12 minute read
BLAST Program
EMPOWERS FEMALE ATHLETES
By Megan Mokriski ’21, Editor of “The Green and Gray”
It was hard not to notice the group of more than 70 female athletes working out, playing loud music, and cheering each other on every Monday and Thursday afternoon last fall— which is exactly what the founders of BLAST intended.
BLAST is a workout program designed for Berkshire’s female varsity athletes to make them stronger, prevent injury, and foster a supportive environment. Athletes can also work with different coaches and take their training to the next level—physically and mentally—as they set their sights on collegiate athletics.
The initiative was a collaborative effort between varsity coaches, including Cori Chambers, Lisa Marshall, Katherine Simmons, Heidi Woodworth, and many others. Coach Woodworth said BLAST was an opportunity “to better serve our athletes.”
Their goal is to create a space where female athletes can feel proud of who they are and what they can do. In the past, Coach Marshall said there’s been a “tangible inequity” between girls’ and boys’ sports at Berkshire, and many girls have felt that they are not taken seriously as athletes, despite the large number of girls who play two or three varsity sports. The coaches wanted to figure out what Berkshire sports had been lacking in the past and find a way bridge that gap.
To Coach Marshall, BLAST is “the passing of responsibility. So much of why I came back to work at a boarding school is to not only identify what I did have and appreciate it, but also to identify what I didn’t have. And what we’re doing here is so much more than what I lived.”
Coach Becky McCabe wanted to give back after her time as a student athlete at Berkshire, and to offer the next generation of athletes the same opportunities she had. That includes mentoring other athletes, just as Coach Sylvia Gappa was a mentor for her.
Many female athletes grow up with the message that they should “keep up with the boys,” but Coach Simmons hopes that BLAST relays a different message: “I want to keep up with the girls. I want the girls to set the standard,” she said.
The highlight so far for Coach Marshall was seeing athletes supporting each other. One moment in particular stands out: after a hard BLAST practice, athletes were finishing up with sprints, and “all of the girls were so tired, but they were still cheering for each other to finish ... you can’t coach that, you can’t make them cheer, it’s something that you have to want to do. And in life, you need other people to pick you up, and you need other women to empower you instead of breaking you down.”
If one athlete gets stronger, everyone else does too, which is imbued in the BLAST motto: “If she gets stronger, we get stronger.” And beyond getting stronger, Coach Woodworth says that these first BLAST participants are “rewriting the narrative around female athletics at Berkshire.”
—Coach Simmons
Athletes to Coaches
The Berkshire coaches that participated in coaching the BLAST program were Kelley Bogardus, Callie Carew-Miller, Cori Chambers, Hannah Cooke ’14, Dory Driscoll, Sylvia Gappa, John Hyland, Maura MacKenzie, Lisa Marshall, Becky Zavisza McCabe ’05, Britt Plante, Katherine Simmons, Georgia Tuttle, and Heidi Woodworth. All of the coaches were also athletes themselves. Combined, they played 135 varsity high school seasons and 78 seasons of college athletics, captained 43 teams, won 16 league championships, completed 11 marathons, earned four college All-Americans, and one coach even played at the national level.
PERSEVERING
THROUGH A PANDEMIC
By Michael Hayes
When the global pandemic caused an upheaval in collegiate athletics—games were canceled, practices were limited, and training changed—alums who once competed as Berkshire Bears had something they could fall back on: perseverance, one of the School’s six core values. By developing the skill of perseverance at Berkshire, these alumni overcame uncertainty to maintain a competitive edge and didn’t allow a pandemic to shut down their athletic goals and mindset.
Antonia Matzka ‘17 Photo by Mark Seliger
ANTONIA MATZKA ’17
COLLEGE OF THE HOLY CROSS WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY
A two-year captain of the College of the Holy Cross Women’s Ice Hockey team, Toni Matzka was disappointed when the team’s season was delayed by two months. Although she missed out on playing 10 games during her senior year, Matzka credits her teammates with sticking together through a difficult season.
“Coming to the rink and playing hockey was the most rewarding and fun part of our day, and the motivation to be able to play is what gave us that extra little push to simply accept and deal with the reality.”
