Big Red Spring 2014

BIG RED APRIL 2014 • VOLUME 9 • NO. 3 • SPRING EDITION

COURTNEY CORRIN

THE SEQUEL Track and field star Courtney Corrin ’16 will attempt to follow up a historic freshman year with an even better sophomore campaign. p. 12

thePlaybook Big Red Staff: PHOTO GALLERY Big Red Staff: ROUNDTABLE

BIG RED April 2014 • VOLUME 9 • NO. 3

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Jack Goldfisher:

Eric Loeb:

RIDING THE BUS 10

OPEN DIVISION 11

Take an inside look at the boys’ varsity basketball team bus on the way to a game. Also, check out the new CIF open division that could potentially give the Wolverines an advantage for future CIF appearances.

Elijah Akhtarzad: COURTNEY CORRIN

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As she enters her sophomore year, Courtney Corrin ’16 is ready to continue where she left off last season, when she broke the freshman record for long jump with a 21 foot jump.

Lizzy Thomas: ASHLEY GROSSMAN Big Red Staff: RECORDS EXPOSÉ

16 20 SAM SACHS/BIG RED

Sam Sachs: BASEBALL 17

2014 SEASON RECORDS: 100 Meters: 12.71 200 Meters: 25.75 400 Meters: 58.91 300m Hurdles: 49.49 Long Jump: 18’ 11’’

After being crowned the High School National Champions, the baseball team is yet again having an outstanding season behind seniors Brian Ginsberg and Jack Flaherty.

Mila Barzdukas and Audrey Wilson; Grant Nussbaum:

Jonathan Seymour: SKIING 25

JONATHAN MARTIN AND JASON COLLINS, CONTINUED 22

Tyler Graham: SURFING 26

theStaff editor-in-chief Grant Nussbaum

adviser Kathleen Neumeyer

managing editors Elijah Akhtarzad, Eric Loeb, Sam Sachs

presentations editor Jack Goldfisher

associate editors Mila Barzdukas, Jacob Goodman, Tyler Graham, Audrey Wilson

staff Julia Aizuss, Jordan Garfinkel, Marcella Park, Caitlin Neapole, Patrick Ryan, Jonathan Seymour, Lizzy Thomas, Noa Yadidi

2 • BIG RED SPRING 2014

BIG RED is a publication of the Harvard-Westlake Chronicle, the upper school newspaper at Harvard-Westlake School, 3700 Coldwater Canyon, Studio City, CA 91604, produced as a part of Advanced Journalism classes. The school has 1,500 students in grades 9-12. For any questions, or to purchase a subscription or to advertise, please contact us at chronicle@ hw.com or at (818)487-6512. Copies of BIG RED are distributed free on campus to students and faculty and are mailed to friends and family by subscription at $15 per year. Letters to the editor can be sent to editor-in-chief Grant Nussbaum, at gnussbaum1@hwemail.com.

BIG RED is a general interest magazine about athletics, including teams and individual athletic pursuits of Harvard-Westlake students and faculty, as well as health and fitness topics. For seasonal coverage of Wolverine teams, see The Chronicle or www.hwchronicle. com.

On the Cover: Courtney Corrin currently holds the freshman record for long jump with a 21 foot jump. As she enters her sophomore year, Corrin will look to break her own record and maintain her status of the best in the nation.

Cover Image by Caitlin Neapole and Grant Nussbaum

Show Me Your Moves

Two seniors have begun training in the martial arts, but each for different reasons.

BY JESSICA LEE Training in martial arts is be- arts for a very different reason. coming more popular among stu“I started Taekwondo when dents, but for different reasons.

I was 8, mostly because fighting “At first it was normal bullying. looked very exciting,” Bae said. “I Messing up your lunch, messing believe that Taekwondo’s greatest up your backpack, stealreward was self-confiing stuff from you,” Ray dence and ironically stems Kim’14 said. But starting from my greatest diffifrom the third grade, the culty, the enormous toll bullying worsened increon my mental state. Aside mentally as boys began to from the risk of physiform groups, Kim said. cal injury, my body was As a recent immigrant stretched to its limit, took from Korea, Kim found hard kicks, and was forced himself unable to defend to stay up even at the peak ’ himself both verbally and of my exhaustion.”

Ray Kim ’14 physically. Out of a desire But despite these obto learn self-defense, Kim started stacles, Bae never failed to attend Taekwondo in second grade and practice regularly, even on days continued training for five years when he lacked sleep or felt ill. until he received a first degree Now, he feels confident in his black belt. capability for self-defense and his “Major difficulties would be experiences in overcoming trying when you would be going against difficulties, Bae said. athletes who are at a higher level Throughout his 10 years of than yourself,” Kim said. “They can practicing taekwondo, Bae has toy around and you won’t be able to pulled both hamstrings simultaneland a single kick.” ously and has injured a kee through Taekwondo has given him the overuse. ability to defend himself, which “Outside the occasional face was a relief and rewarding, Kim hit and nosebleed, I was fortunate said. to not have broken any bones or Justin Bae ’14 started martial severely distorted any joints,” Bae nathanson s

said. was the most difficult and stressful, In elementary school, Bae at- because I was expected to master tended the Regional Taekwondo my self-defense and work by myInvitational and participated self. But with my fourth degree, I in three categories: Taekwondo felt the most proud and mature as forms, Judo wrestling, and Hap- a martial artist.” kido forms Grace Chung ’14 similarly “Like any other competition, started Taekwondo in fourth this one was certainly thrilling,” grade, but upon quitting in ninth Bae said. “Although I was fired up grade, Chung has suffered from to compete alongside my friends tendonitis, shin splints and chronic and instructors, I was actually pain syndrome. more focused on getting all three Chung started Taekwondo types of medals [bronze, silver, with the encouragement and insisand gold] for a collection, rather tence of her father. than shooting for gold in all three “My dad thought it would be a events,” Bae laughed. great learning experience for all of Bae accomplished his goal, his children and a nice way to share winning bronze in Judo, his favorite hobby with silver in Hapkido, and gold his kids,” Chung said. in Taekwondo.

Chung practiced As a result of his trainTaekwondo for five ing, Bae is currently a years but quit upon refourth degree black-belt. ceiving her black belt.

“I had a different expeChung faced her rience every time I received own personal difficula new rank,” Bae said. “I ties. “In Taekwondo, ’ was overjoyed at my first there is a huge emphasis Grace Chung degree promotion. With on respecting one’s se’14 [the] second degree, I was niors,” Chung said. She still excited but resolved to take found this vertical hierarchy taxing more responsibility by teaching and difficult to deal with, Chung others. The third degree promotion said. nathanson s

popCULTURE Wolverine Athlete

Talent I Wish I Had

Best Actor?

Favorite Wolverine athlete to watch?

Boys’ Volleyball

DAVID HO ’16

BEING TALLER

TOM HANKS

ZOE BAXTER

OVERRATED

Girls’ Volleyball

EMILY KELKAR ’15

SNOWBOARDING

CHRIS PINE

JO KREMER

A GREAT ATHLETE

CHASE ALDRIDGE ‘15

SINGING WELL

WILL SMITH

MIKE SHENG

A FUTURE HALLOF-FAMER

BRYAN POLAN

UM, WHO IS ANDREW WIGGINS?

