Marlton Sports Magazine - Winter 2014 by Marlton Sports Magazine

Celebrating Our Community Sports

Winter 2014

A LEADING FORCE Street Hockey Goes International Page 24

SUPER CHIEFS Page 16

100 WINS on the Tennis Court Page 14

FALL SPORTS

RECAPS

Rising Star

Isabella Therien

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Contents

Departments: 15 Where Are They Now?

Doug Easlick

Middle School MVPs

21 28 30

MRC News

Coaches’ Picks - Cross Country

Photo wall A message from the mayor

Staying Active this Winter

Features 4 What’s in a Letter Anyway?

Fall Sport Recaps: 8 Archery 23 Field Hockey W elcome to Marlton 10 Soccer Field Hockey!! 14 Tennis 32 Cross Country 1 00 Wins

Trying out and making a team

12 Timeout with Chris Therien

16 Super Chiefs 18 The Cherokee

High School Marching Band

National champions

24 A Leading Force in South Jersey and Worldwide

Street Hockey

26 Making the

Flyers Proud

Ice Hockey

31 Gymnastics

Cherokee Chiefs Gymnastics #1 in Olympic Conference

33 So, You Are

Interested in Local Martial Arts…

Publisher’s Note

MARLTONSPORTS Celebrating Our Community Sports

Winter 2014

Always Appreciative

Co-Owners

We are all very lucky to live in a town like Marlton. Our children are safe, surrounded by hard-working parents, exemplary teachers, and awesome opportunities. The kids have so many options to superior extracurricular activies, including a wide array of athletics. I often think how fortunate I am that my son has taken to sports. He has grown into such a strong person, both mentally and physically because of the activities he’s chosen. He’s made great friendships that have helped him flourish, and he has remained active all throughout the year. His sports have also led me to joining our Marlton Sports Magazine team. It’s hard to beleive that it’s already been a year since we started the publication. So many thank yous are needed — to our readers, to our advetisers, to the school district, and to our families. We will always be appreciative for your support. Stephanie Biddle Publisher

Will Stith

Stephanie Biddle

Publisher Stephanie Biddle Editor Dubravka Cortese Content/Photography Will Stith Graphic Design Corporate Imagination Contributing Writer Eric Sperrazza Account Executives Dave Brodack Nicole Weiner Media Relations Emma Stith Printing Consultant Paul Biddle

MSM © 2014 Marlton Sports Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Printed in U.S.A. Published four times a year by Creative Publishing, LLC. Marlton Sports Magazine and Creative Publishing neither endorse nor take responsibility for products or services advertised herein. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without permission from the publisher. Creative Publishing makes no warranty, representation or guarantee as to the accuracy or timeliness of its content. The publisher reserves the right to reject or cancel any advertising at any time. To submit a news item or offer a feature story idea to Marlton Sports Magazine, email marltonsports@gmail.com. To advertise in Marlton Sports Magazine or to receive a media kit, email marltonsports@gmail.com.

On the Cover Isabella Therien is a sophomore at Cherokee and has been playing basketball since making the Marlton Middle School team in sixth grade. Her positions are both small forward and shooting guard. Isabella has played for the AAU Tarheels and is now on the Philadelphia Belles team. Although she doesn’t have to make a decision until her junior year, Isabella has already received over 30 letters of interest from colleges throughout the country. 3

WHAT’S IN A LETTER ANYWAY?

A TEAM Trying out and making a team should be a rewarding, confidence boosting experience for young athletes, regardless of what letter is assigned to the team.

inor league baseball has been around almost as long as the sport has been a profession. Ice hockey has the second most extensive minor league system, right after baseball. Basketball has the NBA Development League. Soccer has the North American Soccer League. Even the Arena Football League had its own minor league at one time. There are sports in every country with minor league systems, or their equivalent. Those minor league teams are filled with above average talent, many of whom eventually make it to their major league counterparts. The sheer odds of making it onto even a minor league squad is nothing to sneeze at. 4

Arguably then, the same could be said about “B” teams in youth sports, particularly when there are tryouts involved. Players on travel or club teams usually have a higher skill level simply because they play their sport year round, thus getting much more experience and training than the seasonal athlete. This is true whether the teams are ranked A, B, C or whatever. The same commitment and work ethic those young athletes bring to their game today mirrors that of professionals. But mentally, kids are not adults. And to a kid whose sports dream is bigger than his or her as yet undeveloped ego, and a parent who is willing to do anything to make their kid the best, making a B team, or worse, can be a disappointing, soul-crushing experience. Marlton Sports Magazine

A coach’s perspective Vince Principato, a physical education teacher at Marlton Middle School (MMS), has been the Mustangs’ basketball coach for the past 15 years, soccer coach for 10 and the lacrosse coach since MMS started the program five years ago. The former high school football and basketball coach offered his insight into the decision making process of team selections.

TEAM

“Every year is different,” Principato said. “Every year the team is different. I just try to figure out the kids I can work with and who is coachable.” Principato said he doesn’t feel the need to explain his choices to anyone. “It is the coach’s discretion. I am the coach. I have had parents tell me it’s their kid’s turn to play. Says who? The kids that make it, they deserve to make it.” When asked if he ever selects an eighth grader over a more talented younger player, simply because it is the older player’s last year, Principato said no. In fact, he prefers to have a strong group of underclassmen that can learn the ropes as they advance. “Too many eighth graders will ruin the team,” he said. “I like to recruit underclassmen who have the opportunity to become great players.” Principato said he also does not take into consideration what clubs or teams the players are on outside of school when he is making his selections. He points out that many of those teams are coached by the kids’ parents. “I don’t base my decision on whether they play on an AAU or A, B or C travel team. I know these kids from seeing them. As a teacher, I am with them every day. A kid that is a player is going to shine at tryouts.”

