Big Red Year in Review 2013 Edition

BIG RED Harvard-Westlake School • May 2013 • VOLUME 8 • NO. 4 • Year in Review

HUDNUT’S FAREWELL: His Wolverine Athletics Legacy P. 10-13

COMING OUT

Former Wolverine basketball star Jason Collins ’97 tells Big Red what it’s like to take off his mask. P. 14-17

BIG RED May 2013 • VOLUME 8 • NO. 4

thePlaybook LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

10-13 LAST FAREWELL

Big Red Editors-in-Chief Michael Aronson ’13 and Luke Holthouse ’13 reflect on three years of working on Big Red sports magazine.

Though Harvard-Westlake President Tom Hudnut will leave the school this June, his philosophy on athletics and creating well-rounded students will not.

GOLF

Pitcher Jack Flaherty ’14 warms up before pitching in a Mission League matchup against Notre Dame.

HUDNUT

3 YEARS IN REVIEW

BY MICHAEL ARONSON AND LUKE HOLTHOUSE

ERIC LOEB/BIG RED

GETTING WARM

4-9 PHOTO GALLERY 20-23 BALANCING ACT Numerous Wolverine athletes have had to choose between different sports because of the huge time commitment that comes with Harvard-Westlake athletics.

BY LUKE HOLTHOUSE

28-29 ROUNDTABLE

AWARDS

18-19 LIVING HIS DREAM 24-27 BEST OF THE YEAR Wolverine golfer Bakari Bolden ’14 recently committed to play for the University of Southern California after taking a unique and unconventional approach to learning the game of golf.

BY MICHAEL ARONSON

theStaff

editors-in-chief Michael Aronson, Luke Holthouse managing editors Robbie Loeb, Grant Nussbaum, Patrick Ryan

2 • BIG RED YEAR IN REVIEW 2013

The Big Red staff nominated candidates for the 2013 Big Red Year End Awards and the winners were selected by a student poll.

BY LUKE HOLTHOUSE, GRANT NUSSBAUM AND SAM SACHS staff Mila Barzdukas, Jack Goldfisher, Tyler Graham, Sarah Novicoff, David Lim, Eric Loeb, Aaron Lyons, Jake Pulier, Lucy Putnam, Sam Sachs, J.J. Spitz, Michael Sugerman, Lizzy Thomas adviser Kathleen Neumeyer

CHRONICLE ARCHIVES

Leading the cause Former Wolverine basketball star Jason Collins ’97, top right, talks to Big Red Managing Editor Grant Nussbaum ’14 about his experience coming out.

Page 14-17 »

Big Red staffers give their two cents on all things Wolverine.

30 REFLECTION Big Red managing editor Patrick Ryan reflects on his year of covering Wolverines’ water sports for the Chronicle and Big Red magazine.

BIG RED is a student publication of the Harvard-Westlake Chronicle, the upper school newspaper at Harvard-Westlake School, 3700 Coldwater Canyon, Studio City, CA 91604. The school has 1,500 students in grades 9-12.

For any inquiries, to purchase a subscription or to advertise, please contact us at chronicle@hw.com or at (818) 487-6512. BIG RED is distributed free on campus and is mailed by subscription at $15 per year. Letters to the editor can be sent to editors-in-chief Michael Aronson and Luke Holthouse, at maronson1@hwemail.com or lholthouse1@hwemail.com. BIG RED is a general interest magazine about team and individual athletic pursuits of Harvard-Westlake students and faculty, as well as health and fitness topics.

For seasonal coverage, see The Chronicle or visit www.hwchronicle.com.

On the Cover: President Tom Hudnut waves to HarvardWestlake families during a 2009 school event at Dodgers Stadium.

Cover Photo by Cody Schott/Chronicle Archives

FROM THE EDITORS

W

ith great pride and excitement, we would like to welcome you all to the fourth and final issue of the eighth volume of Big Red magazine, filled with great content wrapping up what was the 2012-2013 year of Harvard-Westlake athletics. We hope you enjoy flipping through the pages of this magazine as much as we enjoyed producing it.

Two years ago, we served under Sports Editor and Big Red Editor-in-Chief Alex Leichenger ’11 as eager sophomore assistants, taking any opportunity we could to help out with a story or graphic.

Last year, under Editor-inChief David Gobel ’12, we took much larger roles with writing and designing for the magazine as managing editors. This year, we were honored to take the reins as Editors-in-Chief of the publication.

The Chronicle has an eightpage section dedicated just to sports, and we’re proud to be editors of the sports section in addition to Big Red. But in a school where almost two-thirds of the student body competes on a varsity sports team and alumni scatter across professional sports leagues such as the National Football League, Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association and Women’s Professional Soccer, it’s hard to fit everything in just eight pages every month.

That’s where Big Red comes in.

For interesting stories about

out-of-school sports, in-depth analysis on certain programs, fullpage color photos of sweet plays or columns from our tremendous staff of sports writers, Big Red offers interesting and unique insight on the athletic culture beyond some of the basic scores and records published in the paper.

Last year, we published three issues. But this year, with a larger staff and even larger dreams, we promised ourselves that we would bring you four of the best sports magazines we could put together.

With a new template of designs (as well as a new choice in font, a detail that only true sports journalism nerds like us would appreciate) laid out by our Senior Managing Editor Robbie Loeb ’13 and a much larger staff, we’re very proud of the work we’ve done this year. (Our first issue, the Homecoming issue, took fourth place at the National Scholastic Press Association Best of Show awards in San Antonio).

There are so many people that we’d both like to thank for giving us this tremendously fun and gratifying experience this year, but the first is obviously adviser Kathy Neumeyer.

The staff that works with her on Chronicle publications changes every year, but the journalism program’s success at national competitions does not.

Part of the program’s continued success can be chalked up to the natural tendency of HarvardWestlake students to excel at everything we do, and a modest Mrs.

GRANT NUSSBAUM/BIG RED

Neumeyer would give most of the credit to that culture, but Chronicle’s success is unprecedented even for typical Wolverine standards.

With her extensive career in journalism before moving into education, she has taught us so much about writing and designing content in a magazine, and the culture of dedication, pride and professionalism she creates has made us truly honored and excited to spend late nights during Spring Break and midterms in Weiler Hall working on this publication.

The combination of writing skills and leadership experience will serve us well when we enter the real world, and we are both truly grateful for the opportunity to lead our staff.

Speaking of our staff, we’d like to thank our staffers Eric Loeb ’14, Aaron Lyons ’13, Grant Nussbaum ’14, Lucy Putnam ’14, Patrick Ryan ’14, Sam Sachs ’14 and Lizzy Thomas ’14. What made this so fun for us was not only that we loved what we do but that we loved who we did it with.

We would both like to thank our parents for putting up with our late layout nights and also our younger siblings Roman Holthouse ’15 and Jeffrey Aronson ’15 for

having to find rides home so often while we’re in Weiler.

We would also like to plug all our advertisers one last time and encourage you guys to buy their products and mention our ads so they keep supporting us. Thank you to coaches and players that responded to interview requests cooperatively and a special shout out to Head of Athletics Terry Barnum, Athletic Director Vince Orlando and the Athletic Department crew for being especially helpful for information.

