BIGRED VOLUME 9 • NO. 3 • SPRING EDITION 2016
READY FOR CHANGE
WIth new coaching leadership under Jared Halpert, the baseball team is set to carve another path to success in the Mission League.
BIG RED SPRING 2016 • VOLUME 9 • NO. 3
thePlaybook Emily Rahhal: THE GIOLITO BROTHERS
Bennett Gross: SPORTS ANALYTICS
JULIANNA BERGER/BIG RED
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A dozen seniors attended this year’s MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston.
Joe Levin: EDDIE MACK: MANAGER
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One junior follows in his family’s footsteps as a team manager.
Rian Ratnavale: SWIMMING & DIVING
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An inside look at the preparation of a diver, and a recap of the swimming team’s season thus far.
Dario Madyoon: LACROSSE
14-15
The arrival of new head coach Erik Krum has brought intense and professional changes to the program.
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Jake Liker: BASEBALL’S #1 FAN
For 26 years, one faculty member’s support has not wavered.
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Connor Reese: JARED HALPERT
New baseball coach Jared Halpert has thrived in his new role.
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Elly Choi: BOYS’ GOLF This year’s seniors have risen to leadership of the team.
Carina Marx, Cameron Stine, and Oliver Richards:
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TRACK AND FIELD The promising youth of the team look to create a dynasty.
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Carina Marx: SOFTBALL
Under new leadership, the team looks to improve from last year.
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Juliana Berger:
Bryant Wu: BOYS’ TENNIS
BOYS’ VOLLEYBALL ANALYTICS 16-17
Even in the absence of last season’s nationally ranked players, boys’ tennis continues to increase its winning streak.
New Head Coach Ryan Casey looks to improve the team through the use of statistics and other methods of detailed analysis.
Big Red Staff: ROUNDTABLE
26-27
Staff members debate about current teams and their best players.
theStaff editors-in-chief Bennett Gross, Jonathan Seymour, Henry Vogel adviser Melissa Wantz
assistant editors Juliana Berger, Eshanika Chaudhary, Elly Choi, Zac Harleston, Joe Levin, Jake Liker, Dario Madyoon, Carina Marx, Emily Rahhal, Rian Ratnavale, Connor Reese, Cameron Stine, Bryant Wu
BIG RED is a publication of the Harvard-Westlake Chronicle, the upper school newspaper at Harvard-Westlake School, 3700 Coldwater Canyon, Studio City, CA 91604, produced as a part of Advanced Journalism classes. The school has 1,500 students in grades 9-12. For any questions, or to purchase a subscription or to advertise, please contact us at chronicle@ hw.com or at (818)487-6512. Copies of BIG RED are distributed free on campus to students and faculty and are mailed to friends and family by subscription at $15 per year. Letters to the editor can be sent to editor-in-chief Bennett Gross, at bgross1@hwemail.com. BIG RED is a general interest magazine about athletics, including teams and individual athletic pursuits of Harvard-Westlake students and faculty, as well as health and fitness topics. For seasonal coverage of Wolverine teams, see The Chronicle or www.hwchronicle.com.
On the Cover: The seniors on the baseball team pose in the batting cage at O’Malley Family Field following their 9-1 victory over Mission League rival Notre Dame. The Wolverines are currently 2-4 in league.
Cover Image by Eric Dearborn
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CASEY AT THE BAT C
asey Giolito ’17 watches with wide eyes as his brother finishes an astonishing game: he is closing out a no hitter as the pitcher in the Division II baseball playoffs. His athletic ability is mesmerizing, and everyone sitting on the stiff bleachers knows he is destined for greatness. “He was at a level which exceeded everyone else, you could tell he was going to be a professional,” Casey said. “It was a thing of beauty to watch, I’ll never forget that.” His brother, Lucas Giolito ’12, would go on to be drafted in the first round to the Washington Nationals. Casey would grow to love a different stage. Much of Casey’s young life was centered around baseball. His parents loved the game; his brother loved the game; it seemed to be all the Giolito family talked about. It was decided for Casey he would begin playing t-ball when he was five. Though he played strictly for fun, it was clear baseball was going to be an important activity for Casey and his brother. When Casey reached the seventh grade, the pressure began to build. Lucas was a senior and was impressing the entire school with his talent. Casey started to feel that he wasn’t “showing the traits that a Giolito should show.”
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BY EMILY RAHHAL
In Lucas Giolito’s senior year of high school, he was drafted 16th in the first-round to the Washington Nationals. He signed a minor league contract with over a two million dollar signing bonus the day before he turned 18 years old. In 2014, he was awarded the most valuable pitcher in the South Atlantic League and the top minor league prospect. “All of the sudden I have to fit the shoes of a first-round draft pick pitcher,” Casey said. “It’s something that was really hard to deal with over the course of the past four years. It’s still hard.” Lucas knew since he was five years old that baseball was his future, that he was going to be a professional baseball player. The game was his top priority, he only ever focused on playing baseball. Casey, though, knew his future was not in baseball. His real passion was in performing on the stage, in singing and acting. The challenge growing up was finding the courage to pursue a path that differed so greatly from his brother’s. Though his family was incredibly supportive of whatever Casey wanted to do, he put pressure on himself to live up to his brother’s success in baseball. It often seemed to him like baseball was his only option. It was his brother’s first
THIS YEAR, I GET TO SHOW PEOPLE MY TALENT AND WHAT I LOVE TO DO AND BE APPRECIATED FOR THAT. -CASEY GIOLITO ’17 NATHANSON’S
Casey Giolito ’17
PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ERIC DEARBORN
priority, so it only made sense that it would be Casey’s as well. Last year, Casey watched the play “Company” on the Harvard-Westlake stage from the audience, wondering why he wasn’t on the stage doing what he truly loved. His fear of missing baseball practice and diverting his attention from the sport had once again kept him planted in the audience. “I used to be so [upset] that here’s something that I love that I don’t get to express,” Casey said. It wasn’t until this fall that Casey was able to audition for a play and find is place in the “West Side Story” cast. With the support of performing arts teacher Ted Walch and his family, Casey secured the role of Action, a member of the New York street gang called the Jets. “This year, I get to show people my talent and what I love to do and be appreciated for that,” he said. Walch describes Casey’s entrance into theatre not as a transition but as “reveling in something — acting — that he does well and that he clearly enjoys.” Having pursued his dreams
LOCKED AND LOADED Lucas Giolito ’12 winds up for a pitch in a game during his senior year at Harvard-Westlake.
of being on the stage, Casey is able to enjoy baseball as a hobby. He made the Varsity squad this past summer entering his junior year. Despite his brother’s looming presence in the baseball program, Casey has been able to make a name for himself as an individual. “[Casey] is always supportive and a really great presence in the dugout,” teammate Matt Thomas ’17 said. “He’s a really dedicated, hard worker, and he’s earned all of the playing time he’s gotten.” Casey misses his brother while he is away, but is proud of his success. Rather than becoming jealous, Casey loves to hear about his brother and his accomplishments. His career is demanding, and Casey misses having his brother around in the house; the two are best friends. Despite their successes, Casey is confident he and his brother will always have a mutual respect and admiration for each other. “My brother has a ridiculous gift that one in a million kids has,” Casey said. “I don’t believe that because my brother is a professional baseball player I have to follow in his footsteps.”
BIG RED SPRING 2016 • 3
JOE LEVIN/BIG RED
ADAM YU/BIG RED
LEADING THE PACK Right: Varsity runners Jason Santillan ’17 and Nick Sweeney ’17 compete in a match. The Wolverines have started 5-0.
