11 minute read
Ultimate Frisbee
Christopher Schwarting ’24
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Tucked away in Eagle Field with discs sailing through the air, the ultimate frisbee team has been making great strides through the spring. Despite a novice-dominated roster and skilled opponents, camaraderie and fun complement a team that rose to challenges and developed foundational skills.
This year’s ultimate team is different from last year’s.
“Last year was a very senior-dominated team. We had a bunch of seniors, some juniors, and some sophomores and freshmen,” Fifth Former Kiran Mistry said. “This year, we have a much bigger breadth. We don’t have many seniors, but a lot of sophomores, and a good number of juniors and freshmen.”
Mistry, alongside Fifth Former Matthew Franz, is co-captain of the ultimate frisbee squad this year. Because of the large pool of new players, this year has been about introducing the game and developing skills.
“This has been a building year,” Mistry said. “We are basically getting everyone out of being able to throw, being able to catch, and being able to play on the field.”
Coaches Dr. Andrew Fenton, Mr. Samuel Walters, and Teacher Louie Brown have observed the team rising to the challenge.
“We only have three or four guys returning back to our squad, so we only have three experienced players,” Coach Fenton said. “That being said, the team has been learning a lot, they are very athletic, and they have learned a huge amount. I have seen and remarked on how much improvement they have shown.”
Because much of the team is new to the sport, games have posed some challenges.
“There are still a lot of things to learn,” Mistry said. “We are 1-3.” The regular season is by a Cities Tournament with schools around the region.
What can also pose a challenge to developing frisbee skills is that there are simply not many frisbee tournaments and game opportunities. For the division the ultimate frisbee team plays, COVID has ravaged potential opponents’ programs.
“Some of those teams have just disappeared—the teams that we have historically played against. I am hoping that they will come back, [and] I am hoping that they will be able to find a place either in that division or in another game,” Coach Fenton said. “We can hopefully build a culture of ultimate like some of these other sports [at Haverford].”
However, despite this year’s lighter schedule and game struggles, the team’s brotherhood has held true.
DR. ANDREW FENTON
COURTESY OF PRANAV DIXIT ’22
The ultimate frisbee team after competing in the City Championships on May 14, 2022
“One of the things I love about this team this year is that they have a huge amount of heart. They play with heart and they play with love. And I want to see that,” Coach Fenton remarked. “It’s a team that is just out there having fun.”
Mistry agrees. He believes it’s in the culture of ultimate teams, both at and outside of Haverford.
“The biggest part about [ultimate] frisbee that is different from other sports is that it’s [not only] a team sport, but it becomes a collective sport. You want to see the other team do well. You do not want to humiliate them. It’s about wanting everyone to have fun,” he said. And for Coach Brown, this fun, mutually respectful culture has been the backbone of the team’s positivity and progress this year. “I think playing sports and the sports culture can be very contentious and overfocused on winning, which is important,” Coach Brown said, “but it made me really, really proud just to see the team being really wholesome and working really hard for each other for the love of the game. That was the highlight for me so far.”
Blazers on, crew team rolls forward
Ethan Lee ’24
During the fall and spring months, Sixth Formers sporting colorful maroon and gold jackets can be spotted in the hallways of Wilson Hall. These blazers are the property of the crew team and are deemed the Henley Regatta Blazers.
“The blazers all revolve around the Henley Royal Regatta in England,” head crew coach Jonathan Stephanik said. “Each team that goes has almost a branding. Each jacket is a little bit different. The more the jacket stands out and is different, the more you will be remembered over there.”
The Henley Royal Regatta is one of the largest races in the world. Held on the River Thames, it takes place over five days annually and sees thousands of spectators and both school and professional rowers. The Regatta is also part of something known as the English social season, a tradition that evolved in England during the early eighteenth century.
The English social season is a posh couple of months in the spring and summer where people hold events like races and dinner parties. A strict dress code is enforced at many of these events, and The Henley Royal Regatta is no exception.
“There are grounds at the Regatta where you need to make sure that you are dressed appropriately,” Coach Stepanik said. “You can’t wear tennis shoes. You have to be wearing a coat and tie with dress shoes and slacks.
“There is one rule about it: if you are wearing the blazer, you cannot wear shorts,” Stephanik stated.
The blazer uses the traditional Haverford colors, maroon and vegas gold, along with a modified athletics logo.
“It has a custom rowing logo for the Henley specifically just to differentiate things,” Coach Stephanik said. “The lining is also custom with our oars. There are the original oars from the 50s with a single blade, and the more recent blades with the hatchet shape and the H on it.”
The blazer was first designed in 2017, as this was the first year that Haverford returned to the regatta in over 20 years.
“The goal is to go back to England every three-to-five years,” Coach Stephanik said. “We were supposed to go last year but the pandemic ruined our plans.”
In the fall season, Sixth Form rowers had the privilege to wear the blazers, and in the spring season, the two varsity boats—the varsity quad and the varsity four—get to wear the blazers.
“Instead of guys getting to buy and keep the blazer, we went with the English tradition where the boats would pass down the blazer year to year,” Coach Stephanik said.
“I hope that there is some sort of pride in wearing the blazers and that it helps our team members stand out,” Stephanik said.
