When senior Maddie Sesemann became Hinsdale Central’s captain this season, the veteran wanted to eliminate any divisions that may have existed previously between the Red Devils varsity and JV.
“I wanted to include the whole team [together],” Sesemann said.
While Sesemann and Brigid Cultra are the only seniors on varsity, the JV includes classmates Carly Gallo, Toni Marano, Melina Megaridis, Tia Nelson and Claire Pocius.
“In my freshman year, there were no seniors on the varsity,” Sesemann said.
This season, Hinsdale Central has eight freshmen total on the varsity and JV.
Sesemann was inspired by previous Hinsdale Central seniors such as Erin Morgan, Anne Zircher and Alex Yager and created a reward system.
She hands out Jolly Rancher candy for any teammate who learns a new skill or has a clean routine in a meet. She also awards a chocolate bar for scores in the 9s.
Additionally, Sesemann introduced a “sisters” program, where each senior is assigned two to three other younger teammates and they all write notes to each other during the season.
“A lot of stuff, I’m doing by myself,” Sesemann said. “In my freshman year, I was the only freshman on the team. I’m trying to make it fun.”
