10 October 2016
THE CLASSIC
SPORTS Dalia Avivi takes over as girls varsity volleyball coach team last year, as Physical Education Teacher Lauren Caiaccia became Athletic Director and could not coach more than one team, having already coached girls varsity basketball. The boys varsity volleyball team won 8-2, advancing to the quarterfinals of the playoffs before being defeated by Fort Hamilton. This loss capped off a very strong season for boys volleyball, with Ms. Avivi coaching for the first time and learning about the sport simultaneously. H o w e v e r, prior to entering the THHS community, Ms. Avivi was the coach for a soccer club in Manhattan and also a professional Olympic-style Taekwondo fighter. One thing she appreciated while competing at an Olympic level was being able to “participate in the high intensity
workouts and compete around the world while representing USA.” Ms. Avivi, having now taken over as coach of the girls varsity volleyball team, can apply the skills she gained from coaching the boys varsity volleyball team. She reasoned that the boys’ “intensity and focus on one point at a time” was the key to winning matches and advancing in the playoffs. During the season, Ms. Avivi was somewhat of an understudy to Ms. Caiaccia, and it was with her help that Ms. Avivi could grow within the sport of volleyball. Ms. Avivi also noted that Ms. Caiaccia held the members of the boys volleyball team to a high standard, which is important in building a relationship between the coach and her players.
“ It’s really amazing to watch how they are improving their skills and how close they have gotten as a team and hopefully maintain it for years to come.
PHOTO BY JENNY HE
New Girls Volleyball Coach Dalia Avivi watches the team play. by George Adamou, Staff Writer FROM BEING a studentteacher to becoming a coach for
two of Townsend Harris’s athletic teams, Dalia Avivi has come a long way. Ms. Avivi took over as the head coach for the boys volleyball
”
On a personal note, Ms. Avivi enjoys the outdoors and likes to spend her free time playing soccer, going to the beach, and hiking. A philosophy that Ms. Avivi holds to be very important when it comes to coaching is teamwork and creating long-lasting relationships. She said, “My focus for the girls’ varsity volleyball team is to advance through our division and make it into the championship. During [the team’s] practices, I focus on establishing a learning environment where the girls constantly progress and strengthen their volleyball knowledge and skills.” Ms. Avivi also added, “One of the things I love about coaching is watching the girls after a match or a practice and how they interact with each other. They share how they felt about the drills, points we scored, errors we made, and personal things. They talk about things like how school is going, or what they’re doing over the weekend. It’s really amazing to watch how they are improving their skills and how close they have gotten as a team and hopefully, [they] maintain it for years to come.”
Girls varsity tennis dazzles heading Diving into new feats into the playoffs by Michelle Hong, Staff Writer
by Daniel Singh, Staff Writer WITH THE playoffs approaching in upcoming weeks, “fire-hot” is the perfect way to describe the girls varsity tennis team. They currently have a record of 7-1 and have high hopes to ride their success into the playoffs. This has been made possible largely due to the efforts of the new head coach Joseph Canzoneri, who has been a big help to the underclassmen that have stepped up to make this team a big contender for the playoffs. Mr. Canzoneri has high praise for the team as a whole, saying, “It turns out this team is really good. Generally, the Townsend Harris High School’s girls tennis team either misses the playoffs or kind of gets in as a low seed.” He went on to compliment the freshmen who have stepped up and showcased their previous tennis experience, adding, “Out of our seven starters, four are freshmen. We just had a lot of freshmen come in who have had previous tennis experience and who compete in tournaments outside of PSAL. These girls are pretty hardcore. The captains and I work together. I don’t do too much in terms of technique, especially [with] those girls who have been training for as long as they have.
The girls are excited, especially the seniors, who know this team is different from teams in the past.” Also a coach for the Forest Hills varsity baseball team, Mr. Canzoneri added, “I have found as a baseball coach that coaching tennis is a lot like managing a pitcher in baseball. A lot of times with pitchers in baseball, maybe all of
“ The entire team... has so much chemistry. We all love each other as a family, even though most of us have just met. ”
their pitches are not working on a certain day. That’s true with our tennis players. Certain days their serve is on and certain days it’s off. Certain days their backhand is working well, certain days it’s off. A pitcher can kind of get inside his own head and get himself off of his game, so a lot of what I’m doing, from a coaching standpoint, is psychological and dealing with that part of the game.”
Senior captain and first singles starter Liana Weitzman commented, “The entire team, as a whole, has so much chemistry. We all love each other as a family, even though most of us just met, and it is the most amazing thing when you realize your own team is doing so well.” She also emphasized her desire to play well and make sure that everyone on the team has fun during the practices and games. On the 4-1 start, Liana added, “Since we’ve started off great, in no way does that mean we can slack... since the season is so quick and almost over, we need to be on our best game.” On October 7, the Lady Hawks knocked off first-place Cardozo High School with a valiant effort from all of its players. Freshman Rachel Zhang won the second singles match by score of 10 to 0, and freshman India Lott won the third singles match by a score of 10 to 3. Freshman Hope Ha and senior co-captain Tseten Lhamo combined to win the first doubles match by a score of 10 to 5. Last but not least, sophomore Jessica Wang and freshman Neeharika Kotimreddy won the second doubles match by score of 10 to 4. This gave them a 4 to 1 triumph over one of the best girls tennis teams in the entire PSAL.
A NEW season calls for new beginnings. After a loss to Francis Lewis High School ended their season last year, Townsend Harris’s girls varsity swim team has finally sealed a win over their toughest rivals to start the month. The Turtles didn’t stop there, going on to win their next two games and maintain their undefeated score of 5-0. Scoring their first win against Queens HS for Science at York College, followed by a win over Benjamin N. Cardozo High School, and another next three against Francis Lewis, Bayside High School, and Long Island City, the Turtles have overmatched every team in their division. Although the team lost some talented swimmers who graduated last year, the underclassmen have nonetheless been able to step up and contribute to the team’s success. Senior captain Alexis Sarabia says, “Everyone has been working really hard at practices, and it shows at our meets. I’m really proud of how well my team has been doing, and I know we’re going to continue working hard.” Junior Alexandra Ge also acknowledged the dedication of the team. She credits the team’s victory over Francis Lewis to the uni-
ty of the team in particular. She says, “Unlike many other sports, we spend a lot of time on public transport trying to get to the pool and back, and we spend a lot of time in the pool together. We’re a tight-knit group of Turtles, and we just have talented swimmers. On top of that, we also have girls who are focused and dedicated to get better.” The girls, who practice at Franklin K Lane in Brooklyn, turn to each other for support in games as well. Alexandra continues, “We don’t get recognized or get people to come out and support our games since the locations are far away, so we do the best we can as a team to cheer each other on.” The swimmers agree that their latest wins have boosted the team’s morale. This confidence will surely be helpful for the team’s future games, as they can use their winning streak as a motivating factor to win Borough Champs and place well at playoffs. According to Alexis, “Based on how we’re doing so far, I feel confident that we can achieve this goal.” In terms of individual goals, she hopes that all of the swimmers can overcome their fear of losing or letting others down. She continues, “I want the girls to swim their hardest and have fun doing it.”