HIT THAT BALL Top: Ashley Waco ’18 prepares to take a swing. The Wolverines have started the 2016 season with a 3-6 record.
HOT PURSUIT Bottom: The Wolverines completed a sweep against Orange Lutheran on March 3 at Corpses Family pool. JULIANA BERGER/BIG RED
SKYWALKER Right: Jenna Moustafa ’17 rallies with her opponent at a preseason practice.
UP AND OVER
PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OFWITH ERIC DEARBORN PRINTED PERMISSION
Second baseman Julian Girod ’16 jumps over an opposing player and tags him out during the Wolverines’ 9-1 victory over Notre Dame on March 21.
STICK IT TO THE MAN
DARIO MADYOON/BIG RED
Phillip Thompson ’16 prepares to drive past an Agoura defender during the Wolverines’ 6-5 win over the Chargers on March 5.
PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF WILLIAM THILL
Seniors hear 32 panels at analytics conference BY BENNETT GROSS Twelve students and three faculty members attended the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston on March 11 and 12 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. The conference consisted of 32 panels over two days, with high-level team owners, general managers and statisticians speaking and thousands of other college students and team employees attending the convention. “I have attended the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference four times now,” AP Statistics teacher William Thill said. “It is exciting for me to see my students join a professional community of researchers, athletes, coaches and business leaders by attending the conference.” Some notable speakers included NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who spoke about the evolution of hockey and where the league is headed in the fu-
10 • BIG RED SPRING 2016
ture, and Nate Silver, who is the founder of fivethirtyeight.com. Silver talked to the thousands in attendance about the 2016 presidential election and different metrics he was manipulating in order to determine which team would win the NCAA basketball tournament. “The conference was a lot of fun, and it was really interesting to learn about what stats in the real world is like,” Bray Caverly ’16 said. “It was fascinating to see how what we are learning in class can be applied to so many different fields such as politics or sports.” This was the second year that the trip was offered to juniors and seniors at Harvard-Westlake. It was mainly geared towards students currently or previously enrolled in the Sports Research and AP Statistics courses. “I was in Sports Research last year, and going back to the con-
STATS AND SMILES Seniors heard from team owners, general managers and statisticians during a sports analytics conference in Boston.
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IT WAS REALLY INTERESTING TO LEARN ABOUT WHAT STATS IN THE REAL WORLD IS LIKE. -BRAY CAVERLY
NATHANSON’S
Bray Caverly ’16
ference a second time was an awesome experience, because even though I attended some panels that were similar to previous ones I attended, I enjoyed hearing the new developments in technology and new opinions from the different panelists,” Brady Engel ’16 said. At the conference, students and faculty met up with alums who previously took the AP Statistics and sports research courses and are pursuing jobs in sports management. “I was also thrilled that our students got to meet former students in the sports analytics in-
dustry who took Sports Research or AP Statistics,” Thill said. Alum Cole Jacobson ’15 who attended the conference felt that going back was a different experience, but seeing his former teachers and peers was also a cool bonus. While not attending the conference, students had the opportunity to explore Boston on their own. “One of my favorite parts of the trip was walking around Boston with my friends and visiting stores and restaurants that are unique to the area,” Engel said.
Mack is Back BY JOE LEVIN
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ddie Mack ’17 is in limbo. back to his seat at the end of the He’s at the top of the bench, out of the way. key, in a grey Nike WolOn the way back, Henry Vogel verines coach’s polo, ’16 turns around and looks at Edblack jeans and grey Nike sneak- die. Vogel opens his mouth. ers. He slouches and crosses his “Towel,” Mack says, already on arms, watching the boys’ basket- his way to get it. ball team warm up, giving them This is rare day for Eddie. high fives and talking to an assis- Often, instead of helping on the tant coach; he’s the definition of bench, he sits above the action in nondescript. the last row of the bleachers. He Eventually, he wanders over to films the games there for coaches assistant coach Osiris Nalls. and players to dissect later. That’s “When do you want me to where he’s been as Cassius Stanbring out the ley ’19 has water?” Mack alley ooped asks. and reversed Not quite a Mack is the his way onto Wo l v e r i n e s ’ SportsC enter, player. Not quite a team manager. catching it all coach. Somewhere in So were his two on video. It’s the middle. brothers, Jimmy mundane, and ’08 and Robbie, —Eddie Mack ’17 it’s lonely someand so was his times, which father, Curtis. about sums up When he signed up last year, he being manager as well as anything. was just carrying on the family But that tedium doesn’t make legacy. There was never really a Mack care any less or work any less question if he’d manage the bas- hard. He mans the clock in pracketball team; it was just a matter tice, lugs equipment bags to and of when. from the team buses and someNow, he’s focused on doing times keeps stats. At a tournament his job. He shuttles water from in Palm Springs, Coach Nalls the bright orange Gatorade tank called for Mack and fellow managto players, often getting to them er Daniel Eghbal ’16. He told them before they reach the bench after they were going to have a little subbing out of the game. competition, and after the tournaA player checks out of the ment, he would crown one of them game and takes a seat. Halfway “Number One Manager”. The rest across the bench, water in hand, of the weekend, the two raced to Mack comes to a stop. He’s duck- grab equipment and to bring gear ing. Three fans are in the first row before it was even requested. On of the bleachers, right behind Ed- the way home, they asked who die. won. “You know what?” Nalls told They start laughing. “Go them. “You’re both good.” ahead,” they say. The tie stung for Mack at first, Mack sprints through. On the like all ties do. “But hey, at least way back, he dips again in front of we’re both not bad,” he says now. the three, waiting for the play to Mack jokes around with the end before blocking their view. players just as much as he does “Go ahead,” they say again. with the coaches. Yet he doesn’t But Mack stays put until the belong to either. He’s like a warped ball rolls out of bounds at the op- puzzle piece, never fully finding posite end of the court. his place. “I don’t want you to notice “Not quite a player. Not quite me,” he tells them, and then rushes a coach,” he explains. “Somewhere
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in the middle.” At a practice during the offseason, a player hollered at Eddie. He wanted Mack to grab rebounds. Right after Mack started, a coach called. He wanted Mack to run the clock. Mack headed to the clock, but not before shagging one more ball. It’s a classic scenario for the manager, caught between two competing views of himself. Mack is back at the top of the bleachers with his camcorder one March Saturday. It’s the California Division IV Semifinals, where a win will send the team to the State Championships. It’s a low scoring game at first, neither Viewpoint nor the Wolverines able to hit their shots. By the second half, they are falling and by the late fourth quarter, the Wolverines take control. Mack watches it all from above, silently following the play with the camera. He doesn’t say a word as the game slips into its final minute, and he doesn’t say a word as the clock hit zero: HARVARD-WESTLAKE 52, VIEWPOINT 39. He doesn’t say a word as he rushes down the aisle with the tripod, collapsing it as he goes. Everything comes out when he reaches the court and the Wolverine bench. “LET’S GO!” he screams, and if he isn’t high fiving a player, he’s hugging them. Mack is one of the last people off the court when the celebration moves into the locker room. He trails head coach David Rebibo, and when they enter, all of the players dump cups of water on their coach, an impromptu Gatorade bath. Mack gets doused as well, and everybody rushes the coach and the manager, jumping up and down with excitement. “WE’RE GOING TO STATE! WE’RE GOING TO STATE!” They repeated it over and over, sometimes with joy, sometimes with shock. Eddie was right in the middle of it, and he felt at home there, bouncing around with his team.
