Wisterian April 2013

The Wisterian April 2013

Vol. LXXIX

No. 6 Days:

La Salle’s Speech & Debate 100 Team Continues to Excel A Tradition Continues Dan Spinelli ‘14

Succeeding is no new enterprise for the La Salle Speech and Debate team. Another yearlong season of competing has come close to its end, with only the National Catholic Finals and National Forensic Finals remaining. With over twenty kids qualifying to endof-the-year tournaments, this has surely been another stellar year for the Speech and Debate team.

Each year, the team competes in three separate leagues: the Pennsylvania High School Speech League (PHSSL), the Philadelphia Catholic Forensic League (PCFL), and the National Forensic League (NFL)—each league having its own championship tournament at the end of the competitive season. La Salle team members must qualify to each national tournament through a specific qualifying tournament.

At qualifiers for the National Catholic Forensic League Grand Nationals, seniors Conor Lavelle and Rob Gormisky made it to nationals in Lincoln-Douglas Debate.

They will be joined by two policy debate teams, consisting of juniors Kevin Gay and Andrew Durkin, as well as sophomores Jack Grogan and Conor Hogan. Outside of the debate events, La Salle also qualified junior Tim McAuliffe in Oral Interpretation of Literature and sophomore Connor Williams in Declamation. The NCFL qualifier for public forum and congressional debate is in April, where some more La Salle students hope to qualify.

On Memorial Day weekend, all qualified students will compete in Philadelphia for a national title.

The team also performed well at PHSSL qualifiers, sending 22 students to Susquehanna University for the state tournament.

At States, during the weekend of March 22-23, the team had a tremendous showing. Senior Arthur Bailin advanced to the semifinals of Extemporaneous Commentary, representing La Salle well in the Speech Events. On the debate side of things, junior Dan Spinelli made it to the quarterfinals of LincolnDouglas debate, while senior Rob Gormisky advanced all the way to final round. In an epic final, Rob faced Austin Cohen from Elk Lake

High School. In their sixth debate of the year, Austin won the title on a 3-2 decision. Rob still finished with a not-too-shabby 2nd-place in the state. The policy debate team of Andrew Durkin and sophomore Colin Hoffman (replacing Kevin Gay, who was playing in the band for Swing! that weekend) made the semifinals, where, due to the set-up of the bracket, they had to face the other La Salle team of Jack Grogan and Conor Hogan.

In debate competitions, schools sometimes “face each other” in playoff rounds because of the way the bracket is set up. The coaches then decide which team will advance from that school. Jack and Conor were sent to the final round, where they defeated a team from Unionville High School. As the dust settled at Susquehanna, Jack and Conor were state champions!

The team’s last set of qualifiers were for NFL Nationals. These notoriously hard qualifiers send only two students to nationals in each event. Even with these difficult conditions around them, La Salle will end up sending three students to nationals in Birmingham, Alabama in June. Kevin Gay and

Andrew Durkin finished second in the district and will compete in Birmingham. In addition, Conor Lavelle qualified in LD Debate, finishing second in the district as well. Head coach Ray Shay was cautiously optimistic of the team’s chances in Birmingham: “Our past NFL Qualifiers have shown that if you can qualify out of the Valley Forge District, you have an excellent chance of doing well at the National Finals.”

With two national tournaments still to come and some qualifiers not completed yet, La Salle is shaping up for a strong postseason.

A group of highly dedicated seniors have led the team all year, and they will not end their careers without a fight. Mr. Shay echoed the importance of senior leadership on this team by saying, “While a small group compared to the other class years, I will miss the hard work and dedication of the Class of 2013. Joe, Rob, Conor, Arthur, and Jimmy [Princivalle] have each contributed to our team in their own unique way and have provided wonderful examples for our younger team members.”

On the evening of Thursday, February 21, La Salle’s seniors were treated to a night of dinner and a show in celebration of their achievement of their b e - ing 100 days away from their high school graduation. The event began at 5 pm, with a dinner held in the cafeteria that included meatball sandwiches, buffalo wings from PJ Whelihan’s, salads and various desserts.

“The dinner was a lot of fun,” said James O’Connor, who was happy to get out and let lose among his friends and peers in a relaxed environment and with a free dinner. This marks the sixth year for this tradition at La Salle.

