NEPSAC News ®
NEW ENGLAND PREPARATORY SCHOOL ATHLETIC COUNCIL
Congratulations to the 2020 and 2021 NEPSAC Award Recipients
Dave Godin, Becky Calder, Tiz Mulligan, Brenda and Lee Roy
SPRING 2022
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NEPSAC News NEPSAC®
In this issue
New England Preparatory School Athletic Council President Martha Brousseau Greenwich Academy Vice-President Ryan Frost Cardigan Mountain School Secretary Rob Quinn Berwick Academy Treasurer Jim Smucker Berwick Academy Co-Directors of Championships Jamie Arsenault New Hampton School Bob Howe Deerfield Academy Lisa Joel Phillips Andover Academy Director of Classifications Mark Conroy Williston Northampton School Coordinator of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lamar Reddicks Milton Academy Past Presidents George Tahan Belmont Hill School Bob Howe Deerfield Academy Jamie Arsenault New Hampton School Mark Conroy Williston Northampton School Richard Muther St. Paul’s School Middle School Representatives Rob Feingold The Fay School Amber Kuntz Beaver Country Day School District I Representatives Stefan Jensen Hyde School Nan Hambrose Kents Hill School District II Representatives Tara Brisson Tilton School Jenna Simon Holderness School Ryan Frost Cardigan Mountain School District III Representatives Rob Quinn Berwick Academy Betsy Kennedy Pingree School Jen Viana Cushing Academy Rick Forestiere Thayer Academy District IV Representatives Geoff Barlow Avon Old Farms School Mike Marich The Frederick Gunn School Kati Eggert The Ethel Walker School Tim Joncas Westminster School Communications Specialist Laurie Sachs The Rivers School “NEPSAC” and the NEPSAC logo are registered trademarks of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council and may not be used or displayed without permission. New England Preparatory School Athletic Council qualifies as a public charity under Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3).
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NEPSAC presents awards at Spring Summit
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Proctor Alumni at the 2022 Beijing Olympics
hampion for Para C Athletes: Chutinant “Nick” Bhirombhakdi
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Fenn Coach Mark Bisco Remembered
A n Important Alumni Tradition Returns: Pond Hockey on Canaan Street Lake
Finding Balance: Stephany Coakley ’88
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In Conversation with Zenab Keita ’10
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Creating Goals: Johanna Neilson Boynton ’84
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oach’s Mental Health: When C Should Coaches Get Mental Health Support? Injured Athletes and Their Road to Recovery
Introducing Hamilton Stadium!
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Court Vision: Tarik Smith
Departments 4 Around NEPSAC
8 Laurels
46 #ICYMI
ON THE COVER: The NEPSAC award recipients. Photo by David C. Fricke.
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NEPSAC News | Spring 2022 | 3
AROUND NEPSAC
President’s Letter Martha Brousseau Greenwich Academy
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y the time you are reading this, spring will have officially arrived and with it weekends packed with events! As we get closer to May it feels like we are all riding one giant hamster wheel — load up with carbs so you can keep going! For all but our seniors and PGs, this marks the first time our student-athletes are experiencing a full season of competition and we are crossing every appendage that NEPSAC sponsored championships in golf, tennis, track & field, and water polo may go off without a hitch! To that point — please look for tournament application links on the NEPSAC website here: https://www.nepsac.org/page/3522.
Thanks to those of you who traveled to Andover for our Spring Summit! The din of conversation filled the space as we all got a chance to reconnect after a long absence of meeting in person. Once again, a big shout out to Lisa Joel and the team at Andover for welcoming us! And much gratitude goes to Laurie Sachs, Jim Smucker and Ryan Frost for their work behind the curtain. For those of you who were unable to attend here is what you missed: » The Martin William Souders Memorial Award was given to two worthy recipients: Phillips Academy Andover graduate Becky Dowling-Calder and, posthumously, to Travis Roy of North Yarmouth Academy and Tabor Academy. » The Distinguished Service Award was also bestowed upon two deserving recipients: Dave Godin of Suffield Academy and Tiz Mulligan of the Kent School and Westover School.
» Keynote from Schuyler Bailar who shared his story as a transgender athlete. » Ongoing work from the Executive Board • Monitoring rules of play – determining if we are competing by rules of play that provide the greatest level of equity and inclusion for our students • All NEPSAC recognition – creating clarity and consistency • Coaching Association Handbook – “go to” document year to year • Sport By-Laws – handy-dandy reference for all sports: governing structure, rules of play, tournament rules etc • NEPSAC handbook - reviewing its organization and language As I shared earlier, this time of year marks a mad dash to the finish line as our campuses prep for a myriad of events — reunions, benefits, honors and awards, and, of course, commencement. As you are out supporting your teams this spring spend a moment to take it all in — a fall spent checking and rechecking Covid protocols, a winter waiting for another potential wave that did not come to shore and now spring — b r e a t h e! And enjoy!
» NEPSAC’s new Gender Identity and Expression Statement was shared. This was an important revision of the previous Transgender Statement which fell short of recognizing all of our students in both language and practice. » Breakout sessions tailored to Athletic Trainers, New Athletic Directors, Middle School Athletic Directors and those interested in sharing DEIJ work in athletics.
SPRING SUMMIT | VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS • 2022 NEPSAC Spring Summit Welcome & State of NEPSAC: https://vimeo.com/702162557 • 2020 & 2021 NEPSAC Awards: https://vimeo.com/702161112 • Keynote Presentation: available for a limited time by logging into the NEPSAC website • Event photo gallery: https://phillipsacademy.smugmug.com/ Athletics/2021-2022/NEPSAC-Spring-Summit/NEPSAC-SpringSummit/
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AROUND NEPSAC
TREASURER’S REPORT Online Payments and Coaches’ Associations by Jim Smucker, Berwick Academy, NEPSAC Treasurer
BERKSHIRE SCHOOL | SHEFFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS
Berkshire Hosts Top-Ranked Women Squash Players by Michael Hayes
Thank you for your continued support and efforts this winter season. NEPSAC is very appreciative of the support and hospitality that Phillips Andover Academy provided this April for our Spring Summit. It was evident that athletic directors and athletic trainers enjoyed connecting with each other in person as they collaborated discussing important topics. Thank you to Lisa Joel and her staff for their efforts to provide our membership with an outstanding venue!
DUES
Beginning on July 1, 2022 all NEPSAC, District and Coaches Associations dues will be available to be paid on online and all dues need to be paid by October 15th. » For the first time in five years the Board is discussing having a dues increase for the 2022-2023 season to help offset some of our financial needs. We will keep you informed once a decision is made. Reminders/Tips for making payments online: » To be most efficient it is important that schools only create one account when making their payments. If you don’t remember your login information, simply click on the “Forgot your username or password?” link to enter your email address to receive instructions to reset your password. Remember to check your spam/junk folder for these instruction emails. » Please be aware that there is a processing fee to off-set our cost with every online transaction. We are not able to refund processing fees, so please be diligent about this process and your record keeping. » How To View Your Account. If you already have a Username and Password, go to ‘View My Account’ and enter your credentials to log in. After logging in, you will have access to ‘Payment History”. Use the available filters to view ALL of them or choose any date range or period.
Amanda Sobhy (World Rank No. 3, U.S. Rank No. 1) plays with senior Kiro Manoharan ’22.
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merican squash players Amanda Sobhy and Olivia Fiechter impressed a large crowd of Berkshire students over the weekend during an exhibition match at the Soffer Athletic Center. Sobhy, currently ranked No. 1 in the U.S. and the third best player in the world, and Fiechter, ranked No. 3 in the U.S. and No. 13 in the world, were invited to campus by Berkshire Squash Ambassador Nick Matthew, who also served as emcee of the event. Prior to the exhibition, Sobhy and Fiechter hosted a Women’s Athletics Wellness Forum where the spoke about the transition between high school, college, and pro-level athletics. The pair covered topics such as mental, emotional, and physical health, as well as social media, nutrition, and body image. Several members of Berkshire’s varsity squash teams, which work closely with the former World. No. 1 Matthew, were able to play against the game’s top-female athletes.
NEPSAC Online Directory: 2021-2022 and NEPSAC By-Law Policy Handbook
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Please continue to update your school information in the online directory with any changes that you might have. This has been a much more efficient system and will allow schools to keep information more accurate. Look for reminders as we move forward. Contact Laurie Sachs communications@nepsac.org if you have any questions.