And last, we’d like to thank all our readers and subscribers. We appreciate your feedback, welcome critique and we hope you enjoy reading our labor of love.

Sincerely,

Michael Aronson and Luke Holthouse Editors-in-Chief of Big Red

BIG RED YEAR IN REVIEW 2013 • 3

FALL IN REVIEW All seven of the fall sports teams qualified for their respective playoffs.

Girls’ tennis went undefeated in Mission League play. The field hockey team advanced to the Los Angeles Field Hockey Association Championship game. Girls’ volleyball won a Mission League title. Girls’ golf finished as runners-up as a team at CIF regionals.

Football advanced to the first round of playoffs for the first time ever since joining the Mission League. Boys’ water polo advanced to CIF quarterfinals after two wins in playoffs. The boys’ cross country team finished second at league finals while the girls’ cross country team finished in first, claiming its fifth straight league title.

Photographs by JACK GOLDFISHER, ROBBIE LOEB, LUKE HOLTHOUSE AND JOHN WEISSENBACH

WINTER IN REVIEW Much like the fall season, all winter teams were represented at CIF playoffs.

The boys’ soccer team advanced to the quarterfinals of playoffs and had an overall record of 10-11-2. The boys’ basketball team also advanced to the quarterfinals of playoffs, finishing the year 16-11. The wrestling team was represented by Henry Schlossberg ’13 and Charlie Nelson ’13 at the CIF Masters meet. The girls’ soccer team won a Mission League championship, advanced to the semifinals of CIF playoffs and ended the year with a record of 20-3-3. The girls’ water polo team went 23-7 and also advanced to the semifinals of CIF playoffs after winning a Mission League championship. The girls’ basketball team advanced to the second round of CIF playoffs and finished with a record of 14-15.

LUKE HOLTHOUSE/BIG RED

SAM SACHS/BIG RED

Photographs by JACK GOLDFISHER, LUKE HOLTHOUSE, PATRICK RYAN AND LIZZY THOMAS

SPRING IN REVIEW Following suit from the previous two seasons, all eight spring teams qualified for playoffs. Lacrosse won the North Division Championship of the Southern Section. Boys’ volleyball advanced to the second round of CIF playoffs. The boys’ golf team advanced to the CIF Regional Championships. The softball team won league for the second straight year.

Baseball won league for the third straight year.

The girls’ track & field team won league for the second straight year while the boys’ track & field team finished in second place. Boys’ tennis won league for the 17th straight year.

Swimmers Matthew Chen ’13, Colin Lynch ’14 and Kassie Shannon ’13 combined for four individual Mission League championships.

Baseball, softball, boys’ tennis and track & field were all still competing late in May. Photographs by JACK GOLDFISHER, LUKE HOLTHOUSE AND ERIC LOEB

“

I THINK THAT SOUND MIND AND SOUND BODY GO HAND-IN-HAND, AND I THINK IT’S THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SCHOOL TO PROVIDE AS MANY OUTLETS FOR EXPRESSION AS POSSIBLE.”

NATHANSON’S

Tom Hudnut

A LEGACY OF

EXCELLENCE

BY LUKE HOLTHOUSE

10 • BIG RED YEAR IN REVIEW 2013

SWEET VICTORY

Hudnut celebrates with students in the quad during a State Championship parade.

Retiring President Tom Hudnut had a goal to create a school where students could excel in both academics and athletics. But more importantly, he wanted to create an environment where everyone who wanted to participate had an opportunity to play. >> BIG RED YEAR IN REVIEW 2013 • 11

ON THE FIELD

A

s Thomas Hudnut wraps up one of his final school days as President of Harvard-Westlake on warm May 16, he prepares for an afternoon at the diamond.

Not only does he have the baseball team’s playoff opener against Valencia at 3:15 p.m. on his schedule, but he also plans to see the softball team’s first round playoff game against Paso Robles at 4 p.m. As he walks down from his office, a renovated house on the hillside above Taper Gymnasium and the student parking lots, he’ll see Head Coach Scot Ruggles leading his football team in one of its first spring practices of the season.

The football team finally claimed the field back from the lacrosse team, which ran its playoff run deep into May en route to the program’s first regional championship since 2004.

But once practice is over, lacrosse will take the field back as the middle school lacrosse team prepares to duke it out with Chaminade in the middle school championship game that evening.

The girls’ basketball team shoots hoops in Hamilton Gymnasium to his left, while the boys’ basketball team shoots hoops in Taper Gymnasium, both teams months away from putting on official Wolverine varsity uniforms

12 • BIG RED YEAR IN REVIEW 2013

Hudnut stands between former Dodger owners Jamie and Frank McCourt (Casey ’05, Gavin ’09) during a school event at Dodgers Stadium. Hudnut said fundraising was key to developing world-class athletic facilities on and off campus.

CODY SHOTT/CHRONICLE ARCHIVES

but neither wasting an opportunity to get better.

It’s the kind of sight that Hudnut dreamed about when he oversaw the merger between Harvard and Westlake into Harvard-Westlake in 1991.

“I think in contemporary America, athletics is hugely important,” Hudnut said. “I think that sound mind and sound body go hand-in-hand, and I think it’s the responsibility of the school to provide as many outlets for expression by its students as possible, whether that is on the lacrosse field or in the choral studio, doesn’t make any difference. I think it’s up to us to provide those opportunities.“ When he retires as president in June, Hudnut said he will proudly leave behind a vertically integrated, co-ed, well-oiled machine of an athletic department that fields 27 varsity teams for about 1,200 high school students. He made it a point to make sure that the school excelled at athletics as well as academics and put the resources behind his goal to make it a reality.

“It is rare to have a school head of Mr. Hudnut’s stature be as supportive and outwardly vocal about the importance of athletics,” Head of Athletics Terry Barnum said.

“Most school heads find it simply easy to keep athletics in its place and don’t ruffle any feathers, and

he was just the opposite. He wanted athletics to be as good as the academic side of the school and as good as the arts and he was willing to commit resources and make it a priority for the school, so from that standpoint, there hasn’t been anyone more important than him in terms of the overall development and the continued excellence of our athletic department. It’s because he’s given that ultimate leadership and vision for what he wanted athletics to be at Harvard-Westlake and we’ve been trying every day to fulfill that vision.”

What Hudnut says is the defining characteristic of HarvardWestlake athletics is the ability for the school to maintain its recognition as one of the top prep schools academically in the country while still competing on the court and on

“

the field just as successfully.

Wolverine teams and individuals have combined to win 16 state championships in the 22-year history of the school, and Hudnut has fond memories of all of them.

“Our state championships are all memorable to me,” Hudnut said.

“Going up to the Arco Arena to see the boys’ basketball team in ’96 and ’97 was sensational. Watching the girls’ volleyball team go through the whole state tournament was wonderful. More recently, going to the [CIF] Masters track meet and seeing some of the runners do so well and set national records was extraordinary.”

