Windham Middle School began preparing for its spring sports season on Monday, April 14. The Middle School season begins on Monday, May 5 and teams are ready to compete.
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| Windham sixth grader Elena Kostopoulos leaps over the hurdles as she practices for the upcoming middle school outdoor track and field season on Monday, April 14. The season for WMS is scheduled to begin on Monday, May 5 with a first meet to be held at Windham High School. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA |
This season, Windham Middle School welcomes a new baseball coach, Charlie Reiniger, a 2024 Cheverus graduate.
“My goals are helping develop them into better baseball players, that’s key for the varsity program,” said Reiniger. “The other thing that’s key for these seventh and eighth graders is helping them develop into good young men. They already have an outstanding attitude, every single one of these guys wants to be here; everybody that made the team was making the play and that shows their dedication to baseball, they’ve been working over the winter.”
Reiniger has coached junior varsity soccer for South Portland, varsity basketball for Cheverus, seventh grade Cape Elizabeth baseball and was looking for a change. He is excited for the upcoming season.
“We have a very talented team,” said eighth grader Ryan Manning. “We just need to focus on the game that’s ahead of us and don’t focus on anything else; skill-wise, this is a very talented group of young men.”
According to Reiniger, it’s a team game, but individualized. Baseball is a game of mistakes, and you coach through the mistakes. He wants to make them better baseball players and develop them as a team.
Softball
Katherine Parsons is also a first-year coach for Windham Middle School’s softball team.
She said one of her goals is to assess the player's abilities and continue the process of building their arsenal of skills, along with instilling a deeper love for the game, that will carry them into being able to play at the next level.
“My philosophy is that we are people first; and that our team should be our softball family,” said Parsons. “I think the most important thing is to recognize that you have to meet kids where they are. I hope the kids continue to hone their skills, develop an even bigger love of the game, and appreciate them for what they bring to the table, both on the field, and off the field.”
Parsons’ love of softball sparked an interest in more in-depth parts of the game. She was a writer for the website “Fansided,” where she followed players in the minor leagues and assessed the likelihood of them advancing their careers.
“I just want us to have fun,” said eighth grader Audrey Libby. “We gained a lot of seventh graders which is helpful. We have a lot of people who really love to play softball, so it should be fun with all of us together.”
Outdoor track and field
Windham eighth grader Lila Miller has a goal of beating her personal record in the mile run. She says participating in outdoor track helps her build up her endurance for other sports, along with making new friends.
“For some of these kids, this is an introduction,” said WMS boys’ outdoor track and field coach Aaron Talon. “They’re getting a taste of what there is to offer for the outdoor track experience.”
Middle school track offers three different events kids can choose from on a meet day. Participating at the middle school level gives them a nice overview of what’s available if they choose to continue at the high school level.
“My goal for every season is to make sure our athletes are having a great time,” said WMS girls’ outdoor track and field coach Jason Lanoie. “It’s not about winning every event; it’s about the athletes achieving their personal best.”
Lanoie wants all his athletes to try new events and push their boundaries. Trying something new may lead to a different experience for their track career when they get to high school.
Both Talon and Lanoie say that they want WMS athletes to be prepared for the next level, to compete at the best of their ability and be part of a team that they’re proud of. <
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