After dinner was the much anticipated show with the hypnotist Kevin Hurley. During the show, Hurley had several student volunteers join him on stage, and then he began his hypnotic process. With each participant in

a dazed state, and the entertainer in control of their subconscious realities, some interesting, amusing and very funny moments took place throughout the show.

One of these participants, Jason Yoon, said that being up on the stage was “like everything that he said was my new reality . . . and I really don’t remember much except that it was like a very real dream.”

Tom Spiteri, another of the participants, said that he barely remembers a thing, but that the posted videos of his and his classmates’ words and actions “show what a fun and crazy experience it was . . . how funny we must have looked to everyone watching.”

Even now, the seniors reminisce about their experiences and the fun they had that night, celebrating one of their final landmarks as a class here at La Salle. Clearly, this tradition is one of the greats and will continue to be an integral part of senior year here at La Salle.

Photo by XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

La Salle Sophomores Conor Hogan and Jack Grogan, PHSSL state champions in policy debate proudly display their first-place plaques.

Inside this month’s issue of The Wisterian P.2--Papal Election/Morality Class P.3--Poor Man’s Supper/New Science Electives P.4--Swing! /Netflix P. 5-- Ice Hockey/Bowling P. 6--Swimming

The Wisterian

Robert V. Stratton ‘13

Photos by Evan Walsh ‘13

Top: Evan O’Hara ‘13 and Matt Greco ‘13 Bottom: Jason Yoon ‘13 and Tom Spiteri ‘13

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W isterian News Argentinian Elected Pope: Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio Takes Name Pope Francis

Brendan Keenan ‘14

Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s election to the papacy on March 13 of this year has been commonly construed as the Catholic Church’s recognition that times are changing and that there is a necessity of accepting some of them in order to maintain relevancy in a world in which 40 percent of Catholics are from South America. Just as the election of a pope from the Southern Hemisphere was suspected by the international Catholic community, some members of La Salle’s religion department predicted a similar phenomenon. Although the election of a pope from the Southern Hemisphere was expected by Brother Dave and Mr. Demeter, both were surprised by Conclave’s choice of Bergoglio for the position. In his Sacred Scripture class, Mr. Demeter held mock papal elections in which the highest position Bergoglio secured was runner up. Mr. Demeter does admit, however, that it made sense the Conclave chose Bergoglio since he was the runner-up at the last election eight years ago.

Although Bergo-g l i o has held the office of Pon-t i f f for less than a month, both Brother Dave and Mr. Demeter admit that they have already been impressed by the Church’s new leader. Citing his name choice of Francis, after Francis of Assisi, Brother Dave says that this choice demonstrates his connection to the poor, as Francis of Assisi is remembered as a man who was moved by the poor’s suffering.

Brother also noted the pontiff’s general humbleness regarding his new station, which leads him to believe that Francis has recognized that the Church is really the “people of God” and to think that Francis will stress this sentiment through his time as pope. Mr. Demeter also expressed his appreciation for Francis as he continued to use a public bus to get around Rome following his elec-

Photo courtesy of bostonherald.com Pope Francis waves to the crowd from St. Peter’s Basilica after his election on March 13. Pope Francis is the first pope from the Americas..

tion instead of riding in the papal motorcade, which to him demonstrates Francis’s humble attitude and connection to the people.

Although Pope Francis has only just begun to step into his new role as leader of the Catholic Church, both members of the religion department hold high expectations for him. Mr. Demeter and Brother Dave believe Francis will lead the Church in a positive direction by making it more accessible to the people by working with them and understanding their needs. Mr. Demeter said his optimism regarding Francis stems from his, “Turning down numerous opportunities to work in Rome because he thought the best way to serve the people of Argentina was to be with the people.” Comparably, Brother

Photo courtesy of nytimes.com People in Buenos Aires, Argentina, celebrate the selection of Cardinal Jorgo Mario Bergoglio as the new pope.

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Dave noted the pope’s frequent trips into the Buenos Aires barrios while Cardinal to converse with the people and his bowing to the people assembled at his inauguration and asking them for their blessing as signs that he will be similar to his namesake Francis of Assisi, a listener. Despite their high hopes, both teachers recognize that Francis will face difficult challenges from the Church’s bureaucracy and the various scandals left over from Pope Benedict XVI’s tenure. However, Brother Dave asserts his hope that Francis will continue to be a humble leader who remembers that Jesus walked amongst the poor and sinners and will direct the Church to reconnect with its roots in Christ.