The school has made an effort to hire head coaches that exclusively coach varsity teams instead of having faculty members coaching teams. Today, only Erin Creznic

IT IS RARE TO HAVE A SCHOOL HEAD OF MR. HUDNUT’S STATURE BE AS SUPPORTIVE AND OUTWARDLY VOCAL ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF ATHLETICS. NATHANSON’S

Terry Barnum

SALUTING THE CHAMPIONS

Hudnut attended several state championship celebrations during his years as President of Harvard-Westlake, including ones for the girls’ basketball and girls’ cross country team.

CHRONICLE ARCHIVES

has both teaching and head coaching responsibilities in field hockey and middle school English.

Additionally, Hudnut cited the school’s effort to develop the best athletic facilities through fundraising as a reason behind the Wolverines success.

“The Copses Family Pool is a tremendous asset to the school,” Hudnut said. “Changing the football field to its present artificial turf was a tremendous improvement for which we can thank Ted Slavin, and redoing Franklin Field to become O’Malley Family Field was a tremendous addition to the school.”

While Hudnut was proud of creating programs where studentathletes could develop to their best potential and represent the school in state championship games, he said it was more important to make sure every student could experience a well-rounded school experience by having teams that did not require as much time and energy as the perennial state title contenders.

He added that even within some of the school’s strongest individual programs, such as track and field and swimming, athletes could choose for themselves whether to vigorously or casually participate in the sport and still be apart of the program as a whole.

“I think it’s better to have lots of very good opportunities,” Hudnut said. “I forget how many interscholastic teams we have at the

moment, and I think it’s terrific.

Some of them are very pyramidal in nature, you can’t make it to the varsity level without being very accomplished, others don’t have cuts and take all comers. If a student at Harvard-Westlake wants to be on a team, he or she will be on a team. It may not be the team you thought you would be on when you entered the school, but there are opportunities for everyone to participate and I think that’s important.”

Moving forward, Hudnut will hand over his title to new President Rick Commons, who taught English and was a dean during a five year tenure at the school in the 1990s. Commons, who also was the head coach of the boys’ soccer team, has not indicated that he has any changes in mind for the dynamic of athletics at HarvardWestlake.

Commons was an administrator at the McDonough School in Baltimore before becoming Headmaster at Groton School in Massachusetts and was described as a “sports enthusiast” by Hudnut.

“As for athletics, like Tom Hudnut, I think it’s good for HarvardWestlake to have a culture of excellence outside the classroom as well as within it,” Commons said. “I have been hugely impressed by the athletic excellence that the school has achieved in recent years without apparent compromise of the academic mission. I had the privilege

of coaching a couple of great boys’ soccer teams at Harvard-Westlake back in the ’90s, but I considered it an equal privilege to attend the superb drama productions, listen to student debates that belonged before the Supreme Court or see the breathtaking work in the art studios.”

While no programs are planning for any major changes, Barnum said that the athletic department hopes to continue its main goal of enhancing the development of athletes from the middle school before they move to the high school level. While he said that every sports program now has a middle school team in addition to a varsity team, coaches need to continue to work at tracking development of future varsity players.

“From a process standpoint, I think our sports should continue to try to improve its vertical integration,” Barnum said. “This is for all programs making sure that we are consistent and coherent seventh through 12th grade. I think that those are all things we need to work on. At this point, every program we have has a middle school component to it. Lacrosse and cheerleading were the two last holdouts and they both have a middle school component now. That’s been a really positive thing. The importance of getting students in your program early on and having them understand what is expected of them

from a very young age helps their development and is ultimately going to help them be better athletes.”

With thousands of games and moments to choose from, Hudnut called his favorite memory from Harvard-Westlake athletics from a game the Wolverines actually lost, referencing the 1998 boys’ water polo team that featured his son Peter Hudnut ’99 and its 11-7 loss to Long Beach Wilson in the CIF championship game.

The underdog Wolverines team’s four-goal defeat was the narrowest victory on Long Beach Wilson’s undefeated season “I don’t know if it’s a professional memory or a paternal memory, but it was about the most exciting game I can remember,” Hudnut said. “We sadly ended up losing but it was a magnificent game, and it was wonderfully played by both teams.”

Harvard-Westlake had more success on that recent warm May 16 evening.

The baseball team began the night with a 7-1 win over Valencia, softball followed with a 7-0 shutout victory over Paso Robles, both advancing to the second round of playoffs, and the middle school lacrosse team capped the night off defending the Wolverines’ home turf on Ted Slavin Field with a 4-0 win over Chaminade to claim the Junior High Delphic League Championship.

BIG RED YEAR IN REVIEW 2013 • 13

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF USA TODAY SPORTS

DROPPING THE MASK Jason Collins ’97 became the first male professional athlete still playing in a major team sport to come out as gay, paving the way for gay athletes in professional, amateur and scholastic sports around the world.

Q&A WITH JASON COLLINS ’97

BY GRANT NUSSBAUM

Q: A:

Q: A: Q: A:

How different do you think things would have been for you had you come out when you attended high school?

My senior year in high school was 1997. The country has changed a lot since then. In fact, the country has changed a lot in the last five years. A lot of it – especially with “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” being introduced in the ’90s, and then being repealed by President Obama, and some the states in this country recognizing gay marriage and marriage equality – wasn’t the case in 1997. Slowly, more and more people are coming to that point of acceptance and tolerance and understanding. It was time for me in my private life, and it was time for this country. Because of the people who came before me, whether it be Dave Kopay in football, John Amaechi in basketball, Martina Navratilova in tennis, Robbie Rogers in soccer, Brittney Griner, and so on. Each person who steps forward continues that conversation and fosters that culture of acceptance and tolerance. That’s important for equality.

What was it like for you to muster up the courage to come out on such huge stage?

For me, I haven’t really looked at it as courage. I looked at it as something that needed to be done. I’ve always been a “lead by example” kind of guy. If something needs to be said, I’ll say it. Something needs to be done, I’ll be that guy that shows you that example, I’ll walk the walk. I had reached that point in my private life. My family already knew, my friends already knew. Once you get a taste of what life is like when you take off that mask, it gets tougher and tougher to put that mask back on. I needed to be genuine.

With the leadership it took to break this barrier in sports, what do you have to say about leadership THROWBACK Jason Collins ’97, right, drives past a St. in general?

I think everybody has a point where they realize that it’s make or break time. Trust me, I was in the figurative classroom waiting for someone to step up, while I waited on the sideline cheering for them. But nobody else was raising their hand in the metaphoric class. For so many of us, you get to the point where you have to make a choice, where you can go with the crowd, or you can make a stand on principle. This is going to make me happier in my life. Perhaps this is going to make a positive change in someone else’s life, culture, or something else. When you’re trying to be happy and affect that positive change, sometimes you just have to put yourself out there.

Sometimes you’ll be surprised – I was amazed by the response.

There are people waiting on the sideline like I was. You’ve got to put yourself out there.

16 • BIG RED YEAR IN REVIEW 2013

Francis defender as a member of the 1995-96 Wolverine basketball team.

Q: A:

CHRONICLE ARCHIVES

Since coming out, you’ve been referred to as the “Jackie Robinson” of gay players in professional sports. Do you see yourself as that figure? What’s it like for you to get those comparisons?

