9 minute read
Sixth formers reflect on sports in the pandemic
every program, but next year, they have a serious opportunity to make a legacy as a really good class.”
This theme of the Sixth Form caring not only about the success in a given year but also laying a foundation for the future is constant across every sport.
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Sixth Form lacrosse midfielder Geordy Holmes said, “What we tried to do was keep that brotherhood. We lost a year of it, and since you lose a year, there are a lot of young guys that don’t really know yet what it means to be a Haverford lacrosse player, and the biggest thing about being a Haverford lacrosse player is buying into the brotherhood, loving being out there, loving your teammates and loving the game . . . granted, we lost that last game, but I would like to think that we made Haverford lacrosse better just because of that brotherhood.”
Holmes reflected on his emotions after the Inter-Ac championship.
“After that last game, you turn around and you’re just defeated. And then you see all those younger guys crying and coming up to you and hugging you and thanking you—it’s a special thing because you feel that you made it better than how you found it,” Holmes said.
Overall, Holmes believes lacrosse has had a tremendous impact on his life.
“This year, the biggest thing for me was just being grateful for having a season and being able to just go out every day and practice and do what I love with the guys that I love,” Holmes said. “Over the past four years, I’ve just learned so much and I’ve become such a better person through Haverford lacrosse. There are so many life lessons that I’ve learned—not to say that I haven’t learned in the classroom—but I just don’t think I would have learned as much without lacrosse.”
Unlike the lacrosse team, the track and field squad was relatively small this season. However, Sixth Form jumper Chris Sims explained that he viewed this as a positive.
“We had our own little family,” Sims said, “and we really just stuck together. It benefited us in the end because we all got to know each other really well. With all the training that we were doing, it made it very easy to just talk and have fun.”
Still, the season did not come without its challenges.
“With COVID, it was a lot more training than anything,” Sims said. “For me, I had to take every day and push myself to make sure I was getting the experience that I wanted, so when it did come time for meets, I was ready to go.”
Similar to the other Sixth Form athletes, Sims affirmed that athletics has been a fundamental part of his upper school experience.
GEORDY HOLMES ’21
Bryson Bernhardt ’21 in a single boat during a race
CHRIS SIMS ’21
COURTESY OF BRYSON BERNHARDT ’21
“The last four years have been unforgettable,” Sims said. “Starting off freshman year and not knowing if I wanted to run track at all, to by the end of the season being a guy who scored at Inter-Acs—to my senior year being one of the leaders for the jumpers—it really just came full circle for me. I’m really grateful that the track program pushed me to be who I am today, and I’ll always remember that the track team is really what pushed me to make myself better.”
For Fords tennis—another tightly-knit team—this spring season was special. In late May, they secured their eleventh straight Inter-Ac title, a feat that Sixth Former George Laveran credits largely to senior leadership and head coach Mr. Antonio Fink.
“In the fall, we came back and Mr. Fink was able to get us back in the tennis zone,” Laveran said. “Everyone was a bit rusty, but being able to play and be with the team in the fall was very beneficial because by spring, everyone knew who was on the team and we’d already gotten back into it a little bit.”
Laveran reflected on his Fords tennis journey.
GEORGE LAVERAN ’21
“Even last year, I hadn’t really grown yet and I was pretty small, but Mr. Fink gave me some opportunities to play on varsity as a junior before Covid struck. I used to play a lot of tennis when I was younger, and the program at Haverford got me back into it,” Laveran said. “And honestly, with the leadership and camaraderie, I liked this year’s tennis team the best of all the teams I’ve ever played on.”
Mr. Murphy had high praise for the class of 2021.
MR. MICHAEL MURPHY
“Leadership starts at the top with them,” Mr. Murphy said. “The way that they’ve handled everything, with the grace that they did and the resiliency to say, ‘we’re going to make the best out of this,’ that carried all the way through the school. They’ve had an incredible attitude to go out and capitalize on the chances they had to compete, so I’m really impressed with that group.”