JOE LEVIN/BIG RED
BIG RED SPRING 2016 • 11
DIVING IN BY ZAC HARLESTON AND RIAN RATNAVALE
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s Cami Katz ’16 prepares for a meet for her UCLA club dive team, she knows that each individual dive is the result of hours of arduous training. Before even jumping off the boards, Katz starts with an hour of core and leg workouts, otherwise known as “drylands” to divers. Then, Katz jumps off a dry board, which is a diving board perched over a foam pit instead of water. “We do those to practice the different types of flips, and trampoline with harness, which we use when we are going to learn a new dive,” Katz said.“This way we can get the feel of the dive without the fear of belly flopping because we are harnessed in.” It’s only after doing those drills that Katz leaps into the water. Every week, Katz spends 2 days perfecting dives from three different heights – 1m, 3m, and from a 10m platform. Within each diving height, the diver spends time perfecting different styles of dives. Each day, she tends to work on front and inward direction dives or back, reverse and twister dives. For each direction or type of dive, she tries the voluntary dive (the basic, easiest dive), and also the optional dive, which is the hardest dive in that direction
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DIVING IS NOT REALLY A TEAM SPORT, BUT I DEFINITELY LOVE MY TEAMMATES. THEY HELP ME GET THROUGH A TOUGH PRACTICE. -CAMI KATZ ’16
that can be chosen for competition. After perfecting those, Katz continues to add even more twists and dives to her existing dives. For club meets, Katz narrows her list of dives to 20 total dives the week before. The process is a little bit different for Katz at Harvard-Westlake, however, where she has less dives to impress judges. “In high school, we usually don’t workout very much before we get in the water,” Katz said. “We just use the dryboard with pit and a harness to practice the dives with a bit of support from our coach helping us by pulling the harness. Then, we get in the water and practice our dives for the high school meets.There are six dives for dual meets and 11 dives for CIF and CIF qualifying meets.” Although diving is an individual sport, Katz reiterated how much her teammates mean to her, and her success. “Diving is not really a team sport, but I definitely love my teammates,” Katz said. “They help me get through a tough practice, give me advice if they have done the dive and comfort me on new dives and cheer me on at meets and I do the same for them. With school, we are part of the swimming team too, so it is fun to be at the meets and get support from all of them as well.”
NATHANSON’S
Cami Katz ’16
BIG RED SPRING 2016 • 12
EMILY RAHHAL/ BIG RED
JUMPMAN JUMPMAN Cami Katz ’16 dives at the Justin Carr Invitational meet at Copses Family Pool March 4.
EMILY RAHHAL/ BIG RED
RACE TO THE FINISH Marcus Tse ’17 competes in the Justin Carr Invitational meet at Copses Family Pool March 4.
Swim squads start season with clean records BY EMILY RAHHAL The varsity swim team entered event’s creation three years ago that this season with a new coach and a the girls took first. strong girls’ squad. “Our team has improved treThe boys started their sea- mendously over the off season and son with a clean 4-0 I am so proud of our overall record and the dedication,” Marcus Tse girls began with a 5-0 ’17 said. “I believe we are overall record. Both stronger and I expect us the boys’ and the girls to be a big contender for have racked up blowout league champs.” wins: 123 – 52 against Under the new diCrespi for the boys and rection of Jason Shwarz, 129-49 against Louthe squad has been more ’ isville for the girls on focused on maximizHaunani March 17. ing points for victories Bautista’17 “The swim team is rather than placing evreally strong this year eryone in their historiand I think the girls side has a re- cally best events Bautista said. The ally good shot at winning mission team’s dedication on the off season league,” Haunani Bautista ’17 said. has allowed them to be successful “I know the girls 200 free relay in league season this year. plans on breaking the record for a “I can tell that our team is more second consecutive year.” dedicated and structured,” Tse said. Brianna Lee ’15, Claudia Wong “We are more devoted to technique ’17, Helene Miles ’16 and Bautista and acting more as one team.” broke the school record for the The squad will swim against 200 and 400 free relay last year. Chaminade on April 14 at the The girls’ squad also took first at Copses Family Pool, its second the Justin Carr Invitational March to last homematch of the season. 4. This is the first time since the League Prelims start April 25th. nathanson s
EMILY RAHHAL/ BIG RED
BLAST OFF Swimmers take off at the beggining of a relay at the Justin Carr Invitational. The team is 4-0, and 2-0 in league.
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DRILL SERGEANT New head coach Eric Krum (left) sets up cones for a practice drill that the team will later participate in. Jared Goldman ’18 (right) challenges an Agoura defender en route to the opposing goal in the squad’s win. ELLY CHOI/BIG RED
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New Coach, New Season First-year head coach Erik Krum has brought his own brand of intensity and professionalism to the lacrosse team after replacing Alex Weber. BY DARIO MADYOON
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t’s Friday afternoon, and after a long week of games, practice and lifting, any other team might have a sluggish practice that day. “Let’s go, let’s go,” first-year boys’ Lacrosse coach Erik Krum yells as he runs to his truck. “I want to see sticks moving all the time. Let’s hustle.” The coach returns triumphantly from his car with a lacrosse bag thrown across his shoulder. No clipboards and broad explanations of drills here. He jogs out onto the field, lacrosse stick in hand, and begins to warm up with the players, going on to be an active participant in almost every exercise done in practice that day. “We love it,” forward Paul Rodriguez ’18 said. “He brings so much energy to the drills, and it really helps us understand what he wants us to do when he comes out and does it for us. Also, it helps us feel like he is one of us, and he understands game situations, so we trust him more when he’s yelling from the sideline.” When Krum was first set to take over the team, there was some concern from older players about having a change in leadership heading into their senior season. “We knew [Head Coach Alex] Weber was leaving before the end of last season and were notified about Krum early in the year,” team captain Ian Watts ’16 said. “I was a little concerned, as many of the players had been with Weber for two or three years, and didn’t know if we would be able to adapt in time. In the end, the transition went seamlessly, and I’m glad Krum is my coach.” Krum’s new approach has panned out well for the Wol-
verines thus far, as they are 5-1 overall at this point in the season, losing only to Mission League favorites, Loyola. Krum came to the Wolverines after establishing a youth lacrosse club called the Santa Monica Dragons, which many current Wolverines were once a part of. In fact, Krum was actually notified about the job opening by Harvard-Westlake students on his club team. While there was a period of adjustment for the new coach, it was mainly logistics based, and he hasn’t changed his approach to the game that served him well in both his playing and coaching career. “Some of the challenges were creating our own game schedule,”
Krum said. “I’ve never created a high school game schedule before. Getting to know the ins and outs of the school. How to get in the hours, work within the budget was all new to me.” Krum inherited a team that had a solid base of young talent and went 11-8 last year under Weber. “Coming here and having a team that went 11-8 was awesome,” Krum said. “They had about four losses that were within about a goal or two. Those games just come down to the last few possessions, so I thought that focusing on the basics, stick skills, being in shape, would help us close out those games.” The changes he has made have
been more geared towards bringing an air of professionalism to the team. “The boys have definitely started lifting more than last year,” Krum said. “On the field, we’ve tried to heighten the intensity of practices. We want them to be two hours, as hard as you can go, so when you get to the games, it’s the same as when they’ve been practicing. We do this breakdown foot fire in our warm up and we do this clap in our dynamic warm ups, and its all just stuff to help bring the team together and make them a closer unit.” Krum’s intense approach has quickly won over the players, who are excited to compete for a Mission League title.
DARIO MADYOON/BIG RED
BIG RED SPRING 2016 • 15
Numbers Game BY JULIANA BERGER
The boys’ volleyball team is making use of statistics and analytics to help the young team improve their skills, teach new techniques and scout opposing teams.