By Dubravka Cortese Director of Education and Training at US Lacrosse Erin Smith, a soccer and lacrosse mom herself, writes on the USLacrosse website that when her son was moved down to the B team in his soccer club, after seeing minimal playing time at the A level, she was “sheepish” at the change. Yet she admitted that his passion and joy for the sport had slowly been dissipating while on the A Team. “The impact of my son’s choice (to stay with the B team) hit home after the boys won a B-Team tournament in which my son played significant minutes.” Smith writes. “‘This is the first trophy I feel like I earned,’ ” he said. I almost cried.” Winter 2014

Principato said he likes to keep the soccer team roster at 20 kids or less, but the amount of players from each grade varies depending on their skill level, regardless of which sport he is coaching. In soccer, Principato said, it is easier for a sixth grader to have the skill level to make the team. But basketball is a more physical sport. “A lot of the kids don’t make the team simply because they aren’t finished growing yet,” he said. “There can be a huge difference between a sixth grader and an eighth grader, both physically and mentally. Not many sixth graders coming in can handle it.” He said he rarely has conflicts with parents of the players on his team, and he encourages his players to be responsible for themselves and their actions. “Parents really have no influence on middle school or high school coaches.” Principato said tryouts can be tedious, but only due to a lack of coaching staff. “One of the biggest problems is that we don’t have assistant coaches. So when the kids come to try out, it is a difficult process. “If someone could say one thing about me, it’s that I’m fair. I am also very passionate. I love what I do. I’m a teacher because that’s what I want to do. We have great kids who come through here, and I am very fortunate to be able to teach them and be a part of their experience at MMS.”

Every season, hundreds of perfectly capable and talented professional athletes either get cut from, or never make the squad of a major league team. The reasons can be vague. Maybe the player had a bad week. Maybe the competition was unusually tough. Or perhaps they just didn’t have what it took to take it to the next level. That does not and should not diminish the fact that they made it farther than almost everyone else on the

planet. According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), fewer than 2 percent of the more than 460,000 college level student athletes will reach the professional level. Those are tough odds, and beating those odds, for whatever amount of time, is pretty impressive. Likewise, not making or playing on an A or B team, or an elite club team, does not mean a

child won’t make the high school or college team or even the pros simply by sheer talent and determination. The rosters of professional sport teams are filled with athletes who never played on elite or travel teams. Sometimes, it’s just about hard work. Super Bowl MVP and former St. Louis Ram’s quarterback Kurt Warner was passed over during the 1994 NFL draft. It wasn’t until four years after he finished college that Warner got a chance to show what he was made of when the Rams signed him. He was 28 when he started in the NFL. Today he is considered by many to be the best undrafted player in NFL history. But for every Warner, there are 100 Andre Wares and Tim Tebows. The Heisman Trophy winners were never able to recreate their collegiate prowess in the NFL. Which goes to show that how you get there is not as important as what you do once you get there. This begs the question, what is more important, the title, or the experience? Some parents, and children, would rather sit on a bench for a Travel A team just for the presumed prestige, rather than start and lead on a B Team. But sitting, and not actually playing, could have a negative impact on the child both emotionally and on their ability to hone their skills.

Author, former athlete, coach and founder of MomsTeam, Brooke de Lench believes that if a player does not get enough playing time, it won’t matter what level team he or she is on. She states that player development should take precedence over winning. “How many times have you watched as a starting player suffers an injury during a tournament and is replaced by a player that hasn’t had any playing time?” de Lench writes on her MomsTeam website. “Chances are the new player won’t Chris Masso, CRPS®, and John Torrence, AIF®,CRPS® perform as well in such a pressure situation 975 Route 73 North, Suite G, Marlton, NJ 08053 than had he had more playing time during 975 Route 73 North,856.988.6664 Suite G, Marlton, NJ 08053 oll-Free: 800.989.8699 • Phone: • www.massotorrence.com curities and advisory services offered through Commonwealth Financial Network,® Member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered the season.” Toll-Free: 800.989.8699 • Phone: 856.988.6664 Investment Adviser.

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Travel, recreational, even AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) coaches are volunteers and, more often than not, parents of one or more players on the team. That’s not to say they don’t have Marlton Sports Magazine

experience playing or coaching the sport, just that they are human, too. And humans are subjective, whether they think that or not. What one parent/coach is looking for in an athlete will differ from the others, and so on. A high school or college coach, on the other hand, usually has extensive experience and no personal stake in the players, and thus may be a bit more objective, handling the team selection more like a business deal.

athlete to find an available spot on one of those teams if they try joining in later years. According to Lisa Bannon of The Wall Street Journal, “Today’s athletic tracking squeezes out not only average players but those who might excel later, after they hit adolescence.”

ence, regardless of what letter is assigned to the team. The fact that the child gave it their best is commendable. Working toward a goal of making it onto the A team is admirable. But it should not be the endall, “B”-all for that child’s participation in sports. MSM

Trying out and making a team should be a rewarding, confidence boosting experi-

Furthermore, the proliferation of club teams, elite teams and travel teams, and multiple “world,” “national” and “state” titles, are diluting their very significance. Author and ESPN.com columnist Tim Keown writes, “if there are countless elite and select teams where I live, how elite and select can they be?” He adds, “We’re nearing the point in youth sports where we need to stop the ‘elite’ and ‘select’ madness, because we’re raising a generation with too much selfesteem. They can’t handle failure because they’ve been conditioned to believe they’re too good to fail. They’re being placed on teams that identify them as better than their peers on the whim of either a parent/coach or a businessman/coach.” Let’s put this in perspective. In 10 or 15 years, when the now adult child is interviewing for a job with their dream company, will the prospective employer ask, or even care, if the applicant was on the A team or B team? Or will the child turn down the position offered to them because it was a “B” job, below the position they originally applied for? “There’s this belief that a travel team and a higher level of competitive play will propel a child to a higher place,” president and chief executive of Little League International Stephen Keener said in a Washington Post article. “That belief is misguided. There is something to be said for high-quality instruction, but at the end of the day, the player and his personal desire and his athletic ability will determine how far he goes in baseball.” With travel and elite teams forming in some sports for children as young as 7-years-old, it can be difficult for even a talented young Winter 2014