Baseball

EFE AGEGE ’14

Track & Field

SINGING WELL

SHIA LEBEOUF

Andrew Wiggins is...?

ELIJAH AKHTARZAD/BIG RED

Wolverine to Watch Jo Kremer ’14, Kelkar’s favorite Wolverine to watch, rests with her hands on her knees during the team’s CIF championship game against La Salle.

BIG RED SPRING 2014 • 3

HOME FREE Pitcherinfielder Jack Flaherty ’14 (#9) safely steals home base in the baseball team’s opening day win over Westlake and celebrates with on-deck hitter Tyler Urbach ’14 along with the rest of the Wolverine dugout.

Photographs by SAM SACHS

SKYWALKER Zachary Birnholz ’14 soars above the sand pit in the long jump competition at the track and field team’s first home meet March 12.

Photograph by GRANT NUSSBAUM

Wolverine roundtable

Members of the Big Red staff give their take on key issues in current Wolverine sports.

Q: What has been the biggest moment of the spring athletic season up to now?

Akhtarzad: The biggest moment so far definitely belongs to

Maddy Kaplan ’14 and her walk-off homerun for the softball team at the beginning of the season against Oak Hills. The Wolverines were trailing 3-2 when Kaplan stepped up to the plate and hit a three-run bomb to win the game, giving the team a big victory in the face of injury woes and several early-season losses. While they have had a year full of ups and downs, first-year head coach Claire Reitmann-Grout and the softball team can always look to Kaplan’s three-run shot to win the game as an example of how to keep fighting back.

Wilson: It’s incredibly difficult to single out one moment in a

season where the baseball team has already put together an endless string of highlights. Perhaps the most eye-catching moment was when Jack Flaherty ’14 stole home with Jacob Pardo ’14 at the plate during the team’s season opener against Westlake, but I instead am going with the team’s 16-0 rout of St. Francis in its league opener March 17. Fittingly, Flaherty and Brian Ginsberg ’14 both hit homeruns, and the overall dominating performance of the Wolverine squad once again put the league, state and nation on notice, reminding them why the Wolverines are the reigning CIF champion and number one team in the nation.

Q: Which players have had the greatest “breakout” seasons this spring?

Loeb: Philip Thompson ’15 has been dominant in face-offs this

season for the lacrosse team. His ability to control the ball has allowed the Wolverines to command time of possession start the year. The team has averaged 13.5 goals per game to start the season, and Thompson is to thank for keeping the ball in his teammates’ sticks. Although he isn’t the flashiest player on the field, he has been one of the most important.

FACE OFF Philip Thompson ’15 checks the ball in last year’s CIF championship game.

MEETING ON THE MOUND The Wolverines infield meets with an assistant coach on the mound during the Wolverines 1-0 win over Chatworth.

SAM SACHS/BIG RED

Nussbaum: The Wolverine athletes who have broken out

the most this year are baseball’s Ezra Steinberg ’15 and Cameron Deere ’16. Steinberg and Deere have provided for excellent firepower on the offensive end behind Flaherty, Ginsberg, Michael Vokulich ’14, and other seniors. Deere’s season has been highlighted by a three-run homerun against Oaks Christian. Deere has also proven his worth in the field at third and on the mound for the Wolverines. Steinberg has put together a string of perfect showings at the plate— five-for-five against West Ranch, fourfor-four against St. Francis, three-for-three against Flint Hill of Virginia. Steinberg, who is committed to play at Oregon, aslo has made the transition into the infield after playing in the outfield last year. Both Steinberg and Deere have made their presence known, and the baseball team looks to be in good hands next year even when this year’s seniors are graduated and gone.

Graham: Last year, the track and field teams were ever-so-

8 • BIG RED SPRING 2014

JACK GOLDFISHER/BIG RED

pleasantly surprised by the breakout of Courtney Corrin ’16, who, in her freshman year, competed beyond the level of most seniors and set record marks in long jump, triple jump and high jump, earning a state long jump title in the process. This year, the track and field teams have once again benefited greatly from the emergence of a new competitor, now in the form of pole vaulter Imani Cook-Gist ’15. Despite being rather new to pole vaulting, CookGist has already emerged as an elite vaulter, setting the school record at the first track meet of the season March 6. Cook-Gist has had a breakout year and she with the track teams only have potential to get to a higher level, both literally and figuratively speaking.

Elijah Akhtarzad Mila Barzdukas Sam Sachs Grant Nussbaum Eric Loeb Audrey Wilson Tyler Graham Managing Editor Associate Editor Managing Editor Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Associate Editor Associate Editor PATRICK RYAN/BIG RED

Q: Which spring team or spring athlete is the most underrated?

Q: Which team is set up to make the deepest run in the playoffs?

Sachs: Bryan Polan ’14 has stepped into the starting middle

Wilson: Last year, the varsity lacrosse team dropped a halftime

blocker spot this year for Adam Black’s Wolverines and is one of the most underrated Wolverine athletes. Polan, who hadn’t played volleyball before trying out for this year’s team has brought valuable height to the squad. At six-foot-five Polan is the tallest member of the team and one of the taller players in Mission League. Polan’s height and athletic ability have added another dimension to this year’s Wolverine volleyball team.

Barzdukas: The Wolverines tennis team has started its league season 4-0 and is 5-3 overall. Max Rothman ’14 and Sam Hummel ’14 lead an underrated team that has dominated their league schedule, including a 17-1 win over Notre Dame on March 18.

The team has a big match coming up against league rival Loyola on April 8, they beat the cubs 13-5 in their first meeting this year on March 20.

Loeb: I believe that the girls’ track and field team is underrated.

After a dominant 2013 campaign, the team is on its way to at least replicating last year’s success, if not surpassing it. Lizzy Thomas ’14, Alex Florent ’15 and Courtney Corrin ’16 have started the year off well and will look to return to CIF Masters, just as they did a year ago. Although a strong start was expected, the team has flown under the radar so far this year, and they are underrated because of it.

lead and fell in a CIF Southern Section finals heartbreaker. This year, most players who were key to that near-perfect playoff run are returning with an extra year of experience. Jack Temko ’14 and Noah Pompan ’14 lead an aggressive group of attackers, bolstered by the development of Roman Holthouse ’15. Faceoff specialist Philip Thompson ’15 was strong last year, but has improved markedly and become a leader for this year’s squad. With strong play from goalie Ben Klein ’14, sparkplug defensive midfielder Joey Lieberman ’14 and reigning Big Red Coach of the Year Alex Weber at the helm, nothing is stopping these guys from winning CIF.

Sachs: Matt LaCour’s baseball team has the talent and experi-

ence to make a deep run again in this year’s CIF playoffs, and should have a shot at repeating as CIF and possibly national champions. The team hasn’t missed a beat this year despite losing numerous players off of last year’s top ranked team. Countless Wolverines have stepped up, not only to fill in for graduated seniors, but also to fill in for injured players. John Thomas ’16 has done a good job filling in for the injured Matt Karo ’14 who was expected to start for the Wolverines at catcher. With Karo coming back, the continued improvement of underclassman on the squad and the battle-tested and skilled senior class the Wolverines are poised to make another deep playoff run.

