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Day 2 of preseason practices, when the newness of the season is starting to dwindle and any initial appreciation for conditioning drills is probably gone. The regular season seems so far away.

Tuesday was the second day of fall practices, and Varsity Maine checked in on the Poland and Gardiner field hockey and Windham girls soccer teams. Here is what we learned from Poland’s practice:

Early birds run a lot

Waking up and showing up to a 6:30 a.m. practice isn’t easy, but it might not be as tough as “The Seagull,” a running drill the Knights do often this preseason.

“We have to sprint from one corner to the other corner with the stick above our head; it makes your shoulders so sore,” senior Rianna St. Pierre said.

Head coach Ashley Wex-Armstrong said “The Seagull” was her least favorite drill when she played field hockey, but it’s great for building endurance and arm strength.

They found sugar in a sour place

Among the things fueling the Knights for their early morning practice were the music of Rihanna, Sour Patch Kids, Kind granola bars and blue Gatorade.

Influx of youth

Poland has added what Wex-Armstrong said is a strong batch of freshmen who grew up playing in Poland’s strong youth programs.

“We have a phenomenal group of freshmen, and we also have a large class of freshmen which is really exciting,” Wex-Armstrong said. “I’m also excited for the numbers we have here, we have 31 players which is the largest team that I’ve ever had here as head coach.”

One of those freshmen, Annabelle Whitten, said she is enjoying the transition from middle to high school field hockey, despite having to wake up at 5 a.m. to “get situated.” Since Whitten doesn’t have her driver’s license, she gets rides to practice from her mom, who is a early-practice veteran.

“She wasn’t thrilled I don’t think, but she was fine because my brother has gone through school and he did football, which I think is worse because it’s earlier and longer,” Whitten said. “She’s been through this before.”