Athletics

Being on the Rectory cross-country team is more than just learning how to put one foot in front of the other; it's learning to be a better runner, to have a sense of pride, and most importantly, self-worth. The main goal for each runner is to improve their times on our home course throughout the season and to feel joy in accomplishing this goal. Running is not easy, but the more you run, the more you improve your time, the more mentally you become, and the greater sense of pride you begin to walk around with. to be a better runner, to have a sense of pride, and most importantly, self-worth. The main goal for each runner is to improve their times on our home course throughout the season and to feel joy in accomplishing this goal. Running is not easy, but the more you run, the more you improve your time, the more mentally prepared you become, and the greater sense of pride you begin to walk around with.

During the season, The equestrian team focuses on learning and improving control, balance, and effective communication with the horse through hands and seat with daily lessons. Ground lessons to teach safe horse handling, behavior, anatomy, and care also help create well-rounded riders in all aspects of horse care. The benefits of the program are patience, attention to detail, responsibility, coordination, increased confidence, and enjoyment in handling and riding horses, while the physical benefits of horseback riding are well documented; the act of riding works for all the major muscle groups and requires fine motor skills and mental focus. Teamwork is the key to success between horse and rider and reinforces the sense of a job well done. 

Students in Fall Adventures will experience the Rectory Campus in a challenging and exciting way. We will hike on our trails, explore our beautiful wilderness, and climb on our new high ropes element. Students will learn to problem solve, work together as a team, and push themselves to new heights.

Students in Fall Adventures will experience the Rectory Campus in a challenging and exciting way. We will hike on our trails, explore our beautiful wilderness, and climb on our new high ropes element. Students will learn to problem solve, work together as a team, and push themselves to new heights.

The fall martial arts team will explore the basics of Tang Soo Do ( Korean Karate). The format will include traditional etiquette and protocol. Students will learn the basic techniques taught to beginners for decades but will consist of modern applications and understanding. Coaches will discuss respecting, doing your best, acting as a team, and setting individual goals. Traditional forms, combinations, and movements will be the foundation of the class. They will teach self-defense from a "street-smart "perspective. Students will be challenged physically and mentally while working to earn their first belt rank. Push-ups, Situps, punching, and kicking are only part of the warrior's path. To be a complete martial artist, we want them to develop integrity, courage, compassion, and respect. This class aims to help build life skills to help students understand their potential, confront challenges, and celebrate reaching goals. The course will be taught by the masters and instructors from Quest Martial Arts, a local martial arts school that has transformed lives for over 35 years.

The Boy's Varsity Soccer team competes at a high level. Practices balance tactical development, advanced skill building, fitness, and team chemistry. An additional focus is placed on attitude and behavior during practice and matches. Athletes must be committed to the team and learn to compete as a unit. The players are always expected to be exemplary models to the other teams. The goal is to apply this on-field discipline to all aspects of Rectory life.

The Rectory School JV soccer team is dedicated to nurturing the growth and development of its young athletes. We emphasize a growth-positive attitude, ball-handling prowess, strategic understanding, and the value of teamwork. Our JV soccer program equips players with comprehensive skills that extend far beyond the soccer field. Through the lessons of cooperation and the importance of clear communication amongst teammates, our players not only enhance their performance on the pitch but also acquire essential life skills. In addition, they will also learn how to elevate their game from a technical and mental standpoint. As they continue to learn and grow through games and practice, these young athletes are poised to assume influential roles within our community, well-prepared for future challenges.

Recreational soccer is a program primarily devoted to the enjoyment and development of soccer players without emphasizing travel or "high-level" competition. The purpose of recreational soccer is to provide an opportunity for the participants to have fun, learn the sport, and develop life skills, including a lifelong love of the game. Recreational soccer increases participants' understanding of the game and their foundational skills.

The varsity level for girls soccer focuses on player development in all aspects of the game. Keep-away games, passing drills, shooting, and fitness are emphasized throughout the season. Through these drills, the girls will better understand movement off the ball and field awareness. Along with these technical skills, we work to build the self-confidence in the players and create a strong foundation of team support for one another.

Varsity volleyball works hard in practices, focusing on skill development. Among the skills we work on are serving, serve-receiving, setting, bumping, digging, hitting, position play, position responsibility, and communication. Most of the schedule is played against high school teams so that they may face physically stronger opponents. Teamwork, fast footwork, and consistency are essential for our team's success. 