BIG RED SPRING 2013 • 9

LEADOFF

A first-person account of joining the boys’ basketball team on a busride to an away game.

hopping on t h e B a n d wa g o n

BY JACK GOLDFISHER It’s 3:13 by the time the 3 o’clock basketball team bus pulls out of the north driveway for the team’s game at University High School. The players start filtering into the bus, which is not a normal school bus but rather a comparatively luxurious private one, around 2:50. Between then and its departure, more than 20 players and coaches crowd onto the bus, whose ceiling barely contains the frames of some of the team’s big men.

“The seats are pretty nice, they actually recline, but you don’t do that,” guard Eric Loeb ’14 says.

“You just don’t, especially not you,” he jokes, gesturing to me and laughing. Loeb, one of the team’s many eccentric characters, is affectionately referred to as the last man

10 • BIG RED SPRING 2014

off the bench. Loeb’s senior year is his first on the varsity team, but it wasn’t easy for him to get here.

“I think you could get more minutes than Eric,” forward-center Sam Weintraub ’14 says, clapping Loeb on the shoulder and earning a roar of laughter from a majority of the team.

Sitting next to Loeb is Michael Rahhal ’14, who was already plugged into an iPhone when I boarded the bus and didn’t stop the music until the game. He’s oblivious to starting guard Alex Copeland ’15, who has entered the bus and transformed already into his rapper alter ego AC. While putting his bags in the containers above the seats, he alternates between spitting his own freestyle rhymes and

singing Drake’s “Hold On, We’re Going Home.” Weintraub joins in with Copeland during the latter and Spencer Perryman ’15 stands in the aisle dancing along, but the show fizzles out shortly.

This is generally how team bus rides go, I’m told. Long bouts of playful razzing, laughing and talking about girls punctuated by brief moments of focus and concentration on the game ahead of them.

On the road, there’s less shouting across the aisle and up to the front of the bus, where the coaches sit with security guard Sanders Jackson. Team members compete for the high score on Jackson’s tablet solitaire game. Noah Gains ’15 currently holds the fastest time on the game, but questions loom over

the legitimacy of his record.

“He cheated, I swear,” starting guard Michael Sheng ’14 tells me candidly. Then, hearing Gains, who denies all wrongdoing, boast, he hurls a similar claim towards Gains’s seat.

Loeb, filling me in, tells me that he is one of very few team members that doesn’t play solitaire.

“That’s not the only thing you don’t play, Loeb,” Jackson yells.

“Jokes about me not playing never get old,” Loeb says.

Absent from the bus today is Daniel Schreir ’16, who is getting an MRI for an injury he sustained last game. Several team members huddle together in the back of the bus to take what they call a “sympathy snapchat” to send to Schreir.

They pout and feign tears for a photo then return to their seats.

Junior varsity call-up Chance Gorang ’17 sits quietly for much of the ride, until Sachs shouts the word “Noodles” in his direction.

“We’re still deciding on a nickname for Chance, but I like ‘Noodles,’” Sam Sachs ’14 says. “It’s so damn fun to say.”

“It’s either going to be that or Jeri,” Weintraub chimes in, pointing out Gorang’s Jeri Curl haircut.

Miles Williams ’14 is known as “wifed up” because of his relationship with his girlfriend, and Sheng is known as “right for” because of his.

“It’s because he and his girlfriend are so right for each other,” Loeb says.

“We make fun of Mike, but we all love him,” Sachs says. “We all care about each other.”

When the bus arrives at the gym, the players all grab their game bags.

“Leave your backpacks on the bus, but take your game bags,” Jackson says. “Except for you, Loeb, you can leave both.”

Copeland falls back onto his seat, doubled over by his laughter, as the team makes its way out of the bus and into the locker room.

Division IV AA After a disappointing regular season, the Wolverine basketball team entered the playoffs with hopes of winning a CIF Championship ring with news that their two toughest opponents would be moving to the Open Division .

1st Round: At Costa Mesa: 64-48 Win 2nd Round: Vs. Maranatha: 98-96 Overtime Win Quarter finals: At Buckley: 61-59 Loss

pen Division THE

A change in the landscape of CIF basketball for those invited and those left out.

GUNS-A-BLAZING: Alex Copeland ’15 slings a pass down the court in a regular season game.

BY ERIC LOEB Boys’ Basketball Head Coach Greg Hilliard was very honest with us throughout the season.

He made sure we were aware that our team was much less talented than most of the teams in the Mission League, but also reminded us that if we worked hard and left everything we had on the court, we could beat anyone.

Most of us believed him, but some players were unsure about his message. We were, for the most part, very skeptical about how well we could do in playoffs. Competition promised to be much tougher, and we had already been struggling against teams like Crespi, who we knew would be in our bracket.

Coach had also attempted to keep our spirits high by reminding us that the teams we were losing to in Mission League play were greater opponents than most of the teams we would face in the playoffs. However, we had all either been a part of or witnessed last year’s team playoff run, and

knew that our opponents would be no pushovers.

When rumblings of the creation of an Open Division, a new separate playoff bracket that would collect the best teams from their respective CIF Southern Section Divisions and pin them against each other, anyone who was remotely interested in Southern Section basketball was excited.

Playoff matchups between powerhouse schools like Loyola, Sierra Canyon and Mater Dei promised extremely competitive games; the type of showdowns some say had been lacking in most if not all of the respective CIF Southern Section brackets prior to the change, and could not be seen until state playoffs. We began to wonder how these changes could affect our team, as we had a losing record and would be applying for an at-large bid for the Division IV AA playoffs.

When Coach Hilliard finally explained to us that the changes had been made by CIF and that

Bishop Montgomery and Serra had been removed from our Division IV AA bracket and placed in the more competitive league, players became the most excited they had been since the very begining of the year.

The two best teams in our division had been removed, and we had moved up two spots in the seeding. Our competition was significantly weaker, and we were excited to get to work.

Last year’s team was defeated in the playoffs by a talented Bishop Montgomery squad, and although we had worked all season to improve ourselves, we knew that facing a team with skill like they had would be almost unfair.

Although our season eventually came to an end at the hands of a talented Buckley team, the Open Division almost changed the course of our year and after a disappointing 11-15 regular season, our team had hope of winning a CIF Championship where it did not before.

BIG RED SPRING 2014 • 11

READY for

LIFTOFF After breaking the freshman record in long jump with a 21 foot jump last year, Courtney Corrin ’14 is set for another breakout season as she is determined to rack up another national record this season.

BY ELIJAH AKHTARZAD

12 • BIG RED SPRING 2014

S

trutting across the hard clay track, taking two final steps before her launch and flying through the air 21 feet, track star Courtney Corrin ’16 broke the national high school freshman record for long jump during the United States of America Track and Field World Youth Trials last summer.

“It was all adrenaline and anger,” Corrin told the Los Angeles Daily News after breaking the national record. “I was too tense.