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here is always a video cam- areas of the team’s playing could Casey also gives each player a may be completely different, and era trained on the boys’ be changed, based either on how video of their own playing, allow- maybe they have never heard volleyball team. During the coaches have seen the team ing them to see what they need it before and maybe they don’t every practice, every game, the performing and what areas data to improve on and how it would know how to interpret it. And so boys are being recorded so that sets show need improvement or make a difference. It allows them it says this is what that means, the coaches can use the footage on widely accepted ideas that to picture the exact changes that and this is when you are doing it to apply data analysis and statis- come from well-respected out- should be made. Each video is right.” tics and ideally help each player, side sources. complete with narration by the An ideal result would be and the team as a whole, to imThe coaches will then col- c o a c h e s , for techprove. lect data by filming and applying further exnique used First year boys’ statistics to the film p l a i n i n g to change [The players] like the volleyball head coach to find the frequency what the into the one feedback, they like to see the Ryan Casey has of success for a cer- player is that is being brought this techtain skill and look for doing and feedback and have a real way taught and nique, which is used where they need the how changfor the skill of seeing what’s happening on the college and namost improvement. es in techto improve. on the court and what we’re tional volleyball levels, Based on the data, nique could Howe ve r, to aid in the teaching the coaches will then lead to imnot all new talking about.” and improvement of come up with a strat- provement. techniques —Boys’ Volleyball Head are ’ the team’s skills and in egy for teaching a “What sucDavid Ho ’16 scouting other teams. new technique. Each I think is a cessful. ImCoach Ryan Casey While similar analytathlete will start by really critiprovement ics were used by the setting goals with in- cal part of of a skill may team in previous years, Casey put by the coaches on what they that is using video, of practice arise do to simple practice withhas expanded on its use, beyond think needs improvement. The and games, to help them visual- out the technique having changed. just predictions of where the oth- coaches will then develop teach- ize what they are doing, but also Or a change in technique may lead er team will hit. ing cues, or short explanations understand the meaning of what to no change in skill, proving that “We can use analytics to help conveying the information need- we are talking about,” Casey there is no real statistical signifius figure out what we need to ed to apply the new technique to said. “I think that what we think cance between the the techniques. work on and when we work on it, the skill properly. about and what they think about As a team, the players and whether we are doing better on that or not,” Casey said. Through use of a software called Screencast-O-Matic Casey and boys’ volleyball coach John Souisa can record the players, add narration explaining how a new technique could help in the situation shown, and use a writing tool to diagram movements and positioning. When uploading video, every contact with the ball gets a code that can then be accessed later for detailed analysis. Casey said that volleyball is an ideal sport to apply this type of statistical analysis to because each side of the net is its own self-contained unit. This amount of control means there is no need to account for interference by the other team which could disrupt DEMO-REEL an attempt to apply general staThe team uses a software tistics in other sports. called Screencast-o-matic to When using this type of data film the players, catagorize analysis for teaching, the plan is plays to analyze for statistics, broken into four parts. First, the and add narration to explain coaches will hypothesize on what PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF RYAN CASEY
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nathanson s
plays.
16 • BIG RED SPRING 2016
SMACK DOWN Colin Shannon ’17 hits the ball over the net at the team’s 3-0 loss against Notre Dame March 3. This was the squad’s first game of the season.
BENNETT GROSS/BIG RED BENNETT GROSS/BIG RED
coaches will watch film of their opponent before every game, mostly to see where on the court they are most likely to hit to statistically, which allows the team to formulate a strategy before their games. “Normally in volleyball we spend the first game trying to understand each player, and see their tendencies,” libero David Ho ’16 said. “And then game two and three then we can start building up. So [now that] we do this we have a first game advantage over them which is why we come out swinging.” This especially helps with the team’s defensive strategy: their receives and blocking. It is particularly important because the team is very young this year and so does not have the competitive and strategic edge given by older players.
“We are not the most experienced volleyball team, so every edge we can get on our opponents is a big deal,” opposite Colin Shannon ’17 said. “And so it’s particularly looking at the other team’s weaknesses to get points that is a big help.” However, Casey fears not all the players understand that the purpose of the scouting videos beyond seeing which of the other team’s hitters is “good” and “bad.” “When we are preparing for an opponent, we just watch the hitters they are going to have for any line up,” Casey said. “And if there is something specific we have mined out of the data, then maybe we will show them a video of that event occurring. But really we want them to be able to see their hitters so that when they get on the court they will
see some of these things and react the right way to them.” Ultimately, though, Casey believes that the team has been very receptive to the use of all the new analytics tactics and willing to incorporate it into their playing.
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“People came in, wanted to work in their frees on certain things,” Casey said. “They like the feedback, they like to see the feedback and have a real way of seeing what’s happening on the court and what we’re talking about.”
We are not the most experienced volleyball team, so every edge we can get on our opponents is a big deal. -COLIN SHANNON ’17
NATHANSON’S
Colin Shannon ’17
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FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME BY JAKE LIKER
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mong the most prominent figures on Ted Walch’s desk, which is wedged into a back corner of the drama office at Harvard-Westlake, are two transparent cases. One is a cube encasing an old, yellowing baseball littered with faded signatures. The other is a lengthier prism and houses two shiny white baseballs which look to be in pristine condition, as though they had never even touched the dirt of a basepath. They, too, are adorned with several autographs. In between the orbs of American pastime sits a championship ring—complete with a logo, gems, engravings and all—commemorating the Wolverines’ CIF-Southern Section Division I title-winning season in 2013, for which they were crowned National Champions by Baseball America. “This is what life is all about,” he says. He taps the smaller case, then the larger one. “From this to this.” Walch’s life began in Sedalia, a small city of about 20,000 and home of the Missouri State Fair. As a child, he would lay on the floor in his house’s sunroom (“We called it a sunroom; it sounds fancier than it was,” Walch says) and listen to the St. Louis Cardinals on the radio. “I didn’t really know what I was listening to so much, but I loved the
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sound of the broadcast, I liked the rhythm of it,” Walch said. “I was just really little, I just thought it sounded neat.” The radio announcer for the St. Louis Cardinals at the time was the famed and ebullient Harry Caray, who spent the first quarter century of his 53 year-career as a Major League Baseball announcer with the Redbirds. To this day, Walch remembers Caray’s hallmark phrase which he exclaimed after every home run: “It might be...it could be...it IS! A home run! Holy cow!” “So then I got fascinated by the game...not by the arcana, not by the details of the game, just sort of the spirit of the game,” Walch said. Entranced by the sport, Walch went on to play the game. When he was in seventh grade, he played left field for the Rotary Rockets, a team run by a local civics club. “I was horrible,” Walch says. “I’d be thinking of other stuff and suddenly there’d be a ball that dropped right in front of me. But I loved to bat, and I was pretty good. I was a good hitter. I couldn’t throw and I wasn’t very attentive to the game, but I’ve always been sort of weirdly fascinated by baseball.” The fascination died down when Walch was in college—“I paid little or no attention to it,” he said—and remained non-existent shortly thereafter when he lived and worked in Washington,
D.C., a city which did not have a professional baseball team at the time. (The Montreal Expos didn’t relocate to the capital until 2005, whereupon they were renamed the Washington Nationals.) But then Walch himself relocated to the Bay Area in the early ’80s, which was already home to a thriving Oakland Athletics team, headlined by Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco, who were affectionately dubbed the “Bash Brothers.” “I got absolutely hooked by the Oakland Athletics and the Bash Brothers,” Walch said. “I had a season ticket; I went to 44 games one year; that’s a hell of a lot of games, I had the same seat every time. I loved the Bash Brothers, they were so much fun, it was kind of heartbreaking when Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco were outed as it were.” Canseco admitted to using steroids in an autobiographical book, which was published in 2005. In the book, Canseco identified McGwire as steroid user. In 2010, McGwire came forward and confessed to using steroids. However, not all of Walch’s memories of the A’s are tarnished by steroid use. He was in the bleachers of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (now called O.co Coliseum) when Rickey Henderson stole his 939th base of his career, setting an MLB record which still stands today for career stolen bases.
