Spring Sting Issue

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293 Benedict Ave

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Cheer Spring Sports at Hackley Spring Sting dominiquealpuche sports editor

schedule 11:00 AM: Benedict Avenue Field Boys’ Lacrosse vs. Collegiate

11:00 AM: Tennis Courts Boys’ Tennis vs. Collegiate

12:00 PM: King Field Boys’ Baseball vs. Collegiate

12:00 PM: King Field Girls’ Softball vs. The Masters School

1:00 PM: Pickert Field Girls’ Lacrosse vs. Holy Child

Some of the top players who will be playing on Saturday. [From left to right]: seniors Caroline Ellis, Conor McDermott, Teddy Seem, Brandon Alini, and junior Trish Gorman. Photo by Melissa Warshauer.

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fter nearly a year’s preparation, the Hackley Parents’ Association and Athletic Department will present the first annual Spring Sting on Saturday, April 30th. A core group of six parents have been working since the fall to ensure the day is a success. According to parent Christie Allen, the day was conceived as a “community building event revolving around sports.”

Five varsity teams will be featured at Spring Sting: Softball, Baseball, Boys’ and Girls’ Lacrosse, and Boys’ Tennis. Athletic Director Jason Edwards expressed his excitement for the day.

Team

Girls’ Lacrosse

Boys’ Lacrosse

Softball

Baseball

Boys’ Tennis

“This will be a unique opportunity for the Hackley community to gather for a fun-filled day of events and activities for all students of Hackley School,” he said.

The parent coordinators realized that activities in addition to varsity sports would be needed to involve students from other divisions, especially the Lower School. Parent Michelle Coppola organized some of these activities so that “in addition to watching Hackley’s talented athletes, fans can also keep busy on the sidelines,” she said.

The activities include craft stations, an inflatable playground and an obstacle course. There will also be food and Hackley

apparel for purchase. Ms. Allen added that the Spring Sting is not a fundraiser, and any money made will go toward covering the expenses.

Parents Jenny Kalapoutis and Robin Bernacchia were in charge of arranging the many volunteers needed throughout the day. In addition to parent volunteers, Director of Physical Education Patricia White and students involved in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life will be helping out by holding relay races and selling items to support that cause.

Opponent

Result

Score

See more on page...

Marymount Horace Mann Riverdale Dalton Trinity

win win loss win win

15-5 11-4 18-12 17-8 13-12

page 2

Collegiate Horace Mann Riverdale Dalton

win win win win

13-1 14-2 12-6 15-5

page 2

Greenwich Academy

win loss loss win win

6-5 8-1 7-4 15-5 14-3

page 3

loss loss win win

9-5 2-0 7-5 7-5

page 3

win win loss win

5-0 3-2 5-0 4-1

Horace Mann Riverdale Dalton Trinity Collegiate Horace Mann St Anne’s Trinity Horace Mann Riverdale Trinity Masters

page 4 All scores reported as of April 25th, 2011.

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Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse maxparauda sports editor

Up two goals at the end of the third quarter against Rye Country Day, the Hackley Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse team stood twelve minutes away from winning the NYSAIS Tournament last season. In the final quarter, the boys lost their lead, losing the game with a final score of 10-7.

This season the team hopes to finish what they started and come out on top. “My expectations for this year are extremely high and I expect us to make it back to the finals of states [NYSAIS], but this time win it,” said sophomore defender Chad Malinowski.

The lacrosse team is young, with only four seniors and several starting underclassmen.

However, this doesn’t seem to be affecting the team, and they’ve come out of the gate with a 3-0 record in the Ivy League.

“We are a young team, but we still have a lot of experience. We also have a great JV program that has produced players that moved up and are playing a huge role for us this year,” said Head Coach Chris Arnold.

Saturday, the boys will play Collegiate, having already beat them on April 6th, with a final score of 13-1.

Over spring break, the team traveled to Arizona, where they had practices in the arid weather and scrimmages against some of the best teams in the state. The boys’ impressively went 3-1 in the scrimmages, and also built chemistry on the trip.

“The lacrosse trip was a great experience for our team and me personally. We bonded as a team while improving our skills on the field, which will go a long way this season,” said senior captain Teddy Seem.

