WithAugust 25 being the official preseason starting date, many fall sport athletes will feel crunched as they juggle practices, studying and final exams.
Because the calendar falls on an early starting date this year, fall teams except for football are allowed to begin official games Sept. 9. Football will start one week later.
The purpose of beginning all fall sports one weak earlier than football was to accommodate the tight schedule many teams feel during the two month period they have to complete around 18 games.
By beginning earlier, the fall season should be less stressful because fewer games will be played during the week, but because of the D-plan, Big Green sophomores face another problem -- exams.
"I think this will be a stressful time for the sophomores because we don't get a break," soccer player Jenna Kurowski '97 said. "We go right from test out onto the field."
Because of the physical demands of preseason which often involves two, sometimes three, practices a day, there will be little time for Big Green sophomores to escape.
"For the sophomores, I leave the scheduling up to them," women's soccer Coach Steve Swanson said. "Through finals, academics comes first, and they know that. They tell me what their schedule is and we work from that."
"I think some might actually find soccer as a break," Swanson continued. "You try to keep a fun environment so you can release some energy. You have to enjoy what you are doing."
For football, practices have usually begun during exam period so there will be no major changes in the preseason scheduling, Coach John Lyons said.
But overcoming the problem of exams has always been an issue with the football staff. Because the first two days of practice consists of a physical testing period, often times sophomores are unaffected.
"We try to get the kids on in the summer to do their testing earlier before everyone else gets here," Lyons said.
Football testing will begin August 26. Actual practice with pads will not begin until August 30, so athletes with exams should be finished when full practice begins.
"I think most of them are okay and can handle it okay," Lyons said. "A lot of it depends on the number of exams and classes they have. Academics always takes precedence though."
Swanson said he would meet individually with players at the end of this week to look at exam schedules and discuss how much they feel comfortable doing during the exam period.
"I think communication is a big factor," Swanson said. "It is important to stay fresh."
"You don't want to come in and rush things," Swanson continued. "You have to be cognizant of the new players coming in, because it is their first experience at Dartmouth, and of the players coming off of exams. In trying towork all that together, you have to be patient."
Although players know academics comes first, the importance of preseason is always in the back of most athletes' minds.
"I think preseason is about coming together as a team, developing chemistry, getting season goals together and establishing roles," Swanson said. "Hopefully everyone has improved during the summer and then we just have to build on that."