Olivia Fiechter (World Rank No. 13, U.S. Rank No. 3) was joined by varsity squash player Randy Guzman ’24.
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Last edited: 9/15/202
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NEPSAC News | Spring 2022 | 5
AROUND NEPSAC
NEPSAC is 80 Years Young!
Where did the time go?
Left: Boston Globe, April 14, 1942 Right: Boston Globe, April 15, 1942
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NEPSAC News | Spring 2022 | 7
BELMONT HILL SCHOOL | BELMONT, MASSACHUSETTS
With Generous Gift from Alumnus, Belmont Hill Basketball Court Now Named “Ted Martellini Court”
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n the frigid morning of January 3, 2022, the Belmont Hill School community gathered for a special School Meeting that was held outdoors for safety precautions. Greg Schneider, Ronald M. Druker ’62 Head of School, announced that he was eager to share news of “incredible Belmont Hill spirit” to kick things off for the semester. Mr. Schneider explained that Josh Isner ’04 had recently given two spectacular gifts to Belmont Hill. The first was in honor of his mother, Linda Hajjar Isner, who served as a Belmont Hill Parents’ Council president. In a wonderful tribute, Mr. Isner would be naming the Director of Parent Engagement Office in the Jordan Athletic Center in her name. The second gift was directed toward a member of the audience, who had no idea what was coming. Mr. Isner, who managed the varsity basketball team while Ted Martellini coached, had gifted the School with the naming of Ted Martellini Court. A visibly touched Mr. Martellini appeared both overjoyed and shocked. “I had no idea this was coming, and I am both deeply humbled and honored by Josh’s kindness,” he explained. “Josh was a remarkable student, an incredible manager, and an even better person. I am overwhelmed by this honor, and very, very grateful.” During his 14 years as varsity basketball coach, Mr. Martellini compiled a record of 205125. He has sent many players on to the collegiate level, and was widely known for getting the most out of his players. “While the achievements were wonderful, they are surpassed only by the stories,”
Greg Schneider, Ted Martellini, and George Tahan on the new Ted Martellini Court in the Fritz Gymnasium at Belmont Hill.
Mr. Schneider said. “At the heart of his coaching stories are relationships that changed lives. He has held boys accountable and watched them routinely accomplish feats that they themselves did not think were possible.” Mr. Martellini, a prolific teacher of math, has touched the lives of hundreds and hundreds of boys. His warmth, wisdom, and at times biting humor have always made him a favorite among students. The loud and prolonged ovation he received when the announcement of the court’s naming was made is a testament to his popularity
among the Belmont Hill community. Mr. Isner believes that during his years at Belmont Hill, Mr. Martellini exhibited as much energy and passion on the basketball court as he did in the classroom. “He is the model teachercoach,” he says. “While I’m not sure my calculus has withstood the test of time, the leadership and team-building lessons I learned on that court were foundational to my career. My family and I are so grateful for the opportunity to recognize Coach Martellini in this manner.”
Got news to share with other NEPSAC schools? Send the details to communications@nepsac.org and we’ll put it in the next issue.
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AROUND NEPSAC FENN SCHOOL| CONCORD, MASSACHUSETTS
Mark Biscoe H’95 Honored at 41st Annual Basketball Tournament; Varsity Team Wins Finals
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n Saturday, February 5, the 41st annual Fenn Basketball Tournament took the court bearing its new name — The Mark W. Biscoe H’95 Basketball Tournament — in honor of long-time Fenn School basketball coach, teacher, and administrator Mark Biscoe. At the halfway point of the tournament that Mark himself established decades ago, the late Fenn legend was honored with a ceremony celebrating his passion for and accomplishments in the sport, as well as the singular impact he had on Fenn’s basketball program, the School, and its generations of students and faculty/staff. Jane Biscoe, Mark’s wife, along with her children Mark Jr. ’74 and Kate, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren, were in attendance for the special event, relishing the remarks shared by Head of School Derek Boonisar, Fenn Athletic Director Bob Starensier, and Brian Davidson ’89, Alumni Council President. (Son Andy Biscoe ’79 was unable to attend.) Davidson, who played for Coach Biscoe, reminded the gathering of Fenn friends that a Mark W. Biscoe H’95 & Jane E. Biscoe Scholarship Fund had been created in 2021 to afford talented boys of all means the opportunity to attend Fenn. He also was thrilled to report that the Fund had raised more than $140,000 in contributions to that point, spurred on by alumni challenges that helped to exceed early goals established for the Fund. The Biscoe family members in attendance expressed their sincere gratitude for the outpouring of support and thoughtfulness from the alumni, alumni parents, current and former faculty/staff, and friends who had contributed. “Forming this scholarship was a way to showcase the decades of love and support Mark and Jane gave to the Fenn students,” Davidson remarked during his update. Equally lasting tributes to Mark came in the form of new installations in the New Gym that were then revealed to the family. A handcarved wooden plaque created by former Fenn Wood Shop teacher and staff member Jon Schmalenberger is now displayed near the entrance to the New Gym; two new wooden benches bearing plaques inscribed with Mark’s name sit at the home team sideline; and an imprint of Coach Biscoe graces the gym floor alongside them.
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As the Biscoe family walked off the court following photos with the new installations, it was clear that Coach Biscoe was present in more than one way. “Dad couldn’t have drawn it up any better for the finals to be Fenn taking on Fay,” Mark, Jr. said just before the two teams took the court. This was a historic rivalry that Coach Biscoe had relished for more than 35 years. With the ceremony complete, the Fay and Fenn varsity teams jogged onto the court to begin their warm-ups in the tournament finals. Fenn had taken care of business against Lexington Christian Academy, winning handily in their opening round matchup. Fay battled against Buckingham, Browne & Nichols in the opening round and fought hard to narrowly come away with a win. Fay had won the last three tournament finals over Fenn, with the last one played in February 2020 before the 2021 tournament was canceled due to COVID. From the tip-off until the final buzzer, Fenn remained in firm control of the game and would not let up. Ninth-grader Will O’Brien finished with 17 points to lead all scorers, while ninthgrader Liam Ferrick pumped in 16 points and 14 rebounds and eighth-grader Tyler Wells added 14 points of his own. Ninth-grader Lucas DosSantos
led the defensive end, posting four steals in three minutes that resulted in a 26-2 run in the second half. When all was said and done, and the clock read 0:00, Fenn came away with a 72-25 victory over its rival to win its 14th tournament championship game. “Mark loved this tournament; it was always the high point of our winter,” Fenn Athletic Director Bob Starensier remarked. “He would be so proud of the performance and sportsmanship of our Fenn team today.” With his family looking on as the Fenn boys raised the championship trophy, it was clear that Mark’s influence and impact would be everpresent in Fenn’s Basketball program (and across the campus) for decades to come. Read a remembrance of Mark Biscoe on page 27.
NEPSAC News | Spring 2022 | 9
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Dave Godin, Becky Calder, Tiz Mulligan, Brenda and Lee Roy.
NEPSAC presents Souders and Distinguished Service awards at Spring Summit by Bob York | photos by David C. Fricke/Phillips Academy Andover
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EPSAC presented its annual awards at the Spring Summit held at Phillips Andover Academy. The Martin William Souders Memorial Award is named for NEPSAC’s first president and honors a graduate of a New England independent school who made a distinguished record in sports and who has since made a distinguished record in life through high ideals, leadership and accomplishments. The Distinguished Service Award is given to an individual who has contributed significantly to New England Independent School Athletics and Physical Education through enthusiasm, dedication, leadership and vision. The 2021 Souders Award was given posthumously to Travis Roy, and accepted by his parents, Lee and Brenda Roy. NEPSAC presented its 2021 Distinguished Service Award to Lizanne “Tiz” Sutherland Mulligan, former Westover School athletic director, Kent School coach, and long-time NEPSAC board member. Due to COVID, NEPSAC was forced to cancel its 2020 meeting and thus postponed that awards ceremony until this year. The 2020 Souders Award winner was Commander Rebecca Dowling Calder, USNR. David Godin, a former athletic director at Suffield Academy, was presented with the 2020 Distinguished Service Award.
