As the temperatures continue to increase and the remnants of snow on campus and at the Proctor Ski Area slowly melt away, we reflect on the most unique winter athletic season we have experienced. With athletes donning masks to compete safely, and with the help of coaches, athletic trainers, athletic staff, ski area crew, and peer schools, the winter athletic season was nothing short of a success. Thank you to everyone that made the winter season happen, and to the staff at the Proctor Broadcasting Network for working tirelessly to provide livestreams of all home athletic contests! 

In Michael Porter’s 1996 Harvard Business Review piece titled “What is Strategy”, he outlines the concept of strategic fit, the idea that an organization’s success is not determined by isolated attributes, but by the interconnectedness, or fit, of all its components. This notion of “fit” explains how Proctor’s unique combination of on-campus experiential learning opportunities, integrated academic support, authentic relationships among faculty and students, term-long off-campus programs, and high level arts and athletics all work in synergy to provide an unparalleled educational experience. The complexity of Proctor’s USSA/FIS Ski Program serves as a microcosm of how this concept of strategic fit operates within the greater Proctor model. 

While Head Coach Maggie Kennedy has been out on maternity leave for the majority of the season, coaches Hunter Churchill ‘01 and Rachel Moore have been hard at work with the Girls Varsity Hockey team. Although they have had a challenging start to the season in terms of their win/loss percentage, the team is determined to right the ship and end the season on a positive note. 

Head Boys’ Varsity Hockey Mike Walsh and Assistant Coach Ian Hamlet are back at the helm and ready to lead the team to another successful season. With nine seniors leading the way, the team is poised to make the most of a shortened season. The 2019-2020 campaign ended in the Lakes Region Finals against Tilton, and the team is already back and looking to build off of last season's late season push. 

Proctor’s athletic teams last took part in interscholastic competitions on November 14. For the past 82 days, our students and coaches have awaited this weekend’s first games and races of the winter athletic season. Check out a preview of this weekend’s games and races, as well as our first video team spotlight of the term! 

Of Proctor’s competitive athletic teams, one, in particular, has stood out this year for their success and palpable camaraderie: Varsity Field Hockey. The team of 16 girls has been dominating the Lakes Region League over the last four weeks with an undefeated, 4-0 season. 

Before the addition of the Strength and Conditioning program, run by Craig Leaman and Ross Young, out of season athletes lacked an official structure to train for their primary sport while out of season. However, with the renovation to the Farrell Field House in 2019 and construction of a new fitness center and functional turf strip in the gym, opportunities abound for out of season athletes to hone their skills specific to their sport. Due to COVID-19, NEPSAC rules have allowed for increased contact with out of season athletes and coaches this fall. Proctor's focus has been on twice weekly strength and conditioning sessions for winter sport athletes in addition to twice weekly practices.

At most high schools, students would probably get in trouble for scaling the walls of buildings around campus. However, since the Rock Climbing team began in 1973, students have been encouraged to climb the walls as they participate in this activity almost every afternoon.