I knew I just needed to slow down and relax. I just focused on jumping to the trees (in the distance beyond the stadium) and it worked out. I’m already exceeding my expectations (for this season), but I know I still have many more goals to accomplish. I just need to have patience.”

While she has transformed into a track star during her time at Harvard-Westlake, Corrin preceded her track career with gymnastics and soccer.

Corrin trained every year, not specifically for soccer, but to get faster and quicker as an overall athlete.

“My mom was kind of crazy with training and fitness and she got us involved in every sport you can think of,” Corrin said.

“We started with gymnastics and then began playing soccer competitively. We also ran because running is involved in every sport you do. But I gravitated towards track and soccer because I was better at those so I decided to master them.”

Corrin inherited her track potential from her father, who was also a long jumper in high school.

When she was younger, her training was geared specifically

BIG RED SPRING 2014 • 13 GRANT NUSSBAUM/BIG RED

READY FOR LIFTOFF towards soccer; however, her athleticism and quickness led her to try long jump in middle school.

“My dad took us to meets and I noticed I was okay, I would get third and then first [in track], but my dad wanted me to try something new and jump cause he was a jumper,” Corrin said. “I was the most uncoordinated kid you would have seen. I began long jumping and I used to jump off my right foot and was pretty good at that, but then switched to jumping off my left foot and that’s when I started becoming first in the nation.”

In her final year eligible for the Junior Olympics, Corrin placed first in long jump among eighth graders with a jump of 19 feet and 11 inches.

Corrin competed with athletes across the nation and began her high school career with validation of her progress and experience under her belt as a freshman.

The following year, Corrin won all major long jump events as a freshman at Mt. Sac, Arcadia, and at State Finals while also competing in running events.

“Courtney has enjoyed tremendous success as a high school track and field athlete even in a one year career so far,” Track and Field Program Head Jonas Koolsbergen ’83 said. “It is always a thrill to have a ‘best in the nation’ athlete on the team as part of the program. Obviously her performances help the team to succeed and be among the very best teams in CIF and the entire state of California. We look forward to her leading us to even higher levels of team success this spring.”

After setting her personal best of 20 feet and 11 inches at the Mt. Sac relays, Corrin broke her own record with an even 21 foot jump at the World Youth Trials that following summer.

Corrin believes this year she will be able to set another new personal best and could potentially break the national record that Kathy McMillan set in 1976.

14 • BIG RED SPRING 2014

LUKE HOLTHOUSE/CHRONICLE

After Corrin set her personal best at the Mt. SAC relays with a jump of 20 feet and 11 inches, she broke her own record with an even 21 foot jump at the World Youth Trials that following summer. Corrin believes that this year she will be able to set another new personal best and could potentially break the national record that was set in 1976 by Kathy McMillan.

Although McMillan’s 22 feet 3 inches jump was set almost 40 years ago, no one throughout the nation has been able to derail her record.

By the pace Corrin has been succeeding thus far in her high school career, she has the potential to set the new national record.

“Breaking my own record was a sense of relief even though I felt the same because I knew I could do it, but it was just a matter of execution and finally getting it,” Corrin said. “I know I can break it again and I feel like I will be stronger and more experienced during the state meets this year because I know how to treat my body and know how

many rounds there are. I know how to prepare for the meets now and make sure my body is rested compared to being tired last year.”

Two seasons after the departure of national superstars Amy Weissenbach ’12 and Cami Chapus ’12 from the track and field program, Corrin is now in full form and ready to lead this potential stacked track and field program.

Although she is just a sophomore and playing among a talented group of seniors this season, Corrin has looked up to both stars for advice on how to lead the program to future success.

“I look up to the seniors even

though I might have a faster time or a better jump than them. I don’t think it’s about that though,” Corrin said. “They inspire me to be even better, because [Amy and Cami] have done it already and gone through the whole process already. I look at them for guidance when I’m tired or have a target on my back. It’s kind of like I just want to try and hold as many records as I can like [Amy and Cami].”

Although Koolsbergen has only mentored Corrin for one season thus far, he has been able to watch her grow since last season and through the World Youth Trials.

“It is always a privilege to coach, work with and mentor an

GRANT NUSSBAUM/CHRONICLE

PIERCING THE DEFENSE: Courney Corrin ’16 dribbles the ball past two defenders and prepares to clear the ball down the field to open teammates. athlete as extraordinary as Courtney,” Koolsbergen. “Fortunately we have had this kind of success here at Harvard-Westlake before with athletes like Cami Chapus and Amy Weissenbach and are very able to work with athletes on this fantastic level. Her journey is very special and I am incredibly excited to see how far she can raise her level even higher this year. It will be exciting to see her excel on a state and national level in even more events than she did a year ago.”

Although Corrin is known to be one of the best high schol long jumpers in he nation, she has also set season records in Mission Le-

“

gaue competition for the tripple jump, the 300 meter hurdles, and the 200 and 400 meter races.

Corrin notched four Mission League records last year, while setting the 300 meter hurdles time last month with a 46.49 second March 15 at the Tri County Invitational.

Aside from being ranked first in the country in long jump with her 21 foot jump at the World Youth Trials last summer, Corrin has been a formidable force on the Harvard-Westlake girls’ soccer team.

Corrin has been a varsity soccer athlete since her freshman year, and has started both years

for a Wolverine team that has made a deep CIF run each year, and has always been loaded with talent.

This year’s squad was ranked first in both the state and the nation and Corrin was a huge factor behind the team’s midfield defense. Corrin also participates

on the national level for the US soccer team and plays right back for the squad.

“For college I definitely want to continue playing soccer and track because for me they are kind of one sport,” Corrin said.

“At the end of soccer season I am already in shape for track because I have to run and jump throughout the season.”

Although Corrin will have to balance her summer between playing both soccer and training for track, she will be participating on the U.S. soccer team in the sumer.

As a freshman, Corrin participated on the U-17 national team and was one of seven forwards on the squad.

Corrin’s main position on the Wolverine star-loaded lineup was midfield this past season, where she used her athleticism to switch from defense to offense.

The squad will lose several seniors next year and it will be a time and opportunity for Corrin to step up and lead the Wolverines who have not only been a formidable force in Mission League play, but also in CIF competition.

After sophomore year, Corrin will train all summer for both track and soccer and will have the opportunity to surpass her jump of 21 feet, which was set last spring.

IT IS ALWAYS A THRILL TO HAVE A ‘BEST IN THE NATION’ ATHLETE ON THE TEAM AND AS PART OF THE PROGRAM. -JONAS KOOLSBERGEN BIG RED SPRING 2014 • 15

WATERWORKS

BY LIZZY THOMAS How was your Canada Cup experience different from international experiences in the past?

What does your water polo schedule look like in 2014, both for Stanford and for the national team?

It was different because we had a lot of younger girls. There were some girls as young as 14, up to our goalie who was 33, so it was different because we had a very wide range of age groups but also an unbelievably intense tournament in that we were only playing two teams. It was more of a training tournament, which made it more fun because we got to train a lot and be with the team a lot. It was really nice that it was snowing because that was very different from most of our tournaments where we play in the sun.