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SOCCER

Middle School Champions

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Marlton Sports Magazine

lthough former Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Chris Therien officially became a United States citizen just three years ago, he has called the South Jersey area home for many years. After nearly 10 years playing for the Flyers, Therien settled in Marlton in 1998. Since then he and his family have been active in the community and in local sports programs. Threien said the South Jersey, Philadelphia area has been good to him. “It’s great here. We’re really fortunate to have such a tremendous school system and sports programs right in our backyard.” Therien is in his first year as a color commentator for the Flyers on Comcast SportsNet. He had been a commentator for the six years prior on 97.5 The Fanatic. Therien, who was born in Ottawa, Ontario, was drafted by the Flyers in 1990. He graduated from Providence College in Rhode Island in 1994, then joined the Canadian national team and helped them earn a silver medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics. After a stint with the American Hockey League’s Hershey Bears, Therien joined the Flyers in 1994 and played nearly 10 seasons before being drafted to the Dallas Stars in 2004. Therien returned to the Flyers a year later to play one more year before retiring in 2006 due to a head injury. He holds the Flyers record for most games played by a defenseman at 753. Therien and his wife, Diana, have four children, Isabella, Ava, Alexa and Christopher Jr. Isabella, a sophomore at Cherokee High School, has begun to leave her own mark as an outstanding soccer and basketball player. Therien said his experience with the Marlton Recreation Council and Cherokee sports programs has been “very positive. I really appreciate the volunteerism, especially at the coaching level,” he said. “I think the kids in the programs have excelled.” Therien’s 8-year-old son is in his first year playing organized hockey at the Flyers Skate Zone, where Therien is the team’s assistant coach. Although the South Jersey area is not known for its strong ice hockey presence, Therien believes the area has had tremendous success in producing talent. “The South Jersey, Pennsylvania area is getting better,” he said. “The coaching is getting better, the level of talent is getting better. US hockey in general has gotten better.” Therien said there are many great junior programs for young players, but cautions that it has to be something the kids want to do, and not something being pushed on them. “As long as you let the kids have fun and not turn it into too much of a big thing too early, then it will be a great experience,” Therien said. “My parents let me enjoy it for what it was. It’s important the kids have fun doing it. If you are good enough, the rest will follow suit, and you will be able to accomplish what you want if you work hard enough. “I think the best goal that any parent can have is to send their kids to college,” he added. “If they can do it with a sports scholarship, than that’s a great thing.” As much passion as Therien brought to the ice during his hockey career, he now brings to two other causes near and dear to him – organ donation and cardiac screening. Therien’s sister, Sarah Beth, passed away at age 32 in 2006 from sudden cardiac arrest, without having any symptoms or indications she had a heart issue. Sarah Beth was a registered organ donor, but at that time, Canada did not accept organ donations from those who died from sudden cardiac arrest. Therien’s family persisted until Canada relented and Sarah Beth became the first sudden cardiac arrest organ donor. “She was a pioneer,” Therien says of his sister. He has since become an activist for cardiac screening and supporter of Simon’s Fund, an organization that provides free heart screenings for children in the Philadelphia area. Simon’s Fund held a free heart screening Winter 2014

this past September at Cherokee High School during which more than 300 students were screened. Therien recalls that a mother of one of the students screened contacted him a week later, thanking him for the test which revealed her son had an as yet undiagnosed congenital heart defect. “It’s the single most important thing that a parent can do for their child. No one should have to look in the mirror (after losing a child to sudden cardiac arrest) and ask themselves, ‘Why didn’t I do that?’” According to Therien, sudden cardiac arrest is the single biggest cause of teen deaths in the country. Therien has worked tirelessly to spread the word about organ donation as well, and encourages people to register online with the Gift of Life Donor Program at www.donors1.org and to learn more about on Simon’s Fund and the importance of heart screenings in young athletes at www. simonsfund.org. In the meantime, Therien will continue to follow the Flyers and local sports in the area he has come to call home. “I feel very lucky to have played here,” he said. “People here care about their sports. It’s been a wonderful experience.” MSM

TENNIS

By Bill Kile

Adapted from first publication in The Central Record newspaper on Oct. 9, 2014.

100 Wins

herokee High School senior tennis player Amelia Ying reached an impressive milestone (in October) when she recorded her 100th career victory. And she did it in dramatic fashion. No. 100 came with Ying’s decisive 6-1, 6-2 victory over Cherry Hill East’s Gabrielle Zimmerman in the singles final of the Olympic Conference American Division Tournament. “Amelia played a solid match,” said Cherokee coach Dave Haney of Ying’s milestone win over Zimmerman. “She did not show much emotion other than not wanting to back down. She is a great competitor, and she likes to push herself to the limit.” Ying is by far the all-time winningest player in Cherokee girls tennis history with a career record of 101-17. “I never thought I could reach 100 wins, but I did try to make it my goal to reach 100,” said Ying, whose 34-4 record in 2012 stands as a school record for most victories in a single season. “I’m glad I was able to accomplish my goal during my senior year.” “Amelia is a modest individual and just a fierce competitor,” said Haney. She does not like to lose, but she wins and loses with pride. She respects every person she has ever played. And she hits the ball harder than anyone I know, all the time.” MSM

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Marlton Sports Magazine

Where are they now? By Dubravka Cortese

DOUG EASLICK Q: After leaving such a mark in the

wrestling world, how did you make the decision to focus full-time on football?

A: Coming out of high school I had trouble

getting football scholarships. I had really written wrestling off, thinking my senior year at Cherokee would be my last. Then I did well at nationals and started getting a lot of wrestling looks, but my end goal was to play football. Virginia Tech was open to me playing both sports. But because of time commitments, it was hard to focus on two sports in college. They really wanted me to concentrate on football to become a starter. I told my wrestling coach at Virginia Tech that if I didn’t think there would be an opportunity to play in the pros, I would come back and wrestle my senior year. I am still friends with that coach. (Keith Mourlam) is now the head wrestling coach at Clearview High School in Mullica Hill.