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MARTIN WILLIAM SOUDERS MEMORIAL AWARD 2021 Travis Roy, North Yarmouth Academy ’94, Tabor Academy ’95 2020 Commander Rebecca Dowling Calder, Phillips Academy Andover ’94
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD 2021 Tiz Mulligan, Kent School ’76, Westover School 2020 Dave Godin, Suffield Academy
NEPSAC News | Spring 2022 | 11
Travis Roy
2021 Martin William Souders Memorial Award
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ockey rinks have long been akin to a second home for Lee Roy. He’s played in them, coached in them, worked in them. And, as for the latter, like long-time friend and associate and former North Yarmouth Academy boys’ hockey coach Kevin Potter attested, “He taught me how to drive a Zamboni!” Despite Lee’s adaptability, however, his strong suit in the icehouse was definitely that as a player. The Denmark, Me., native made that an undisputable fact during a four-year (1964-68) career at the University of Vermont, where he became the first player in school history to surpass the 100-point mark in career scoring and later (1990) earned an invite into the school’s Hall of Fame for his efforts. In 1972, he reentered the world of hockey by founding the Greater Portland Youth Hockey Association and spent the next 29 years — 1972 to 2001 — helping mentor the youth hockey ranks. During his tenure as a tutor Roy created some rules he aspired his charges to live by. One of his primary instructions being: when you get knocked down, get back up. On the night of Oct. 20, 1995, however, Lee’s son, Travis, broke his father’s rule. He got knocked down but didn’t get up. He couldn’t get up. Just 11 seconds into his first shift ever for Boston University, the former Tabor Academy and North Yarmouth Academy standout lost his balance while attempting to check an opponent and slammed head first into the boards, fracturing his fourth and fifth cervical and leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. In an instant, 20 years of passion to compete was now behind him. It was a passion that — as everyone knows by now — would be replaced by 20 years of purpose: to help others like himself, whose bodies were broken and immobile. He turned something heartbreaking into something heartwarming, however, by launching the Travis Roy Foundation just a year after his accident. And for that commitment to help others right up until his death on Oct. 29, 2020, the New England Prep School Athletic Council highlighted its Spring Summit on April 12 at Phillips Academy Andover by naming Roy the recipient of its 2021-2022 Martin William Souders Memorial Award. This prestigious award, which was presented to Roy’s parents — Lee and Brenda — is annually given to a person who has portrayed the same characteristics of leadership, vision, high ideals and accomplishments that Souders, NEPSAC’s first president, did as a private school educator. The Travis Roy Foundation’s goal spoke to those traits as it was established to help spinal cord injury survivors live more independent and hopeful lives by increasing awareness and funding for such injuries and provide assistance for those who have suffered similar injuries. To that end, over the past quarter century the foundation has raised and distributed more than $9 million for medical equipment such as wheelchair ramps and voice-activated computers to more than 2,100 spinal cord injury survivors, as well as more than $5.6 million in funding research for a cure for paralysis. “You couldn’t help but nominate someone like Travis Roy for this (Souders) award,” said St. Paul’s School athletic director Dick
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Dick Muther (St. Paul’s School) nominated Travis Roy for the Souders Award; Brenda and Lee Roy accepted on Travis’s behalf.
Muther, who submitted Roy’s name for nomination. “Travis portrayed the very same characteristics of leadership, vision, high ideals and accomplishments that is etched on the Souders Award and therefor, I, and a lot of other people as well, felt he was a perfect fit.” Although Muther has been heading up the St. Paul’s athletic department for the past seven years, he was on the Tabor faculty during Roy’s two-year stay there (1993–95) and got to know him quite well. “I was Travis’s advisor as well as his soccer coach during his two years at Tabor,” explained Muther. “He was just an outstanding young man with great character who came from an outstanding family. He was a very good student and a tremendous athlete who was a standout in three sports … soccer, hockey and golf. “Most importantly, however, Travis was a friend to all,” added Muther. “He was always the best athlete on the team but he always made the people around him feel comfortable no matter how good an athlete they were. I’ll always remember his ability to connect with people … to bring people together, whether it was in the classroom or in the athletic arena, he just had a knack for it.” “Following the accident and his life as a quadriplegic, Travis became an inspiration to many,” continued Muther, “He never let his paralysis get him down or slow him down. He founded the Travis Roy Foundation to give hope and independence in helping spinal cord injury survivors and helping fund research for a cure. It was truly a phenomenal effort by him and by everyone involved.” Albie O’Connell, the head coach of the BU men’s hockey team, was a teammate of Roy’s their freshman year and he remembers the two going through the recruiting process together and participating in the traditional “Midnight Madness” first practice session in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Walter Brown Arena. “That was the start of it and I remember the excitement of going into that first game … Travis was just so excited to get going and
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succeeding on the ice, he simply wouldn’t embark on a college career,” said O’Connell I LIKE TO SAY THE be denied. during an interview with Ryan Kennedy of “Travis was very dedicated, too,” said The Hockey News. “After the game, it was FIRST 20 YEARS I HAD Pratt. “I can remember many a Friday night a pretty horrible message that coach (Jack) A LIFE THAT WAS FULL when most kids would be out socializing with Parker had to deliver. It was a tough hand one another and there would be Travis, down Travis got dealt, but he played it well.” OF PASSION AND THE at the rink, shooting pucks all by himself. As the Terriers head coach, O’Connell As for being named the winner of was in a position to see how much Roy LAST 20 I’VE HAD A this year’s Souders Award, Pratt felt his continued to impact the lives of those former charge was well deserving of the connected with the team despite his injury. LIFE FULL OF PURPOSE presentation. “Travis always exemplified “Travis was always connected, no TRAVIS ROY everything that NEPSAC stands for.” matter if it was incoming players or guys By the time Roy got to Tabor, finding him from the early years, “ O’Connell told down at the rink and working out by himself Kennedy. “His bond with Coach Parker at night was certainly nothing new. He spent his sophomore and junior and his message really energized the entire program from guys years at North Yarmouth Academy doing the same thing. At North who were 65, 70 years old, to incoming freshmen. Yarmouth, however, he never had to track down the keys; his father “He was a character kid, came from a great family and had had them. He just happened to be the manager of the school’s rink. really strong values,” added O’Connell. “He was proud to be a part “You’d find Travis down there all the time,” remembers Kevin of BU. It doesn’t matter if you’re Travis, who played 11 seconds, or Potter, the NYA boys’ hockey coach, who took Roy under his wing a guy who was an NHL star or a student manager … if you’re part at the NEPSAC level for his sophomore and junior seasons. “You of the program, everyone is the same. You’re rooting for each other came to expect to see him there, however, because he had so and I know everyone was always rooting for Travis.” much passion, dedication and energy for the game. The summer prior to Roy entering seventh grade, a counselor “Even during his rookie season on the prep school level, you could at a hockey camp he was attending asked the players to make a see he was going to be a good one,” added Potter of Roy, who finished list of their hockey goals. In his autobiography, “Eleven Seconds,” second in team scoring as a sophomore then led the Panthers in Roy said, “There were 10 or 15 steps to the list. At the bottom I scoring his junior season. “First of all, Travis was smart … he knew wrote that I wanted to play for a Division I college team, then in the the game and always knew where to be on the ice. Secondly, he was American Hockey League, then for the U.S. Olympic team, then in simply an outstanding skater with tremendous hands and all those the National Hockey League.” factors led to him being such a consistent scorer.” In hopes of achieving any or all of the last four goals on that Although Potter landed Roy for this sophomore season, it lofty list, Roy knew it would take a great deal of hard work – and a wasn’t soon enough as far as the Panthers coach was concerned. change of scenery. He knew it would require competing at a higher “We always played a game with our public school rival North level of play than what he had faced his freshman year at North Yarmouth High School,” explained Potter and I’ll never forget our Yarmouth (Me.) High School. So, he opted for the NEPSAC ranks, game Travis’s freshman year. We played on the A level, while the transferring to cross-town rival North Yarmouth Academy for his high school played a B level schedule, so there was a good deal of sophomore and junior years, then to Tabor for a repeat junior year pressure on us to win those rivalry games. Well, I can’t remember and senior season. the final score, but I do remember Travis beating us on a goal right “During Travis’s two years at Tabor, he established himself as at the final buzzer. Needless to say, I was happy to have him on our one of the truly outstanding players in New England prep school roster the next two years.” hockey,” said Tim Pratt, Tabor’s head coach at the time. “And who Once Roy reached the collegiate level, despite their lack of knows what he might have accomplished as far as those goals time together, he and Jack Parker, his coach