For Stanford, we’re actually really gearing up right now. I [went] back on January 2, and [had] to be back at 2 p.m. for a meeting in the afternoon. We have a four-day camp and it’s kind of our Hell Week and we go pretty much straight into season and we start our season middle to end of January and then our season goes until May. After school, that’s when the national season starts back up. It actually just ended with the Canada Cup and the Holiday Cup, and now they let us go back to our schools and completely commit to that. To train for our tournaments that we just had, my Stanford teammates who were on the national team and I were commuting down to Southern California almost every weekend. Now we’re fully committed to school, and after school ends we’re fully committed to the training team and we’re back with the national team and everything. So

Was it difficult for you to balance your schoolwork and Stanford water polo commitments with your preparation and participation in the Canada Cup? I always say this, that Harvard-Westlake honestly prepared me very, very well, so I have a lot less difficulty balancing my academics with my athletics than most other people do. I missed what is called ‘dead week,’ which is pretty much a whole study week, and I came back in time for finals. I normally do better when there’s less downtime, and I think a lot of athletes can agree with me that, when you have less downtime, you have to get that work down right when it’s assigned, right when you know you have time rather than procrastinating. When I had breaks in between practices, a bunch of us would sit down at our computers and do our work and I got it done. The national team right now is a younger team and it’s made up of a lot of college girls.

But I also think that earning your goals that way, playing it out, makes it more rewarding. You did all that work and then you get credit for it.

How are you able to connect with and play with your teammates on the national team, when your practice with them is limited?

There are three other girls on the national team with me who go to Stanford. One plays my there’s no break, but that’s okay. position, and then the other two play on the perimeter, so they give me passes, and they are two very dominant players and they handle the What is it like to score a goal on ball a lot. So that’s an advantage for me, being a the international stage, netting center, because they give me the best passes and three goals in the semifinals against they know me well so they know when I’m ready for the ball. We all work very well together.

Canada?

Since we all come from different schools, and are different ages, younger girls aren’t always It’s exciting. You have to work a lot harder for as confident or don’t have the same game IQ as your goals. The referees let you play it out a lot other players, it’s difficult and you have to build more, and it’s definitely different going from a relationship with one another, and that’s why college to international because in college, the we practice a lot, a lot, a lot. With some other refs want to call everything, they’re whistle players that I’ve played with in the past, on a club Nazis, and internationally they hardly ever blow team and then I played on the junior national their whistles because they want you to play it team and the youth national team, there are out. There’s a positive and a negative. Coming some girls who’ve also been in the pipeline with from the college season and training all fall, it me for that long, so I’ve built a relationship with was a little bit difficult for me to switch over to, them from my years in the past. There are a lot of ‘oh the ref ’s going to let me play, this is great.’ criss-crosses and a lot of webs built.

BIG RED SPRING 2014 • 16

TOP OF

THE ORDER

BY SAM SACHS

Jack Flaherty ’14, left, and Brian Ginsberg ’14 are set to become two of the most decorated players in Harvard-Westlake baseball history.

BIG RED SPRING 2014 • 17

O

n March 11, the Wolverines baseball team beat the Chatsworth Chancellors, 1-0. Jack Flaherty ’14 pitched a complete game shutout and Brian Ginsberg ’14 scored the team’s only run of the game.

The Wolverines baseball team has won the first eight games of their season before their first and only loss of the year. The squad’s 10 wins have brought Flaherty ’14 and Ginsberg’s ’14 win total to 85 wins over their four years as varsity baseball players. “[Freshmen playing varsity is] not something that happens very often in baseball,” Coach Matt LaCour said, “aside from the skillset that you need in order to compete at the level that we compete, division one, you need to be physically strong enough to do certain things. Not many freshmen have the combination of skill set and strength.”

LaCour’s teams have won an average of 25 games a year while the senior duo has been on them, and this year’s team has the best record through 11 games of any those previous three teams. If this year’s Wolverines maintain this average Flaherty and Ginsberg will reach 100 wins as they end their careers.

“Obviously, that would be really cool,” Ginsberg said, “but, all we’re thinking about is winning one game at a time and approaching, you know, the next game, but it would still be something awesome

“

because it would show not just about one of these teams but about all four of these teams I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of and how special each one has been.”

During Ginsberg and Flaherty’s freshman year the Wolverines went 23-8 and made it to the CIF Quarterfinals before they lost to Santa Barbara. Ginsberg and Flaherty both started and played in 28 and 30 games respectively for a team that won the Wolverines’ first Mission League title in baseball. Michael Vokulich ’14 and Tyler Urbach ’14 each played as freshmen for the team, and saw action in six and three in their own right.

In their sophomore year the duo was joined full time by classmates Urbach and Vokulich and again LaCour’s Wolverines won the Mission League championship after finishing 24-5-1, including a 9-2-1 league mark. The team, which featured standout pitchers Lucas Giolito ’12 and Max Fried ’12, however lost to Valencia in the second round of CIF play.

Last year, LaCour’s seventh at the helm of the program, the Wolverines broke through and won a CIF championship, the first in program history. Flaherty collected

many national, state and CIF player of the year titles, and the Wolverines were named the best team in the nation.

T

BECOMING A CHAMPION AND ACCOMPLISHING THE LONG TERM GOALS DOESN’T HAPPEN UNLESS YOU ACCOMPLISH YOUR GOALS ON A DAILY BASIS. “

his year the team is off to a hot start. The Wolverines went undefeated through their first eight games including their first two league games, before losing a game in the Horizon National Tournament Classic in Scottsdale, Ariz. to Horizon High School.

“Season had gone really well so far for us,” Flaherty said, “we have played well and have been able to win some games ugly. We just need to keep up the hard work in our preparation.”

This hot start is helping the Wolverines meet the lofty expectations they have after last year’s CIF run. Since the CIF victory, LaCour, Flaherty and the team as a whole have received a lot of attention, including recently being ranked as the top team in the country by MaxPreps, but they are focused on keeping their heads down.

“Becoming a champion and accomplishing the long term goals doesn’t happen unless you accomplish your goals on a daily basis,” Ginsberg said, “and that’s what makes our coaches so great is that they don’t let you take any day off not just physically, but also mentally and they make you stay mentally checked in and focused every time you take the field at every practice.”

This leadership isn’t only coming from the coaches. This year’s team has nine seniors many of them with experience on varsity, but none with more than Flaherty or Ginsberg.

“I wouldn’t say they are our only two leaders,” Jacob Pardo ’14 said, “but they play a big role with their experience and everything. They’ve seen a lot with their experience and at the top it’s good to have two battle tested people like that.”

Coach LaCour echoed those sentiments, praising his senior duo by saying “We are talking about two players that are very self-aware. They know how to coach themselves. They don’t need someone to tell them what right and what is wrong, they know the difference, and that allows them to help their teammates when they

-BRIAN GINSBERG

FOLLOW THROUGH Flaherty finishes his pitching delivery during his shutout of the Chatsowrth Chancellors on March 11.

DEFENSIVE DUO Flaherty (#9) and Ginsberg (#22) make up the left side of the infield for games that Flaherty is not pitching in.