Coach Arnold is taking the season day by day. “If we continue to focus on improving every day then I have no doubt that we will be a legitimate contender again for a state title,” he said.

From top to bottom: sophomore Chad Malinowski goes after a Riverdale midfielder, junior Jibran Ahmad looks for an open player, senior Teddy Seem takes a shot on goal. Photos by Will Ginsberg.

Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse

maxparauda

sports editor Coming from a stellar 2010 season, winning the Ivy League with a record of 12-3 and a making it to the finals of the NYSAIS Tournament, the 2011 Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse team has started a season some players consider to be a “rebuilding year.”

The team lost twelve seniors, and six players are starting for the first time at the varsity level.

However, the team seems to be having very few growing pains. The girls are currently 4-1, with dominating wins against Horace Mann (11-4) and Dalton (17-8).

Head Coach Jenny Leffler is less focused on the team’s record and thinks success will come with hard work. “We are a fairly young team with lots of talent, so my expectations are that we just work hard and improve everyday,” said Coach Leffler.

The girls’ opponent on April 30th will be Holy Child, who, has a very experienced team this year.

The Gryphons graduated only two senior starters last year, and this year expect to compete better than last year, when they lost to Hackley 11-4. They are currently 4-0, with wins against Fieldston and Marymount. The Gryphons are led by their two senior captains, Mary Kate McErlean and Julie Duignan, who inspire the team to improve every day and help with the team’s chemistry.

“Mary Kate and Julie do an outstanding job building a positive team atmosphere through or-

Come watch Boys’ Lacrosse vs. Collegiate at 11:00 AM on Benedict Field!

ganizing things like team breakfasts after Saturday practices,” said Head Coach Charles Sliter.

Over spring break, the Hackley team went to Florida but was not able to scrimmage against other teams due to the weather. However, the team still feels like the trip was productive. “We had a lot of practices in Florida that helped us maintain and improve our fitness and we also got to know each other. Both of these things will be essential for success this season,” said sophomore starter Katie Maguire.

Coach Leffler hopes that the “good connections on and off the field” her young team built in Florida will translate into success in what promises to be a challenging league.

[From top to bottom]: sophomore Sarah Cassidy protects her stick from her opponent, junior Trish Gorman fights for a loose ball in midfield. Photos by Paul Rapisardi

Congratulations to junior Trish Gorman, who scored her 100th goal against Dalton on April 11th!

Come watch Girls’ Lacrosse vs. Holy Child at 1:00 PM on Pickert field!

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Varsity Softball peterbarrett

Varsity Softball will take on The Masters School of Dobbs Ferry as part of the Spring Sting on Saturday March 30th.

The season is very special to all the seniors on the team, but especially to the “core four” senior captains: Caroline Ellis, Katie Philpott, Kat Budlong and Krista Lancione. All are four year varsity players.

“Being on varsity with them for 4 years has been amazing. It was hard coming to Hackley as a freshman and not knowing a lot of people and they made it a lot easier for me during our freshmen year. We have become like a family,” Krista said.

Although the captains are poised and confident that they can go on a roll, they realize they will have to make some changes. “We don’t come into the game strong. Once we start playing, we play really well together, but that needs to start in the first inning,” Caroline said.

Early on this year, Coach Julianna LaBella noticed something very positive about this year’s team – their willingness to work. “We have a good solid group of girls who all want to learn and get better and are open to improvement and go as far as they can go.”

[From top to bottom]: senior Katie Philpott gets ready to run, senior Caroline Ellis waits for the pitch.

Photos by Melissa Warshauer.

sports editor The Hornets were consistently outscored in the first two innings of their first three games and were unable to recover. “If you do not start the game off strong and put some runs up, you end up digging a hole for yourself and team. As our team has experienced, we have a tough time digging ourselves out of that hole,” Kat said.

Coach LaBella has been at Hackley since May of 2007 serving as an assistant coach under both Julianne Puente and Krystal Forsyth, but is in her first year as Co-head, sharing the duty with newcomer Larry Giustiani. “I am a competitive coach, who wants the girls to learn the skills and have fun doing so,” Coach LaBella said.