at BU, struck up a he had set for himself. All I know is he accomplished his goal of lasting friendship, plus there was an amount of respect that playing on a Division I college hockey team. He was one of six developed for Roy on Parker’s behalf that can’t be overstated. freshmen to suit up and start on opening night for a defending “After spending 40 years as the head coach at Boston national champion. Now, that’s some pretty good stuff. And from University, I’d have a tough time picking an all-star team,” what I saw, he was always able to lift his game and play at the next admitted Parker during a YouTube interview, “but I wouldn’t have level, so like I said … who knows. any trouble picking out my hero, and that would be Travis Roy. He “And one other thing,” Pratt quickly added of Roy, who was the probably would have been an NHLer, but he got hurt on his very Seawolves’ leading scorer both seasons he played for them, “he first shift. To this day, he’s my favorite player … he played only 11 always set his standards high … the gold standards we’d refer to seconds … but he’s my hero. them as … but he’d inevitably meet those standards. “I don’t think anyone has faced as much adversity as Travis “Looking back, you could tell Travis was the son of a coach right did… at least no one that I know of … and emerged being a hero from the very first day of practice,” continued Pratt. “He was smart the way Travis did. It’s just an unbelievable story.” … he knew the game inside and out and could play both ends of the Following his death, Parker eulogized Roy by saying in a rink. He was an outstanding skater and had tremendous hands Boston Globe article: “He did more for people in his 25 years in a when it came to shooting or passing. I think what really set him wheelchair than if he’d been a 20-year NHLer.” apart, though, was his level of competitiveness. When it came to
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NEPSAC News | Spring 2022 | 13
Lizanne “Tiz” Sutherland Mulligan
2021 Distinguished Service Award
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t looks as though Tiz Mulligan got an early start in preparing a resume that would ultimately allow her to walk off with this year’s NEPSAC Distinguished Service Award. And it all began back in her days as a student/athlete at Kent School, back in the fall of 1973. “As a student/athlete at Kent, I can remember that whenever I felt I saw some inequities in the way the boys and girls athletic programs were being handled … whenever I felt as though the girls practices weren’t being treated the same as the boys or if we didn’t seem to be getting as much competition as the boys or as equal competition as the boys, I just felt it was my obligation to go speak with the administration. Sometimes it helped … sometimes it didn’t,” quipped Mulligan. “Either way, it proved to be good experience for me, plus I just felt it was the right thing to do.” And maybe that might have something to do with the fact, as she later admitted, “I always knew I wanted to be an athletic director or a coach … or both.” So there you have it, a sneak peek at a teenage athlete who would go on to become a pioneer as far as female athletic administrators and coaches are concerned and who admitted to “being incredibly honored and humbled by being recognized with this award.” And once she was named athletic director at Westover School — an all-girls school located in Middlebury, Conn. — in 2010, Mulligan wasted little time in affording her student/athletes with new opportunities, much the same as she had encountered nearly three decades prior. “In addition to the typical athletic programs we offered at Westover, I also added competitive programs in cross country, swimming, golf and rowing,” explained Mulligan, who coached field hockey and rowing at the school. And her timing proved to be impeccable, as her initial cross-country program captured a New England championship. “Looking back, I’m very proud of having expanded our athletic lineup at Westover,” said Mulligan. “It not only gave our student/ athletes more opportunity to compete, and compete quite well, I may add. The best part, though, in my opinion, was that many of those athletes went on to compete on the collegiate level and nine of them were elected captains by their teammates and having been associated with that type of athlete and knowing you helped give them an opportunity to compete and thrive on the collegiate level is something that’s got to make you feel good. “I’m also incredibly proud that three of my former female assistants went on to become athletic directors,” added Mulligan. “Moving these women forward was highly rewarding.” When Mulligan broke into NEPSAC as a District IV officer in 2007, there weren’t many women serving on the board and its committees but like everything else, she took the scarcity in stride and moved on. “To be honest, I never thought too much about it at the time,” said Mulligan of the lack of women serving as board members.
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Tiz Mulligan (right) with Cortney Duncan (Kent School) who nominated her for the Distinguished Service Award.
Back then I can remember four other women who were serving in NEPSAC. There was Kathy Noble (Loomis Chaffee), who served as a role model to me, as well as Kate Turner (Brewster Academy) for her dedication and service to NEPSAC. The other two were Sue Gardner (Gould Academy) and Bert McLain (Governor’s Academy), who were both on the board when I started and were formidable women in their own right.” One person who remembers Mulligan’s presence fondly is none other than Martha Brousseau, the AD at Greenwich Academy and the current NEPSAC president. “Tiz served as a role model in NEPSAC’s District IV and later when joining the NEPSAC Executive Board,” said Brousseau. “At the time, there were just a couple of other women on the board, one of whom rotated off, while the other retired the same year that Tiz did. “Currently, there are six women serving on the Executive Board and I would like to think that Tiz’s positive example inspired these colleagues to get involved. For me, Tiz’s professionalism, wisdom and kindness made for a welcoming environment both at the District and Board level. “Tiz served in on the more thankless roles such as co-director of Championships,” Brousseau continued, “which meant she was the one telling a school that their team did not make the postseason, or that they would have to travel two hours and 45 minutes to a neutral site, even if they were the higher seed. Still, I can’t ever remember anyone voicing a complaint about Tiz, which speaks to her skillfulness in that role. “Now that Tiz has retired, I don’t see her much but I do, for certain, miss seeing her at meetings,” said Brousseau. “She was the face I searched for in a crowd as I knew she would provide reassurance, a laugh and much-needed advice.”
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Tiz and co-coach Robin Walcott took the Following Mulligan’s graduation from I JUST FELT IT WAS field hockey team on a trip to England Ursinus College, during which time she and Holland, which marked the first time stepped away from the athletic arena, she MY OBLIGATION TO a Kent girls team had ever competed returned to Kent in 1980 and took on a full GO SPEAK WITH THE overseas.” regimen of coaching duties: field hockey, Wrapping up Mulligan’s trifecta on basketball lacrosse and squash. ADMINISTRATION. prep school sports finds her as a member “Oddly enough, I was originally hired of the Kent School Athletic Hall of Fame, to coach rowing,” remembers Mulligan, SOMETIMES IT HELPED which is a tip of the cap to her athletic “but is so often the case in prep school skills – and they were numerous. While athletics, somebody else got that job.” … SOMETIMES IT DIDN’T her favorite sport was rowing, her best “In an effort to broaden athletic TIZ MULLIGAN sport was basketball. In fact, during her opportunities once she returned to Kent, senior season, Mulligan set a singleTiz helped found the Western New England season scoring record as the team captain Preparatory School Girls Basketball and team MVP led the Lions to a 14-1 record which at that time, Association, which was founded prior to the existence of the girls was the most wins a Kent girls basketball team had ever recorded. New England championships,” said Cortney Duncan, the current In softball, meanwhile, she was the Lions’ No. 1 pitcher and, as athletic director at Kent, “and then she coached her teams to was the case in basketball, was the team captain and MVP. association titles in both 1985 and 1986. In 1983, meanwhile,
Commander Rebecca Dowling Calder, USNR 2020 Martin William Souders Memorial Award
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ecky Calder made history in 2004 when she became the first woman to ever graduate from the United States Navy’s Fighter Weapons School, an elite program more commonly known as Top Gun. The distinction of being first was strictly secondary in her mind, however. The response by the 2021 Souders Award winner in a Capital Gazette article following her graduation saying: “I might have been the first woman pilot to go to Top Gun, but most importantly, I won’t be the last,” clearly exhibits her pride truly resides in being a trailblazer for future female fighter pilots — and she puts her alma mater squarely in the crosshairs of that thinking process. “The biggest impact Andover had on me in preparing for a life of flying F-18s in the military, during the war and now as a reservist was the emphasis and importance of “Non-sibi,” Calder said of the Latin phrase that means “Not for self,” and also serves as Andover’s motto. “This is engrained in everything I’ve done and continue to do today.” Non-sibi didn’t disappear once Calder entered the athletic arena, either, where the three-sport standout — basketball, soccer and softball — ranks as one of the best female athletes to ever suit up for The Big Blue. “Everything I accomplished on the court at Andover was due to my teammates and coaches,” said the 12-letter winner, who still owns the school career scoring mark in girls’ basketball and helped lead Big Blue to four straight New England hoop titles. “We worked so hard every season and those four years of playing in Memorial Gym taught me the importance of teamwork and grit and never giving up which have served me well far beyond the confines of the court.”