Through the new pope’s humility, Mr. Demeter also hopes that Francis will lead the Church in a direction that listens and meets the needs of the people while establishing an environment that helps to welcome back those who have been away from the Church.

Pope Francis has a difficult papacy ahead of him as he will have to face multiple challenges that have shaken the faith of many Catholics. Mr. Demeter and Brother Dave, however, are confident that Francis will lead the Church in a positive direction because of their commonly held belief that he will be the people’s pope, a man rooted in God, while still maintaining a deep connection with the average member of the Church.

Morality Classes Will Meet 4 Days Per Cycle Brendan Keenan ‘14

Beginning in September of the 2013-2014 school year, the class of 2015 will become the first Explorers to take the Christian Morality course under its new schedule. After a discussion spanning several years, both the religion department and the administration have decided to extend the junior religion class from meeting three days to meeting four days per cycle. The hope is that the increase will allow more time to be allotted to the study of Catholic social teachings in class and let the students and teachers engage in more debate on topics such as poverty, economics, and the role of government in social organizations.

The administration’s and the religion department’s original goal was to increase class time to five days a cycle, but this was later reduced to meeting four days a cycle. This change came about after Mr. Barna, the Assistance Principle of Academic Affairs, with the assistance of Mr. Evans, studied the scheduling possibilities and determined that it would be the most logistically feasible to have the Morality classes meet four days

out of the six day cycle. Despite the hours put into trying to minimize interdisciplinary conflicts, the new Morality schedule will still cause some scheduling difficulties, especially with science and math courses. The loss of the additional free period could also make it more difficult for students with tight schedules to fit in science labs or band practices, as well as make it impossible for students to take an addition course, such as Public Speaking, that would meet during Morality’s “off” days. As Mr. Barna puts it, however, “In the world of curriculum and scheduling, the needs of the many commonly outweigh the needs of the few.”

The new schedule will also prevent one teacher from teaching two Morality classes that meet on different letter days during the same period. As a result, the religion department is happy to announce that it will be hiring a new teacher for the 2013-2014 school year. After spending many years making the preparations for the change, the religion department is excited about the new schedule as it hopes Morality classes will be able to delve deeper into the issues of Catholic social teachings.

Sports Information Club Visits Comcast SportsNet Studio

Photo by Mr. Rob Johnson On March 12, Sports Information Club members Chris Jastrzembsli ‘14, Arthur Bailin ‘13, Nick Higgins ‘13, and Chris Endrigian ‘13 visited Comcast SportsNet Studios with Mr. Rob Johnson, the club’s moderator .

Anthony Sticco ‘13 Receives Medal at Speak Up! Assembly at GMA

W isterian News Poor Man’s Supper

Science Department Offering Raises Money for Two New Electives in 2013-2014 enjoyed the experience and had a great time with friends at the event.

Junior Matt McCarry said, “My favorite part of the night was seeing the smiling face of the woman from Face to Face when she was talking about all of the good the organization can do with the money LaSalle helped her to raise. Her smile was so genuine that you could really see how much she cared for all the organization stands for.” He also enjoyed seeing all of the La Salle students come out of their way to help people who are less fortunate than we are.

Overall, Poor Man’s Supper was a huge success once again. A huge thank you goes out to everyone who made this event possible, including ceramics teacher Mrs. Barbara Miller, and everyone who came to the supper and donated.

Attention sophomores and juniors! If you will have completed biology and chemistry by the 2013-2014 school year, you will be eligible to take La Salle’s new science electives, Zoology and Bioethics. These two courses are one-semester electives that meet six periods per cycle and provide entirely new ways to view the wonderful world of science.

Zoology is the study of all things that have to do with animals. Mrs. Seeley, the course instructor, introduced the elective to provide an alternative to AP Science classes, as well as to benefit those who are visual learners.

“Working in an all-boys school, I’ve learned that many guys are visual learners,” says Mrs. Seeley. “This class is primarily dissection-based, so it really helps those who benefit from visuals.”