I don’t even want to compare what I did to Jackie Robinson – what Jackie Robinson did, it was monumental. All I wanted to do was live an honest, genuine life. Others are going to say what they want to say, but to me it all comes down to living an honest, genuine life.

Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A:

THROWDOWN

Going forward, what are your hopes and expectations for openly gay athletes?

Jason Collins ’97 elevates for a dunk in his senior season with the Wolverines.

I hope when the next person comes out the spotlight will be on them, but it’ll be less and less – that we will publicly acknowledge it, but that we’ll be like, “can you help us win games?” As athletes, can you help the team win games, or if it’s an individual sport, can you go out there like Martina Navratilova and kick butt? That’s what the focus is on – she’s a great athlete who happens to be gay. We need that acknowledgement, but at the same time, it shouldn’t be the focus.

What impact did playing at Harvard-Westlake have on you as a player and as a person?

The Harvard-Westlake community is obviously a special community. There were some friends who have known for quite some time that I was gay. That trust, that family, that environment, it fosters trust and loyalty. With regards to the basketball team – in sports that’s what it’s all about, it’s all about winning. We went out there and got two state championships, while gaining lifetime friendships. Some of the guys on that team knew before the general public, and guarded my secret.

It’s like a family, a Harvard-Westlake family. I have my HarvardWestlake family, my Stanford family and my NBA family.

What are your expectations going forward for your career?

I’m looking forward to signing a contract when free agency begins, and I’m looking forward to continuing my career as number 98.

I’m still in the mindset that I know I can help an NBA team win basketball games. It might not necessarily be on the court, it might be as that solid veteran guy in the locker room, showing the guys what it means to be a leader. And when my name and number are called, I’ll be ready to take the court, and go out there and do what I’ve done my entire 12-year career – do the dirty work, do the small things that help the team be successful.

If you were in high school today, would you feel comfortable coming out?

In 2013? I hope I’d have the strength to come out then. I know my family’s behind me. I was very fortunate that my family loves me unconditionally, but for so many, when you first come out, you don’t have that support. There are organizations out there that will raise you up and show you that you’re beautiful just how God made you. To put yourself what I put myself through, I don’t wish that on anyone. You’re at war with yourself – it eats at you mentally, physically, emotionally. To keep putting on that mask, I don’t wish that on anyone. I hope most people realize, just be yourself and live your life, and people will raise you up.

What advice would you have for current gay athletes in high school?

Advice I would have for them is that while I would never judge, I’ll say, it feels so much better to wake up in the morning knowing that you’re not living with that mask on, that you don’t have to go out pretending. When you take that mask off, it’s the same you, the same mannerisms, the same values, the same wants and dreams. But you’re going to live an honest life, and you’re going to feel so much better for doing it. Yeah, it’s not going to be easy, but it’s well worth the journey.

CHRONICLE ARCHIVES

A UNIQUE PATH

Although Bakari Bolden ’14 did not grow up playing golf at private country clubs like many of the nation’s top junior players, he has a textbook golf swing and deep desire to compete which was part of what led USC Trojans head coach Chris Zambri to offer Bolden a spot on his team.

BY MICHAEL ARONSON

M

any compare golfer Bakari Bolden ’14 to Tiger Woods. In fact, he played the role of Woods as a kid in a 30-second commercial that aired on ESPN as a part of the network’s series on African-American influence in sports.

Like Woods, Bolden grew up playing public golf courses, often playing Rancho Park or Westchester Golf Course. Despite being at a slight disadvantage throughout his life without the pristine practice conditions that private courses offer, Bolden has risen in national rankings to 250th in the nation.

“When I didn’t have access to private courses, I didn’t realize how much of a disadvantage it was,” Bolden said. “I didn’t realize how hard it really was to be a successful junior golfer, and it definitely made things a lot tougher for me to find a place to practice with decent playing conditions to hone my skills. At the time I was so focused on what I did have that I never thought about what I didn’t have. Playing

and practicing on public courses made me sort of an underdog and made me work that much harder.

I developed a chip on my shoulder playing around kids who were able to play at private clubs which gave me a bigger drive to do what I want to do.”

Rather than initially working with private coaches at country clubs, Bolden took up the game while mimicking his grandfather on the driving range.

“My grandfather introduced me to the game when I was one and a half,” Bolden said. “He was a lefthanded golfer, and I mirrored his swing as a right-handed player.”

Bolden eventually started taking professional lessons with the Tregan Golf Academy at Griffith Park Golf Course and later with professional coaches when he started playing competitively. He dreamed at a young age of playing college golf for the University of Southern California Trojans, and with support from his father and a rigorous practice and tourna-

ment schedule, Bolden committed on May 13 to play for USC, the 11th best Division I men’s program in the nation according to the NCAA’s rankings.

“I called the coach on May 13. When he asked me if I wanted to be a Trojan, I just remember feeling numb. It’s been my dream school for so long, and last year I wasn’t really playing that well and my dream was slipping away.

For a couple months I thought that I wouldn’t even be able to play at USC. But when the coach asked me to play for his team, I was so excited that I couldn’t even express any emotion.”

Bolden dreams of one day playing on the PGA Tour and showing younger players that it isn’t essential to belong to private clubs to have success in golf.

“

PLAYING AND PRACTICING ON PUBLIC COURSES MADE ME SORT OF AN UNDERDOG AND MADE ME WORK THAT MUCH HARDER,” BOLDEN SAID.

18 • BIG RED YEAR IN REVIEW 2013

Power off the tee

Bakari Bolden hits a tee shot in the American Junior Golf Association’s tournament at River Ridge Golf Club. Bolden finished tied for second in the tournament, which boosted him over 300 spots in the AJGA’s national rankings.

SWING SEQUENCE

1 Address

Bolden keeps his spine angle straight at address, which helps him maintain his posture throughout the golf swing. His feet and shoulders are pointed parallel to his target, and his club is placed 45 degrees to the ground which allows him to keep his club on plane throughout the swing.

4 Impact

Bolden’s head moves very minimally and is in the same position at impact as at address, which minimizes Bolden’s margin of error throughout the swing. Bolden also makes impact with the bottom of his Titleist golf ball to allow for a high ball flight.

Big Red Editor-in-Chief and varsity golf team captain Michael Aronson breaks down Bakari Bolden’s ’14 golf swing on the tee box of the par-3, third hole at MountainGate Country Club.

2 Take back Bolden takes his 5-iron back on a slightly steep plane as his club shaft is more straight up and down rather than diagonal, but he eventually corrects this slight flaw by the top of his backswing. Bolden also keeps his head still throughout his swing to minimize error and allow for more accuracy.

5 Release

Bolden rotates his hips and chest towards his target to generate a 100 mile-per-hour club speed. He also keeps his head down during and just after impact to make sure that he maintains eye contact with the ball throughout his swing.

3 Elbow in

Bolden’s hips, arms and shoulders are in an ideal position at the top of his backswing. He keeps his arms and right elbow close to his body to ensure his golf club stays on the correct swing plane. Bolden also rotates his hips and shoulders effectively to generate power and lag as he returns to the golf ball.

6 Follow through

Bolden’s flexibility allows him to finish his swing with a 90-degree angle between his spine and club shaft. He also points his hips and chest towards his target, revealing his ability to completely rotate his body from start to finish.