PHOTOS BY SAM SACHS/BIG RED

may be going through a struggle on or off the field.”

A

fter the 1-0 win over Chatsworth, Flaherty was greeted by Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles Daily News reporters. This is not odd for someone who is considered to be one of the best high school baseball

players in the nation. The way Flaherty handled the interviews wasn’t out of the ordinary for the six-footfour pitcher, either. Flaherty, in his usual, understated fashion, credited the opponent for playing a good game and shied away from praising himself.

Next, the reporters moved on to Ginsberg, this was more un-

usual. The well-spoken shortstop, however, fielded questions from reporters with the same ease as he fields short hopping ground balls. After three years in the shadows of older players and his classmate, friend and MLB prospect, Ginsberg is stepping up to a more prominent role in his senior year, and having success at it, leading the

SAM SACHS/BIG RED

team with three home runs.

“Jack and Brian are two very different players and the fact that they are both very good at baseball goes to show that the game allows for guys with very different skill sets to have success,” LaCour said. “Jack is what many would call a ‘natural talent’. The way he moves on the field is graceful, he makes things that are very difficult to do look very easy at times. You take that gift and pair it with a very high baseball IQ and work ethic, and now you have one of the elite athletes in the nation.”

Ginsberg would agree with Flaherty’s classification as “one of the elite athletes in the nation”, but Ginsberg also pointed out Flaherty’s effect on his teammates.

“Jack isn’t only almost always the best player on the field,” Ginsberg said, “he makes the players that he plays with better, he brings a ton of fun to the game and he also brings a ton of intensity and competitiveness among us, he pushes you to be better and keep up with him and it’s a huge reason we’ve been successful for the past four years.”

BIG RED SPRING 2014 • 19

three for the

RECORD BOOKS

Thus far in 2013-2014, three Wolverine athletes have been pseudo-immortalized in Harvard-Westlake history.

Imani Cook-Gist ’15, Michael Sheng ’14 and Colin Lynch ’14 have had their names etched in the Wolverine athletics record books after setting all-time records for girls’ pole vaulting, boys’ basketball career assists, and 100 meter swimming time, respectively. *

Boys’ basketball head coach Greg Hilliard hit a career milestone in 2014 when he earned his 600th victory at the helm of the Wolverine basketball team. With a total of 603 wins, nine CIF titles and two State Championships over his 29 year-tenure, Hilliard is the winningest coach in Wolverine history.

20 • BIG RED SPRING 2014

*Not pictured: Shea Copeland ’15 broke the girls’ 100 meter sprint record at the Mt. Carmel Invitational March 29 with a time of 12.13 seconds. Results were unavailable as of press time.

COLIN LYNCH ’14

MICHAEL SHENG ’14

HISTORY LESSON

Other notable record-holders in Harvard-Westlake athletics history.

460 CAREER ASSISTS

Bryce Taylor ’04 boys’ basketball

Most points: 53 Single season: 1003 Career: 2676 Average per game: 27.8

Bryce Taylor ’04

Dara Torres ’85

Swimming 50 free, 100 free, 100 fly, 200 IM

Amy Weissenbach ’12

Track and Field 400 M, 800 M, 1600 M Relay, Sprint Medley, 3200 M Relay, Distance Medley, 6400 M Relay

GRANT NUSSBAUM/BIG RED

IMANI COOKGIST ’15

10’6” POLE VAULT HEIGHT

Amy Weissenbach ’12

Jason Collins ’97

Boys’ Basketball Field goal percentage: .700 Career rebounds: 1500 Career points: 2379

MILA BARZDUKAS/BIG RED

active record holders (Name, Number of Records Held)

COURTNEY CORRIN SHEA COPELAND * ALEXANDRIA FLORENT

100 METERS FREE STYLE: 47.12 PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF COLIN LYNCH

HENRY COPSES

3 2 1 3

2 JONATHAN FELKER 1 COLIN LYNCH 4 JOHN CHU 2 MICHAEL SHENG 1 IMANI COOK-GIST

BIG RED SPRING 2014 • 21

J

OLD FACE, NEW PLACE: Martin will be playing for the San Francisco 49ers next seasons after spending his first two years with the Miami Dolphins.

THE BULLYING EFFECT Jonathan Martin ’08 left the Miami Dolphins in October claiming he had been bullied, sparking a national debate and an NFL investigation. With his playing career in question, it was announced that he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers to be reunited with head coach Jim Harbaugh, his coach at Stanford.

BY MILA BARZDUKAS AND AUDREY WILSON 22 • BIG RED SPRING 2014

onathan Martin ’08 wants to be left alone. After being bullied by his teammates and leaving the NFL Dolphins, Jonathan Martin’s ’08 harassment controversy has sparked many debates on the topic of bullying, including that of what he claims happened in his high school career.

Martin claims his negative experience stems from his education in “soft schools.” After attending The John Thomas Dye Elementary School, Martin continued his education at Harvard-Westlake, and then Stanford University. A report to the National Football League includes a text conversation between Martin and his mother regarding the effects of his education.

“I’m a push over, a people pleaser,” Martin said in a text message to his mother before he left the Dolphins last fall. “I avoid confrontation whenever I can, I always want everyone to like me. I let people talk about me, say anything to my face, and I just take it, laugh it off, even when I know they are intentionally trying to disrespect me. I mostly blame the soft schools I went to…”

Martin attended only private schools. The son of Harvard-educated parents, Martin played the viola before he dropped it to focus on football. At Stanford, he was a classics major.

His nickname, “Moose,” was given to him in elementary school, based on his sheer size. The moniker followed him through middle school, high school, and college, always being referred to as Jonathan “Moose” Martin. However, Martin did not seem to bring his nickname with him to his pro-career.

In an interview with The Palm Beach Post, Martin’s former high school coach Vic Eumont said that Martin had an excellent high school career.

“He always wanted to make everybody happy and make friends and not be a problem,” Eumont said. “All of his teachers loved him.

All of his teammates loved him.

His nickname was Moose and he was happy to have that. He was always ‘yes or no sir,’ do whatever you ask him to do. I can see where somebody that’s a bully will take advantage of him, and rather than him say anything would just hold it inside.”

Eumont did not believe Martin was safe from bullying.

“Bullies usually go after people like him,” Eumont said. “With his background, he’s a perfect target.”

Just as Martin expressed, Eumont sees the privileged background as a disadvantage in major league sports. Most of Martin’s pro teammates did not have the same education as he did, which set Martin apart and could make him a target.

“Stanford is unique in a lot of ways,” former teammate at Stanford Andrew Phillips said. “There is typical locker room banter, but there were political conversations,

“

differing cultural roots, moral compasses and socio-economic upbringings. The one thing all players must have in common is toughness, mental and physical, because the NFL likes to challenge its newcomers — all of them.”

Wire talked to a number of Stanford alumni and former NFL players to get more opinions on the subject.

“If you don’t fit into the mold, and the culture in the locker room, you won’t last,” one wrote. “Sometimes, in a gladiator sport like football, intelligence can be perceived as being soft.”

Private school policies on bul-

There’s such a gray area of what constitutes bullying. If it’s really severe I would definitely tell someone, but I’m not sure what I would do if it was someone just making fun of me or playing around,” Banner said.