Junior Varsity Girls Volleyball focuses on all aspects of the sport. These girls learn the basics of volleyball while preparing them for Varsity level play. We work on developing the whole player and game by starting them off with basic skills and drills that include bumping, setting, passing, and underhand serving. After these skills have been adequately developed, we delve into more complex drills and overhand serving when and where appropriate. Finally, we work on positioning and gameplay through scrimmages and gameplay drills. Through this setup, the players better understand the sport and rules of volleyball and how their movement and participation are imperative on the court. Along with their technical skills, we work on building self-confidence and creating a supportive environment for one another.

The Rectory Varsity A basketball team believes in two principles; play hard defense and unselfish offense. With a strong focus on skill development and playing the "right way," our goal is to prepare players to play at the highest level. We play a competitive schedule that allows our players to face competition and receive exposure from top secondary schools throughout the Northeast.

Rectory’s Varsity B Basketball Program works to ready players for the next level of competitive play. We focus on basic to advanced basketball fundamentals, skill development, and sportsmanship. Our program is aimed to equip our players with the necessary tools they need to succeed on and off the court. Throughout the year our players learn and understand the importance of working hard, dedicating the time to grow, and coming together as teammates to find both group and individual success.  

The JV boys’ basketball team will focus on building solid fundamentals including dribbling, passing, layups, shooting technique and how to play defense. The coaches ask the kids to bring and maintain a positive attitude and a strong work ethic, enjoy the game, and show great sportsmanship. Go Wolves!

With the ethos that Sports and specifically, in this case, basketball is a metaphor for life, Girls Varsity Basketball places a premium on such tenets as sportsmanship, the team constructs, leadership, commitment, hard work, and the value of competition and fair play while teaching fundamental and foundational basketball skills. Furthermore, poise, intensity, an intelligent and up-tempo style of play, tough and active defense, and efficient execution on both offense and defense characterize the approach. Finally, while continually developing their (individual) skills, players are expected to learn and execute different offensive and defensive sets.

JV Girls Basketball will continue to focus on building and developing the fundamentals, such as dribbling, passing, shooting, and defending. We have passionate and energetic coaches, who are eager to teach and improve the players’ skills. The program strives to help the players grow and succeed both on and off the court.

Recreational Basketball is a team that focuses on learning the basics of basketball in a non-competitive manner. Players will learn not only how to dribble, pass and shoot, but also teamwork, physical activity, and basic skill development. While intramural games will be scheduled, every player will play nearly equally, and the scoreboard will be used for timekeeping only. Our hope as coaches is that the players will develop life-long skills including respect for the game, encouragement of others and having fun.

The Rectory School fencing team provides fencers of all skill levels, from beginner to advanced, with a safe and supportive environment where they can learn more about the sport and learn more about what it means to be part of a team. Beginning fencers have the opportunity to be introduced to the sport, and experienced fencers have the opportunity to refine their skills. All fencers have the opportunity to compete through daily practice and formal matches. In addition to fencing ability, the team emphasizes overall fitness, sportsmanship, and decorum throughout the season. We are proud to offer such a unique sport here at Rectory.

The Rectory Fitness program is intended to familiarize students with a number of physical fitness modalities, including elements of weightlifting, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), CrossFit and bodyweight exercises. Students are provided with intentional instruction on lifting weights and routines that combine a combination of movements. One of the primary objectives of the Fitness program is to provide students with an understanding of the human body, how it functions, and how to safely and effectively impact each muscle through targeted exercise. Each student begins the program with a tutorial on how to use the fitness equipment properly. After that, students establish benchmarks on specific lifts and exercises, with goals being set from there; every two weeks, students are retested to evaluate progress. Throughout the Fitness program, students work toward growing their physical fitness knowledge, strength, and conditioning.

Varsity Ice Hockey focuses on preparing players for competition at the secondary school level. As Rectory’s highest team, players are expected to already possess a solid skill set of hockey fundamentals including skating, shooting, passing, and body contact as well as a firm understanding of team systems. These skills will be further developed and refined throughout the season with an emphasis on building team culture that models Rectory’s Creed of Respect, Responsibility, Honesty, and Compassion. Typically Varsity Hockey will conduct four on-ice practices per week and one off-ice session where we work in a classroom setting to review team concepts as well as build strength and conditioning.

Our squash program represents all levels of the sport at Rectory. We differentiate by ability and comfort to match our players. Our range goes from newcomers all the way to students with more than a decade of experience. Our main practices allow students to focus with others on building fundamental skills before moving on to more advanced drills. Our more advanced players work to string skills together into cohesive, productive play. In addition to rigorous court training, our squash program maintains an intense off-court fitness regiment. Athletes spend one full practice per week devoted exclusively to high-intensity workouts to build stamina, strength, and speed. Like most squash teams, our program uses a ladder system to rank players and determine who will represent the school in our competitive match ups.