BIG RED YEAR IN REVIEW 2013 •19

VAR-STAR

Maddie Oswald ‘15 originally played soccer as her main sport, but dropped it to pursue a potential college career in field hockey. Oswald made the varsity team for field hockey in ninth grade, despite limited outside-of-school practice.

WHY ATHLETES QUIT PHOTOS REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF MADDIE OSWALD

PRIORITIZING

Playing multiple sports requires a significant time commitment. Some athletes forgo one commitment in order to pursue the other and try to get recruited.

BY J.J. SPITZ

M

addie Oswald ’15 hurried from a two-hour field hockey practice to an equally long soccer practice, which consisted of drills and conditioning. When she finally arrived home, she tackled the pile of homework waiting for her. This was Oswald’s daily schedule until she made the difficult decision to quit soccer in order to focus on field hockey.

Oswald began playing soccer when she was 9 years old and in seventh grade took up field hockey as a way to keep in shape during the offseason. It was meant to be a fun break from her main sport, but it has completely taken over, Oswald said.

Oswald made the varsity field hockey team in ninth grade and was also playing club and school

20 • BIG RED YEAR IN REVIEW 2013

soccer. At the end of her freshman year, she decided that she wanted to stop playing soccer and focus on field hockey in order to get involved in the college recruiting process.

“It was a really good decision,” Oswald said. “I was tentative in the beginning because soccer has always been my main sport and was such a big part of my life, but once I committed to doing field hockey, it was worth it.”

In addition to playing for the school team, Oswald plays for a team in the Hollywood Field Hockey Club and participates in the Futures program, which is part of the United States Field Hockey Association and the first level in the Olympic pipeline. She will also be going to many college field hockey camps over the summer,

including ones at Stanford, Amherst, the University of Pennsylvania and others.

Having always been busy with school and sports, Oswald is used to the pressure of academics combined with athletics.

“I’ve been a two-sport athlete, sometimes a three-sport athlete, for my whole life, so I’ve become very good at balancing schoolwork with sports,” Oswald said. “So I never really worry about that, but you do get tired emotionally and physically.”

Although it is a lot of work, Oswald enjoys field hockey and does not regret her decision to stop playing soccer.

“It’s a little stressful, but it’s fun,” Oswald said. “It gives you something to work hard for each day.”

SENIOR YEAR MULTITASKING For former multisport athletes forced to choose one high school sport over another, senior year can be an ideal time to return to all of their old athletic commitments.

BY LUKE HOLTHOUSE

T

LUKE HOLTHOUSE/BIG RED OSWALD

RETURNING STARTER

Beau McGinley ‘13 quit volleyball after his sophomore year to focus exclusively on soccer, only to play both his senior year after he’d already committed to Washington University to play soccer.

ERIC LOEB/BIG RED

he picture in the yearbook of the freshman boys’ volleyball team from 2010 looks very similar to a picture of the varsity boys’ volleyball this year. The senior-heavy team this year features a lot of the players who began their Harvard-Westlake volleyball careers four years ago on that freshman team then finished their competitive careers during a playoff loss to Mira Costa on May 9.

But the pictures of volleyball teams in between look like there’s something missing. Beau McGinley ‘13, Francis Hyde ‘13 and Chad Kanoff ‘13 took breaks in between their volleyball careers to focus on other sports then came back to the volleyball court once they had committed to a college program for their primary sport.

Kanoff, who actually played on the junior varsity volleyball team his freshman year then quit to focus on football. He also played basketball until his sophomore season then quit to focus on football.

He helped lead the football team to playoffs for the first time in three season his senior year. In his senior year, Kanoff rejoined both the basketball team and volleyball team.

Next year, he will play NCAA Division I-AA football at Princeton.

McGinley played volleyball up to his sophomore year but stopped playing to focus on his soccer career. He was already playing varsity soccer by his sophomore year but was still playing junior varsity volleyball, and he decided that he needed more time to devote to his school and club soccer season to

enhance his ability to be recruited to play soccer in college.

“I’m glad that I got to focus on soccer for the one year I did stop playing volleyball,” McGinley said.

As a starting midfielder, McGinley helped lead the soccer team to the second round of CIF playoffs this year, where the team fell to the eventual CIF champions in San Clemente 2-1. McGinley committed to play and was accepted to Washington University, where he will play on the school’s NCAA Division III team. After committing, he felt that he both had the time as a second semester senior to start playing volleyball and that it was nice to have a break from soccer.

“I definitely don’t regret doing it,” McGinley said of his decision to play volleyball his senior year.

“I think it was very refreshing and it kept me from burning out in a very important part of my soccer career.”

For Hyde, he put his volleyball career on pause after his freshman year to focus on his main sport, basketball. Hyde was a part of the 2011 team that won a CIF championship. He was accepted to UC Davis and plans to play for the team’s NCAA Division I team. Though he wished he didn’t have to stop playing volleyball to devote enough time to his basketball career to be recruited, he’s glad he came back.

“I think it was a great experience to come back to a relatively new sport,” Hyde said. “It’s a really fun program and it was really nice to take a break from basketball. I wish I could’ve played for all four years.”

BIG RED YEAR IN REVIEW 2013 •21

INJURY-MADE DECISIONS Athletes who suffer injuries like concussions may be forced to quit their sport and start playing a less dangerous one.

BY TYLER GRAHAM

W

hile some athletes quit their sport by choice, many are forced to quit due to injuries. In a day and age where athletes are bigger, faster and stronger than they have ever been before, it has become more common to see athletic careers end due to injury. Also, the awareness of head injuries has grown and athletes everywhere, including Ryan Shelly ’15, have decided to hang the cleats up in order to preserve their long term health.

When Shelly, a linebacker, was in ninth grade, he took a hard hit to the head in a junior varsity football game against Gardena Serra.

The result was a concussion, which forced him to quit the game he loved.

“It was really hard for me to quit because I had a lot of friends on the team and I loved the game and I loved to hit people,” Shelly said.

When the injury first occurred, Shelly did not expect to quit playing football. Instead he was eager to quickly recover and get back on the

field to join his teammates on Friday nights. However, when Shelly weighed his options and realized that the concussion was not only forcing him to sit out from football, but that it was also holding him back in the classroom, he decided that it was no longer worth it to risk any further damage.

“When I went to the Sports Concussion Institute I was told I would not be able to do anything, including taking notes in school for at least three weeks,” Shelly said.

“Since it was my second diagnosed concussion in a year, the doctors said that it would be really dangerous if I sustained another concussion. I realized that even though I loved football, it wasn’t worth it to play anymore.”

After quitting football, Shelly turned to lacrosse, which he says is “less dangerous and violent” than football. He plays on the HarvardWestlake varsity lacrosse team and also a club team outside of school.

Recently, in a game against Brentwood, Shelly tore his ACL, putting his lacrosse dreams on hold.

“

IT WAS REALLY HARD FOR ME TO QUIT BECAUSE I HAD A LOT OF FRIENDS ON THE TEAM AND I LOVED THE GAME AND I LOVED TO HIT PEOPLE,” SHELLY SAID.