3 BALLS NO STRIKES Ted Walch displays baseballs in his office from seasons at HarvardWestlake and the Branson School.
“[Henderson] was a kick,” Walch says. “In some ways Paul Giacomazzi ’16 reminds me of Rickey Henderson. He’s a good leadoff hitter, he’s scrappy and he steals.” And yet, there were still plenty more baseball memories to be made for Walch. Giacomazzi, who Walch says is “the nicest kid on the planet,” would be a contributor to those memories. While the Athletics were making World Series appearances in Oakland, about 20 miles away in a town called Ross, Walch was also taking in a very different level of baseball, as an “assistant coach” at the Branson School, a high school. “My official title was ‘Spiritual Advisor’ because they needed a lot of spiritual help,” Walch says. “We would lose by scores of 12, 15, 20 runs regularly. If we lost by anything under 10 we were ecstatic.” Walch gestures toward the faded baseball. “And I love these guys, these guys were awesome. I remember every one of them vividly...They were great kids. You get to know them in a certain way, you get to watch a pitcher burst into tears; the coach says to me, ‘should I pull him?’ And I say ‘no, his parents just arrived so…’ You know, that was my job. ” Indeed, despite the incredible discrepancy in talent, Walch enjoyed the Branson Bulls even more than the Oakland Athletics. “The two things that I do, other than direct plays and teach school, that I love to do in this life, that are my recreation that take me out of myself where I just get lost and don’t think about stuff, this is one,” Walch says, tapping the baseball case. “And I actually prefer it when I know the players.” The other is going to the Los Angeles Philharmonic. “I never loved a game any less because we weren’t quite as good say 15, 20 years ago as we are now,” Walch says. “I loved those games,
just like I love those kids on that fading, sad little baseball over there. Notice it’s got a case, too, though.” In 1991, when Harvard School for Boys and Westlake School for Girls merged, Walch was hired at Harvard-Westlake School, and was tasked with “building a theater program that everybody could be proud of.” The theater program and the baseball program quickly became connected through Walch. “I immediately attached myself to [the baseball program] because I had come from Branson, where it was a big part of my life there, too,” Walch says. “And I just couldn’t imagine being here without getting involved. It was a little lazier back in the early days, and we could have such wonderful things happen as happened with Frank Pfister ’04, Frank was able to play the lead in the play that I directed, Tennessee Williams’ Summer and Smoke, and we worked that out with the coach, Tim Cunningham, who’s now an assistant coach at Notre Dame and a really lovely guy.” As Walch developed the theater program, he got to see the baseball program develop, as well. He recalls the early days as well as the glory days. “We came in second in a 1-0 game under the old guard, Tim Cunningham. Frank Pfister was on that team...we certainly had nothing to be ashamed of,” Walch says. ”Brennan Boesch ’03, Josh Satin ’03, those were two guys we sent to the [Major Leagues]. But there’s no question, Matt [LaCour], first of all, is brilliant, and dedicated. There’s no question when we hired Matt it was a commitment, because he was a star coach when we hired him, it was a commitment to up the ante on the program, no doubt about it.” Since he was hired, Walch has been with the baseball program every step of the way. He attends virtually every home game and most road games. Even LaCour, who is now an Athletic Director, noticed his presence. “Aside from the parents that kind of come and go through the four years, Ted’s fanatic behavior remains each and every year that we’re at school,” LaCour said. “He’s exhibited the ‘Best Fan’ attitude for
the longest period of time...When he can’t make it to a game, he agonizes over it and he will let you know if you’re the coach that ‘this is why I can’t be there today and it’s killing me.’” The “Best Fan” himself knows exactly what time every league game starts (3:30 p.m.) and admits that he’s travelled durations of up to 200 minutes to watch the team play. “The furthest I’ve travelled was Vista...is it called Vista Murrietta? I thought I had actually left the state of California and I thought I’d lost my mind, and if Jake Suddleson ’16 had not hit that home run, it would not have been worth it,” Walch said with a chuckle “But he did. It’s so far, it’s like two and a half hours, two hours, it feels like nowhere you’ve ever been before.” Perhaps the most memorable trip he made was to a more familiar place: Dodger Stadium. The historic 56,000-seat venue tucked away near the San Gabriel Mountains in Chavez Ravine is home of two prominent memories for Walch, each on opposite sides of the emotional spectrum. The first is forever etched in the annals of Major League Baseball, an event Walch says was like the worst moment of my life.” A hobbled Kirk Gibson famously hit a walk-off home run off Dennis Eckersley to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over the Oakland Athletics In Game one of the 1988 World Series. 25 years later, Walch was at the stadium for “one of the most exciting days of my life.” The day Harvard-Westlake defeated Marina in the CIF-Southern Section Division I championship game. Walch points at the larger case. “This was huge fun; I’ve never had more fun. That game was one of the great games of my life, of any level of anything, even watching Dennis Eckersley throw the fatal pitch.” Everyone on the team received a championship ring. Players, coaches and Ted Walch. Walch taps the case with the ring in it. “This is always going to be a mystery to me, I’m not a stats guy, I’m dyslexic with numbers, so I can’t know [batting averages], and frankly that stuff bores me to
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death,” Walch says. “What I love about this game more than anything is it has the natural rhythms of life about it... basketball is not natural, life is not like a basketball game,” Walch says. “In truth, life has its boring patches, has some down times, has moments when if you look away something exciting happened and you could have missed it.” Walch still does his best to make sure he doesn’t look away when it comes to the baseball team. Now, he looks back at the two cases. “Neither one is better, they’re just different. I had so much fun, travelling all over Northern California with that team. I am no baseball coach. Baseball is still a kind of wonderful mystery to me. I keep going to games in part because I’m
CELEBRATION TIME Wolverine outfielders celebrate after a resounding victory against Simi Valley Pioneers on Mar. 3. still trying to figure them out. Because...baseball is really complicated and it’s like if you were watching a whole bunch of people play chess and you’re going ‘ooh look at this, look at that’ and you can either decide when you’re watching a game to tune into all of that and to try and figure out why this adjustment, what do they know about this hitter, why is he throwing that pitch, yada yada yada ... I sometimes try to do that, and then other times you can just sit back and have a good time.” Sitting back and having a good time—whether taking in the atrocity that was the Branson Bulls baseball team, the stunning Bash Brothers, or the talented Wolverines—that’s what watching baseball is all about. That’s what life is all about.