The course includes many dissections, during which students will examine the fascinating anatomy of an animal species. Zoology

examines the anatomy, physiology, behavior, and development of animal species, as well as how each aspect has been altered by the species’ evolution through time, beginning with simple organisms and advancing to more complex animals, such as vertebrates. This elective is perfect for those who benefit from visual aids, as well as those who would like to pursue a career in Zoology.

While Zoology is a course that benefits visual learners, Mr. Mieczkowski’s Bioethics elective is a course that benefits those who enjoy an intellectual, political, or philosophical debate.

In Bioethics, students will discuss a myriad of controversial topics in research, medicine, and healthcare systems in the world today.

The course examines issues facing the world of science and discusses the ethics of proposed solutions, in terms of science, religion, and politics. Students will use critical thinking and debate skills as they study the prin-

ciples of contentious topics such as euthanasia, stem cell research, abortion, and the teachings of famous, historical philosophers, such as Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato. Students themselves argue the morals of these issues.

Essentially, Bioethics provides students a chance to learn the ethics of subjects concerning scientists, politicians, and religious leaders in the modern world.

These cutting-edge electives give students a chance to study branches of science that were not previously offered at La Salle. In addition to Environmental Science, these courses will provide alternatives to Science AP courses. Zoology and Bioethics begin in the fall of the 2013-2014 school year. If you are a visual learner or love discussion-based classes, then these are the electives for you.

Course selection for the 20132014 school year is on now; Mrs. Seeley and Mr. Mieczkowski would love to see you this fall.

and sophomores, and others could be limited to juniors and seniors.

“Maybe more upperclassmen would go then,” agrees Camusi.

“Sometimes, though, they [the upperclassmen] just lose interest in dances.” This seems inevitable. In fact, when asked, a freshman commented that he would most likely only go to mixers as a freshman.

It seems to be a consistent opinion among the grade levels that the mixers are perhaps the supreme student attraction that the school orchestrates. Hundreds of students strap on their boogie shoes and enter a new world of loud music, shrieks of delight, and pungent cologne and perfume.

Guys and girls alike swap names and phone numbers. These events are great ways for La Salle students to meet each other and, of course, Mount and Gwynedd girls.

However, it is also evident that some things about the mixers could be improved. For example, the music played at the events could be altered. A common request among the age levels

is less “dubstep,” expressing that it is more difficult to dance to than “real songs.” “I would rather hear, like, Shaggy playing, than just techno,” says Jake Camusi. The students also express, however, that they like the idea of a student DJ, and say that they enjoyed DJ Serpico at the first mixer in September. They like having a relatable student DJ, especially if he collaborates with the audience as to what songs they would like to hear.

La Salle students also request the return of Mega and Super Mixers, which include more than one venue, such as the gym and the auditorium, for students to mingle. The mixers are quite popular, and do attract many students from La Salle, the Mount, Gwynedd, and even more schools in the area. Mega and Super Mixers would provide more space for the crowded events.

There is also controversy concerning the actual events within the mixers. Some students argue that more “slow songs” should be played, providing a more appro-

priate setting for forming relationships. Others counter that mixers should simply be mixers, an excuse to let loose and have fun with friends. Not everyone has the opportunity to get a dancing partner.

This simply depends on which outlook one has. Also, many students express vexation when it comes to the faculty chaperones muscling their way through the “mosh pit,” as it is called, which forms in the middle of the dance floor. Many students become embarrassed when their teachers interrupt the natural flow of the mixers. Without these disruptions, students feel more comfortable interacting.

A final, and very common, topic concerning the mixers is their scarcity. Students feel the mixers are too infrequent throughout the year; if a student was unable to attend, he or she would have to wait months and months for the next. Students request two or three per year; one freshman recommends that they be held at intervals of several months, such as in late September, December,

and the spring. These, in addition to the winter Formal, should fulfill the school’s desire for mixers.

The school has spoken. It is common knowledge that the La Salle mixers are some of the most anticipated events in the area; students love them. However, it is evident that the mixers could be improved, and the students showed no reluctance to express their opinions and suggestions.

Because it may be incredibly difficult to appeal to the upperclassmen, perhaps the mixers should be geared primarily toward the freshmen and sophomores. Perhaps the upperclassmen could be enticed by the separation of the upper- and lowerclassmen, or by the implementation of the students’ proposals. While the mixers attract hundreds of students, local and otherwise, maybe the mixers could go above and beyond, with the implementation of these ideas.