Coach LaBella has coached the seniors throughout their varsity experience, getting to know them on such a personal level as to know how to handle situations uniquely with each of the four girls.

“She always knows how to cheer us up, or what to do to prepare us mentally and physically for each upcoming game. She has the biggest heart on the team, which can be seen in each and every player on the field. Playing with heart is not really anything that can be coached, yet Julianna does it with ease,” Katie said.

Varsity Baseball

dominiquealpuche

After a tough 9-5 loss to the defending NYSAIS Champions on April 6th, opening day of this season, the Varsity Baseball team will face Collegiate again, on April 6th at their home field. With Spring Sting Day the setting of the rematch, the entire Hackley community can be there to see the two Ivy League teams face-off.

Led by senior captains Peter Barrett and Conor McDermott, the Hornets got off to a slow start at the beginning of the season with a 1-3 record. “Although we haven’t experienced early success, we are a force to be reckoned with in the Ivy League. If we play a good clean game, we can beat any team.” said Peter.

One cause of the slow start could be that there are only three returning seniors, after six graduated at the end of the 2010 season. “We will have some growing pains,” commented Head Coach Steve Frolo. Noted for his slogan, “We don’t rebuild, we reload.” Coach Frolo explained that because of the strong Junior Varsity feeder program, the team has never needed to rebuild. He indicated that the students coming up from JV have effectively filled the spots of the seniors who graduated.

After decisively winning the NYSAIS Championship last year in a 9-2 victory against consistently strong Poly Prep, Collegiate also struggled in the beginning of their season. Since graduating seven seniors from the 2010 team, the [From top to bottom]: Dutchmen have faced challenges junior David Dronzek early on. Getting off to a 1-2 start, pitches brilliantly, Collegiate only scored one run in senior Peter Barrett hits a bomb. Photos by their game against Riverdale, and they did not score when they faced Paul Rapisardi

Come watch Softball vs. Collegiate at 12:00 PM on King Field!

sports editor Poly Prep in their third game of the year, the first time seeing them since the 2010 Championship game.

Although the first time the teams met this year did not turn out in the Hornets’ favor, Hackley is positive about the upcoming game.

Coach Frolo explained that not making crucial fielding plays in the final innings and pitching trouble were the core problems in that first game.

“We walked seven batters and hit two. That just can’t happen,” he said. “Whichever team throws strikes and makes the routine plays will win.” Sophmore Luke Sweeney is also confident about facing Collegiate again. “We got a good look at them, and we’ll be ready to beat them next time,” he said.

With Spring Sting Day a big campus-wide event, the players and coaches are looking forward to playing in front of a crowd. “I think it [the day] is a great thing for Hackley. It will bring out the parents, Lower School students, and Middle School students, and it’s a great opportunity for those younger kids to get a taste of what it’s like to play Varsity baseball at Hackley,” said Coach Frolo.

Junior baseball player David Dronzek agrees, “It gives all Hackley fans and parents a chance to come out to see all the talent that we have here on all our sports teams.”

With such a large-scale event there is the fear of players, especially younger ones, being negatively affected by the large number of fans, but as junior Dolan Kneitz said, it should do the opposite.

“Because of their [the crowd’s] support and our efforts to show them how the game is meant to be played, we will beat Collegiate.”

Freshman Austin Disher agrees, “I’m just going to go out there and play the game. Nothing else matters. It’s just me and baseball.

All that matters is getting it done.”

The Softball team won three games straight due to the mercy rule!

Come watch Baseball vs. Collegiate at 12:00 PM on King Field!

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[From left to right]: s e n i o r J a s o n Ya n g prepeares to hit a backhand, senior Mark Pianka focuses on the ball, sophomore Travis Henry-Reid serves to his opponent, senior Bryan Hahm crushes a forehand. Photos by Chris Taggart.

Boys’ Varsity Tennis teddymiddleton

contributing writer After only winning one Ivy League match in their 2010 season, the Hackley Boys’ Varsity Tennis Team has returned ready to show their opponents what they’re made of. So far their record is 2-0, a big upgrade from their 0-2 start last year. Led by their two senior captains Bryan Hahm and Brandon Alini, the team is ready to show off their skills to the Hackley community with their match against Collegiate at the Spring Sting on April 30th.

