Sentence:  Naturally he had no clue that Todd's “intimate gathering of friends” was actually a cauldron of hormones and questionable fruit punch—a prelude to the all-night bashes that would someday fill Todd's entire college career. In effect, this was a fraternity party<WSD> with training wheels</WSD>. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  In a formative stage; nascent.