This attitude towards the blazer is echoed by members of the varsity boats.
“Personally, wearing the blazer is special because we’re continuing a tradition that’s been around long before our year and will be around long after we graduate,” Sixth Former and varsity quad member Wells Benson said.
Sixth Former Wyatt Johnson, also a member of the varsity quad, echoed this sentiment.
“I take tremendous pride in wearing the Henley blazer,” Johnson said. “It’s a unique tradition to be a part of.”
Although the season is coming to a close, there are still a few major races left for the crew team. The Stotesbury Cup Regatta, the rescheduled City Championships, and, for the boats that qualify, Nationals are near.
“It has been a fun season so far and we look to continue our success in the most important races of the season through the end of Spring,” Johnson said. “I’m really looking forward to these upcoming races because it’s everything we’ve worked for the past four years of rowing,” Benson said. “It’s our chance to leave a lasting impact on the team and really become champions.”
JAIDEN SHUCHMAN ’23
A Fords Four competes against EA on May 14, 2022
COURTESY OF @EA1785_ROWING ON TWITTER
WYATT JOHNSON ’22
Tennis bids farewell to Coach Fink, earns another Inter-Ac title
ian rosenzweig ’25
This season, Haverford Varsity Tennis secured its twelfth consecutive Inter-Ac title. The team closed out its Inter-Ac season with a high-stakes match against Germantown Academy, a team with whom Haverford tennis has consistently battled.
Challenging moments like these manifest in all areas of team tennis. Fifth Former Jay Crowther, the team’s top player, says that these pressure moments are what the team prepares for most. “We train hard and focus on physical conditioning a lot, and Coach [Antonio] Fink ensures that the fundamental facets of our games are ready for the big pressure moments, but [...] where we stand alone and truly excel above all others is in the unparalleled team spirit we have,” Crowther said.
To get through these tough matches, Crowther relies on his teammates and the positive dynamic that the team has developed this season.
“The adrenaline from my teammates losing their voices for me in hopes [that] I can clinch a [deciding match tie-break] is a truly unmatched feeling,” Crowther said.
Sixth Former co-captain Damian Ferraro agrees that the camaraderie among the whole team is a major factor in their success.
“The chemistry for the team [this year] is unparalleled to any other team we’ve had,” Ferrao said. “We’ve had some very late matches, but nobody ever leaves [...] when everyone’s surrounding you, it’s this amazing mentality and environment where it feels like everyone’s supporting you, [...] that’s what makes this team so successful. Everyone’s willing to reach out [to] each other.”
Ferraro’s comment on the mentality that team support brings speaks to a major part of success in tennis: grit, mental toughness, and positivity. As a sport that is both physically and mentally demanding, tennis requires training in both disciplines. Not only does a player’s body need to be prepared to endure matches that can last over two hours, but his mind needs to remain calm, focused, and positive.
While Crowther commented on Coach Fink’s ensuring that his players’ technique is sound and ready for pressure moments, Ferraro says that Coach Fink supports the team’s mental game as well.
Jay Crowther ’23 in the heat of a match
“I was in a match and Mr. Fink said to me, ‘It looks like you’re playing really tight. Just let it rip. Trust your shot.’ Immediately after that, I didn’t think about my shot but I played it naturally. When you enjoy the sport for what it is instead of thinking about the result, that’s when you end up becoming the most successful,” Ferraro said.
JAY CROWTHER ‘23
In his fourteen years as Haverford Varsity Tennis’s Head Coach, Coach Fink has won twelve consecutive Inter-Ac titles, including this year’s. He believes in the power of physical fitness to bring a team to victory.
“Fitness is the key element in the preseason that prepares us for the season. Adverse weather conditions are turned into a positive by making use of the gym to work on muscle memory, conditioning, and strength. If you are physically fit, you are mentally fit [...] Competition is the reward for the athlete’s hard work in practice. We’ve won more close matches this season than ever before. Our stamina has been instrumental in edging other teams in very close matches,” Coach Fink said.
In addition to his adept coaching of both his players’ physical and mental games, Coach Fink helps his players grow off of the courts.
“[Coach Fink] knows how to work us hard and get us in the right mindset for every game, but I think the more important thing he’s done is help us grow as people,” Crowther said. “He’s changed my life in the classroom and on the courts. He’s taught
ETHAN CHAN ‘23 CCOMMUNCATIONS
me priceless lessons on how to be a better person, how to be more honorable and gracious, and the importance of self-belief, all of which are values that I now live by and strive to instill in others.”
Coach Fink’s commitment to each of his team members not only helps them reach Inter-Ac championships but also reach their full potential as students and people overall. Crowther believes that the entire team can attest to Coach Fink’s wisdom and positivity.
While Coach Fink has certainly not run out of steam, the 2022 season is his last. He leaves behind a legacy of hard work, dedication, and positivity that will be greatly missed by the team, as well as unmatched results. The team sealed the season with a 13-1 record and won its 12th consecutive Inter-Ac title.
“It’s been tough for the team knowing this is his final year as our coach, so we’re hoping to give back to him a final gift for everything he’s done for us,” Crowther said.