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NEW MAN IN CHARGE BY CONNOR REESE
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lthough baseball is coach Jared Halpert’s focus now, it wasn’t always. Halpert began his long and illustrious baseball career at Chatsworth High School, where he was part of the 2000 and 2001 CIFSS championship teams. Halpert played the outfield, and was named a top outfielder in California by the California Baseball Coaches Association. Halpert went on to play college baseball at Cal State Northridge for two years. He transferred to Fresno State for his junior and senior seasons. Despite baseball’s huge role in his life, Halpert completely changed his direction after playing outfield for the Fresno State Bulldogs: Halpert decided to become a firefighter in Northern California. “The plan B for a lot of athletes is hard to figure out, but I wanted to go into fire,” Halpert said.”I got to help people and I felt it was an honorable job. It was also fun. The idea of helping people and being athletic is me.” Halpert spent three years fighting wildfires in the wilderness of Northern California. “I was on wildland [assignment] in northern California doing some crazy stuff,” Halpert said, “It was the most secluded place I’ve ever been. The only light bulb that was around was from our station bay.” Halpert planned to continue his career as a firefighter when he moved down to Southern California, but the allure of baseball was too much. “I tried to continue down here, but things happened in life, and I had a bunch of buddies still doing baseball,” Halpert said, “Coach Guntz [the current pitching coach] was one of them. I also had a really good relationship with Coach LaCour, and he had an opening for the club team and I started there.” Halpert began his career at
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SMACK THAT Loren Franck ’19 swings at a pitch during the Wolverines 8-4 victory over Simi Valley March 3 at home.
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Harvard-Westlake as an assistant coach working with outfielders and hitters during the 2011 season. He also worked with the club teams run by Athletic Director Matt LaCour and current Assistant Coach PC Shaw. “[LaCour] put me into the situations I knew best” Halpert said. Halpert said he came into the program with an open-mind on coaching and adapted to his new role well. “I think when you first get hired as an official coach, you really don’t know anything about the job,” Halpert said, “Playing and coaching are two separate entities.” The transition from Matt LaCour’s tenure as head coach of the baseball team was smooth. Halpert took over late this summer and has implemented small changes to the program. “There’s little things that you have to change year to year,” Halpert said, “I think if you’re not changing or trying to improve, you’re not getting better. I think coach LaCour did a really good job listening to his assistant coaches. You have to let the guys working for you help you and help the pro-
gram.” Halpert’s coaching approach has been embraced by the team. “Everyone has their own personality and style, and Coach Halpert has been doing an incredible job,” right-handed pitcher Gabe Golob ‘16 said, “everyone is really rallying around him.” During LaCour’s nine-year stint as program head, the team won three consecutive Mission League titles (2011-2013) and the CIF-SS Division I championship in 2013. Halpert hopes to build on his
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predecessor’s success. “Coach LaCour did an unbelievable job setting the precedence and the culture around here,” Halpert said, “it shows now. It shows what the present is and what the future is. It’s great.” LaCour believes that he has left the baseball program in good hands. “Our baseball program is in a great place, with an outstanding staff and talented players coming through our system,” LaCour said, “The coaches and players work
[HALPERT] IS [ALWAYS] THERE, WHETHER IT IS A BASEBALL ISSUE OR AN ACADEMIC ISSUE. HE REALLY CONNECTS WITH HIS PLAYERS AND PUSHES THEM TO PLAY AS HARD AS THEY CAN.”
-ADAM RICH ’17
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Adam Rich ’17
PICK HIM OFF Benjamin Geiger ’17 tries to pick off a baserunner during the Wolverines’ 8-4 victory over the Pioneers on March 3. and strive for success, and we have a great new leader to push us forward to even greater heights.” Although he knows the ultimate goal is winning games and making a deep run into the CIF-SS playoffs, Halpert likes to look at the season from a different perspective. “I try not to look at it that way,” Halpert said, “I think that if you get consumed in a figure or a number or trying to be something you’re not that affects everybody in a negative way. The only thing I’m concerned with is tomorrow’s practice and how we can get better at that point. I think we have exceptions for the team and what we want to do this year, but it’s not something that we really put too much thought into. It’s more about the daily grind.” Halpert has brought in new faces to the coaching staff in order to gain new perspectives and ideas on how to make the team better. “I played with Ryan Barba, and he was also in the club scene
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in LA for a while,” Halpert said, “He’s currently with the Angels [organization] and I brought him just as a part time thing as another set of eyes. He is really knowledgeable and gave us his two cents. He’ll be a part-time guy for us and will be done in March when he has to go back to professional baseball.” Halpert has also brought in a catching coach to help catchers improve their skills before season starts. “[Coach Escobar} is a catching guy who used to play pro ball for a while,” Halpert said. “He’s completely new to the Harvard-Westlake program.” Halpert strives to connect with his players and help them become more refined ballplayers both on and off the field. “You know, anytime you really have any issues, [Halpert] is there, whether it is a baseball issue or an academic issue,” pitcher Adam Rich ‘17 said “He really connects with his players and pushes them
to play as hard as they can. team is performing well. Halpert is looking to build “Last year’s playoff run allowed upon a strong 2014-2015 campaign for a lot of younger guys to get exthat saw the Wolverines finish with perience under extreme pressure,” a record of 24-6 and culminated in Golob said, “We’ll need those guys a trip to the second round of the to step up this year.” CIF-SS playoffs. Despite the graduThe squad has built up chemisation of seniors Chase try over years of playing Aldridge ‘15, Ezra on the same club team. Sternberg ‘15 and Tom “I think the core of Fuller ‘15, the team our team is solid,” Halpstrives to go deeper into ert said, “I’ve known our CIF-SS playoffs than 11 seniors since they they were able to last were 13 years old, before year. they were even in high “If we talk about school.” what we want to acHead of Athletics ’ complish this year, we Terry Barnum has high Gabe Golob ’16 don’t make [discussion praise for the new proabout] the playoffs the gram head. elephant in the room,” Halpert “Jared has been instrumental said. “We have expectations, and in our baseball success since 2011, we want to win this year. We’re a and he is ready to become our leadcompetitive group, and winning is er,” Barnum said. “Given his history something that we want to do.” at our school, the leadership transiThe Wolverines play with the tion will be a smooth one, and Wolnext man up philosophy. It doesn’t verine Baseball will remain an elite matter who’s playing as long as the program.” nathanson s
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Team still dominates despite loss of seniors BY ELLY CHOI Although Jeff Aronson ’15, put in to make a successful group Adrian Berger ’15 and Tyler Gra- of players. As of right now, we’re ham ’15 graduated last year, cur- doing a great job working to that rent seniors Daniel Furman ’16, goal,” Wan said. The team won their season Trey Fearn ’16, Matt Ursin-Smith ’16 and Bray Caverly ’16 have not opener against St. Francis 184-211, in which Trey Fearn ’16 missed a beat, and shot 1-under-par. Not stepped up to lead the only does the large numteam. This year, the ber of seniors, contribute squad has a current to this seasons success so league record of 4-0, far, but Brandon Kewalrafinishing fifth in the mani ’17, Dylan Wan ’18 Oak Park invitational and freshman Alex Hong and second in the first ’19 have been consistently Mission League tourplaying well on the Var’ nament of the year. sity team. Dylan During the Oak Wan ’18 Kewalramani made Park Invitational, CIF state as an individBrandon Kewalramani ‘17 shot a 2-under-par 69 to ual during his freshman year and win the tournament, beating top consistently plays in many outside state players such as UCLA commit tournaments, such as the American Junior Golf Association. Spencer Soosman ’16. Although the squad was able During the first Mission League tournament of the year, the to make it the second round in CIF team finished second, shooting a as a team and into the fourth round total of 397, losing to Loyola by 20 individually, they would like to go strokes. Last year, the seniors were even farther. “We’ve had strong teams and able to effectively lead the squad and show their leadership through players in the past three years, their presence during matches. highlighted by players like Bakari This year’s senior leaders are not Bolden ’14,” said captain Daniel only accomplishing the skills and Furman ’16. “This year, we are takleadership that they experienced ing all of the experiences from the last year, but are utilizing their last three years. We have gone relapersonal strengths and combining tively far, and we are trying to put them with other players strengths that to work this year. We want to as well. Already, with the season improve even more and go farther in the CIF’s,” Furman just starting, it is clear said. that the dynamic and The combination of bond between the playthe different strengths of ers has grown stronger. the players, highlighted “What’s different by consistency and the from last year is that ability to score well is the team lost three sewhat the team is relying niors and gained two on to go farther in the freshman players,” said ’ CIF league. sophomore Dylan Wan Trey “Our team’s success ’18. “But, we are all Fearn ’16 comes from everybody’s growing as a group of capability to perform in young adults who play together to get the best out of the matches,” Wan said. “We all have day and the best out of golf itself. the talent to play well, and we As a new team now, we all under- use the course knowledge that we stand how much work we have to know and the tournament experience that we have to perform at our
BLOWING THEM AWAY Brandon Kewalramani ’17 poses with his trophy after winning the Oak Park Invitational at North Ranch Country Club on March 18.
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highest level as a team.” The squad has been working on their team chemistry and using their different strengths to make it farther into finals than before. With practice and a stronger team than ever before, playoffs is a tangible goal. This year, the players choose who they want to play with instead of last year when the coach chose their pairings just before the match started. “Golf is all about the sum of your experiences, meaning it is all
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about learning,” captain Trey Fearn ’16 said. There is no such thing as a perfect round, which is hard to accept, but I guess that is why [we] keep coming back to play. This year there is a lot more pressure, and we have definitely raised our expectations. We want to have fun while finding a way to push each other to do even better. Fearn also has a defined goal for the team. “Anything short of a league championship, and a run at playoffs would be a bust to me,” Fearn said.
THIS YEAR, WE ARE TAKING ALL OF THE EXPERIENCES FROM THE LAST THREE YEARS ... WE WANT TO IMPROVE EVEN MORE AND GO FARTHER IN CIFS.”
-DANIEL FURMAN ’16
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Daniel Furman ’16
OFF TO THE RACES BY CARINA MARX, OLIVER RICHARDS AND CAMERON STINE
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he current track team is composed of mainly freshmen and sophomores, which could mean the establishment of a track dynasty in the mission league and CIF. With the team’s increase in young runners, both the girls’ and boys’ team hope to qualify as many runners as possible for CIF playoffs. “This year, the team is very large, and we have a lot of younger athletes that are looking really promising.” London Alexander ’18 said. Even with the increase of the roster, the teams have been working in smaller groups based on their skill and event, which creates a more intimate environment. With one of the largest rosters for both the boys’ and girls’ teams, by isolating skill groups, more gets done in a shorter amount of time. A younger, larger team also fosters leadership roles for the upperclassmen. In these isolated skill
groups, younger runners are paired with older runners and gain experience by practicing with them. “They’re all hilarious and fun to practice with everyday,” Lexi Scher ’17 said. “It’s great to have new teammates every year who not only add character to the team but add more competition and push us all to be the best we can be. I couldn’t ask for better teammates. All the smiley underclassmen make me enjoy the long and tiring practices.” The team aspect is still very important in a very individual sport. Athletes need to come together to work with each other to improve their skills and to support each other during meets and practices. “Although I feel track is an individual sport, that individual couldn’t be successful without the support of their teammates and coaches alike,” Courtney Corrin ’16 said. The isolated groups create a
ON THE RUN Dustin Jones ’17 and Henry Roskin ’16 race against Crespi on March 3, a meet the team won 87-35.
A younger track team comprised of mainly freshmen and sophomores returns for a new season, hoping to qualify as many runners as possible for CIF playoffs. family feel within the track team. Most runners will become friends with people on the team outside of running, which helps freshmen and sophomores have an easier transition to the upper school. “For both pole vault and high jump, we have all spent a lot of time practicing together,” Scher said. “Last year was the last year for most of my closest friends who jumped, so at the beginning of this year, I missed them. Now that winter training is over and season has started we are extremely close and a true family.” The varsity track team has started off with an impeccable overall record for the boys of 4-0 (1-0 in league), and a 3-0 overall record for the girls. “We are hoping to have postseason success, maybe a couple league champions and hopefully go fairly far in CIF championships,” Nate Hollander ’17 said. “I guess we just have to keep up the good
work.” The team won their first meet against Crossroads, Brentwood and Pacifica Christian, with the boys scoring 82 points and the girls scoring 100 points against the other schools’ combined 37. The boys then went on to beat Crespi, Chaminade, and Loyola, all by a margin of over 20 points, and placed first against Brentwood and Crossroads. The girls went on to beat both Chaminade and Loyola by margins of 30 points. These meets and the spotless record the squad has accumulated show how well the technique of the isolated groups is working. The team now moves faster, is stronger, and works more like a machine, thanks to intense team bonding and their collective focus on the future. “We are trying to support each other, and help everyone reach their full potential,” Jonah Ring ’18 said.
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Softball team thrives under new leadership BY CARINA MARX The varsity softball team, coming off of a rough season last year with a 2-15-1 overall record and a 0-8 league record under previous program head Claire RietmannGrout, has had a much better season with a 2-4 overall record this year under new program head Melanie Williams. “None of our early preseason games this year were really much of a struggle; we beat most of the teams pretty handily,” outfielder Cypress Toomey ’19 said. “As we started to get closer to the season we began to see that we were going to be playing teams of higher caliber and couldn’t slack off. Since the preseason, we have lost a couple of hard-fought games which I think
THE WIND UP Hailey De La Vara ’17 winds up for a pitch during the Wolverines’ 8-5 loss to Windward on March 5.
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really increased our mental toughness and focus.” Rietmann-Grout left suddenly with no explanation and no notice to the team in fall of 2015, moving to San Francisco. The team was told that Rietmann-Grout “couldn’t fully commit [to the program] and give it her all,” before she left. Williams then had to pick up after that with a muddled and confused team, shaken after last year’s season, and bring them together again. “Coach Williams certainly has a different style of coaching than [Rietmann-Grout], and I think that it has contributed to our team being more hardworking, but overall our improvements are due to just
having a very solid, driven team ing on creating a better and stronthis year,” outfielder Marina Wei- ger bond than what they had last dmann ’17 said. “The program is year, so that communication on the definitely improving, field is smooth and efas Coach Williams is a fortless. very good coach who “Our team is closer is determined to help this year, helping with us be the best team we our record,” pitcher can be. She challenges Ashley Waco ’18 said. us a lot, but ultimately “I think the program knows it’s for the best.” now has overall imAlong with major proved with communichanges in the program, cation between players ’ six new, experienced and coaches. We have Ashley freshmen were added to a better ability to work Waco ’18 the team. This gives the together as a whole proteam more options on gram.” the field and more versatile players Last year, the only games they to play. won were against Village Christian The girls have also been work- on March 26 and Sierra Canyon on April 25. The biggest loss they suffered was 18-0 against Marlborough April 23. However, they started off this season sweeping the Valentine’s Day Tournament. Waco hit the walkoff single to win the championship game of that match. Though much more successful this year than last year, most players on the team admit that there is still room for improvement. “We need to work on making the routine plays and getting out of rough innings by just picking each other up and being good teammates,” pitcher Hailey de la Vara ’17 said. “Mentally, we need to focus on calming our nerves before the games and playing how we do in practices.” With a combination of starting team weight room sessions, practices and preseason games early, and team bonding exercises such as team sleepovers, the varsity softball team is posed to see much more success in the coming season. The team believes that CIF playoffs or championship goals are not out of the question. “Coach Williams has told us for months that if we work hard and train well we will be unstoppable,” outfielder Kelly Loeb ’16 said. “The addition of new talent and the confidence our coach placed in us ADAM YU/ BIG RED have allowed us to believe.” nathanson s
EYES ON THE PRIZE Adam Sraberg ’17 returns a shot match during the CIF State Team Finals on May 30.
