Athletic Department Reminisces on Changes Throughout the Past Decade

Riverdale’s athletic program has seen incredible change in the past decade. As students, we have benefited from the addition of several new teams, new athletic facilities, and the hiring of top-notch coaches. Today, Riverdale athletics are thriving, with over 82 percent of students participating in at least one sport a year, some of whom are dedicated tri-varsity athletes.

Not only has there been an increase in the teams offered at Riverdale, but the previously existing sports have also dramatically expanded. Several examples of new sports include crew, indoor track, ultimate frisbee, and water polo. Athletic Director Mr. John Pizzi said that expanding the sports program is a big focus, but his “goal has always been to do it the right way and not just do it.” Riverdale’s strategy is to be methodical, making sure to slowly build a strong foundation for each sport.

For water polo, the first step was to hold spring clinics to evaluate interest. Second, coaches checked any conflicts between water polo and other fall sports to make certain that athletic talent wasn’t spread too thin and that other teams would not be hurt. Mr. Pizzi said, “If we had three more teams in the fall, I’m not sure we’d be able to maintain the success level that we have.” Once those steps were complete, Riverdale fully committed to support this effort and grow the team. Riverdale’s water polo team may have started small, but with great coaching, enthusiastic athletes, and increased experience, Pizzi exclaimed that the varsity program “won an Ivy League tournament championship in its second year.” The water polo program shows the high potential of Riverdale Athletics as a collaboration between student interests and school support. 

Throughout the decade, many existing athletic programs have also grown in size and success. Riverdale’s soccer program has swelled in the last decade, increasing from two teams to five teams. Coach Andrew Fitzgerald turned around the program and now all five teams have both preseason practice and a competitive fall season. Both the girls and boys soccer teams are in contention for the state championship and have a large roster of talented players. Coach and Profe Gaspar Epstein says that “the programs both got better and literally bigger.”

Track is another sport that has shown dramatic positive changes. The introduction of indoor track allows athletes to train year-round and has made Riverdale’s track program one of the most consistently strong programs in New York City. Profe Epstein added, “My first few years I was actually a cross country coach, and that program was super small. Track expanding into the winter season led to the spring season getting that much stronger.” Class of 2021 Dean Carol Pouliot elaborated: “We’ve had times where our track teams were strong, but in this last couple years our track programs have really flourished not only in the number of people participating, but in just their overall success.” Many more athletes participate in track and cross country, resulting in school records being broken each year. 

The quality of Riverdale’s athletics is better than ever. Students receive great coaching and athletic training, and for many sports there are two coaches per team. Mr. Peter Haley, Director of Coaching, explained that Riverdale has an outstanding “50 to 60 coaches per season.” Mr. Pizzi added that Riverdale takes great pride as the “only school in New York City with three full-time athletic trainers” who design exercise programs to strengthen and protect athletes from injuries. Only eight years ago, Riverdale solely had one athletic director, one administrative assistant, and a part-time athletic trainer. Riverdale has since come a long way, and the benefits of these changes are clear.

Another key change in the past decade has been the immense improvements of Riverdale’s facilities. Riverdale transformed from having rundown and poorly maintained facilities to now having one of the nicest pools in the city, three gyms, seven tennis courts, three multi-purpose fields, a fencing center, and several other training rooms. These facilities benefit Riverdale’s many teams and allow athletes to focus on their training, instead of fighting for practice space, wasting time, or dealing with subpar playing conditions. Dean Pouliot commented, “We’ve made the experience for our athletes really solid and strong. In the past you’d run into situations where there was glass on your field, holes in the field, and only one field!” 

According to the athletics department, the changes made in the past ten years have been significant and greatly impactful, and they are ecstatic for what is to come in the new decade.

Both Riverdale’s teams and athletic facilities have reached new heights in the last ten years.