GAME ON!

Changes to the Athletics Department enhance the experience for the next generation of student-athletes.

When student-athletes returned to the Cheshire Academy campus this fall, they were greeted with a full slate of athletic competitions and contests. It was a major change from last year, when an abbreviated athletic program was offered due to games being rescheduled, postponed, and canceled due to COVID-19.

The varsity football, boys’ and girls’ soccer, volleyball, and cross country programs, as well as junior varsity teams, were all back in action for their seasons. The plan, according to Associate Head of School David Dykeman, is similar for the winter sports season.

As for how the teams are handling the risks posed by the coronavirus, Dykeman said that having a campus full of vaccinated individuals was integral to this year’s success.

“The big piece was our decision to be fully vaccinated, and we are only competing with teams that are fully vaccinated,” he said. “You still have to follow some protocols, but you get a little more flexibility. For instance, the biggest difference would be if a player was to test positive after a game last year. That would remove our entire team for two weeks. Now, this year, nobody is removed. We would mask them (positive individuals) for five days, test the whole team five days afterward but, unless they were symptomatic, they could continue to practice and compete.”

With these changes, having a properly staffed Athletics Department is critical. Fortunately, that’s what took place over the course of the summer months, when faculty member Jim McCarthy was named the new director of athletics and summer activities coordinator, and a wave of new coaches joined the Cheshire Academy community. McCarthy succeeds Ed Banach, who has taken on the new role of associate director of athletic operations. Banach also serves as head coach of the varsity boys’ soccer and varsity girls’ tennis programs.

To McCarthy, Cheshire Academy’s Athletics Department operates more similarly to a small college than it does a public high school. He brings expertise to the role from the collegiate level and as head coach of the varsity boys’ basketball program at CA, and he’s looking to use his knowledge and skills to grow the program.

McCarthy called athletics the “front porch” of the school, stating that it’s a highly visible department of CA. As such, he wants the department to be the best it can be to best represent CA and the school’s mission.

But McCarthy doesn’t have to do it alone. Along with longtime faculty members and coaches, a new wave of leaders has been brought on to grow the department. Included in the new hires are Corey Holton, former head women’s soccer coach at Vassar College, who has taken on the varsity girls’ soccer program at CA. Holton is also working as an admission officer in the Admission Office.

Corey Holton, varsity girls' soccer head coach, with assistant coach Calvin Cooper

Caroline Brasa, who is working as a faculty member and an instructor for the Roxbury Academic Support Program, is heading the varsity girls’ volleyball and basketball programs. Meanwhile, in the spring, Anthony Giano will be taking on his new role as head coach of the varsity baseball program.

Caroline Brasa, head coach of the varsity volleyball and varsity girls' basketball programs

All the new coaches have their strengths, whether it’s their experience or involvement in the CA community. Brasa, for example, will likely coach some of the same girls in both the fall and winter seasons. “If she has a volleyball and basketball player—which is a fairly common crossover— she’s going to see that student for an hour and a half a day, six days a week, from the end of August until spring break,” explained McCarthy. “When you talk about the impact you can make with someone you know, it doesn’t get much better than that.”

The senior woman administrator (SWA), a new role this year, has been filled by lacrosse coach Princess Zabel. As the SWA, not only does Zabel handle administrative duties within the Athletics Department, she also serves as a communicator between the school and students. With changes to the softball program, for example, Zabel was able to meet with the student-athletes to discuss plans for the upcoming spring season.

Princess Zabel, senior woman administrator and head coach of the varsity girls' lacrosse program

Beyond her role as SWA, Zabel is the new varsity girls’ lacrosse head coach, and varsity girls’ basketball assistant coach.

As for Giano’s appointment, Dykeman is able to refocus his efforts on other demands of the associate head of school, such as fundraising efforts and being involved with another major project—the upgrade of facilities, which includes replacing the existing turf and track at the Simosa Field & Track, installation of a second all-purpose turf field, and construction of three new tennis courts alongside the Markin Tennis Center.

“This all-purpose field is going to give us flexibility, which we are in desperate need of as a school,” Dykeman said. “...This is a haveto project. It’s very difficult to continue practicing until 7:00 p.m. throughout the entire fall and entire spring. It puts a lot of strain on our resources, and by doing this, it allows all of our teams the practice facilities that they deserve to have, and it allows our student-athletes, their families, and the coaches to find a better balance of time.”

But these enhancements don’t just support student-athletes. All areas of the CA community will benefit from the facility improvements, such as providing the music department with their own time for practice, not demanding the Dining Commons to stay open late, and allowing the Office of Community Life the opportunity for new and unique programming for both boarding and day students.

“We saw what that felt like last year without spectators, without families being able to watch us play, with limited games and limited opportunity,” Dykeman continued. “It’s just so exciting to see us embracing this. You know this is going to be a big piece to building unity, and … it’s visible to everybody.”