Q: What was your experience in the NFL like? A: I was an undrafted free agent and made

the Miami Dolphins as a rookie in 2004. I played two games, then ended up on the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad before being moved to the Pittsburgh Steelers and was cut from there. I decided then that I had enough of moving around and the lifestyle of not knowing where my job is going to be and where I was going to live. I was committed to it and gave myself two years. I was a fullback, and with all the passing in the NFL, that position was being phased out. A lot of the teams only kept one fullback. It was a limited opportunity, and I felt it was time to move on. I was 27 when I stopped playing, so I had played for a long time, since I was seven.

Q: You started wrestling with the

Cherokee High School alumni Doug Easlick left his mark on the mats at his alma mater when he graduated in 1999 as the all-time winningest wrestler in the school’s history. His 122-8 record held until it was broken by Kyle Packer in 2003-04. But Easlick still holds the record for best winnings percentage. As a senior with a 34-0 record, he led the Chiefs wrestling team to its first state championship, earned himself an individual state title and third place title at nationals in the 215-pound category. Easlick went on to hit the mats at Virginia Tech on a wrestling scholarship, but in his second year made a permanent switch to his other love – football. As a walk-on tailback for the Hokies, Easlick earned a football scholarship and focused solely on the gridiron. He then moved on to the NFL with stints on three pro teams. Easlick was inducted into the South Jersey Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012. Winter 2014

Marlton Recreation Council (MRC) when you were 4 years old, and played MRC football since you were seven. How do you feel your experience playing sports in Marlton prepared you for your college and professional careers?

A: The structure and lifestyle of being in

sports in Marlton laid a great foundation. The Cherokee program is demanding, and they expect a lot out of you, as far as lifting programs and things like that. As a result, when I got to college I wasn’t surprised by the time and effort you had to put into sports and what it took to be successful. 15 continued on page 36....

SUPER C HIEFS B By Dubravka Cortese

eing an accomplished student athlete has never been a more notable attainment. The expected level of academic achievement and athleticism for today’s high school youths has been raised to new heights, mirroring what used to only be normal for collegiate athletes. Increased practices, a heavier game schedule, private training sessions and tougher competition have raised the bar on the athletic side. Add to that a full academic course load, after school clubs, volunteer efforts and the ever present pressure to get into a good college, and it seems a task daunting even to a mature adult. And yet, every year, a percentage of student athletes not only meet, but often times exceed those challenges, earning above average grades while contributing to their team’s successes. For more than a decade, the administration at Cherokee High School has recognized and honored their accomplished student athletes with its Super Chiefs program. Students who earn a 3.65 GPA or higher over the first three marking periods and earn a varsity letter in any sport sanctioned by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) are presented with a certificate of achievement at an end-of-the-year awards ceremony. And perhaps best of all, they earn the title of “Super Chief.” “The Super Chiefs program is part of the entire academic awards program,” explains Cherokee Athletic Director Scott Agnew. “It incorporates the concept of the scholar athlete and is a way to honor these students.” Agnew points out that although football and basketball cheerleading are not officially sanctioned by the NJSIAA, they are still eligible for the Super Chief designation. “We do consider them sports.”

Agnew believes the added time constraints of playing a sport at Cherokee often spur the students to succeed. “I see our kids perform better academically in season,” he said. “They don’t have downtime, so they have to manage their time better.” On average, more than 100 student athletes each year are designated Super Chiefs. Last year, 32 senior student athletes graduated in the top 10 percent of the class. “I see a direct correlation between academic success and our athletics,” Agnew said. “We want to promote during the season how important it is to keep your grades up throughout the year.” Coaches are expected to follow that mantra by keeping on top of their athletes’ progress, even getting them extra help if needed. Longtime girls swimming coach Ann Rychlik has seen her fair share of Super Chiefs come through over the years. “For swimming in general, there is a lot of time spent traveling to and from meets,” she said. “They really have to budget their time and be able to balance it all.” Rychlik said that work ethic trickles down from the older girls to the younger ones. “It’s a precedence that is set by the older girls,” she said. “They spend several hours together a day and the younger girls see what the older ones are doing.” Rychlik is quick to credit the girls’ families with supporting Cherokee’s philosophy of balancing academic success with athletic achievement. The significance of the Super Chief title is not lost on the recipients, either, Agnew said. Many of them come to the awards ceremony right from a game, still wearing their uniforms. “They really value the award, and they appreciate it.” MSM

Numerous studies have been done validating the belief that combining athletics with academics can result in increased success at both, as compared to those students who do not participate in any organized athletics. A 2013 report by Dr. Anthony Price of the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) found that non-athletes earned an average GPA of 2.72, while in contrast, student athletes earned an overall GPA of 3.01. The study analyzed the academic achievements of 550,000 to 775,000 high school student athletes and student non-athletes across the nation during the 2011-12 school year. “The results of every academic success category demonstrated student-athletes achieving greater than non-athletes,” Price wrote. Student athletes in most school districts must meet minimum semester GPA standards just to participate in a sport. The desire to continue playing a sport throughout their school career would be a motivator for any student athlete. Wanting to play their sport at the collegiate level is an even bigger reason to put extra focus on academics. Combining a strong academic record with proven athletic performance increases the chances for college scholarships and opens the door to more institutes of higher learning. Successful, competitive athletes tend to carry the same traits that drive them on the field or court over to the academic side as well. According to the Cornell University study, “Sports at Work: Anticipated and Persistent Correlates of Participation in High School Athletics,” published in June 2014 in the Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, teen athletes displayed better leadership and teamwork traits, as well as increased confidence. Furthermore, the study states, participation in youth sports appeared “to be relevant for early-career job prospects as well as late-in-life outcomes.” The National Collegiate Athletic Association is driving home the importance of academics on student athletes by raising its minimum GPA for incoming athletes from 2.0 to 2.3 and requiring high school athletes to have 10 of the 16 required core courses completed before they enter their senior year. These changes will go into effect in 2016. Marlton Sports Magazine

