practice, and they even let me, the gimp, play goalie. The end of practice saw the ice baths of the training room filled with players nursing injuries or some trying to prevent them. I can only hope everyone else stays healthy for the season!! Tonight’s practice should be intense, featuring a scrimmage with the old lady upperclassmen pitted against the newcomers.

I’ll be back to let you know how that plays out and to continue the story of our preseason sometime soon! Thanks for checking in!!