22 • BIG RED YEAR IN REVIEW 2013

KNOCKED OUT

NATHANSON’S

Ryan Shelly ‘15 used to play football, but now he plays lacrosse to reduce the chances of getting another concussion.

PHOTOS REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF RYAN SHELLY

PURSUING OTHER OPTIONS

Jonathan Getzoff ’14, top row, third from right, played baseball from age 7 through his sophomore year, before quitting to focus on other things.

MAKING TIME

REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF VOX

Some athletes were forced to make the tough decision to quit the sport they had played for years in order to make more time for academic and extracurricular activities .

BY JORDAN GARFINKEL AND JAKE PULIER

L

ast year, the baseball team won a Mission League title because of the excellence that the program has committed itself to.

The team’s success came because of the rigourousness of the schedule and the level of competition in the program, which, ultimately, caused pitcher Jonathan Getzoff ’14 to drop the ball and walk away from organized sports.

Getzoff started playing organized baseball at the age of 7.

Getzoff continued to play through middle school and two years of high school until he decided to quit after the summer of 2012.

Getzoff was looking to be in the rotation for the varsity team for the 2013 season, but he decided to step off the mound after realizing that the depth was too great.

Getzoff alluded to the talent that covers the baseball program.

“If I was better than everybody, no, I would not have quit,” Getzoff said.

Not only did Getzoff quit because of the slight potential that he had to consistently contribute on the mound, but also because of the time that the practice schedule took away from his other activities, which includes running his selffounded promotional video company, Two Left Hands Productions.

“Well, I’ll put it this way: the time it takes me to film seven videos, meet with clients, meet with potential clients, and organize all of the events that I have to film for these organizations is still a significantly less amount of time that I spent on the baseball field,” Getzoff said. “So, the efficiency of what I do is insanely high compared to what I did with baseball.

“The baseball program is about as intense as Mater Dei or any of the other big-time teams in high school baseball, but at the same time, this is Harvard-Westlake and there is a ridiculously high academic standard. So, I think a bal-

ance needs to be struck somewhere in the middle.” Getzoff said.

Andrew Ravan ’15, on the other hand, quit basketball to buckle down on his academic life.

“I loved basketball, but it came down to the point where I really had to decide if it was worth the extra stress on my academic life.

Ultimately, I think I made the right decision but I definitely miss being a part of the program.”

Ravan felt he had to give up on one part of his life in order to compensate for the academic stresses that Harvard-Westlake provides. It is difficult for many kids, especially in the high school to join sports programs for they feel they need time to focus on school, when they also want to be a part of something else.

“I had no aspirations to be in the NBA, but I did like playing for the school team. I knew I had to focus on other aspects of my life though and there was no time left

for the rigors of the Harvard Westlake basketball program,” Ravan said.

Jack Price ’15 felt he needed to let go of the sport he loved, baseball, in order to pursue his academic goals with a more focused, less busy schedule. Price had been playing baseball since Little League, and had goals to pursue the sport through high school, but as the years went on and the workload became more intense, Price felt he had to make an important decision.

“Quitting baseball was a very difficult decision for me. I felt I made the right decision because I knew the workload of the Upper School was a lot greater and it would be harder for me to focus on my grades with the time commitment of the baseball program.

I definitely feel I made the right choice; with the new free time I had, it was much easier to focus on school and achieve the academic goals I set for myself.”

BIG RED YEAR IN REVIEW 2013 •23

BIG RED

FEMALE FRESHMAN of the YEAR ATHLETE YEAR & OF THE

courtney CORRIN

BY GRANT NUSSBAUM

W

AIRBORNE Courtney Corrin ’16 competes in the long jump event against Chaminade on April 17. Corrin is number one in the nation for freshman girls’ long jump.

PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF KIRBY LEE

theBALLOT (ATHLETE) Courtney Corrin Morgan Hallock Natalie Florescu Hannah Lichtenstein Chloe Pendergast

24 • BIG RED YEAR IN REVIEW 2013

theBALLOT (FRESHMAN) Courtney Corrin Emma Wasserman Hannah Eliot

ith an unprecedented list of achievements in 2012-2013, freshman year has been nothing short of historic for Courtney Corrin ’16.

Although she was suspended by CIF for five games after playing with the U.S. National Team, Corrin was a key contributor to the midfield of the girls’ varsity soccer team.

The team went on to win the Mission League and was at one point ranked third in all of the western United States.

Following her time with the girls’ soccer team during the winter season, Corrin made an even bigger splash as part of the varsity track and field team in spring. The freshman, who unofficially broke the varsity long jump record in seventh grade, set the Harvard-Westlake girls’ triple jump and long jump records. Corrin was also a member of the record-setting girls’ 400 meter relay team. Ranked number one in the nation for freshmen girls’ long jump, Corrin set the school long jump record not once, but twice – Corrin first put her name in the record books for long jump at the Arcardia Invitational on April 6, clearing a length of 20

feet, 2 inches. She extended her record by nine inches at the annual Mount San Antonio College Invitational, setting a meet record in the process.

Corrin, who has also competed for the United States track and field team in the Junior Olympics, has garnered attention from multiple media outlets, including the Los Angeles Times and Sports Illustrated. The latter most recently feaured Corrin in the “Faces in the Crowd” page of its May 2013 issue.

With three more years ahead of her as a Wolverine, Corrin continues to look for higher mountains to climb. Corrin hopes to jump 24 feet by her senior year, eight inches shorter than the women’s Olympic long jump record.

“It’s unimaginable, but you’re only a freshman once in your lifetime, and what you do with that is up to you,” Corrin told The Chronicle in April. “I don’t just want to set records, although that’s great, but I want to make history, and that comes with hard work. It takes heart, hard work and passion, but most of all, it takes enjoying the moment while never getting too comfortable, because there is always someone working harder.”

BIG RED

MALE ATHLETE YEAR OF THE

chad KANOFF

BY LUKE HOLTHOUSE

I

n the fall, Chad Kanoff ‘13 was the football team’s field general at the quarterback position plus the team’s punter. In the winter, Kanoff found his old basketball jersey and jumped back onto the court as a forward for the basketball team. In the spring, Kanoff got back into Taper Gymnasium as a late season addition to the volleyball team and played opposite.

Not only did Athletic Director Vince Orlando call him the face of the football program for the last two years as it’s starting quarterback, but Kanoff returned to the two sports he previously quit to focus on football his senior year and he spent all three seasons representing the Wolverines.

On the football field, Kanoff helped lead the team to playoffs for the first time since the Wolverines joined the Mission League before

theBALLOT Chad Kanoff Jack Flaherty Henry Schlossberg Chase Klein Arden Pabst

the 2010 season. The pass-heavy spread offense put up an average of 37 points a game, with Kanoff feeding a wide variety of receivers for touchdowns.

After winning a CIF championship as a member of the 2011 boys’ basketball team, Kanoff quit the sport to focus on his football career. However, after a year away from the team, Kanoff came back for his senior season as a quick and athletic forward. Kanoff helped guide the team to the quarterfinals of CIF playoffs.