Maybe the mixers really could be improved. Who would know better than the students themselves?

Nicholas Camusi ‘16

Face to Face

Sean Princivalle ‘15

On February 28, La Salle hosted its annual Poor Man’s Supper. The turnout was very good as over one hundred twenty students, faculty and parents came to this event. With a donation of ten dollars, each person received a hand-made bowl. These bowls serve as a reminder to all of the less fortunate people who live so close to us. These bowls were made by ceramics classes, art classes and the art club.

There were many different kinds of soup served, along with a variety of bread and homemade desserts from several parents. By nights end, a total of over one thousand two hundred dollars was raised for the charity Face to Face, located in Germantown.

Many of the students who attended said they really

La Salle Mixers: Bash or Bust?

Nicholas Camusi ‘16

“I remember when I first arrived at La Salle, the mixers were very popular . . . girls used to cry if they couldn’t get tickets,” said Mr. Janda, a faculty member and father of three La Salle students. However, this enthrallment with the La Salle mixers seems to have diminished somewhat since Mr. Janda’s arrival in 2003.

When was the last time you saw a girl crying over mixer tickets?

Have the students lost interest in the mixers? Have the venerated mixers impossibly declined?

“It’s not really something you can control,” says Jake Camusi ‘13. “The seniors just kind of lose interest in the mixers.” Why is this? Do the seniors no longer feel the need to “mix,” considering many of them already know each other? Do the seniors not enjoy partying with students nearly four years younger than them?

Perhaps the upperclassmen would benefit from separate mixers; some could be restricted to freshmen

Who is the Wisterian?

Editors-in-Chief Christian Endrigian ‘13 Jimmy Princivialle ‘13 Assistant Editors Robert V. Straton ’13 Brendan Keenan ‘14 Danny Spinelli ‘14

The Purpose of The Wisterian is to inform the student body of news and opinions of relevance to the school community.

The views expressed are those

of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect official school policy.

The Wisterian welcomes all comments, suggestions, and Letters to the Editor. Please keep all letters to 600 words or less. Letters may be submitted to thewisterian@gmail.com.

Contributors

Arthur Bailin ‘13 Evan Walsh ‘13 James Foley ‘14 Chris Jastrzemski ‘14 Mike Mullin ‘14 Sean Princivalle ‘15 Nicholas Camusi ‘16 Angelo Giuliano ‘16

Advisors

Mr. Chris Holwick Mr. John Janda

Photo courtesy of La Salle’s facebook page.

On March 7, Anthony Sticco ‘13 received the Jimmy Medal at the Speak Up! Assembly at GMA, for his work with Athletes Helping Athletes.

The Wisterian

April 2013

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Wisterian Features

The Revolution May Swing! Thrills Not Be Televised James Princivalle ‘13

“Power’s a lot like real estate: It’s all about location, location, location. The closer you are to the source, the higher your property value.” That is how Majority Whip Frank Underwood closes out the opening episode of the brand new Netflix-Only series House of Cards, and is more on the nose than it may seem at first glance. Over the course of this year, Netflix will be putting out several of its own original programs, including Arrested Development (which returns May 26), and is effectively changing the landscape of television as we’ve come to know it.

At the beginning of March I sat down to watch the House of Cards pilot and less than 3 days later I was done the series. The show follows Kevin

Spacey as he plays the House Majority Whip, Frank Underwood, as he conducts an elaborate plan to get revenge on the president who passed him over for Secretary of State. The whole thing sucks you in from the first

Netflix is the beginning of the future of television, a future that may not necessarily be televised. minute and never lets you go, not even when the season ends.

The thing that makes it so worth talking about though is not the acting or the story, regardless of how great it is.

The thing about it that makes it so interesting is the fact that it is as good as it is and it’s not on television. Creatively it’s the

Kyle Stofka ‘13 and partner

same quality of work as a show like Mad Men or Breaking Bad, and it’s only on Netflix. Netflix is finally continuing the idea of creating quality programming just for the internet that Doctor Horrible’s Sing Along Blog started five years ago, but was never really continued in a big way, until now.

