Girls’ Fall Sports Face Difficult Tryouts

By Catherine Wang ‘28

As Milton students returned to campus for the new school year, many girls in fall sports faced long days of evaluations, practices, and, worst of all, conditioning. For athletes in volleyball, soccer, and field hockey, tryouts stretched across several days and, in some cases, multiple sessions per day.

For volleyball players, the tryout process was especially time-consuming. Volleyball player Sienna King ’29 said the tryout process began on Sunday with a morning session from about 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., followed by another practice later in the afternoon. The demanding schedule continued the following day, with a captains’ practice in the morning and another coach-led session in the afternoon. The third day brought yet another tryout, this time combining varsity and junior varsity players.

When asked about how this year’s tryouts compared to last year’s, King noted, “the training remained the same as last year, but … this year was definitely harder because of how the conditioning was pretty brutal.” Despite the difficulty, King understood why coaches used conditioning as part of the evaluation process, explaining how the exercises “were a good way to test each player’s endurance.” “[Conditioning] also does a really good job of testing how far a player can be pushed to be better,” King said, though spending much of the day at multiple tryouts left the athletes exhausted after the sessions concluded.

Soccer players also faced a demanding schedule, completing two tryout sessions each day for three consecutive days. In addition, girls’ varsity soccer players completed two major fitness tests: the Carolina fitness test and a mile run, both of which have been used for years.

Interestingly, for the Carolina test, soccer player Sasha Bahia ’28 mentioned that players speculated that the cones were placed farther apart this year, making an already mentally and physically challenging test even more difficult. Additionally, in previous years, players had to finish the mile in under seven minutes and 15 seconds, but this year the requirement was changed to just under seven minutes.

Although the fitness requirements for tryouts were challenging, Bahia believed they were necessary for soccer. “Speaking from a soccer point of view, I think the level of fitness we have been doing during tryouts is necessary because soccer does require a lot of fitness and endurance,” she shared. “Since soccer is a sport that requires a lot of running, I think fitness is a big part of the game. Also, since we are all coming off of summer and our season is just around the corner, it makes sense to have intense sessions to get us all prepared and see where we are at.”

The twice-a-day schedule made tryouts particularly physically demanding. After three consecutive days of multiple sessions, Bahia said her lower body was extremely sore, and her motivation began to decline due to exhaustion. She also felt her “social battery” rapidly depleting. Even so, the fatigue did not affect Bahia’s love for soccer as she said, “all of this was expected going into it, and I think these moments really do just test you as an athlete and test your discipline.”

As for field hockey, tryouts also spanned three days, with sessions lasting approximately two hours each day. Unlike soccer, however, field hockey tryouts did not feel as intense as previous seasons. According to field hockey player Sadie Quatrale ’27, the team maintained the same amount of conditioning as past years. Even with tryouts lasting three days, Quatrale strongly believed that this time was essential for proper evaluation.

For athletes, the beginning of the school year can be especially demanding. In addition to hours of practices and tryouts, students must adjust to classes, homework, and new routines in general. However, difficult tryouts can also help athletes prepare for the physical and mental challenges of their upcoming seasons. For the players who participated, making a team required returning each day, pushing through their fatigue, and demonstrating their preparation for the demanding seasons ahead. Beyond the physical conditioning, overcoming these initial challenges together as a team builds a sense of resilience and camaraderie. The discipline and shared experience forged during these grueling early weeks establish a strong foundation, helping student-athletes navigate academic pressures and personal challenges throughout the rest of the school year.