The basketball team’s loss to Bishop Montgomery in the CIF quarterfinal game looked like the last competition in Kanoff ’s Harvard-Westlake career, but a mixup in his recruiting process opened the opportunity for him to return to his third sport. Kanoff had originally committed to play football at

Va n d e rbilt, but changed his commitment to Princeton in the spring. Though the team’s season was nearly halfway over, Kanoff joined the volleyball team and started playing again for the first time since his freshman year after recommitting.

It didn’t take long for Kanoff to start earning starts at opposite, and his height helped contribute to the team’s first playoff win against Newbury Park in the first round. Though the team was knocked out in the second round by Mira Costa, the volleyball season wrapped up a storied career for one of the best Wolverine quarterbacks ever.

PRESSURE COOKER Chad Kanoff ’13 throws a pass in the football team’s first round loss to Camarillo, the team’s first playoff game since 2010.

BIG RED

MALE FRESHMAN of the YEAR ben HALLOCK

BY LUKE HOLTHOUSE

O

n a team loaded with talent and potential, Ben Hallock ‘16 showed Wolverine fans just how good the boys’ water polo team can be in the near future. The very young and inexperienced team that didn’t feature a single senior in its starting lineup should take a huge step forward next year thanks in large part to the versatile big man.

Hallock made his first splash at Harvard-Westlake before even competing in a varsity water polo match. He played a part on the junior national team that won a silver medal at the Pan American Championships in Montreal during the summer of 2012. But when he finally arrived as a student to the Middle School campus as a new ninth grader that fall, he continued to show that he is one of the best up-and-coming water polo players in the country.

Hallock, who was already around 6’5” at the age of 14 when he began his freshman campaign, started as the team’s two-meter forward at the be-

theBALLOT

TREADING LIGHTLY Ben Hallock ’16 prepares to throw a pass in the boys’ water polo team’s Sept. 28 win against Huntington Beach, 13-8.

ROBBIE LOEB/BIG RED

26 • BIG RED YEAR IN REVIEW 2013

ginning of the season. Occupying the same position that his Princeton-bound sister Morgan Hallock ‘13 took over on the girls’ water polo team her junior year, Hallock was thrust into the most physical position in the pool against defenders as many as four years older.

As the year went on, Hallock showed his versatility by switching between the twometer forward position, the two meter defender position and a perimeter position as a driver.

At either spot, Hallock was a both a scoring threat and a force on defense.

Though the team did not win league and fell three wins shy of a Division I CIF championship, the team will return every single starter and have another year of experience competing for the same goal. As the only consistent freshman starter on the team with sophomores and juniors usually taking up the rest of the starts, Hallock was the greatest example of the fact that so much is to come out of this program in the new Copses Family Pool.

Ben Hallock Jadon Yariv Phil Thompson

BIG RED

COACH of the YEAR RECORD: 15-4 alex WEBER

BY SAM SACHS

I

nterim head coach for the Los Angeles-area champion Wolverine lacrosse team, Alex Weber is the Big Red Coach of the Year.

Weber was named interim head coach in January after previous head coach Jay Pfeifer resigned and he has not looked back since.

Weber lead the team to a share of the Mission League championship, a second place finish in the Southern Section and the aforementioned Los Angeles-area championship.

“I’d like the community of Harvard-Westlake lacrosse to continue to grow. We have a very special group between the players, parents, coaches and school. It’s a wonderful to be a part of, and growing it can only lead to good things,” Weber said.

This lacrosse community includes Mission League Player of the Year, Jack Temko ’14. Temko offered high praise for his coach.

“He can get us hyped up for anything,” Temko said. “He’s just a good guy and loves lacrosse. He is the best motivational speaker I’ve ever heard.”

That motivational speaking came in handy during the playoffs and throughout the league season as on multiple occasions, the Wolverines had to rally back from multiple goal

deficits on their way to a 15-4 record including an 6-2 league mark.

Before assuming head coaching responsibilities for the Wolverines, Weber was an assistant coach last spring.

Weber played college lacrosse at the University of Pennsylvania where he was a four-year varsity letterman and he earned Academic All-American honors his senior year.

The interim head coach has instilled a sense of discipline in this year’s Wolverines. Weber came into the season focusing on improving the decision making of his young team and trying to eliminate mental errors.

Despite injuries to many of the Wolverines lacrosse players, including two of the eight seniors on the team, Luke Holthouse ’13 and Nick Nathanson ’13, Weber was able to keep the season on track by utilizing the squad’s depth.

“My expectations were for us to be prepared and play our hearts out each and every game” Weber said.

After finishing the Wolverine’s most succesful lacrosse season during the program’s existence, it’s safe to say that those expectations were met and possibly exceeded.

During his first year as a head coach, Weber lead the lacrosse team to a historic finish and earned himself our nod for 2012-2013 Wolverine Coach of the Year.

theBALLOT

RALLY THE TROOPS

JACK GOLDFISHER/BIG RED

First-year lacrosse head coach Alex Weber speaks to his team during a timeout early in the season.

Alex Weber Jonathan Carroll Erin Creznic Matt LaCour Scot Ruggles BIG RED YEAR IN REVIEW 2013 •27

Wolverine roundtable

Members of the Big Red staff reflect on and analyze the past year in Wolverine athletics.

Q: Which player improved the most this year from last?

Nussbaum: From seeing little action on the boys’ basketball team in his freshman year to starting at the two-guard this year, Alex Copeland ’15 gets my vote for most improved. The second-year varsity player proved himself well worthy of the starting spot with his production this year: Copeland was third in scoring, second in assists and first in steals for the team this season. Copeland reminds me a lot of current Oklahoma City Thunder and former UCLA guard Russell Westbrook.

Prior to going down with injury this playoffs, Westbrook hadn’t missed a game since middle school. Copeland similarly acted as an ironman for the Wolverines, playing every game this season and stepping up while the team faced injuries to other players, including the team’s two leading scorers, Derick Newton ’14 and Michael Sheng ’14. Like Westbrook, Copeland’s ball-handling skills and slashing mentality make him a threatening scoring option. With the huge leap he made this year, the boys’ basketball team looks to be in good hands for the future, even after Newton and Sheng graduate.

Ryan: My vote for most improved athlete goes to Adrian Berger ’15 on

the boys’ golf team. Berger filled an important role on the squad that advanced to CIF Regional Championships and finished in third place. The boys’ golf team was young this year, only graduating two players. Berger was consistent, shooting under par three times to guide the team to many victories over the course of the season. He was able to provide stability for the team behind USC commit Bakari Bolden ’14. I expect Berger, only a sophomore, to get even better over the next two years and take on an even larger role on the team. The boys’ golf team’s future is bright, and Berger has a lot to do with that.

Loeb: I believe that Ezra Steinberg ’15 is the most improved player this year. A JV star last year, Steinberg has flourished since joining the varsity team, doing whatever it needs to win games. Although he is normally an infielder, depth at his position has pushed him into the outfield, a move Steinberg has taken in stride.

Q: Which graduating Wolverine athlete has achieved the most through his/her career?