CATHERINE APPLEYARD ’20
MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY
Success isn’t always measured in wins and losses. As a freshman on Middlebury College’s Women’s Ice Hockey team, Catherine Appleyard maintained a game-face mentality even though contests were cancelled.
“We were all very disappointed that we could not play games. But we were able to practice on the ice and continue to train, and it was nice to be a part of a team. No one was complacent, and we trained as if we were going to play again.”
ELIZABETH ROWLAND ’19
GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ROWING
Elizabeth Rowland joined the George Washington University Women’s Rowing team as a sophomore and hadn’t raced competitively in 16 months because of the pandemic. But by the end of her spring semester, she was celebrating a second-place finish in the Atlantic 10 Championship with her teammates. As a member of the Colonials’ 2V8, Rowland helped the team match its best finish in the program’s history.
“During the season we had to selfadminister COVID-19 tests 2-3 times a week, depending on competition schedules. When we were at the boathouse, or in the erg or weight room, we had to disinfect all equipment after each use. Prioritizing our health was what allowed us to train together, especially when the opportunities to compete were so limited in our sport.”
Elizabeth Rowland ’19
Brian Rodriguez ‘16 Photo courtesy Northeastern Athletics/Jim Pierce
BRIAN RODRIGUEZ ’16
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY BASEBALL
When COVID lockdowns began in the spring of 2020, Brian Rodriguez figured his college baseball career was over. Then, the NCAA announced that seniors would be eligible to play an additional year. Rodriguez rededicated himself to the sport, and in June he was the winning pitcher in the Huskies’ 11–10 come-from-behind victory in the Colonial Association Baseball Championship.
“I was given a second chance, and I wasn’t going to let it slip. I worked with what I had. I would go to a park by myself and bring a bucket of balls to throw into a fence. Instead of just laying back because of the lockdown, I found a way to make myself better for my final year at Northeastern.”
BRIGGS GAMMILL ’20
YALE UNIVERSITY MEN’S ICE HOCKEY
Six months after the pandemic began, Yale-commit Briggs Gammill packed his bags and headed for Canada to play juniors hockey. Shortly after arriving in the country, he was named team captain of the expansion Cranbrook Bucks of the British Columbia Hockey League. Despite being forced into two 14-day quarantines and playing just 10 exhibition games before eventually returning to Connecticut, Gammill says he wouldn’t trade the experience.
“I found a way to be happy and enjoy the moments that I probably will never experience again—like the mountains I’d wake up to every morning in British Columbia, or the skiing, or the outdoor ice hockey rinks I skated on.”
COOPER TUCKERMAN ‘18
DARTMOUTH COLLEGE MEN’S ROWING
Soon after the pandemic put an end to Cooper Tuckerman’s spring rowing season at Dartmouth College, he received the news that the college’s men’s lightweight team had been eliminated altogether for financial reasons. Facing an uncertain future, Tuckerman poured all his energy into training for the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. Although he narrowly missed the opportunity to represent the U.S. in Japan, Tuckerman was relieved to learn in January that his collegiate team would be reinstated.
“Through it all, I think I have found that really the only thing you can do is be ready for anything. Control what you can control, put yourself in the best position to succeed, and just hope the pieces fall into place around you.”
Cooper Tuckerman ’18, second from left
Photo courtesy of Lisa Tuckerman
—Cooper Tuckerman ’18, Dartmouth College
BEARS IN THE NEWS
Lukas Atsalis ‘18 was named to the AllCentennial Conference Second Team while playing right field for Dickinson College, where he batted .288 on the season.
Cavan Brady ’19 played in the Div. III College World Series for Wheaton College, which captured the NEWMAC tournament championship.
Erin Dillon ’17 finished her career at Connecticut College as the team’s fourth all-time leading goal scorer (36) despite playing only four games as a senior captain (five goals) due to the pandemic. Kenzie Lancaster ’15 joined the National Women’s Hockey League’s Connecticut Whale in January, following a four-year career at Quinnipiac University. Lancaster also currently serves as an assistant coach for the women’s ice hockey program at Connecticut College.
Holley Riva ’19 helped Elmira College win the 2021 United Collegiate Hockey Conference championship, the team’s fourth consecutive title. In 36 career games, Riva has eight goals and 12 assists.