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Becky Dowling Calder with her nominator Lisa Joel (Phillips Academy Andover).
“People who get the Souders Award are people who serve others and that certainly defines Becky,” said long-time friend Lisa Joel, Andover’s athletic director. “She’s the most humble person I’ve ever met … zero ego … she was always about her team and her teammates. She was never about herself. “Becky always had an inherent drive for and a joy of competing,” added Joel, who came to Andover during Calder’s senior year and helped coach all three sports she played. “She was at the core
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field and on the court and was constantly of the success all three of those teams THOSE FOUR YEARS OF challenged to go above and beyond what I enjoyed that year … everything she did thought I was capable of. As I look back on was gold.” PLAYING IN MEMORIAL those high school years, I can see clearly It was her love of basketball, in fact, GYM TAUGHT ME how they were so perfectly preparing me that primarily led her to the Naval Academy. for what was to come. You are challenged “To be honest, the only reason why I THE IMPORTANCE OF mentally and physically every day of your went there was because of basketball,” Plebe year at the Naval Academy and I was admitted Calder, whose career at Andover TEAMWORK AND GRIT… ready for it. earned her invites into the New England “Individually, without a doubt, Karen Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004 and WHICH HAVE SERVED Kennedy had the most impact on me as the Andover Athletics Hall of Fame in ME WELL FAR BEYOND a coach at Andover,” Calder continued. 2008. “They recruited me to play and I’m “She taught us, coached us, challenged us, never one to shy away from a challenge,” THE CONFINES OF THE raised us, fed us and loved us like her own. she added of a Navy career that saw the She never let us settle and I will be forever academy retire her number in 2014. COURT in debt for the time, effort and love she The retirement was well deserved. gave me during my four years at Andover. In just her freshman year alone, Dowling BECKY CALDER “A teacher who made a lasting Calder earned Patriot League Rookie impression on me and helped shape of the Year and second-team All-Patriot my educational career was Lou Bernieri. League laurels. Then, as a junior and He was one of my English teachers and helped me find my love senior, she chalked up first-team league honors. She was named for writing. I became an English major at the Naval Academy team MVP both as a junior and senior and served as captain her and writing and journaling became an outlet for me during my final two seasons at the academy. Her senior season also saw her deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq. receive the Vice Adm. Lawrence Sword Award for Women, which “I had so many people that believed in me, guided me and is presented to the woman of the academy’s graduating class helped me throughout my Andover journey,” added Calder, “but a declared to have personally excelled in athletics during her years lot of love and patience came from Kathy Birecky, Leon Modeste of varsity competition. and Lisa Joel and I’m so grateful.” Calder finished her career with the Midshipmen ranked Attending Top Gun became a target of Calder’s following her among the Top 10 in 14 statistical categories including firsts in first combat deployment. She had faced a situation in combat rebounds, steals and minutes played as well as fifth in points with where American soldiers were taking fire and she admitted she 1,470. In the classroom, meanwhile, she posted a 3.8 GPA as an didn’t feel comfortable with the tactics she had learned, “and I English major. knew then that I wanted to make sure no one else felt like I did Ironically, Calder was on the basketball court when the vision and the only way to do that was to go to Top Gun and become a of becoming a fighter pilot first popped into her head. tactics instructor. “ There is an application process for Top Gun, so “I was practicing in Halsey Fieldhouse one day during my junior when it was her time, she applied and was accepted. year and the Deputy Commandant of Midshipmen … the number Turns out, although Calder was the first female pilot to graduate three person in charge of all the midshipmen … comes by to shoot from Top Gun, she wasn’t the first woman to do so. That distinction around with us,” explained Calder. “He mentioned to me that day belongs to a Navy flight officer named Elizabeth “Spike” Malecha, that I would make a kick-ass F-18 pilot. who went through Top Gun in 2001, three years prior, “so the actual “That stuck with me because the combat exclusion or ‘risk rule’ pressure of being the first female wasn’t there,” said Calder. had just recently been rescinded, which allowed women to fly in “Being the first female pilot, however, I knew I had a spotlight combat squadrons,” she added. “He saw something in me that I on everything I did, but was able to push all that aside and focus didn’t even know was there, because it hadn’t even been possible on what mattered … planning, briefing, flying and debriefing each when I started school there.” flight … doing my very best in every aspect of the course and As for her decision to take the road less traveled by choosing graduating from the program. to attend a military academy, Calder explained that the choice “I had great instructors and Top Gun classmates and gender wasn’t all that difficult to make and that the military lifestyle wasn’t was never an issue,” added Calder. “The jet doesn’t care about all that different than what she had become accustomed to. gender … it cares about skill and precision and that comes from In fact, she pointed out a number of similarities she saw hard work. To date, I believe there have been 21 females who have between Andover and the Naval Academy. One of those likenesses graduated from Top Gun and I am so proud of them. I may have was that she had already spent four years away from home during been the first female pilot, but I am far from the last and my hope is her high school years at Andover and the challenge of being a that more women will choose tactical aviation as their career path.” freshman — or Plebe as they are known at the Naval Academy— Fighter pilots are called upon to do a lot of difficult things and being responsible for one’s schedule and school work was but according to most, landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier – nothing new for her. especially at night – is right there at the top of their to-do list. And “At Andover, I was constantly being held to a higher standard when Calder was asked that question, she didn’t disagree. by my teachers and coaches both in the classroom, on the playing
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“Flying around the aircraft carrier, and everything that goes into it is truly one of the most amazing things that I have ever been a part of,” said Calder. “The whole team, from the air crew who are in the jet to the people in the radar control room and in the tower, the landing signal officers who stand out on the flight deck in all types of weather to make sure we are safe and all the way down to the people in the arresting gear equipment room, everyone has to do their job in a precise and synchronized way. It’s incredible to watch and even more incredible to be a part of. “Landing on a carrier at night is pretty incredible,” she added. “It takes a lot of practice, but the Navy gives you a lot before they send you out there. Bad weather can make it pretty dicey, especially when the carrier’s flight deck is pitching up and down. The LSOs have definitely saved me a few times and I am forever grateful for the work they do out there.
“My first night carrier landing was in an F-18, it’s the last thing you do before you check into your first fleet squadron,” remembers Calder. “I remember gripping the throttles like my life depended on it. I remember praying that I wouldn’t screw anything up and when my hook caught the wire and I came to a stop in the landing area, I was so relieved. “I didn’t have much time to think about it however,” she continued, “because they taxied me right over to the catapult and launched me off to do it again. Staying calm in the jet is something that pilots have to work on every flight. You must stay calm and execute the tactics you’ve practiced a thousand times. Your life, and possibly someone else’s depends on it. As for me, I always made sure I was as prepared as I could be for every mission … no one spent more time than I did in the simulator or in the tactics manual.”
David Godin
2020 Distinguished Service Award
A
fter becoming weary of the same ol’ same ol’ every winter … after seeing familiar faces occupying familiar places – atop the podium of its boys’ basketball and boys’ hockey tournaments far too frequently – NEPSAC decided in 2008 to try and spread the wealth a bit via realignment. That task of rearranging fell upon a committee that was chaired by Dave Godin, the Suffield Academy athletic director in those days, and by the time the group had finished reshuffling the decks, equity had been achieved and best of all – nearly everyone was happy. In fact, the results even caused Mike Hart, the president of NEPSAC Boys’ Basketball at the time, to say “We finally have a model of classification where almost everyone agrees. There were very few complaints … three to be exact. “It’s fair and we’ve created opportunities for kids to be successful and play in a good basketball league. Each league is going to have exciting playoffs. Many teams will now have a chance to qualify for playoffs and possibly win a championship instead of having the same teams every year. It satisfies our quest of creating the greatest good for the greatest amount of kids.” “We made those moves back in 2008,” remembers Godin, “and with the exception of two or three schools who opted to make some changes on their own, we’re all still pretty much on the same page 14 years later. I think that says a lot about the job we did and the decisions we made.” It was a task worth remembering as well, and NEPSAC’s members hit the ballot boxes to nominate Godin for their 20202021 Distinguished Service Award. The success of the realignment was a big reason for Godin’s vote count — but it was far from the only reason. For starters, Godin, who has been on Suffield’s faculty/ staff listing for the past 42 years, served on NEPSAC’s Executive Board from 2003-2012, culminating with his elevation to District IV president (2007-2009) and Board president (2010-2012).