House of Cards has made me so excited for what’s to come, both with respect to the show itself, and other shows like it. Starting with a show as good as this right out of the gate, and Arrested Development on its way down the pipeline, Netflix has legitimized this entire idea and has made itself into a viable network for lack of a better word. Netflix is the beginning of the future of television, a future that may not necessarily be televised.

James Princivalle ‘13

As I sat down to watch this year’s La Salle spring musical production, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. I knew absolutely nothing about the show itself, I didn’t know who the lead was, and I didn’t know how it would be. However, despite not knowing what to expect, I was still completely taken aback by just how much was happening in Swing! It’s a show with no lead, and no dialogue, and it was really unlike any show I’d ever seen.

The night of scenes got started and never stopped from beginning to end, filled to the bursting with talent both from the singers and dancers. I did personally think it was strange at first when there was no cohesive story within the show, but I was too caught up in everything happening to truly care about that.

Everything about it worked, from the mix of upper and underclassmen in prominent rules, to the

utilization of the La Salle band as not just the music, but as a tangible and visible part of the show itself.

Though my favorite La Salle show is still Drowsy Chaperone, I’d be kidding myself if I didn’t say beyond any shadow of a doubt that Swing! was the most ambitious La Salle show I’ve yet to see, and it pulled it off with aces.

Wisterian Sports Three is the Magic Number

La Salle Ice Hockey Captures 3rd Consecutive Flyers Cup Championship Chris Jastrzembski ‘14

For the third year in a row, and for the fifth time in the last six years, the La Salle Hockey team was victorious in the Flyers Cup Championship.

For the second straight year, the team defeated Holy Ghost Prep at the Wells Fargo Center, which was the second time in three years that the team played the championship at that venue. For many of the underclassmen, this was a once in a lifetime experi-

ence. As for many of the seniors and other juniors who were a part of the team that played in the Flyers Cup Title Game in

For many of the underclassmen, this was a once in a lifetime experience.

2011, including senior Nick Master who scored the gamewinning-goal in overtime in that edition, they already knew what

to expect and had the urge to win it again.

The beginning of the game was very sloppy, with Holy Ghost Prep scoring 31 seconds into the game. On a five-on-three a couple of minutes later, senior Ryan Williams tied it at one, which was followed four minutes later by senior Brendan Jaquay’s breakaway.

Holy Ghost tied the game a minute later, but that was all the scoring that the Firebirds accomplished. Junior Andrew Romano

deked and scored two minutes after to give La Salle a 3-2 lead, which it would never relinquish.

The game was all La Salle, which included a goal from junior Kevin Charyszyn and Romano’s second of the game, and big on-ice hits from Jaquay and senior Nick Master, who committed to UMASSLowell earlier in the winter.

Sophomore Corbin Gustafson, whose brother Colin is a defenseman, stopped 22 shots on goal.

Romano was the 1st

star of the game, and was the tournament MVP and leading scorer as well. After the game, Coach Muehlbronner reminded the squad that there’s still work to be done, which is winning a State Championship on March 23rd against the Penguins Cup Champions at Aston Ice Works at 4:00. However the team still savored the moment of victory yet one more time before focusing on repeating as State Champions.

Image courtesy of Google Images

Griffin Ripley ‘13 on trumpet

La Salle Flyers Cup photos courtesy of Arthur Bailin ‘13

La Salle Bowling

Patrick May ‘13 and partner

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Doug Michie ‘14 and partner Photos courtesy of www.lschs.org

The Wisterian

Sean Princivalle ‘15

This year, La Salle’s bowling team had one of its most successful years. The year started out with a tie with Roman Catholic and a loss to Father Judge.

After those first two matches, the team had very strong showing at the Ice Breaker tournament on December 8th. Although they lost the tournament by a slim margin, 2556 to 2530, La Salle Senior Andrew Volz won the tournament all-star award.

This was the beginning to a very successful season for the team.

On Tuesday December 18th, La Salle defeated the reigning PCL champions Conwell-Egan. Not only did they win the match, but they swept it 4-0, with two dramatic comebacks. By the end of the PCL regular season, La Salle’s bowling team finished

April 2013

third in the PCL behind Father Judge and Conwell-Egan. Also, the team had a total of four All-Catholic selections. These selections included senior Nick D’Orazio, freshman Kevin Fox, senior Joseph Heidt, and senior Andrew Volz. In addition to the All-Catholic selections, the team had several notable performances. They received first high team series, third high team game, first high team total pin fall, first high team average, second high individual series won by Kevin Fox and second high individual average, won by Andrew Volz.