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Marlton Sports Magazine

CHEROKEE CHIEFS and, B g n i h c ational ool Mar up 5A N

h Schwon the USBands Grown, Pa. In addig i H e e rok ynch, llento rd The Cehdireection of D. MichaBeirl nLey Crum StadiumvinerAall band, the Color G5uAa. no at J. roup under th ship as a n Nov. 8 ard in G n o u io s G p r ip h m lo s a o n nal Ch r Best C Champio the Natio award fo g n in io n t p in a cutive c tion to w 9yr Old REDS - 2014 SNJ STATE CHAMPS d conse n o c e s s won it

Winter 2014

Middle School MVPs Coaches’ Picks - Cross Country Meghan Carroll

Matt Lawless

Meghan is a Marlton Middle School (MMS) sixth grader. This was Meghan’s first year on the MMS Cross Country team. She was the only sixth grade girl competing for MMS and often “owned” the course during competition, leaving others in her dust. Meghan has a happy, easygoing disposition, but don’t get in her way, she takes her running serious.

Matt is a Marlton Middle School (MMS) eighth grader. He has been on the MMS Cross Country team since he was in sixth grade and has shown improvement with his running times every year. He has gone from running with the pack to leading the packs during competition. Matt puts forth 110 percent effort in both practice and meets and shows great team spirit. Matt has participated in other long distance running venues like the Cross Town Classic and always has inspiring words with team members that encourage them to also do their best.

Dylan Odud

Katie Montenero

Dylan is a dedicated DeMasi Middle School sixth grade runner who won the Meet of Champions due to his determination and love of running. He also runs for Marlton Rec and ran in the AAU championship in Kansas City.

Katie, a DeMasi Middle School student, is a quiet, young girl who puts her heart into the sport. She puts her best into every meet and placed 4th in the Meet of Champions.

Marlton Sports Magazine

MRC News BOYS LACROSSE 2015 REGISTRATION CLOSING SOON Please register by JANUARY 15TH U7 / Scoopers (K, 1st/2nd grade) U9 through U15 (3rd - 8th grade)

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2015 LADY CHIEFS SPRING LACROSSE REGISTRATION IS OPEN....DON'T MISS OUT! Scoopers Grade K-2 $75 3rd & 4th graders $110 In town 5th - 8th graders $165 travel MRC SPORTS UNITY BASKETBALL BEGINS JANUARY 13TH THRU MARCH 3RD Blue Barn • Monday nights • 6:00pm - 7:00pm We are still accepting registrations for players and buddies. All players receive a basketball and jersey. All buddies receive a T-shirt.

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MARLTON BASEBALL REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!!! Register early to avoid waiting lists! Play America’s pastime at our new baseball complex! MRC TRACK Registrations begin January 1, 2014 All skill sets welcome! Younger and older athletes welcome! Join in on all the fun! We work on core strength, conditioning, speed and endurance. Any questions email Bill Shea bshea@drexelmed.edu ROLLER HOCKEY Registration OPEN 1/2-2/17 Late Fee Assessed on Registrations from 2/18-3/10. Roller Hockey - age as of 12/31/2013 Age 5-9 $125 Age 10-11 $125 Age 12-13 $125 Age 14 & up $125 SPRING SOFTBALL Registration is OPEN K-1st grade $95 2-3rd grade $100 4-5th grade $110 6-8th grade $125 9-12th grade $135 As always, questions should be directed to jimandmegan@comcast.net

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What are YOU Doing to Get Ready for Basketball Season Sarah Petrillo is a junior basketball player at Baptist High School. After a lengthy recovery from multiple leg surgeries, Sarah is geared up to begin the upcoming basketball season. Going into her junior basketball season, Sarah’s goals were to improve her cardiovascular endurance, increase her speed and strengthen her lower body. Basketball is an athletic, aerobic sport using the anaerobic system in brief powerful bursts, while moving the entire game. Metabolic training was the perfect starting point, with the idea of mixing in cardiovascular and body weight exercises. By working in shorter intervals, the high level output and good technique allow for vast improvements. To start the workout, an active dynamic warm-up consisting of squats, jumping jacks, seal jacks, iron cross, scorpions and roll-overs were completed doing three sets of ten for each exercise. Once the heart rate was elevated, Sarah moved into cardiovascular training doing build-up sprints, push-up starts, suicides, and change of direction exercises not only to increase speed, but to also make

it sports specific. After the conditioning period, she went on to strength training. In the beginning, all the exercises were limited to body weight in order to build muscular endurance. By performing pushups, wall squats, reverse pull ups, and sit ups, Sarah laid the foundation for strength training with weights. As she got stronger it was time to transition into the power strength phase, doing weighted exercises such as squats, bench presses and dead lifts. Included in this period were box jumps and banded exercises to increase resistance during explosive movements. Sarah cycled through periods of each aspect of the training phases so as to ensure gradual increases in strength and power as well as work capacity to better prepare her for basketball season. After returning to preseason trainings, Sarah has seen an increase in jumping power and her ability to “battle under the boards” while staying injury free. Good luck to Sarah on a fantastic junior season, and we look forward to getting her ready for an awesome senior year. If you are interested in getting results like Sarah, contact Thom Nickley at Parisi Speed School Cherry Hill at 856-429-1200 or at tnickley.parisi@chhrc.com .