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Dave Grodin and his family.
During his time on the board, Godin, who was head basketball coach at Suffield for 19 years and whose Tigers won the 1993 New England Class B title, was elected as the inaugural president (1998-2000) of the New England Prep School Men’s Basketball Association and returned to that post again from 2006-2008. And at one point or another, served as treasurer of the association for a total of eight years. “It’s a tremendous honor to even be considered for this award … there were a lot of great candidates out there,” said Godin when asked of his first reaction to learning he had won the award. “I’m truly humbled by the nomination.” “Dave was my vice president,” explained Mark Conroy, the Williston Northampton School athletic director, of his time in the NEPSAC oval office (2008-2010), “and I can’t imagine being associated with anyone who works any harder than Dave does. I think what impressed me the most about him, however, was his perception of balancing both the scholar and the athlete and helping both aspects thrive in a prep school environment.
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categorized in one of three tournaments. “He’s a well respected guy,” added I THINK THROUGH The Open Tournament was reserved for Conroy of Godin, whose offices are a mere those teams that qualified as one of the 30 minutes apart and thus have become OUR INTERACTION, WE top eight teams throughout NEPSAC. The good friends as well as colleagues over ALL HELPED TO MAKE other two tournaments, meanwhile — Large the years, “and I think that’s exactly why School and Small School — were filled he was put in charge of the realignments … EACH OTHER BETTER according to enrollment figures. people knew he was capable of navigating “Looking back,” the 12 years I spent through all that stuff.” ATHLETIC DIRECTORS serving on the Executive Board proved to Godin has spent more than four be totally fulfilling as far as I’m concerned decades at Suffield, with a quarter of DAVE GODIN … it’s a great organization made up of great that time devoted to being the school’s people,” said Godin. “Working with all the athletic director. Other jobs on his resume other athletic directors in the association include that of math teacher and dean of was a great experience for me personally. I think through our students. It didn’t take his math degree, however, to explain how interaction, we all helped to make each other better athletic the realignment was pulled off. After all, it wasn’t rocket science. directors.” “We simply added a sixth league in boys basketball,” said Godin. “We instituted a Triple A League for the heavyweight programs: Brewster Academy, Bridgton Academy, Maine Central Institute, New Hampton School, Winchendon School, St. Thomas The NEPSAC SPECIAL NEWS is sponsored by SportsGrub. More School and Northfield Mount Hermon School. Classes A, SportsGrub provides athletic teams with nutritional meals B, C and D were then based on enrollment, with any school who delivered directly to their event. We provide a diverse menu desired having the option, could elevate itself to AA.” that athletes can order from directly in our app. Don’t just The solution as far as boys’ hockey was concerned was play to win, plan to win with healthy and delicious meals answered in a similar simplistic manner. We allowed all the from SportsGrub. Contact us for more information at www. teams to play a Division I schedule throughout the regular season, sportsgrub.com because it’s everyone’s goal to play at that level,” explained Godin. “Once postseason play began, however, qualifying teams were then
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PROCTOR ACADEMY | ANDOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Proctor Alumni at the 2022 Beijing Olympics by Scott Allenby
Proctor Academy Alumni Beijing Olympics. Photo courtesy Max Cobb.
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roctor Academy alumni are no strangers to the Olympic Games. Five Proctor alums have competed in the Olympics, with many others directly involved in the Games through leadership and support roles. During this winter’s Beijing Olympics, three Proctor alumni were directly involved in supporting the United States’ efforts. Christine (Toriello) Walshe ’97 serves as President of the US Olympic and Paralympic Foundation, raising funds to support athletes and coaches on all of the US Olympic and Paralympic teams. While Christine was stateside throughout the Beijing Olympic games, her unending support of Team USA was felt halfway across the globe where Max Cobb ’83 (President of US Biathlon) and Jed Hinkley ’99 (Sports Director for US Nordic) were onsite supporting athletes during the games. Read reflections from Max and Jed below!
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Max Cobb ’83 | President, US Biathlon | Impressions from the Olympic Games in China
I have been fortunate enough to be a part of each Winter Olympics since 1992 (30 years, where did the time go!) as a coach, chief of competition, official or technical delegate. Each has its own magic, but none of them were conducted in the middle of a pandemic like this year’s games in Beijing. It was most certainly unique and changed the way we all interacted with our Chinese hosts. In some ways, I think a dedicated fan at home in the USA got to see more than we did on the ground since COVID protocols and distances between venues made it difficult to get to see sport beyond our own competition clusters. The infrastructure was simply amazing — very fit for purpose as is required but also stunningly over built from my perspective based on likely future use. The Chinese not only provided athletes
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with a great competition venue but also impressed the world with their engineering and investment. I love trains, a boyhood fetish, and riding on the sleek ultra modern train to Beijing and back to watch the women’s hockey final was a real treat. It covered a three and a half hour bus ride in 50 minutes, smooth and fast. Townsized ski resorts were built in two clusters linked by high speed trains to Beijing. The mountains are not that big, and do not get much natural snow, a few inches per year, and in January and February it was very cold and very windy, but the facilities were top notch. In biathlon, where I spent nearly all my time, we had really exciting races and some best ever finishes by the American team, though we continue to fight for our first Olympic medal having won many at the World Championships. The weather conditions were a severe challenge. Competition in cold weather is always difficult Max Cobb (L) with Mr Tong, at the biathlon venue, head of sport for Beijing 2022 Olympic Games Organizing Committee. I have known him since the mid 1990 when he was the biathlon team leader. Photo courtesy Max Cobb.
For every athlete and team member the Olympics are special and an unforgettable experience, for many it’s a defining moment in their lives, to achieve their dream of competing at the Olympic Games, sport’s biggest stage, with the best athletes of every country. The challenging conditions and COVID risks and protocols were faced by all, and coping with all that added stress while creating an even stronger bond between the athletes, one born of shared sacrifice. Even more than other Games these ones truly brought the athletes of the world closer than ever, delivering on the fundamental promise of the Games even in a pandemic. Many thanks to our Chinese hosts for the great venues and all the extra efforts to allow the Games to happen for this generation of athletes even during a global pandemic.
At the biathlon range with shooting coach Matt Emmons, Olympic champion in rifle marksmanship. Showing where the shots hit the target on a clipboard. Photo courtesy Max Cobb.
for the athletes because it takes much more energy. On top of that the athletes try really hard to keep good feeling in the trigger finger. We had special gloves made especially for the conditions but it was still very hard for the athletes. In most of the regions where we compete very cold temperatures are accompanied by calm winds but that was not the case in China so the athletes faced difficult shooting conditions and the effects of wind chill making it some of the most extreme conditions we have ever experienced for a major competition. I admire the athletes for facing these challenges day after day with a good spirit.
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Max Cobb (L) with Olympian Susan Dunklee (R) after the biathlon pursuit competition together Sarah Hirshland, USOPC CEO, and the General Counsel Chris McCleary. Photo courtesy Max Cobb.
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Jed Hinkley ’99: From Andover to Beijing
This was my first Games since I was an athlete in 2002, and it definitely seemed like a “different” kind of Games given the state of the world right now. Our teams were lucky to not have had any major setbacks with COVID in athletes or coaches, but many teams have been impacted, particularly on arrival with individuals who had recently had COVID. The Beijing Olympic committee did a good job at mitigation at the venues, village, and hotels, and I definitely felt safe while being there, but we were pretty limited on what we could go see and do outside of our own events and the village. We were tested each day, and wore N95 or KN95 masks at all times outside our rooms unless we were eating, training, or competing, so we all had pretty raw noses. We qualified a woman’s ski jumper late (above), and were able to get her and her coach Blake Hughes to Beijing without any issues on short notice. They were more here for the experience, but we were definitely happy to be able to field an athlete in all our events. We also qualified four athletes for the men’s ski jumping finals on the normal hill, with our best result being Casey Larson in 39th, but each of our athletes had their longest jumps since being here in competition, which was great. We have qualified 3 athletes for the large hill and were hopeful to be able to crack the top 30 in that event. On the men’s Nordic Combined side we had our best result since 2010 in the first event with four athletes in the top 25, and
spirits are good amongst the team. Even though it is very restricted, it is still the Olympics and it is really cool seeing all the other teams coming together to celebrate sport despite all the crazy things happening in the world. Photos courtesy Jed Hinkley
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BAY S SUMMER The Bay State Summer Games is Massachuse�s’ own Olympic-style athle�c compe��on that has been held anually since 1982. Athletes of all ages and abili�es represent over 300 Massachuse�s communi�es each year. The Summer Games annually take place during the months of June and July.