Brandon is very excited about the team’s prospect, especially because the boys now have greater depth in important positions. “We now have a lot of good solid players as opposed to just one or two really good players,” he said. “We also have five new players who are all very strong in their game and they bring a lot to the team.”

One of those new players is sophomore Peter Germa.

Peter is new to Hackley so this is his first year on the tennis team, and he brings significant experience. Peter is playing second singles for the Varsity team, behind

Brandon at first singles. “Peter is a really key player to the team, and he is very good,” said Brandon.

Hackley’s first time seeing Collegiate this year was their first match of the season which got rained out with Hackley down 2 matches to 1. “It will be interesting to see which way the match goes because we are two pretty even teams,” said Bryan. “I think they will be just about the same as Riverdale, who we beat. I think if we win all of our doubles matches we should be in good shape.”

Bryan also commented on how Brandon will have a tough match against a very talented player, which will be important for him to win if Hackley wants to come out on top.

It is clear for both Bryan and Brandon that the team’s new coach, Pawel Meres, is making a huge contribution to the success of the team. “It really helps that we have a coach who is a very experienced player,” Bryan commented. Adding, “Since he is really experienced, he is able to give us good tips and insight that any other

coach couldn’t.” Brandon also said, “Coach Pawel is very dedicated since he isn’t a teacher and his main focus is the tennis team. Just the other day he was out there cleaning the courts just so we could practice.” Brandon commented that the new coach works extremely hard to develop every single one of his players, and that his new perspective on their game has been really helpful.

Brandon, who hasn’t played in a competitive match since November due to an injury, knows he has work to do to be ready to play against some of the top players in the league.

“Personally, I need to get back into the right mindset and mentality of playing in competitive matches.”

Both Brandon and Bryan stressed that everyone on the team, especially the new players, needs to build up their confidence, but not become overly confident. “Lastly, we need to get what every Hackley student lacks: good rest,” added Bryan.

Spring Sting Activities 11:00 AM at Benedict Field

Enjoy the game, get some food, head over to the Plateau and join the coaches relay races, long jump and golf games or a little of everything. You can also purchase great Hackley gear at the Hornets’ Nest.

11:00 AM at Tennis Courts

Kids can have their faces painted, get some washable tattoos or create awesome pennants while watching the matches.

12:00 PM at King Field

There will be lots of crafts for kids of all ages. Make key chains, bracelets or decorate baseball caps and of course, don’t forget to look out for the ice cream truck!

1:00 PM at Pickert Field

Enjoy the band, get some burgers and dogs, check out the jousting and obstacle course inflatables, pass by the crafts tables and get some tattoos, have your face painted or decorate some pennants. You can also purchase some great Hackley gear at the Hornets’ Nest.

Relay for Life gets involved in Spring Sting randikramer

editor-in-chief Along with the sports teams, the American Cancer Society event Relay for Life will be making an appearance during Spring Sting. Director of Physical Education Patricia White will be set up with student and parent volunteers at both the girls’ and boys’ lacrosse games.

She will also be leading Lower School Relays to entertain Lower Schoolers at the games.

Students will be selling Relay for Life items and Lu-

minaria Bags at the games. Luminaria Bags are sold for $10 each and are to be decorated in honor, support, or memory of someone who is fighting or has fought cancer.

The Relay for Life event takes place on May 14th on Akin Commons with a fundraising goal of $60,000. Students and student led groups have raised over $10,000 so far. Make sure to stop by the Relay for Life tables during the games to get involved!

Dialstaff Editor-in-chief maxparauda Senior Editor dominiquealpuche Design Editor melissawarshauer

Contributors peterbarrett teddymiddleton randikramer johnrapisardi rachelchan

Photographers willginsberg paulrapisardi

Copy Editor annatskhovrebov Advisers jennielyons scottboehnen

Policy

Opinions expressed in staff editorials reflect the majority view of The Dial Editorial Board. Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the author and do not represent the views of Hackley School, its administration or its staff. The Dial invites and encourages its readers to write letters to the editor or submit contributions. We reserve the right to edit any submission for clarity and brevity, and to correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation when necessary. We refuse to publish submissions which are unsigned, libelous, or plagiarized.

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