“

it was someone just making fun of me or playing around.”

It appears that the methods Martin was taught to handle bullying did not serve him well after he moved beyond his private school upbringing. “. . . I just always avoid confrontation, which is what I’ve always done, and that leads to [people] perceiving you as soft. I did it at Stanford, and didn’t gain anyone’s respect until I became a star. Same thing in high school. I had no respect til I became a prospect,” he wrote in the note to his parents.

Martin was traded to the San Francisco 49ers on March 12, 2014,

The Wolverine Opinion

“

He was always ‘yes or no sir,’ do whatever you ask him to do. I can see where somebody that’s a bully will take advantage of him, and rather than him say anything would just hold it inside.” former football coach Vic Eumont said.

and philosophical conversations as well too. That is definitely different from things I’ve heard from other schools.”

Phillips also said that bullying at Stanford was extremely uncommon.

“I can’t even remember a time,” Phillips said. “Jokes happened all the time, but nothing beyond simple little pranks or jokes. It was never serious.”

Phillips said he never witnessed Martin being bullied at Stanford.

Former Stanford safety and NFL football player Coy Wire expressed the feeling of being an outsider in a column for ESPN. “Truthfully, I don’t think anyone ever feels universally accepted in an NFL locker room,” Wire said.

“It’s a melting pot of people from different parts of the country, with

“If a student becomes aware of harassment of any kind, whether it be personal or not, or feels that he/she is a victim of harassment, this information should be communicated immediately to his/her dean, the head of upper school, or to the school psychologist or one of the counselors,” stated in the Harvard-Westlake Student/Parent Handbook.

“Any such complaint must be specific and should include all relevant information so that the school may conduct a thorough investigation. The deans are required to report such complaints to the head of upper school. The school will

lying are often different than those of other schools. Students are taught to either to handle their issues verbally or ignore their situations. A slogan such as “fake it ‘til you make it” is commonly cited as a way to combat bullies. While this may work well in these communities, Martin’s experience outside of this bubble has proved otherwise.

“Everywhere I go, I get punked,” Martin was quoted in the NFL report as writing to his mother. “I have a disagreeable personality, people are always annoyed by me. And I don’t know how to stop it. I don’t. High school still and will forever haunt me.”

Bullying at Harvard-Westlake is treated as a serious offense, although rarely one brought to the school’s attention. Honor board cases usually cover plagiarism and cheating, not bullying.

I avoid confrontation whenever I can, I always want everyone to like me. I let people talk about me, say anything to my face, and I just take it, laugh it off, even when I know they are intentionally trying to disrespect me. I mostly blame the soft schools I went to...,” Jonathan Martin ’08 said in a text message to his mother before leaving the Miami Dolphins in October 2013.

investigate the complaint. Upon conclusion of the investigation, the school will take action to remedy the situation,” the handbook says.

“The school will not tolerate any retaliation against a student who files a complaint or participates in an investigation regarding a complaint of harassment,” the handbook continues.

While students at HarvardWestlake are taught to tell adults in serious cases of bullying, many are unsure of what to do if the bullying is less severe.

“I’m not sure what I would do [if I was being bullied]” former baseball player Harrison Banner ’15 said. “There’s such a gray area of what constitutes bullying. If it’s really severe I would definitely tell someone, like if it was explicit threats that affect my well-being, but I’m not sure what I would do if

and will look to continue his playing career with his former Head Coach at Stanford, Jim Harbaugh.

“I’m really happy he will get a chance to put everything behind him and start anew with a great team like the 49ers,” said current wolverine linebacker Desmond Butler ‘15. “It’s also a great thing he gets to play for coach Harbaugh, who we played for at Stanford. I wish him all the best.”

With his return immanent, Martin acknowledges the great oppertunity he has been granted.

“I always wonder why I have these feelings,” Martin said. “I’m unbelievably blessed, I am living a dream that I have had my entire life, that most people would die even for the opportunity to be where I am. I have an amazing family, had a great upbringing. Why do I always feel this way?”

BIG RED SPRING 2014 • 23

CONNECTING THE DOTS

BY GRANT NUSSBAUM

A

short time after the story first broke in October 2013 of Jonathan Martin ’08 leaving the Miami Dolphins and claiming he had been bullied by teammates, I briefly discussed the subject with one Wolverine sports coach, who noted to me how remarkable it was that Harvard-Westlake had not just one, but two athletics alumni in the national spotlight within the past year – Jason Collins ’98, who garnered nationwide attention after coming out as gay in April 2013, being the other. Ever since then, I haven’t been able to un-see the ongoing similarities between the cases of Martin and Collins.

It’s eerie, really. Both guys attended and played their respective sport at HarvardWestlake, then at Stanford University, and

“The reality is it’s no coincidence

Levitt’s character John Blake in “The Dark Knight Rises” and say that, as a journalist, I am not allowed to believe in coincidences.

The reality is it’s no coincidence that both Collins and Martin have stood up and brought to the forefront issues that go beyond the realm of a hardwood court or turf field. Both at the core have demonstrated how far strong character reaches.

Attending Stanford is not a prerequisite for having strong character. Neither is attending Harvard-Westlake, for that matter. Yet in my nearly six years here, I have to believe just from experience that Harvard-Westlake played a part in building the foundation for such character.

Our high school is not perfect, but if HarvardWestlake has done one thing right – beyond giving us a top-notch education – it’s fostering a setting of camaraderie and openness. And

gressed into a group of people who respect one another and, as Collins said, celebrate each other’s differences.

From caring comes courage.

Make your mark.

The hard right over the easy wrong.

Head of Upper School Jeanne Huybrechts need not look any further for illustrations that embody her choice of school

that both Collins and Martin have stood up and brought to the forefront issues that go beyond the realm of a hardwood court or turf field. Both at the core have demonstrated how far strong character reaches.”

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF USA TODAY SPORTS IMAGES

after graduating from Stanford, both were drafted into a major American sports league, NFL for Martin, NBA for Collins. Both stood up and spoke out, moving into the national spotlight for what are seen as “locker room” matters. Soon after National Football League investigator Ted Wells released his report on the Dolphins, effectively confirming Martin’s allegations, Collins signed his first 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets. And right after Martin was given a fresh start with a trade to the San Francisco 49ers, the Nets announced they were finalizing Collins’s fresh start and signing him for the rest of the season. If one was in the news, the other would not wait long to follow suit.

Laying it out in this manner, I know I may be coming across like some conspiracy theorist who will inevitably try to somehow tie everything back to the government, or the Illuminati, or both. That’s not what I’m going for.

Allow me to tweak a line from Joseph Gordon-

24 • BIG RED SPRING 2014

that is a sentence I am proud to write.

I won’t try to speak for any gay students or student-athletes – I don’t know what experiences or challenges they face on a daily basis, within the sports world or not. What I do know, however, is that the Big Red staff investigated the treatment of non-heterosexual Wolverine student-athletes following Collins’s announcement and failed to find accounts of student-athletes being treated negatively or differently. The Big Red staff conducted similar searches for bullying after Martin’s controversy surfaced, and again failed to discover any cases of harassment within the Harvard-Westlake locker room.