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STATE R GAMES
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FENN SCHOOL | CONCORD, MASSACHUSETTS
When it Came to Coaching He Was Right on the Mark by Bob Albright ’81
O
f all the times I have been cut from a varsity team — and there have been a few — the most fortuitous occasion by far was that day back in the winter of 1980 when I made the long walk down the hall from the New Gym to the Old Gym. Pushing open the swinging doors to the dusty old cage, I found him. Blue sweats and a gray sweater with the obligatory glasses guard, two pairs of socks, and green Converse high tops (commandeered by his son Marcus from the Celtics locker room during his stint as a ball boy), effortlessly banking one jumper after the next by his lonesome. “Hi there, Bob. I was hoping you might be down here,” I can still vividly recall first-year JV coach Mark Biscoe saying that day. I remember smiling weakly, still miffed that then Fenn varsity coach Kevin Hargraves had somehow failed to see the second coming of Celtic Dave Cowens in this gangly 15-year-old, but also well aware that I had just won the lottery when it came to an accelerated course in Basketball 101. Well, long story short, we dropped our first five games that season, but then finished on a tear by winning our final 10 and, simply put, I learned more about not only basketball, but also about doing things the right way on and off the court, in that one magical winter than I ever have since. What a privilege it was to be a part of Mark Biscoe’s storied 37-year tenure of coaching basketball. Of all the diverse gifts this extraordinary man had in his arsenal, and there were many, transforming five separate parts into one well-oiled machine that respected the game, their coach, and each other on the basketball court may have been his greatest. “He had this unique ability where he was fiercely competitive and wanted to win, but at the same time was so determined that it be done fairly and with respect for your opponent,” current CCHS Athletic Director Aaron Joncas ’91 notes. “He was the epitome of what educational athletics should be. It was all about an opportunity to learn about life and how to handle different situations through what was happening in the gym. The gym was an extension of his classroom for him.” The Biscoe era, and Fenn School Basketball for that matter, started in the winter of 1958-59 with the arrival of this former Orono, Maine high school standout. When he finally packed away his last scorebook in 1995, he had amassed 274 wins, opened the New Gym in style with a win against Fessenden in front of a standing room only crowd of 500 in 1976, and captured four Fenn Tournament titles (’89, ’91, ’93, ’94). The lasting legacy, however, will always be the lifelong lessons — and friendships — he imparted Steve Rodman ’86, Mark Biscoe (coach), Scott Laton ’87, Jeff Troutman ’86, Derek McClellan ’86.
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a careless pass and you could bet that trademark Biscoe wince and an incredulous shake of the head was soon to follow. “People talk all the time about how kind and nice he was — and he was — but no one was more competitive. Behind that smile you knew that he was doing whatever it took not to lose,” says Marcus ’74, a captain and point guard for his dad on a 1973-74 Fenn team that lost just one game. “Basketball was dad. It was just a very special experience to be able to play for him and something I truly enjoyed.” A terrific player in his own right known for his deadly turnaround jumper, his killer running hook (with both hands), a wide array of finger-jamming no-look passes, and an absolutely exhaustive library of H-O-R-S-E shots, Biscoe had the unique ability and patience to teach a game that was so effortless to him to those who were 1985 Varsity Basketball team, Coach Mark Biscoe. far less inclined. Now former Fenn varsity coach Peter Bradley not only coached against Biscoe as the head coach at The and forged with generations of Fenn boys, several of whom would Fessenden School, but also had the monumental task of filling go on to follow in their fabled coach’s footsteps. Biscoe’s cavernous high tops upon his retirement in 1995. Dave Cohen ’89, who starred on Biscoe’s 1989 team that “What first struck me about Mark and his teams was not only notched his 200th career win and who is in the midst of building how well they played the game, but also how well they carried his own basketball coaching legacy at CCHS, says that he’s yet to themselves,” Bradley recalls. “Sure, they wanted to win and they find off Monument Street an equal to the guy who taught him the played hard, but they played with class and dignity — win or lose.” game. As much as he was invested in his players, Biscoe was equally “To play for Coach was like playing for John Wooden,” Cohen invested in keeping in touch with those same players after they left enthuses. “Still to this day I never played for a coach or coached his gym. The sight of Biscoe showing up in high school bleachers against a more prepared coach, with greater attention to detail, across the state on weekends was commonplace and he served that competed with a higher standard for sportsmanship. He as a lifelong mentor, and friend, to so many of his former athletes. made each moment in a practice or game stand still as he was When Cohen, with Joncas at his side, took the Patriots to state always present and dedicated to that moment for his players. It title games in 2014 and 2016, was a very special experience.” it was Biscoe with his all-time And in typical Biscoe “[MARK] WAS THE EPITOME OF WHAT favorite assistant coach, his fashion he did it all without loving wife Jane, who listened ever berating a player, or EDUCATIONAL ATHLETICS SHOULD BE. to each and every game on an official. In fact, the first CCHS radio from their home in time his oldest son, Marcus, IT WAS ALL ABOUT AN OPPORTUNITY TO Brunswick, ME. ever heard his father use an LEARN ABOUT LIFE AND HOW TO HANDLE “His enthusiasm for the expletive was not during a things he cared about was only heated Fenn-Fay tilt or during DIFFERENT SITUATIONS THROUGH WHAT surpassed by his enthusiasm one of the many passionate for what was important to the pick-up faculty games, but WAS HAPPENING IN THE GYM. THE GYM people he cared about, which rather when the normally surewas so many,” Cohen notes. handed Oakland infielder Dick WAS AN EXTENSION OF HIS CLASSROOM A definite high point in Green let a ball go through his FOR HIM.” Biscoe’s tenure came in the legs to lose a key playoff game early 80s when Chris Havlicek for his beloved A’s. - AARON JONCAS ’91, ’85, the son of Celtics legend That’s not to say that John Havlicek, and Biscoe’s Biscoe couldn’t get his point CURRENT CONCORD-CARLISLE HIGH all-time favorite Celtic, arrived across, however. Take an in the New Gym. With Hondo ill-advised shot or make SCHOOL ATHLETIC DIRECTOR
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NESTMA members get more.
Todd Bowman ’90, Peter Hyde (faculty), Mark Biscoe (faculty).
watching most games from the stands and Chris on the court, Fenn had two great seasons in 1984 and 1985, beating Fay each year. “Mr. Biscoe was a legend,” Chris Havlicek writes in an email to Fenn Head of School Derek Boonisar. “I was lucky to have played for him. He said and did all the right things and truly was a great asset to Fenn. I remember when I was playing at Celtics rookie camp he came to every game. He actually had me sign an autograph for him, which felt awkward, and I asked him why he wanted my autograph. And he said to me, ‘Because you played for me at Fenn.’ Made me feel special. [He was] Just a great man.” Longtime Fenn Athletic Director Bob Starensier lauds how Biscoe’s bedrock coaching principles set a tone for the entire athletic program. “He was all about fundamentals and playing the game the right way,” Starensier says. “He was very competitive and wanted to win, but he wanted to win for the kids. He was all about not making it about him and instead it was all about the kids.” Indeed, it was always about the kids. Whether it be the 20-point standout or that gangly Dave Cowens wannabe. They simply don’t make them any better.
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Bob Albright is a freelance writer in Southern New Hampshire. He was born in November of 1965 but his dad, Read, was not in the delivery room. He was in the Old Gym playing one-on-one with Mark Biscoe. Email him at ralbright33@comcast.net.