Co-Ed Swimming at Rectory seeks to nurture technically sound competitive swimming in each student-athlete. With four lanes and two coaches to work with, we are able to meet swimmers where they are to best maximize their potential growth. We start by breaking down all four strokes through drills and then building them back up and using interval training. Student-athletes work on tight streamlines, solid flip turns, and efficient breakouts, as well as dives from the wall and the block, backstroke starts, and breaststroke turns so they are prepared for the demands of competitive swimming. The Swim Team focuses on setting and working toward personal goals while building individuals' self confidence and a supportive team network. 

Winter Warriors is an athletic experience of team building, endurance challenges, strength training, and overall conditioning. Our goal is to get outside and enjoy the glorious days of winter as much as possible, whether it be hiking, sledding, building a snowman, and even experiencing winter survival skills. When the days are just too brutal, we will warm up inside with obstacle courses, boot camp workouts, power yoga, energetic activities, and athletic training.

The varsity baseball team focuses on preparing players to play at the secondary school level. Being a varsity sport, the boys are expected to possess fundamental skills, such as hitting, fielding, and throwing, allowing for higher level drills, situations, and strategy.

The junior varsity boys’ baseball team builds on the fundamentals of the game. We will focus on basics - fielding our positions, throwing to the correct base, understanding both offensive and defensive strategy, and proper work ethic and preparedness, all while maintaining a high level of fun. Success will be measured by improvement - both individually and as a team - rather than on the final score.

Varsity Golf at Rectory is for those with some experience of playing. Players know the basics of the game, so we focus our practices on building the knowledge and technique of our golfers. The varsity team plays at the beautiful and local Connecticut National Golf Course in Putnam. 

Junior varsity golf practices the fundamentals of the game and practices on improving players swings. Golfers will also learn the many rules of golf etiquette.  Most importantly golfers will have fun getting to know their teammates while walking the course together and enjoy the afternoon on the course regardless of what the scorecard says at the end of the day. 

Varsity lacrosse focuses on preparing players for competition at the secondary school level. As Rectory's highest team, players are expected to already possess a solid skill set of lacrosse fundamentals including catching, shooting, passing, and body contact as well as a firm understanding of offense and defense of combinations. These skills will be further developed and refined throughout the season with an emphasis on building a team culture that models Rectory's Creed of Respect, Responsibility, Honesty, Compassion. 

The junior varsity lacrosse team primarily focuses on skill development and understanding the concepts associated with the game of lacrosse. The first few weeks of practice are geared towards throwing, catching, picking up groundballs, and the rules of the game. We face numerous teams throughout the year to showcase our development and growth in the sport of lacrosse. In the end, our goal is to not just develop athletes into lacrosse players, but helping athletes understand the idea of team-sports, sportsmanship, and respect for the game and their opponents. 

The Rectory girls' lacrosse team learns the sport of lacrosse through the emphasis of sportsmanship, positive play, the benefits of handwork and teamwork. With a number of girls being new to the sport, we work deligently to master catching and throwing and the intricacies of offense and defense. They are able to showcase their skills and level of play in a number of games throughout the season. 

Rectory Softball teaches players the foundations of the game while building confidence and camaraderie within the players. We work on skills such as catching, throwing, hitting, and field awareness.  

The varsity tennis team focuses on preparing players for high-level match play and the transition to secondary school tennis. Players are expected to possess the basic fundamentals of tennis, with drill-based practices geared toward match strategy and further developed skills. With a full slate of matches, daily practice on the courts, and an end of year team tournament players get maximum experience during the season. 

The Junior Varsity Tennis team focuses on skill development and understanding the concepts associated with the game of tennis.  We practice diligently on the proper form of forehands, backhands, volleys and how to serve properly. Game of tennis begins with a serve, so the emphasis is on a successful stroke! In tennis, there are no referees. So we work very hard on saying the proper score and calling our lines in or out honestly. We also concentrate on conditioning. 

The Rectory track team works with students of all running abilities. The events we compete in are 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1600m, 4x1 Relay, Long Jump, and Shot Put. We use this opportunity to introduce the athletes to different strategies for running in the races and correct technique to master during their events. The players participate in meets and invitationals which prepares students for track at the secondary school level.