Unfortunately that does not mean bullying, harassment and taunting over sexual orientation have been extinguished from our school or even just our locker rooms. However, it does show that we, as a community that aims to facilitate maturity and forward-thinking in individuals, have together matured and pro-

mottos and expressions.

The expression that comes to mind right now is this: you are known by the company you keep. When Collins first came out, he did not know what kind of reaction he’d face, and among the mostly positive response, there have been reports of one player taunting Collins for his sexual orientation. Following his leave of absence from the Dolphins, Martin was essentially blackballed by a contingent of NFL players and fans labeling him as “weak” for not enduring the extensive harassment from his teammates. Both Collins and Martin have delineated what kind of company they keep, ignoring the ignorant and standing by those who have strong enough character to recognize right from wrong and welcome them with open arms. We as Harvard-Westlake students and student-athletes past and present keep Collins and Martin as our company. Let us continue what they have started in standing for what is right.

OFF THE COURT

SHREDDING SNOW

BY JONATHAN SEYMOUR Perched at the top of Mammoth Mountain, Chris Hedley ’16 anxiously awaits his turn to hurtle down a run as fast as he possibly can. “[Waiting for] the start gate can be very nervewracking,” Hedley said.

Hedley feels a great rush when he shoots down the mountain.

“While skiing down the run, I try to focus on my line through the course and how I will tackle the upcoming gates,” Hedley said.

As he is competing, he is reminded why he loves his sport, competitive ski racing, which he has been competing in with the Mammoth Ski Team since he was 7 years old.

“My dad was a big skier, and he introduced me to skiing when I was 2,” Hedley said. “I liked skiing a lot, and I saw the opportunities presented by the Mammoth Ski Team, so I decided to give competitive skiing a try.”

Hedley’s favorite skiing event is the slalom, but he participates in all of the events, including the GS (Giant Slalom), Downhill, and Super G (Super Giant Slalom).

“I like the high-octane nature and speed and adrenaline that comes with hurtling down a mountain at breakneck speed,” Hedley said.

Slalom skiing is considered to be a technical ski racing event in which the skier must ski as fast as possible down a specified run passing through sets of poles, which are called gates.

In the GS, the gates are spread farther apart, and in the Super G, the gates are spread so far apart that the event is considered to be a speed event instead of a technical event.

The downhill race is the other speed event, and it involves skiing down a run from a starting point to a finishing point as fast as possible.

“Each race requires the use of a different kind of ski; for the slalom, I typically use a smaller ski so that I can have a smaller turn radius,” Hedley said. “I won’t be as fast, but I can turn quicker. For the other events, I use bigger skis so that I can go faster because I’m not required to make such quick turns.”

Hedley’s father has been driving him to Mammoth Mountain to train every weekend all year since he was 7; however, Hedley broke his arm earlier this year. Since his arm healed, he has returned to racing on the weekends.

“I think ski racing is fun, and it is a great experience,” Hedley said. “However, it’s a little bit hard because I always ski in Mammoth because we don’t have much snow in Los Angeles, and it is always a four-hour drive each way on the weekends.”

Hedley participates in approximately one race per month, usually in the mountains surrounding Lake Tahoe.

“My goal for skiing is to ski race throughout high school and to hopefully continue racing in college, “ Hedley said. “I hope to be involved with some form of ski racing in college, whether it be a high or low intensity team. I love to ski race, and I think it would be hard to quit, so I hope to continue as long as possible.”

Hedley also hopes to qualify to compete for the first time in the Junior Olympics being held in Park City, Utah.

“The best I have ever performed in a race was in a local dual GS event, I came in third place out of 30 people,” Hedley said. “The best memory I have had while skiing was last year. It was one of the most snow-filled seasons, and I was the first person to go up Chair 23 to the top of Mammoth, and it was awesome being able to leave the first tracks down that part of the mountain. I have never had another experience like it.”

BIG RED SPRING 2014 • 25

In the Ocean

RIDING the

WAVE

Student athletes head to the beach for a change of pace and discover it adds a new dimension to their sports.

BY TYLER GRAHAM Like all Harvard-Westlake students, Daniel Furman ’16 is in a constant battle to complete his schoolwork and focus on his extracurricular activities. Unlike most students, Furman hits the beach to shred some waves during his free time.

Furman, a varsity golfer, uses surfing as a way to relieve any stress he might feel from school and golf.

“The combination of school and golf can sometimes be overbearing, so whenever I am feeling really stressed out I just go to the beach with some friends to go surfing,” Furman said.

“I started surfing because I thought it would be fun and some of my friends already surfed, and I found that it was a good way to relieve some stress. I really enjoy the freedom of expression and the fact that you can do whatever you want while you are riding a wave.”

While the main reason Furman surfs is to occasionally escape from his hectic life as a student athlete, he has also found surfing to be an unlikely way to improve his golf game. Surfing requires incredible balance and focus to successfully ride a wave, and those two qualities

26 • BIG RED SPRING 2014

are also essential to success in golf.

Furman enjoys the fact that he can improve his golf game without actually practicing golf or feeling any pressure to do so.

“Even though golf is my main passion, I know it is important to be multi-dimensional and not spend every waking moment a hundred percent focused on golf,” Furman said.

“It helps me put my energy into something else, but at the same time it helps my golf. It is just an added bonus that while I am surfing I am also greatly improving my balance, something that is really important to the golf swing.”

Furman has also built unexpected relationships from his days spent on the beach.

“Just adding another activity really broadened my horizons and allowed me to meet and talk to people I normally wouldn’t,” Furman said. “In a way, it opened my eyes to a whole new culture and group of people that I was unaware of.”

Henry Quilici ’15 is another student-athlete who enjoys surfing in his limited free time.

“I was inspired to start surfing

because I have always loved sports involving boards and have always loved the ocean,” Quilici said.

“When I saw people effortlessly gliding on water I knew I had to give it a try.”

Similar to Furman, Quilici, who is a forward on the varsity soccer team, turns to surfing whenever he wants a pause in the action of his busy life.

“I think the best aspect of surfing is the therapeutic effect it can have,” Quilici said. “Being out in the ocean allows you to really connect with nature and forget about the rest of the world. It really has a calming effect that cannot be replicated by anything else.”

For Andrew Jones ’14, surfing was a natural evolution from the time he spent swimming and boogie boarding as a kid.

“I always boogie boarded and bodysurfed since I was very young but surfing seemed to be the next level and a challenge I was willing to take on,” Jones said.

“My favorite part about surfing is being out in the ocean, it’s great to just get out of your normal element and enjoy nature.”

“ CATCHING A WAVE Daniel Furman ’16 eyes up and then rides a wave. He surfs to take his mind off of school work, and it also helps improve his golf game.

PRINTED WITH THE PERMISSION OF DANIEL FURMAN

IN A WAY, SURFING OPENED MY EYES TO A WHOLE NEW CULTURE AND GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT I WAS UNAWARE OF.” -DANIEL FURMAN

NATHANSON’S

Jack Temko ’14

BIG RED SPRING 2014 • 27