Holthouse: The highest achieving graduating athlete

is definitely Morgan Hallock ’13. Hallock has been one of the pillars, if not the foundation, of the girls’ water polo program’s growth the last four years. She lost none of the 40 Mission League games she competed in during her career, was a major contributor when the 2011 team won the first CIF title in girls’ water polo program history and then was the best player on the 2012 team that repeated as CIF champions. The Wolverines destroyed competition by so much that CIF promoted the team from Division IV competition to Division III for the 2013 season. Though the team was unable to three-peat like the early 2000s Los Angeles Lakers, falling in the semifinals to the eventual winners Palos Verdes 12-7, she finished her career a twotime defending Mission League MVP, a four-time defending All-CIF player and the record holder at the school for 152 goals in a single season and 512 career goals.

Continuing with Grant’s basketball analogies, Hallock represents a mix of Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain for the Class of 2013: the most decorated, like Russell, and the most dominant, like Chamberlain.

Lyons: For the senior class, Henry Schlossberg ’13 has

Two-time champion Two-meter forward Morgan Hallock ’13 looks toward the goal after receiving a pass in the girls’ water polo team’s 20-5 win over Alemany on Feb. 7.

28 • BIG RED YEAR IN REVIEW 2013

PATRICK RYAN/BIG RED

achieved the most in the Wolverine uniform. Schlossberg anchored both the offensive and defensive line for the football team over the last four years, and was instrumental in helping the team earn its first playoff berth in three years this season. Schlossberg also joined a select group in Wolverine history after making it to the State Championship wrestling meet this year. Only wrestling for two and a half years, Schlossberg became only the third Wolverine wrestler ever to make it to State. The Princeton commit’s elite level of performance in both sports puts him just ahead of fellow Tiger Hallock in my opinion.

Grant Nussbaum Aaron Lyons

Luke Holthouse Patrick Ryan

Eric Loeb

Michael Aronson

Sam Sachs

Lucy Putnam JACK GOLDFISHER/BIG RED

Pushing forward

Q: What was the biggest storyline of the 2012-2013 sports year?

Midfielder Quinn Frankel ’16 takes a free kick in the girls’ varsity soccer team’s 2-0 victory against Alemany on Jan. 11. The Wolverines, who won the Mission League title this season, will look to Frankel and other underclassmen more in the upcoming seasons after the loss of several key players.

Sachs: With the rich depth of stories and title runs we’ve seen over

these past nine months, this year has been a great time to be a fan of Wolverine athletics. It’s a difficult choice, but I’d have to go with the storyline of Courtney Corrin ’16. Not in recent memory, and perhaps not even in Harvard-Westlake history, has a freshman put on a display of such sheer dominance. With supernatural athleticism and a deep resume in soccer and track and field, it’s clear why Corrin swept both Big Red female awards, taking both Freshman of the Year and Athlete of the Year for the first time in Big Red history.

Aronson: Corrin’s accomplishments in her first year certainly made

her deserving of both awards, but I believe the football team’s playoff run under first-year Head Coach Scot Ruggles was the biggest storyline this year. While it seemed unsure how the team would fare after former Head Coach Vic Eumont’s departure, Ruggles, along with key players such as quarterback Chad Kanoff ’13 and linemen Thomas Oser ’13 and Henry Schlossberg ’13, put all questions to rest. The team had one of its best seasons in recent memory, making the playoffs for the first time in three years and garnering rabid Fanatic support in the process.

Just the beginning First-year Head Coach Scot Ruggles huddles with his players after the football team’s 4821 loss to Camarillo on Nov. 9 in the first round of CIF playoffs, the Wolverines’ first playoff game since 2010.

JACK GOLDFISHER/BIG RED

Q: What are you looking forward to in Wolverine athletics next year?

Putnam:

While I might be a bit biased, I believe that the girls’ varsity soccer team will be the team to watch next year. While we made a solid run in CIF this year, the team’s inexperience contributed to our inability to clench a CIF championship. This year of experience will undoubtedly prove beneficial and hopefully allow us to compete at a higher level during playoff games. Another notable challenge is that captain Hannah Lichtenstein ’13, will be graduating and starting forward Catherina Gores ’15 transferred out. But Courtney O’Brien ’15 and Quinn Frankel ’16, among others, will be able to fill the holes in the offensive line. All in all, I have high hopes for what next winter season will bring.

Loeb: After the injury-plagued season the boys’ basketball team

ROBBIE LOEB/BIG RED

experienced this year, I’m most looking forward to seeing the basketball players at 100 percent next year, especially Derick Newton ’14. Newton was the team’s leading scorer this season, but missed 11 games due to a shoulder injury. In his first game back from injury, Newton dropped 21 points on Laguna Beach. It’ll be interesting to see what he and the rest of the team can do at full force in Newton’s final season.

BIG RED YEAR IN REVIEW 2013 •29

MAKING A SPLASH

Staff writer Patrick Ryan was as new to water polo as the Copses Family Pool is new to Harvard-Westlake.

PATRICK RYAN/BIG RED

Getting my feet wet

‘I didn’t know what to expect, but I have nothing but good things to say about the experience.’

BY PATRICK RYAN

B

efore this year, if you asked me what a 2-meter forward was, I would have no clue as to what sport you were talking about. I was assigned to cover water polo and that experience would change everything.

The start of the school year signaled the opening of the brand new pool facility, the Copses Family Aquatics Center, and I was impressed, to say the least. I began to interview Head Coach Brian Flacks ’06 and from his knowledge I slowly began to learn more about the sport. I even interviewed him while he was doing laps in the pool.

I was not familiar with most of the water polo team prior to covering them, but I felt that every single player was a genuine, friendly person and I am glad I got

30 • BIG RED YEAR IN REVIEW 2013

to know them in some way. I relied on them for late night interviews and they never let me down.

When your peers are happy to take time out of their busy schedules to accommodate a high school journalist, it only makes you want to cheer them on. The water polo team is exciting and I learned to really enjoy the game.

My favorite moment was probably cheering on the team with the rest of the football team in the CIF playoffs, while many of us still were wearing our pads.

The water polo squad really appreciated the fanfare and won in convincing fashion.

In the winter I had the privilege of covering the girls’ water polo team, the two-time winners of the CIF Division IV title. I had the same experience with the girls.

I was always treated with respect and I befriended many of the girls on the team. While their playoff run ended earlier than they all wanted, they still won an unparalleled 40 Mission League games straight dating back to four years ago. They set a high standard and should be commended for that.

For the spring season, I volunteered to cover the swim team.

I began talking to the new Head Coach Jonathan Carroll and many of the swimmers, some of whom I already knew from the water polo teams.

The swim team and the entire school community were shocked by the tragic death of Justin Carr ’14, but they persevered. From talking to all of the swimmers, I commend Coach Carroll for holding the team together and allowing

it to make a tribute to Justin in their own way. He handled the situation better than anyone could have. I was reminded that there are much more important things in life than sports.

To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect when I first covered water sports, but I have nothing but good things to say about the experience.

I encourage everyone to go out and watch a game or a meet, because they are some of the most exciting teams but also some of the most unappreciated teams.

They deserve our support and I am confident they will continue to progress in the future.

When you combine great facilities, great people and a rich history in the program, you have a recipe for success.