3 minute read
Sports
Camaraderie of Competition
Each spring as New England emerges from winter, the athletic teams at Kimball Union are already well underway toward the spring season. For the girls and boys lacrosse programs, led by head coach Nick Antol and head coach Whit Willocks, respectively, there is a sense of joy and camaraderie that can be felt from the locker room, to the weight room, to Pope Field. While Antol and Willocks both saw their seasons impacted by COVID-19 over the past two years, they’ve instilled a sense of purpose in their players lives that extends far beyond athletic competition. Here’s their outlook on coaching.
Did COVID-19 offer any silver linings? Willocks: The biggest thing about losing a season was it made us appreciate what we have. You don’t know how good you have it until you don’t have it. We learned to cherish every practice, every workout, and all of our time together. That played into the overall team atmosphere and the love they had for one another, and that translated on and off the field. Antol: You realize quickly that you don’t need to have 20 games and a spring trip to make lacrosse special. We took the opportunity to get better instead of just focusing on winning. We had this mentality that you’re so grateful for the opportunity to play. Even if a game got cancelled, we were so grateful just to have the next ones.
How are the KUA lacrosse programs doing? Willocks: We saw considerable growth in the program this season. We brought in some very skilled players and saw the overall level of play increase two-fold, a testament to senior leadership and the amount of buy-in and trust from the team. We were highly competitive. These players were always ready to learn and to challenge themselves and their teammates. They were hanging in at parts of the game with schools we didn’t usually keep up with. Antol: In the past, we didn’t have many kids that played spring sports. They came out of hockey and then decided to play spring sports too. Now we have kids that are dedicated spring sports athletes. This is their primary focus. There’s more energy around it and on the campus. We hadn’t beaten a few teams for 10 years and we beat them last year – all at home. I’ve been coaching in New England for 17 years and lacrosse has really improved. This is really exciting because we are competitive not only in the Lakes Region but further south and into Boston, too.
What’s on the horizon? Willocks: Female athletes at KUA are primarily multi-sport athletes. I value that and I want them to be proud of it. In the off season I don’t want to overwhelm them and I allow them the time and space with their respective sports, but I also want them to be competitive. I’m excited for what the future holds for girls lacrosse. I also attribute this to Nick [Antol] and his leadership and insight and the success he’s had. Antol: If we’re going to make waves, it can’t be two little waves. We’re going to join forces. I want all these players to find another way to break out of lacrosse and lean into the community in other ways. I want other people on campus to find them to be good people. We all give these kids a chance to completely develop into student-athletes and not develop into just one thing. It’s not hard to sell a family on the KUA experience. This place helps kids turn it on. I feel super supported by the teachers here, and the student-athletes do better here than anywhere else, not because it’s easier, but because people care. K
13
2021 varsity lacrosse graduates playing in college this year
Girls Varsity Lacrosse Head Coach Whit Willocks has been at KUA for four years, previously coaching at Dartmouth College, Choate Rosemary Hall, and Andover High School.
FALL
Cross Country Soccer – Boys Soccer – Girls Field Hockey Mountain Biking
WINTER
Ice Hockey – Boys Ice Hockey – Girls Basketball – Boys Basketball – Girls Alpine Skiing Freeskiing
SPRING
Lacrosse – Boys Lacrosse – Girls Baseball Softball Tennis – Boys Tennis – Girls Golf Track Rugby – Boys