Reprinted with permission of Fenn School
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NEPSAC News | Spring 2022 | 29
HOTCHKISS SCHOOL | LAKEVILLE, CONNECTICUT
Champion for Para Athletes:
Chutinant “Nick” Bhirombhakdi
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hutinant “Nick” Bhirombhakdi ’76, P’09 has been selected as this year’s Community Service Award recipient by the Hotchkiss Alumni Association. Bhirombhakdi is president and CEO of Boon Rawd Brewery Co., Ltd., and chair of Singha Estate PCL, both based in Thailand. A lifelong athlete who holds a black belt in karate, Bhirombhakdi has dedicated much of his spare time to various sports and athletic associations and federations. In particular, he has been a strong supporter of para athletes, advocating for their rights in the world of competitive sports. For more than 17 years, he has been involved with sport activities for athletes with impairments, and he has been a fourtime president of the Paralympic Committee of Thailand. Along with working with the Paralympic Committee, Bhirombhakdi also serves on committees for the Sports Authority of Thailand and the National Sports Development Fund, and he is the former vice chairman of the country’s Sports Reform Committee. He was the charter president of the Thailand Karate Association and advisor to Thailand Lacrosse Association. In 2019, he was nominated to serve as a member of the board of trustees of Agitos Foundation, the leading global organization developing sport activities for people with impairments. “I am tremendously honored to be selected for Hotchkiss’s Community Service Award,” said Bhirombhakdi. He credited Hotchkiss and his family for igniting his passion to help others. His grandfather, who founded Boon Rawd Brewery 88 years ago, impressed upon him the importance of helping others in whatever way he could. “So, as a family we have always helped those in need,” he said. Of all his volunteer efforts, he has found his work with the para athletes the most rewarding. “When the committee invited me to be manager of the team when it competed in the Philippines in 2006, it was the first time I came into daily contact with the athletes themselves. I became very close to many of them, and I am inspired by their drive and passion,” he said. Through his involvement, Thai para athletes have made a mark in the world, winning many world championships in their respective sports. In the Paralympics Tokyo 2020, Thai para athletes won five gold medals, five silver medals and eight bronze medals, achieving a 25th ranking in the world. Bhirombhakdi also developed a program to recruit Thailand’s former disabled or injured military persons as para athletes to represent their country. He worked to change the laws governing sports by seeking parity in prize money for para athletes and in training facilities. Born in Thailand, Bhirombhakdi came to Hotchkiss as a lower mid from the Cardigan Mountain School, where he currently serves as a trustee. His son, Naiyanobh (“Toy”), is a member of the Class of 2009.
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Nick Bhirombhakdi ’76 gives a pep talk to the team during the 2018 Asian Para Games in Indonesia.
He knew the minute he passed through Scoville Gate that Hotchkiss was the fit for him, he said in an Alum of the Month article in 2016. “I came to Hotchkiss with Robert Chartener ‘76, who was at Cardigan Mountain with me, and our friendship continues to this day. In Lakeville, I learned discipline and graduated with very good writing abilities. I have many Thai friends and family members who went to other prep schools, but none of them came out with writing skills as good as mine,” he said. After graduating from Hotchkiss, Bhirombhakdi attended Boston University, where he took up what would become a lifelong interest in karate. “Karate teaches you to resist instant gratification and to focus on long-term and meaningful goals,” he said. After graduating college, he began a career in banking at European American Bank in New York City, before returning to Thailand in the ’80s to run Boon Rawd, Thailand’s largest brewery. Athletics continue to remain a very important part of Bhirombhakdi’s life. Up until he was 51, he played lacrosse for the Thailand National Team. He still practices martial arts, skis, and scuba dives — and he has even driven his Harley-Davidson across the continent. Hotchkiss will honor Bhirombhakdi during an All-School ceremony on April 8. Presented annually, the Community Service Award honors the service contributions that Hotchkiss graduates have made to their respective communities, whether local, national, or international. The Award seeks to recognize individuals who in the estimation of the Nominating Committee of the Board of Governors of the Alumni Association, demonstrate through their volunteer and/or vocational endeavors an exemplary sense of caring, initiative, and ingenuity. To read about the Paralympic Committee of Thailand visit: www.paralympic.org
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DANA HALL SCHOOL | WELLESLEY, MASSACHUSETTS
Finding Balance: Stephany Coakley ’88
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he trajectory of Stephany Coakley ’88’s life changed dramatically thanks to a Wannamaker Lecture Series speaker she encountered at Dana Hall. When Sonia Sanchez, a poet, activist and scholar from Philadelphia, stepped onto the Waldo Auditorium stage, Coakley noticed that while this woman was small in stature, she was very fierce and her words had power. “I had already applied to college and was headed to UNC because I loved basketball and Michael Jordan,” she joked. “Then [Sonia Sanchez] comes in and makes me change my whole plan. I was blown away by her lecture.” Until then, Coakley had limited interactions with educators of color at Dana Hall, so this professor of English and Women’s Studies at Temple University — a leading figure in the Black Arts Movement who had written more than a dozen books of poetry as well as short stories, critical essays, plays and children’s books — was a breath of fresh air. Coakley decided then and there to apply to Temple, and she got in. She knew early on she’d eventually get a Ph.D. in psychology, but Coakley went through a series of jobs and programs first, gaining experience with children, families and mental health in hospitals, community programs and in psychiatric emergency settings. Starting to feel burned out, she embarked on a different path to exercise and sport science with a concentration in sport psychology. After earning her doctorate, she worked for the U.S. Army as a master resilience trainer (MRT)/ performance expert, who provided sport and performance psychology for soldiers, families and other Department of Defense civilians, a job which also allowed Coakley to travel the world. She spent a decade in this line of work before going back to Temple to establish a program for student-athlete mental health and become the senior associate athletic director for Mental Health, Wellness and Performance. With a pivot to performance psychology, Coakley began working with high-performing athletes and teams “who want to be better, but more so from the mental point of view,” she said. “They want to be more confident, more focused, more poised and ready to perform under pressure.” It’s less about correcting a problem, and more about giving athletes the tools to take their game to the next level, she said. In March 2020, Coakley was in Fort Worth, Texas, with the Temple Men’s Basketball team when, suddenly, everything was canceled. She had senior athletes who went from preparing for the postseason to instantly being retired and having no say in the matter. She also had to immediately transition her services from in-person to virtual. “Because of what was happening, we couldn’t shut down, too,” Coakley said of her mental health services. “Other
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aspects of athletics, like tickets and marketing, could, but mental health still had to go.” Not only was she helping her student-athletes through the instant loss of their seasons going away — some, like the seniors, forever — but she was supporting student-athletes and staff of color with the twin pandemic of social injustice that was coming to the forefront. “Racism has affected generations of people’s mental health for years,” said Coakley, who also stepped into the role as the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion lead in her department. “Issues of race and racism were being exposed across many layers of society, politics, the media, on the streets at demonstrations and protests across the country; we were witnessing it everywhere.” Part of her desire to make a career out of supporting mental health came from her upbringing. “Being from the Bahamas, mental health has not been prioritized,” Coakley said. “Even if you were to mention it, people minimized your experience, which was problematic for me as a young person. I wanted to be able to help change that. I’ve always wanted to do this work.” She now tries to be more anticipatory of what’s coming down the line, as laughable as that may be in the middle of a pandemic that’s heading into its third year. She says she’s doing more reading, talking to colleagues and — most importantly — listening. “There are many things you don’t have control over, and a sense of a lack of control has the potential to affect someone’s mental health,” Coakley said. “Control what you can.”
Stephany’s Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Balance
1
It starts with sleep. When we’re struggling, our biological needs are often interrupted — sleep being one of them. Make a concerted effort to get 7-9 hours of sleep at night. If that’s not possible, aim to get that much sleep in a 24-hour period. Naps can supplement nighttime sleep.
2
Proper nutrition is key. When we get busier, our stress levels increase, which triggers the production of cortisol. Cortisol is the body’s stress hormone that causes us to crave high-calorie foods, and makes it difficult to rid the body of fat. Set healthy, stress-resistant nutrition goals so that your body has the fuel that it needs to cope with the physical, mental and emotional demands of your life.
3
Do what brings you joy. When we get stressed, we stop doing the things we enjoy: we’re not reading for fun, listening to live music, not doing our self-care rituals like exercise, and not connecting with others. Make every effort to engage in activities that bring you joy and rejuvenate you.
This article originally appeared in the Winter 2022 Dana Hall Bulletin.
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POMFRET SCHOOL | POMFRET, CONNECTICUT
In Conversation with Zenab Keita ’10
The Athletic partnerships manager speaks up
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Interview by Corrine Szarkowicz
or as long as she can remember, