Two years ago, for various reasons, the AAG Sports program was forced to switch from the CHVL, a league for the smallest schools in the Capital Region, to the Colonial Council, a league with average sized schools. Though these schools have a rather small population in comparison to schools such as Bethlehem and Shenendahowa, Lansingburgh and Mechanicville high schools are easily double the size of the AAG high school student body. In the spring of 2008, this seemed to pose quite a problem for the AAG Varsity Soccer, Volleyball, Basketball, and Softball teams. How were these teams supposed to compete against schools who had twice the numbers, and twice the pool of athletes to choose from? However, after two years, it is evident that this has not kept some of the AAG teams from competing, and succeeding.

The first year AAG competed in the Colonial Council (08′-09′) was essentially a trial run for most teams. All the teams competing did fine in terms of records, with the exception of the Basketball team (however, the Colonial Council is an extremely competitive basketball league, more so than many other sports). The Varsity Soccer, Swimming and Diving, and Track teams did rather well, going about five hundred or over with their records. All in all AAG’s first year in the Colonial Council was a successful one.

So far this year, AAG has had six teams compete in the Colonial Council for a full (or almost a full) season. In the fall, the Varsity Soccer, Cross Country, Swimming and Diving, Volleyball, and Tennis teams competed. Cross Country improved drastically, winning some meets, being invited to meets down-state, and placing well in most of the meets they competed in. Volleyball did not have a fantastic season, however the team did improve. Tennis at AAG has been successful in recent years, and thus continued their success this year. Swimming and Diving had a good season, with a record of 5-5. However, the story was very different for the AAG Soccer team. With only thirteen girls on the team and eleven needed to play on the field, this year’s soccer team had a tough go of it. However, with an increase in numbers the soccer team has a chance of improving next year. As for the AAG Varsity Basketball team, they went from only a few wins to being in fourth place in the Colonial Council as of late. As mentioned before, Colonial Council is a very tough league for basketball. However, with new members and four experienced seniors, the team has been successful so far. It is too early to tell, but this year could very well be considered an even more successful year for AAG’s Colonial Council teams than the last.

But how has the increase in talent, skill, and competition in the Colonial Council affected AAG’s teams for the better? The answer is quite obvious, actually. Athletes, when forced to play with and against more skilled players, become better players themselves. It is not because that AAG has had an influx of fantastic athletes, or because the competition in Colonial Council has gotten worse. It is because the members of AAG’s sports teams have been forced to improve, creating better teams. If the teams continue to grow in numbers and earn better records, more girls will want to play, giving the teams a larger advantage. For these reasons one can conclude that what was previously believed to be a horrible circumstance for AAG’s sports teams has actually become an opportunity. Will AAG embrace it? We will have to wait and see.