On Monday, November 21, the Stone Ridge swim and basketball teams traveled to The Convent of the Sacred Heart on 91st Street in New York City for a friendly competition and bonding trip.
Over the years, the Stone Ridge Athletic Department has been sending teams on bonding trips during breaks or weekends to foster a better relationship between the players while providing a unique opportunity to compete.
The Stone Ridge Athletic Department has been implementing trips during school breaks for teams like lacrosse, field hockey, and cross country over the past few years and hopes to continue trips like this with all the different teams in years to come.
This trip originally began with the idea of sending the swim team up to New York after the 2016 Olympics, since both schools sent athletes to compete in the pool in Rio. Stone Ridge reached out to the Convent of the Sacred Heart, and the trip eventually evolved into a basketball trip as well.
A total of 52 Stone Ridge students ultimately attended. “The Olympics definitely made a contribution,” says Mr. Jason McGhee, the Director of the Stone Ridge Athletic Department.
Though Katie Ledecky ‘15 was not be able to attend the event, the trip was said to be a great success: a fun and busy couple of days.
The itinerary consisted of a practice at Stone Ridge the morning of November 21 for both teams before they hopped on the bus to get to New York at around 4 p.m.
The night began with a big Italian dinner with both teams at Buca Di Beppo in Times Square. The girls then had the rest of the evening to themselves to explore Times Square and all the shops there.
The next morning, the teams got breakfast at the Vinegar Factory and then headed to the National September 11 Memorial for an educational aspect of the trip.
Later, the Stone Ridge group was able to tour the school at 91st Street; the group visited the school’s academic facilities and its new athletic facilities, which opened only two years ago.
“Their school was really pretty. It reminded me of a castle,” said Claire Mullery ‘18, a member of the Stone Ridge swim team. “It also had a great view of Central Park.”
“The swim meet was fun because it was a very friendly competition. The girls of 91st Street were really nice to us,” said Annie Warburton ‘18.
The Gators lost by a couple of points, but they put up a fair fight with some players injured and unable to play. Afterwards,the swim team dominated their competition.
The three goals of the trip for the athletic department were a team bonding experience, an educational piece, and good competition, these three aspects of the trip that seemed to be a huge success for all who participated.