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Marlton Sports Magazine

FIELD HOCKEY Welcome to Marlton Field Hockey!!

e offer a fun, instructional, and recreational program to girls in grades kindergarten through eighth grade. In our K-2 program, girls learn the fundamentals of field hockey in a small group environment with creative game play to enhance their program experience. They meet on Saturday mornings for eight weeks with lots of Field Hockey Helpers. Thank you to all our volunteers for making Saturdays the best day of the week for this group! Our Junior League, grades 3-5, and Senior League, grades 6-8, compete in the Burlington County Youth Field Hockey League. Practices begin in August with the help of many Cherokee field hockey players. In September, teams travel on Saturdays or Sundays to various fields within the Burlington County vicinity, participate in round robin game play, festival tournaments, and in-town game play. We also host an annual Columbus Day weekend of field hockey on Memorial Turf. Throughout this season, our program has supported "The Play for the Cure/Breast Cancer Awareness" and "The Wiley Food Bank" charity in Marlton. The girls continue to improve their skills at all levels of the game, while keeping the FUN in recreational field hockey! Thank you coaches for volunteering your time this season. And to all of our families, thank you for supporting Marlton Field Hockey! MSM

Winter 2014

A Leading Force in South Jersey and Worldwide

t is a sport with no scholarships â&#x20AC;&#x201D; there are no professional contracts, no scouts looking for potential clients. It is often overlooked and misunderstood. Ball, street or dek hockey is a game that is organized from the neighborhood to international levels. It is a sport that you play for the love of the game, for the camaraderie of your teammates. Marlton Street Hockey has been a leading force in South Jersey in the ball hockey arena for the last decade. With over 800 players in their winter program each season, they provide a venue for youngsters 4-19 to learn the game and cultivate their skills. For six young men, their participation in the Marlton program provided them with the fundamentals to secure a spot on the USA National Junior squad, five on the U18 and one on the U20. Denis Hickey, assistant captain, along with Mathew Tarzy, Brett Silver, Tim Richards and Tim Papagno, represented Marlton on the U18 squad, while Jonathon Tarzy was the lone U20 from Marlton to be selected. The American Street Hockey Institute (ASHI) is the governing body for Team USA Ball Hockey. The official worldwide governing body of the sport is the International Street and Ball Hockey Federation (ISBHF). The federation consists of 39 countries and recognizes hundreds of thousands of players playing in organized leagues throughout the world. The ISBHF holds the World Junior Championships every two years, with this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s event being held in Bratislava, Slovakia.

By Scott Tarzy

ASHI, Team USA sent two teams for the first time ever to the World Junior Ball Hockey Championships and were met head on by rough accommodations, a tougher draw for both squads in pool play followed by an even rougher assignment in the medal rounds. When the wheels left the ground from JFK, none of the players, coaches or staff could even imagine how the week long tournament would end. 4,325 miles later the U20 and U18 USA Ball Hockey Junior teams were in for an adventure they will surely never forget. A bus to JFK, a plane to Heathrow, a plane to Vienna and yet another bus to Bratislava and the two squads found themselves booked in a hotel that was literally right out of a movie script. Still, none of them knew what would transpire over the next week. The U18 team met the Slovaks, Czechs and Canadians in the first three pool play games and came out on the short end each time. Starting the tournament 0-3 was a bit of a wake up call for the young team and Coach Hickey. The Americans battled back and dominated the next two games earning the chance to play in the medal rounds. They met the Slovakian team in the semifinals and put up a battle but came up just short. The Canadians lost to the Czechs, and as fate would have it a North American battle for the bronze medal was set. continued on page 34.... Marlton Sports Magazine

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ICE HOCKEY

Making the Flyers Proud By Dubravka Cortese

or 12-year-old goaltender TJ Semptimphelter, his ice hockey world is about to get a lot bigger. TJ will soon be flexing his skills in the net when he represents the

Philadelphia Flyers at the International PeeWee Hockey Tournament in Quebec this February. He was one of only 18 kids, including just two goaltenders, chosen out of a field of 160 that tried out this summer for a coveted berth

on the team. TJ beat out 23 other goaltenders vying for the spot. More than 100 teams from all around the world will be competing in the tournament. Fortunately for TJ, he will have lots of friends joining him – 13 other players from Team Comcast also made the Flyers Pee Wee team. Tryouts at the Tier 1 level are held M/JIMMY/GINA/MATTHEW/MELLISSA/STEPHANIE/ROBERT/MARIA/JOHN according to birth year and, thus, it is a oneARISSA/FAITH/BOBBY/JUNE/HOPE/SOPHIA/JACOB/JASON/CARRIE/MARTHA/MARTY shot deal for making the pee wee team.

MARY/TOM/JIMMY/GINA/MATTHEW/MELLISSA/STEPHANIE/ROBERT/MARIA/JOHN Spring Into Action a Cure BOBBY/JUNE/HOPE/SOPHIA/JACOB/JASON/CARRIE/MARTHA/MARTY TJ, who has been playing ice hockey since he & JIMMY/GINA/MATTHEW/MELLISSA/STEPHANIE/ROBERT/MARIA/JOHN was six, has been a member of the AAA Team MARISSA/FAITH/BOBBY/JUNE/HOPE/SOPHIA/JACOB/JASON/CARRIE/MARTHA/MARTY ace Up Pediatric Cancer Comcast for the past three years. Before that Y/TOM/JIMMY/GINA/MATTHEW/MELLISSA/STEPHANIE/ROBERT/MARIA/JOHN he was at the Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees. One Goal...Curing Pediatric Cancer But he’s always been a goalie. BY/JUNE/HOPE/SOPHIA/JACOB/JASON/CARRIE/MARTHA/MARTY One Goal...Curing Pediatric Cancer

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TJ’s Team Comcast coach, Brian Boucher, knows a little about what it takes to be a successful hockey player, specifically as a goaltender. Boucher played goaltender for several seasons for the Flyers. “As a goaltender, what makes TJ so good is his ability to read a play well,” Boucher said. “Not every goaltender can do that. He has a knack for it. It’s not something you can teach. You just have it, or you don’t.” Boucher said he has seen the level of athleticism in youth ice hockey get better and better, particularly in the Tri-State area, which isn’t traditionally considered ice hockey country. “Our top-end players can compete with kids from any (historically strong hockey area). You see more kids being drafted from this area.” Team Comcast’s season runs from September to the end of February. The club competes against teams from all over the country in both league and non-league games. That Marlton Sports Magazine

