As the summer rays dimmed along the western shore of Lake Dunmore on Aug. 26, the Middlebury football team continued their one-on-one routes and games of three flags up –– shouts and splashes ringing from the balmy water. Sunset marks the end of summer for these student-athletes, a bittersweet moment, as they say goodbye to family, home friends, internships, and vacations. It’s not all bad though. School means friends, relationships, possibility. Everyone at Middlebury gets four first days, but fall athletes get something even more special: a two-week-long preseason.
The day after Lake Dunmore, 84 linemen, quarterbacks, wide receivers, linebackers, etc. embark on their preseason journey. For the fleeting moments before other students arrive, fall sports teams enjoy an empty campus, and late summer Vermont: creemees, untouched swimming holes (before they’ve been overrun by overzealous freshmen), and lush green hikes. For first-years in soccer, football, tennis, golf, cross country, volleyball, and field hockey, fall preseason is their introduction to Middlebury.
For women’s volleyball, the preseason starts with a barbecue at head coach Sarah Raunecker’s ’92 house. “It’s a great time to meet the freshmen and have some time to settle in before practice starts,” captain Molly Harrison ’27 said. At the barbecue, Raunecker lays out the practice schedule for the rest of preseason and ensures the squad is ready for their transition into full 6v6 volleyball.
The Panthers ease into the preseason with one practice a day, no jumping, and no front row hitting. “Volleyball is a contact sport with the ground,” Harrison noted. Anyone who has experienced so-called “jumper’s knee” knows that the shock of landing on the ground can be quite painful. One excellent way to cure knee pain is cold water — that’s exactly where the Panthers head after practice.
After lunch, the team rolls to a swimming hole: the Gorge, Falls of Lana, Bristol Falls, Ice cold Vermont water does wonders for aching early-season athletes. Then comes dinner, and the Knoll, Harrison’s favorite preseason tradition. “We like to get takeout from the co-op and A&W, and have a sunset dinner at the Knoll.” Could it get more idyllic? Even if they don’t venture off campus, the group has every meal together in the preseason. By the start of classes, each player has 16 teammates who have her back –– an excellent safety blanket for freshmen. Preseason team bonding seems to have worked. The women’s volleyball team has rolled to a 7-1 record.
Women’s soccer enjoys the same outdoor activities –– swimming, hiking, picnicking. “One of my favorite parts of preseason is going with the whole team to a [swimming] hole, and then stopping for creemees on the way back,” midfielder Fiona Linnau ’28 said. This year was a little more frenetic; Linnau stressed a need to “get our act together” before games started.
Competition was at an all time high during the women’s soccer preseason. Fighting for roster spots and starting lineup opportunities, practices were fast-paced. Linnau argued that the intensity lent itself to momentum.. Momentum is infectious –– once you catch it, it doesn’t stop. However, with four games before school started, the group had to coalesce quickly. They needed to learn to play as a team, and to play as a team you must get to know each other off the pitch. Preseason does exactly that.
You can’t talk about fall sports without paying homage to the quintessential college sport –– football. It is fiercely regional, with hallowed traditions and bitter rivalries. At Middlebury, the game has a special small-town charm, starting out when nearly 100 players arrive for preseason.
According to offensive lineman Forrest Nelson ’28, the group practices in the mornings, swims in the afternoons, and watches college football after night meetings. With a little more time on their hands (the team’s first game is 19 against Wesleyan), they also take advantage of local sandwich spots like 7 South Sandwich Company.
Describing the atmosphere of preseason takes more than a sentence or even a single conversation. And because I’m heartless, I asked each person to describe it in a single word.
“Anticipation,” Nelson said. Linnau went with “enthusiastic”, and in a breach of the single-word rules, she added “everyone is getting psyched.” Both encapsulate the tension, nerves and excitement around campus as preseason progresses, tension that builds to a crescendo before the first game rolls around. Harrison’s word relates back to the core purpose of preseason –– “community.”
If I learned one lesson while researching and writing this article, it is to appreciate these moments. Harrison said it best: “Freshman year, it’s hard to appreciate the fall, and as you go on you wish you just had more time.” Time slips away fast. Soon Bristol Falls, the Knoll, and all the sandwich spots will be full of a new batch of freshmen, with all of us a distant memory. But the preseason and its unique magic will endure.
Kanan Clifford '28.5 (he/him) is a Sports Editor.
Kanan is a probable Molecular Biology/Biochemistry major, with additional interests in history and politics. At Middlebury, he sails, is on the board of the South Asian Students Association, and is an avid baker!
