Unlike last year, Dana Hall fall sports have been active this year, with as many as three games a week. For outdoor sports like soccer and field hockey, athletes aren’t required to wear masks while competing with other teams.

Because of the Covid pandemic, last year the Eastern Independent League called off official team gameplay for field hockey, soccer, volleyball, and cross country teams. Athletes practiced in grade cohorts but did not compete other than a few scrimmages. Some athletes were also fully remote last year and could not play with their teammates.

Captains of this fall’s sports teams feel like they are rebuilding what was lost from last  season. Field hockey captain Emily Bennett ’22 said, “Last year, cohorts made it really hard to build camaraderie throughout the team.” Soccer captain Anna Fattaey ’22 added that last year was extremely hard but it is helping Dana Halls teams grow, saying, “Now we really know how lucky we are to be on the field and we’re using every minute to get better and just enjoy being together.” 

According to Janet Sullivan, the Associate Director of Athletics, “This season there is something to work towards and get excited for as a group, getting to play in the EIL tournament and being able to grow to get there.” Anna agreed and expressed the team’s eagerness to make up for the lost time. 

Reflecting on last year’s lack of a full season, Ms. Sullivan said, “I think we just lost out in the actual gameplay and the competitiveness of actually playing in the games.” She added that competitive nature is a big part of sports and that missing out on that as a team can be detrimental to the team’s dynamic.

Photo credit: Adam Richins.