Brian Rodriguez ’16 helped Northeastern University capture the Colonial Athletic Association Baseball Championship and earn a spot in the NCAA Div. I tournament. The Huskies’ 20-game win streak was best in the nation and Rodriguez finished the season with a 1.32 ERA in 27.1 innings, and a 3–0 record.
Erin Dillon ’17
Photo: Connecticut College Athletics
Cooper Fersen ’14 is an assistant coach for the University of Virginia mens’ lacrosse team which beat Maryland 17–16 in May to capture the team’s second straight NCAA Div. I championship.
Jack Harrison ’15 signed a three-year contract with Leeds United in July. Harrison scored eight goals and tallied eight assists in 36 appearances for Leeds in the English Premier League.
Graham Herrick ’20 was named Rookie of the Week in the NE-10 in March while playing outfield for Stonehill College. Herrick finished the season with two home runs, 19 RBI, and 21 runs scored for the Skyhawks. Kenzie Lancaster ’15
Graham Herrick ’20
Photo: Stonehill College Athletics Photo: Connecticut Whale
Brian Rodriguez ’16 Kevin Rooney ’11 played in 54 games (career high) for the New York Rangers, finishing the season with eight goals and six assists. Rooney also played for bronzewinning Team USA in the 2021 Ice Hockey World Championships.
Kendall Coyne Schofield ‘11 currently serves as player development coach and youth hockey growth specialist for the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks.
Jacob Shaffelburg ’19 scored his first-career MLS goal for Toronto FC during a 1–1 tie vs. NYCFC on May 8 at Yankee Stadium.
Jacob Shaffelburg ’19
Photo: Toronto FC
Aidan Thompson ’20 was named USHL Player of the week on March 15. A center for the Lincoln Stars (Nebraska), Thompson led the team in assists (23) and scored 10 goals on the season. Thompson will play for the University of Denver this fall.
Cooper Tuckerman ’18 and three teammates from Dartmouth College qualified for the U23 World Championships in the Men’s Lightweight Quad held in the Czech Republic in July.
Berkshire Nordic Takes on the Birkebeiner
By Norah Smith ’23
The American Birkebeiner, commonly called the “Birkie,” is the longest Nordic ski race in America. The 50 km (31.06 miles) skate and 55 km (34.18 miles) classic ski race takes place annually in Wisconsin. Each year, more than 10,000 skiers race the world-renowned course. To date, over 250,000 skiers have finished the American Birkebeiner, including several Berkshire alumni.
This year, due to interscholastic ski races being canceled, the Berkshire Nordic team decided to embark on a new challenge, skiing the Birkie at Berkshire. On Saturday, February 20, members of the Berkshire Nordic team completed between 30 and 50 km all across campus, totaling 302 kilometers skied. Six skiers completed a marathon, with five skiers breaking 50 kilometers.
The American event is based on the Norwegian ski marathon. Every year in Norway, thousands of skiers trek from Rena to Lillehammer. The American Birkebeiner began in 1973 and featured 34 men and one woman, and has since grown to be the largest Nordic ski event in the United States and the third largest in the world. And now, the Berkshire Birkie has become an important part of the School’s history, marking how students continued to ski during a pandemic.
Bellamy ’05 Retires from Team USA
Kacey Bellamy ‘05 enjoys a round of golf with her fiancée, Melissa Young.
Kacey Bellamy ’05 has ended her remarkable hockey journey with the U.S. National Team, retiring this spring from the sport she’s played since she was a 5-year-old girl growing up in Westfield, Mass. Following a standout 4-year career at Berkshire, Bellamy earned All-American honors at the University of New Hampshire as a defenseman before embarking on one of the most accomplished hockey careers in the sport’s history. Bellamy played for Team USA for 15 years, competing at three Olympics and winning a gold medal at the PyeongChang games in 2018. As a professional, she played for the Boston Blades and Boston Pride.
Kacey at a Glance:
3 Olympic Medals
1 gold (2018), 2 silver (2010, 2014)
8 Gold Medals
Women’s IIHF World Championship
130 games
played for Team USA
All-American
at UNH
