Sports
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Coach’s Corner: Courtney Fields softball at the high school level at Gann Academy. According to Fields, she had been plan Last fall, Wilcox Fellow Courtney Fields ning to pursue a PhD in English and become began working at Concord Academy both an English professor, but she could not ignore inside and outside of the classroom. Fields, her love of softball. “I really love athletics, who teaches two sections of Sophomore coaching, and especially softball,” Fields English, also acted as Head Coach of the said. “I decided that I wanted to pursue a Girls JV Basketball Team this winter and is career that allowed me to do both.” Last coaching for the Softball Team this spring. spring, while finishing her master’s degree, Ever since she can remember, softball Fields saw an opening for the Wilcox Fellowhas been a ship at CA. presence in She applied Fields’ life. and was of“There is a fered a popicture of sition, and me when is now halfI was four way through years old the two-year swinging program. with a giant Though red bat,” she joined Fields said. t h e CA “Since I community was three or only eight four I have months ago, really liked Fields said hitting the that she has ball.” become im A c mersed in cording to CA, both in Fields, her the classlove for room and on the game the softball Wilcox Fellow and Softball Coach Courtney Fields. has only indiamond this Photo courtesy of www.concordacademy.org creased since spring. “As a her childcoach I get really excited and want to drive hood days. Although she was recruited by a team to realize that they’re all really good Smith College in Northampton, MA, after competitive athletes,” Fields said. “If they playing softball for all four years of high realize that, it might expand a whole new part school in New Jersey, Fields stopped playing of themselves.” She has worked throughout during her sophomore year of college. Still, the spring with History Teacher and Softball Fields said that her passion for the game Coach Ed Rafferty to achieve this goal. “I’m never faded, and she continued her involvehoping that that’s something [Ed Rafferty] ment from a different side: coaching. and I can do: help the team realize the po Fields began coaching at college, when tential they have,” Fields said. she helped to run several softball clinics Fields concluded, “I guess why I really for middle school and high school girls. love the game is because it’s a test of what While attending graduate school at Brandeis kind of person you are: someone who can University, where she studied English and support others and can be there for others.” Women’s Studies, Fields started coaching
by Somerset Gall ’16
May 21, 2013
CA Athletes Take to the College Fields Just as athletes will miss the guidance of CA’s coaches, the coaches themselves As seniors prepare for their graduation at will feel the absence of the seniors next the end of the month, there are many aspects year. When asked if he had a favorite thing of Concord Academy to which they will be about coaching Taylor, Waldron responded saying goodbye. They will leave behind that while there were too many to list, one teachers, friends, classes, and, in many cases, that stood out to him is her ability to set long sports teams. While members of the Class term goals and to completely devote herself of 2013 will be missed in the realm of CA to achieving them. “I know I am a better athletics next year, several students will be coach for having an athlete who prepares so continuing their athletic careers at the col- thoroughly and who is always asking what she can do to legiate level. g e t b e t t e r, ” Among these Waldron said. seniors are Da Tatiana vid Lander ’13, Winkelman ’13 Alyssa Taylor will be compet’13, and Tatiaing with Yale’s na Winkelman gymnastics ’13. team next year. Next fall, Winkelman’s David Lander situation is ’13 will be a unique, as she member of was not part Amherst Colof a CA sports lege’s soccer team. Rather, David Lander ’13 playing in soccer game. team. The she trained at a Photo courtesy of www.flikr.com Amherst team, gym outside of which had an undefeated, seventeen-win season last year, school. “Gymnastics always took priority is one of the best Division III soccer teams over social events,” she said. After training in the country. While winning a place on eighteen hours a week over the course of her this squad is a significant accomplishment, time at Concord, Winkelman found that her Lander said that he would miss his time on dedication paid off when she received a call the Concord fields. “I will miss the team as- in late March from Yale recruiting her to join pect of CA athletics,” Lander said. “In order the team. Winkelman said that she is looking for us to win, every kid understood that he forward to competing in college. She added, had to commit to the team and that no one “I think the team spirit in college gymnastics is different than that at the high school level, person could carry the team on his own.” Alyssa Taylor ’13 will be running cross- which I’m looking forward to.” country for Middlebury next fall. Taylor said CA has reason to be proud of these that she is most looking forward to having students who will continue their sports in “having a set group of people who will be college, and Waldron also reflected on their sharing this college experience with me.” effect on our school. “The most significant Like Lander, Taylor said that she will miss thing about seeing a CA athlete go on to comthe close-knit team she has been a part of for pete in college is the feeling that they have the past two years at CA. While she is look- learned to really love their sport,” Waldron ing forward to the experience, Taylor said said. “I hope that every CA athlete will have that she will also miss her coach, Jonathan that experience, whether or not he or she is Waldron. “I don’t think I’ll ever have another a star athlete, and whether or not he or she continues on to compete after high school.” coach as amazing as he is,” Taylor said.
by Sam Culbert ’15
CA Athletics: Lacrosse Lives! by Chris Pappey ’15 Around a year ago, Concord Academy’s Boys Lacrosse Team was on the verge of becoming a club sport. Without enough players to make a varsity team, plans had been made to demote the program from the varsity level. At the last moment, however, a group of freshmen and seniors signed up to participate and this influx revived the team. While the team does not have a winning record this season, they have improved significantly in key areas and hope to continue building the strength of the program. Although the team lost a number of players from last year, even more students signed up to play at the start of this season, and, once they formed the squad, about half of the starting lineup was new players. Erik Zimmer ’15 said that while the team lost key player Peter James ’12, “we got some guys that can fill his shoes.” Mahfuj Hussain ’15 also said that the new players have helped the team. “Because of the increase in talent this year, we have high expectations,” Hussain said. The new members of the team all agree that the returners have been both welcoming and helpful. Aidan Aciukewicz ’15, who joined the team for the first time this spring, said, “I really feel like a part of the team. They did a good job at accepting all of us.” Noah Kelleher ’15 agreed. “Because the team
is growing and we barely had enough people to play last year, I think the team accepted all the new players openly,” Kelleher said.
Benkler ’15. “Noam always has some crazy saves in goal,” Kelleher said. Zimmer added, “In the beginning of the season, Noam was
Nick Alvarez ’14 playing in lacrosse game. Photo courtesy of www.flikr.com Some players feel that the defense has seen the most significant improvement, while others say the attack has improved most noticeably. But what the whole team can agree on is the trust they have in their goalie, Noam
the type of goalie that you could pass the ball to and it would go in [the net.] But over the course of the season, he has improved so much that he is saving rocket shots from some of the top players in the league.”
In addition to Benkler in goal, the team has also improved in several other aspects. With the addition of Jasper Beever ’15 on attack, they now have a player who can reliably put the ball in the back of the net. Zimmer and Kelleher, who each have several goals on the season, also have joined Beever on attack. Kelleher commented on the strength of the offense. “Its nice to have a lot of our players able dodge and start plays to score goals,” Kelleher said. Zimmer added,“[The offensive players] play hard and hustle on clears which gives us some good fast-break opportunities.” While the team has improved since last year and over the course of the spring, they are still struggling to compete with some of the teams in the EIL. Coming off their first four games, three of which were losses, CA faced off against Landmark, a team of similar ability. While falling behind in the beginning, CA came back to tie it up and almost took the lead. Still, despite the team’s efforts, a series of fouls left Concord playing a man down, and Landmark ultimately took the lead, and then the game. Although the team had some trouble in the beginning of the season, they have since logged two wins and are hoping to finish off the season strong and then to set their sights on next year. “We just wanted to do better than last year and to get better as the season continues,” Kelleher said.