The tennis team poses after winning the Inter-Ac Championship, May 22, 2021 Ethan Chan ’23
When one considers dominance in the history of sports, Tom Brady’s seven Super Bowl wins, Rafael Nadal’s unmatched record of thirteen Roland Garros titles, and Bill Russell’s eleven rings with the Celtics often come to mind. Despite these individuals’ astounding accomplishments, how many of them have been consecutive? Here at Haverford, the tennis team continues its reign over the Inter-Ac with its historic eleven straight (and counting) Inter-Ac titles. Given the circumstances for the team, title number eleven proved to be quite the challenge.
“Most of the adversity that the team faced was due to COVID-related restrictions—like all other Haverford sports faced—like transportation issues, zero or limited fans, etc.,” said assistant coach Ms. Stephanie Kantor. “We play and practice at Baldwin, so we had to be careful to follow their protocol in addition to Haverford.”
With the tennis courts being used for Virtue Village, the players had to make the daily commute to Baldwin after school. At a new facility, the team as a whole was quick to adapt to their temporary home court.
Despite the challenges, the routine and mentality remained the same and evident: emphasis on the fundamentals.
“Showing up to practice every day— when it rained we went into the gym and worked harder—to get fit and strong,” head coach Mr. Antonio Fink said.
“Coach Fink’s philosophy is to make us the ‘fittest’ team in the Inter-Ac, because that’s ‘how we win,’” Fifth Form captain Adamya Aggarwal said. “So we saw a lot of drills and shadow swings early in the season when we didn’t have access to courts. Although it may not seem like it, these drills and workouts helped shape us and give us skills that we can use on the court.”
From a grueling pre-season, the outcome was apparent in the team’s results.
“We won 17 out of 22 three-set matches, a clear testament to our fitness,” Fourth Former Jay Crowther said.
In many of these split-set battles when the match was on the line, the Fords garnered their mental strength and energy, the reason why they were able to close out matches against opposition.
“It comes back to diligence during practice and the energy we brought to the games. The Fords wanted the wins more than the other teams and we made it clear through our intensity and how hard we fought in the big moments in our matches,” Crowther said.
Throughout their seventeen matches during this season, the energy of the team remained the same as they journeyed to number eleven. Most importantly, the overarching notion of brotherhood, deeply rooted in Haverford’s values, was at full display with the tennis team.
“The varsity team was extremely supportive of one another during matches, constantly cheering for one another while playing and watching. I think this support created a real camaraderie and encouraged everyone to do their best for the team,” Coach Kantor said.
“No matter where we were, we were the loudest team when it came cheering each other on and the support from the other boys is unmatched,” Fourth Former Neil Sawhney said.
On the logistical side of things, the structure of the season differed from previous years. Normally, teams would play each other once or twice a season but the Fords played each Inter-Ac team twice: home and away. Even with this, the major change for the team, and spring sports, was the newly introduced IAAL Tournament. Similar to a playoff fashion, teams based on the overall record in the regular season would face each other in an elimination bracket format.
“I thought the Inter-Ac tournament was a great idea to define the winner of such a unique season. It will be interesting to see how things remain in the league once there is more normalcy in the things we do,” Coach Fink said.
The Fords received a bye in the first round, given they were the second seed. In the semi-finals, they faced Germantown Academy and comfortably ousted them 5-2. In the final, they met none other than school rivals Episcopal Academy, for the Inter-Ac title.
“I remember thinking that I had to give everything left in the tank for one final match and it was all-or-nothing—and so was everyone on the team,” said Crowther. In spectacular fashion, the Fords clinched their eleventh consecutive title with a statement win of 6-1, avenging their 3-4 loss prior to the IAAL Tournament.
Looking back at this notable season, the players took away many lessons.
Aggarwal said, “Use your losses to motivate you to win the next time. We as a team did that multiple times. But I took this lesson to heart playing the EA’s first doubles team in the finals. Christian Crowder and I had played them twice before and lost both times. I remember just constantly telling myself, ‘We are not going to lose a third time.’ And we didn’t.”
Likewise, within the tennis team, the saying, “you either win or learn” was representative of Aggarwal and the collective efforts of the team. As they were able to manifest this, the Fords look to come into the 2021-2022 season with high hopes.
Coach Fink said, “The goal is always to win every match we play, to win the Inter Ac, and to represent Haverford to the best of our ability.”
MR. ANTONIO FINK
COURTESY OF JAY CROWTHER ’23