La Salle went on to the PCL playoffs, winning its first match against Bonner, before losing to Conwell-Egan in the second round of the playoffs. The season was full of excitement and overall was a huge success for the whole team.

The 2012-2013 La Salle Bowling Team Photo courtesy of www.lschs.org

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Wisterian Sports A Program of Excellence:

La Salle Swimming

Christian Endrigian ‘13

Take a second to look at the various professional sports we consume ourselves with day in and day out. You look at baseball, you think of the Yankees or those boys from Boston. You look at the NBA, and you think of the Lake Show or the Celtics.

You look at the NHL, and you think of the boys up in Canada, or of those in-state rivals we know as the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Or how about the NFL, where all you think about is the New England dynasty or the cheese heads. What do all of these teams have in common? One, they either win a lot of championships or are at the top of their leagues almost every year. They are basically known as a dynasty.

Well in high school swimming, look no further than Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, which is home to the Explorers of La Salle.

Talk about a dynasty.

Since 1989, the Explorers under head coach Mr. Frank Lichtner have not lost a PCL title. Yes, that is not a typo. This year’s PCL championship marked the 25th consecutive championship for the swim team. Not to mention a single loss this season in PCL meets. On February 16th, a Saturday at La Salle University, the Explorers scored 1,014 points, which was more than double that of the second place team being St. Joseph’s Prep.

The Explorers swept all three relays and won all the individual events except for two. Individual winners included Joe Maginnis (50free/100 Backstroke), Sean Regan (200 IM), Greg Brocato (100 Butterfly), Greg Rogers (100 Freestyle), and Brendan Koch (100 Breastroke). That same night that they captured the PCL title, they also swam right into a 5th consecutive District 12 title by capturing all three relays and sweeping (first, second, and

third place finishes) in six of the individual events. These titles alone should already label them as one of the best swimming programs in the state, if not the country.

Success didn’t stop here. To defend their 2012 state title, the Explorers would have a lot of work cut out for them from March 13th-16th at Bucknell University. But being the program that they are accustomed to being, of course they came out on top once again to capture the 2013 PIAA Swimming Championship. With a final score of 290, they outlasted Hershey who finished with 218 points. On the second day of competition, La Salle posted a second place finish and two third places in individual events. Greg Brocato came in third in the 100-yard freestyle in 45.22 seconds, and Michael McBryan was third in the 100 breaststroke (56.12). Evan Holder finished fourth in the

500 freestyle, with a time of 4 minutes, 31.37 seconds. Overall, La Salle has built a dynasty that will never be forgotten.

But what makes this program so strong? Is it the coaching? Is it the swimmers?

The answer quite simply is both.

Head Coach Mr. Frank Lichtner, a former swimmer at the University of Florida, has really kept this program together. His intelligence of the sport, coaching style, and bond with his swimmers is what makes him such a well-known coach. As I was sitting in Creative Writing class one day, talking to Mr. Bloh about the swimming program, he simply stated, “Mr. Lichtner is the best coach around. Hands down. I wouldn’t want anyone else coaching our students.

Simple as that.” With support from his various coaches and swimmers, it is clear that this is one truly special team. Of course, Mr. Lichtner will always say that

his swimmers are the reason they are always top in the state, but we know that he is a big part to this program. In regards to the swimmers, well yeah, it helps when you get some of the best swimmers in the area. Joey Maginnis will be heading to Duke to swim, Greg Rogers to William and Mary, Evan Holder to Johns Hopkins, and Sean Regan to Navy. Besides just having great swimmers, everyone on the team will tell you how close they are.

Senior Evan Holder stated, “This group of guys just has a lot of chemistry. Everyone gets along and pushes each other. We are all dedicated to this sport and that is why we train so hard together.”

Well, that’s it. Another year of swimming is in the books with the Explorers capturing States once again. What’s the next milestone this team will achieve? Regardless of what happens next year, this program is certainly a dynasty.

The 2013 State Champion La Salle Swim Team

Follow La Salle Sports on Twitter @LaSalle_Sports Page 6

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