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Tennis continues success without old starters BY CONNOR REESE AND BRYANT WU The boys’ tennis team has had and singles games. an up-and-down beginning to “We have a few guys who their 2015-2016 campaign. have been on the team the last few The team lost many senior years but did not get that much players, and new experience in important freshman along with matches who are playformer sophomores ing more important roles and juniors who this year,” Kronenberg played last year now said. “Those guys know must step up to fill what it takes to advance the roles. Among in CIF and so far they these players were have stepped up and Tulane University reperformed well. We also cruit Jacob Adler ’15 have a freshman Kenneth ’ and Stanford UniverLee ’19 who has been reJed sity commit Michael ally solid in doubles this Kronenberg ’17 Genender. year and continues to imThis year, the prove.” team has 11 returnAlthough the team ing varsity players, but only five of holds a 178-game Mission League these varsity players were starters. winstreak, with their last loss comJed Kronenberg ’17, a recently ing from before 2000, the squad appointed captain, said he feels he struggles to gain an audience for is ready to take on this new leader- their matches. ship role on the team even though The combination of distance he may not be a senior from the school and length of the “It feels great to be recognized matches often seems to lower the as captain,” Kronenberg said. “I’ve amount of people who would norworked really hard to improve my mally attend tennis matches. game and be a leader on the team. “It would be awesome if we After two CIF finals, I’m excited to could get some more fanatics at lead our team to more success this matches instead of just some paryear.” ents rooting us on,” Kronenberg Many varsity players who may said. “At away matches against have had slightly smaller roles on other top teams in California there the varsity team last year now have are usually fans rooting against us, had to step into unfamiliar terri- and having fanatics to support us tory as starters in both doubles at our home matches would be renathanson s
ally helpful. It’s only a five-minute drive away!” The inability to lean on huge playmakers like Genender has forced the team to come closer together as a unit and adapt their play style to a variety of new situations. “Being unable to rely on two top nationally ranked seniors has made us have to come together as a team much more and be a bit more strategic about how we play a match,” Jacob Tucker ’17 said. “Playing our top guys in the three singles spots isn’t always the best thing for our team, and we’ve had to be much more flexible about how we line up depending on who we’re facing. It’s definitely a differ-
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ent dynamic.” Tucker also believes his role has increased since his sophomore and freshman years. “Playing as a junior has been different from previous years,” Tucker said. “I’m now one of the stronger players on the team, and a lot more weight has been put on me and my fellow junior and senior’s shoulders.” Other varsity players are dealing with the struggles of adapting to a newer and larger role on the team, such as doubles and singles player Keon Niknejad ’17, who was not a varsity player the past season. With the new added pressure, Niknejad has tried to support his team in any way possible.
BEING UNABLE TO RELY ON TWO TOP NATIONALLY RANKED SENIORS HAS MADE US COME TOGETHER AS A TEAM. -JACOB TUCKER ’17
NATHANSON’S
Jacob Tucker ’17
WOLVERINE ROUNDTABLE
Big Red staff members share their opinions on major points in Wolverine sports this season.
Q: Who will be the breakout player of the spring season? Ratnavale:
My pick for breakout player is none other than our fellow Big Red writer and lacrosse player Zac Harleston ’17. In the begining of the season, Harleston had a four goal-game and a game-winner vs. Agoura
High School. The junior is already one of the leading scorers on the team, and as a wide receiver on the football team, has an extra set of agility and route running that makes him a threat with and without the ball.
Reese:
If the team can continue to improve from last season, the squad already has as many wins as it did all of last year, don’t be surprised to see Waco mentioned as a possible candidate for some AllLeague teams and other awards.
Ashley Waco ’18 should provide a spark to an already surprising softball team this season. The fielder represents a general youth movement for the team, which only has one senior, and has a new coach as well.
DUCKING UNDER Phil Thompson ’16 dodges a defender at the game against Agoura on March 5.
DARIO MADYOON/BIG RED
Q: Which team will go the farthest? Wu: This year’s boys’ volleyball
es of winning games by learning from previous matches and studying their opponents before they play. The squad is focused around libero David Ho ’16 and outside hitter Colin Shannon ’18, as well as a group of seniors who round out the starting lineup for the Wolverines’ volleyball team.
Gross:
Led by starting pitchers Jesse Bergin ’18, McCabe Slye ’16 and Paul Giacomazzi ’16, the Wolverines will not give up many easily earned runs. Their lineup is stacked with Cameron Deere ’16, John Thomas ’16, Leo Kaplan ’16 and Jake Suddleson ’16 in the heart of the order.
team is a sleeper in the Mission League, and has the potentital to do big things in the playoffs under first year head coach Ryan Casey. After the departure of Adam Black to focus on the girls’ team, the boys team is now focusing on analytics to improve their chancAfter being named National Champions in 2013 by Baseball America, the baseball team has not gotten back to the promised land since. However, if there is any time in the forseeable future for the squad to make some serious noise in the CIF-Southern Section playoffs, this is the year.
26 • BIG RED SPRING 2016
JULIANA BERGER/BIG RED
DIVE IN A Wolverine swimmer begins her backstroke relay during the Justin Carr Invitational March 4.
Q: Which coach will have the largest effect on their team?
Q: Which senior will have the most success leading their team during the spring?
Liker: Ryan Casey is in his first
leading up to the season, and is harnessing the power of analyitics to gain a leg up on opponents. This could be the biggest turnaround for a Wolverine athletic program since Matt LaCour took charge of the baseball team.
Marx:
Courtney Corrin ’16 has time and time again led the girls’ track and field team to success, and this year will be no different. Corrin won the state title last year for the long jump, along with being named an All-Amer-
ican and committing to the University of Southern California. In 2013, Corrin won the national long jump title in the New Balance Outdoors meet. Corrin has always been a high achiever and will no doubt impress again.
Berger:
bury University and is a former All-American. The coach even joins his players in drills, donning a helmet, pads and a stick to push the team as much as he can. When all is said and done, it will be both Krum’s involvement and experience that will lead the Wolverines to success in 2016.
Madyoon:
in the Under Armour All-American Lacrosse Weekend last summer in Baltimore, Maryland. Thompson has proven that he is a highly-skilled athlete who wants to win. He will attempt to lead his squad to a title in his fourth consecutive season starting on the varsity team.
season as Head Coach of the boys’ volleyball team, and has already had a huge effect. The new coach has brought a new attitude, and a new culture. He implemented 6 a.m. practices in the months
I predict that Erik Krum, the new lacrosse coach, will be the Wolverines coach who will mean the most to his team’s success when the season is over. Krum is a natural born winner; he won national championships as a player at Salis-
Bennett Gross Jonathan Seymour Henry Vogel Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief
Phil Thompson ’16, a Princeton commit for lacrosse, has the biggest chance of leading his team to a CIF playoff run. Thompson broke a school record last April by scoring 10 goals in one game against Chaminade. He also competed
Bryant Wu Jake Liker Rian Ratnavale Assistant Editor Assistant Editor Assistant Editor
Cameron Stine Assistant Editor Emily Rahhal Assistant Editor
Oliver Richards Assistant Editor Connor Reese Assistant Editor
Juliana Berger Assistant Editor
Dario Madyoon Assistant Editor
Zac Harleston Assistant Editor
Joe Levin Carina Marx Assistant Editor Assistant Editor BIG RED SPRING 2016 • 27