Tj with his coach Brian Boucher

would be a tough schedule for any kid to handle, but TJ, a seventh grader at DeMasi Middle School, still managed to maintain straight A’s last year. DeMasi Principal Patrick Bree said TJ always has a smile on his face. “The balancing act in middle school is not an easy one,” Bree said. “Kids at this age are so busy with personal, social and school experiences, and TJ seems to have found the secret to success and happiness at this point in his young life.” TJ says he is proud to have made the Quebec team and is looking forward to the experience. “I am excited to live with a host family,” he said. “I want to learn about their culture.” TJ said he first started playing hockey “because my dad played. But as I got older, I came to love it.” But he has a level head about his future. “I hope to make it as a professional. But if that doesn’t work out, I can always turn to the academic side.” MSM Winter 2014

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Marlton Sports Magazine

Contributing photographers Will Stith, Melanie Snyder, Bill Rowe, Treena Reynolds and Praxi Bradford

Winter 2014

A Message from the Mayor

Staying Active this Winter By Randy Brown

inter can be an unbearable season between the various frozen precipitation, ice and bone-chilling temperatures, and the desire to remain active is significantly diminished. As an athlete who is the husband and father of athletes, I recognize the importance of health and wellness. In Evesham, we encourage our residents to get out and get active. The Marlton Recreation Council offers various indoor sports including basketball and volleyball to keep our kids warm in the winter. Recently, the Recreation Department released the 2015 Winter Program booklet on the township’s website, featuring activities for all

ages, all of which promotes physical activity at locations throughout the township. I’m proud to say we offer our residents an array of athletic and dynamic programs to maintain health and build athleticism. Just because it’s colder, doesn’t mean our lives become stagnant. Let’s take this time to get out there, try something new and get ourselves healthy. Evesham Township’s exceptional programs will help you go from cold and bored to active and fit. Stay warm this winter. Mayor Randy Brown

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Marlton Sports Magazine

GYMNASTICS

Paige Rhoads

Cherokee Chiefs Gymnastics #1 in Olympic Conference Team captain Kennedy Ilagan (Jr), co-captain Lauren Stevens (Jr), Sam Moreno (So) , Alexis Fearon (So) and Paige Rhoads (Fr) won a total of six Olympic Conference meets. Paige was the leading scorer for All Around averaging 36.5 to 37.0 total points per meet. Her strongest events: balance beam, earning 9.45 to 9.575 and vault, scoring a consistent 9.25 to 9.45 with her Yurchenko Pike. Kennedy was the team’s second highest AA scorer averaging 33 to 35 points with an impressive 9.45 and 9.25 floor scores in the last two meets and a strong showing on both bars and vault. The team competed on Oct. 29 for the Olympic Conference Championships. Cherokee High School hosted this epic tournament. The Chief Gymnasts are coached by head coach Brian Moore and assistant coach Meghan Mostoris. MSM

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CROSS COUNTRY

The Marlton Recreation Council’s (MRC) coed cross country team had another memorable season, with both the boys and girls winning their respective titles at the South Jersey Middle School Championship on Sept. 20 at Rowan College in Gloucester County. To top it off, it was the first time that the same team won both the boys and the girls titles.

The boys cross country team has been ranked No. 1 in South Jersey for the past three years in a row. And for the first time, the girls team is now also ranked No. 1 in South Jersey. The 1.62 mile highly competitive race was run against 23 other middle school teams from across South Jersey. MSM

Pictured back row, left to right: John Brodzik, Luke Wagner, Casey Bookwalter, Colin Wagner, Christian Jimenez, Aathi Anandan, Ethan Wechsler, Denny Kelly, Jameson Crozier, Malek Salem, Matteo Evola, Liam Duffy, Nathaniel Falk, Brett Shea, Evan Menditto, Ryan Vaiciunas, Dylan Odud, Nathan Donnelly, Shane Gallagher, Michael Gavio, Michael Moraschi, Dennis Golembiewski, Andrew Fluck and Robert Sinclair. Front row, left to right: Nicole Clifford, Kathryn Rathman, Suzanne Picciano, Ally Rathman, Gabriell Moraschi, Grace Kearns, Angela Anrnett, Bridget Lyons and Anne Skiles. Not pictured: Noelle Falzone, Megan Zeiler and Megan Correll.

Marlton Sports Magazine

So, You Are Interested in Local Martial Arts… By Coach Eric Sperrazza

any of us remember the martial arts boom of the late 1970s and into the 1980s. Seemingly out of nowhere, there was a karate school on every corner, and martial arts movies dominated the screens. Martial arts can provide fitness and self-defense training, build confidence, teach respect and teamwork and even open up a realm for a whole new kind of competition in amateur and professional circuits. The problem is that martial arts have become a business. No one has to be a “master” of any art to open up a shop and begin teaching, en masse, for your hard-earned tuition money. With the advent of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) on FOX, Spike and Pay-Per-View, all a person needs is to advertise a potpourri of combat sports under one roof to attract the common UFC fan. Following is a review of some of the best and reputable martial arts academies, right in our backyard. Wing Chun Kung Fu is the kind of Chinese martial art you would’ve watched growing up during the days of Kung Fu Theatre. It is a specific type of Kung Fu whose roots go back to the 1700s. The legend goes, a young woman named Yim Wing-chun, who was put into a situation that required her to fight for her freedom, was taught an amalgam of two very different styles of Kung Fu to compensate for her short stature and lack of physical muscle. Miraculously, that style served her well as she fought a local warlord for her independence Winter 2014

and won, thus having the style named after her. At Traditional Wing Chung Kung Fu Academy, on Church Road in Mount Laurel, under Master Keith Mazza, one can learn the disciplines, both physical and mental, of the art, and it all comes from a 40-Year Master of the Game. On Maple Avenue, in Marlton, lies the Aikido Kokikai Dojo of South Jersey. Aikido is an interesting Japanese art, as it is a “defense-

only style.” There is no punching or kicking involved, whatsoever. By using your opponent’s own momentum against them, through a series of grips, bends and throws, students learn the physical and spiritual mindset of neutralizing a physical altercation, while protecting your advisory of real harm. Aikido has been taught in every police academy in New Jersey for years. Kokikai is one of the few school systems in the United States whose lineage can be traced directly back to Japan. Finally, we come to my art of choice: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Jiu Jitsu, by and large, is a grappling martial art. The story goes, Mitsuyo Maeda, a master at Japanese Jiu Jitsu, decided to share his art with the world by traveling, country to country, doing seminars and combat sport challenges. Arriving in Brazil in 1914, a young Carlos Gracie saw a seminar of Maeda’s and was immediately intrigued. Training with his brothers, they began to perfect aspects of this ground-fighting style. Creating an alternate style of the art where fighting off your back is advantageous and using balance and technique to neutralize size and strength, the art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, or Gracie Jiu Jitsu, was born. The Gracies would hold tournaments to prove their martial arts dominance by inviting opponents of other masteries to come and compete. These tournaments would become what we know as UFC today. In fact, there isn’t an MMA competitor to step into the cage that doesn’t have Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as a cornerstone of their training. Located on Route 73 in Berlin, next to Ollie Gator’s Pub & Grille, is South Jersey Brazilian Jiu continued on next page....

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Jitsu Academy (SJBJJ). Under the association of Ricardo Almeida, a Renzo Gracie black belt and former UFC fighter, SJBJJ is owned and run by Professor Steve Bongiorno. Bongiorno, a black belt under Ricardo Almeida, has won national accolades in Jiu Jitsu competition. That is a spotlight on some great places to learn a style of thinking, body movement, defense and, above all, fitness. Remember to always do your research, beyond the sales pitch, on who is teaching classes and what foundation they have in what they are teaching, before you sign on the proverbial “dotted line.” Tuition for good training is never cheap and requires a personal commitment, as well as the financial aspect. But, it is worth every penny if it can bring you confidence, camaraderie and a healthier you. MSM Eric Sperrazza is a personal trainer and fitness class instructor in Marlton for many Cherokee High School athletes as well as local adults looking to lose weight, tone up and develop a newfound level of health. He is also the fitness coach at South Jersey Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and a competitor in amateur and professional grappling leagues. For more information, contact Sperrazza at bespartanfit@gmail.com.

e ” m o er H nd r u le o “Y wn to

....continued from page 24

A Leading Force in South Jersey and Worldwide

The U20 team took a little different approach, dominating the first five games of the pool play giving them a clear road to the gold medal game. However, a loss to the Slovaks put that in question, and a heartbreaking loss to the Canadians meant the U20 team fell out of the gold medal game but also set up a rematch versus the Canadians in the bronze medal game. So with little rest and a lot of heart both teams took to the task. The U18 team led the way with an early morning game. The game was hard fought, and in the end the U18 team saved their best for last blanking the Canadians 2-0 in the bronze medal game. The bronze medal game saw the Americans come out with a vengeance, and they were all over the Canadians from the outset. Team USA took a 1-0 lead into the third period on a goal from Scott Veneziale. Then late in the game, with the Canadians pressing, Steven Ersing ended the Canadians’ dreams by burying an insurance goal with less than two minutes to go. The U20 team was up next, and a scoreless first period was followed by a 1:1 second. The Americans had enough and opened the game up in the third with three goals in a four minute span. Canada tallied a late goal, but it was not enough, and the Americans took their second bronze of the day. GM Scott Tarzy, Coach Hickey and Coach Gregory all wished for more practice time to prepare, but with players coming from Buffalo, Boston, Pittsburgh and South Jersey, one day of practice as a team was all they were able to secure prior to the tournament. An amazing job by both teams to come together in such a short amount of time with a phenomenal result. As the U20s move forward to the mens division, the U18 players are looking forward to tryouts for the 2016 tournament that will be held in the US. Congratulations to the players. MSM

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Marlton Sports Magazine

VOLLEYBALL

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The kids that play for MRC and Cherokee have a lot of pride in the programs. There is something to be said about being part of a winning program your whole life. Even now I find myself looking at their scores and seeing if they are doing well. I helped out with the wresting program at Cherokee last year, and hope to help out again this year.

Q: How much of a role did your family play in your success as an athlete?

A: My two brothers and I are very competitive. We come from a

competitive sports family. My older brother, Ben, held the Cherokee wrestling win record prior to me breaking it. My dad was my wrestling coach since I was four and my football coach since I was seven. I always looked to him for advice. I wasn’t the type of kid that needed encouragement all the time. Rather, I wanted constructive criticism so I could get better. Looking back as an adult, I feel having my dad as my coach was a huge help for me. I probably wouldn’t have been able to get to where I was without him being so close to the situation, especially as a younger athlete.

Q: What is your fondest memory of playing at Cherokee? A: Winning states in wrestling was obviously a huge accomplishment

for me. That’s what I was shooting for the whole time in high school. I remember my brother was the first to greet me as I came off the mat. It was a nice time for my dad and mom as well. Playing football in Marlton has left me with lifelong friendships. It is such a team sport. I played with a lot of the kids in Marlton since I was little, and they are still some of my best friends.

Q: What words of advice do you have for today’s young athletes? A: Believe in yourself. Not everybody is going to tell you that you

will be the greatest or that you will make it, but if you stay the course and believe in yourself, good things will happen. I was told I was too short or too slow, but in the end it worked out. I was the player of the year for football in South Jersey but had no Division I offers in football. My dad and I believed I was good enough to play at that level. That’s why it was so important for me to get there any way I could, and once I was there, it was up to me to prove everybody right that believed in me. The driving force for me was to prove (the naysayers) wrong.

Q: What would you say to a high school athlete who is on the

fence about whether or not to pursue their sport at the college or professional level?

A: If they are unsure about pursuing it, then maybe they should pursue something else. But if it’s really their dream, they need to put in the work and the effort. You always have time to do other things after college. If you put in all the work to get to your dream and you fall short, it is not a huge let down. There are a lot of other opportunities in life that you can still pursue. MSM

Marlton Sports Magazine

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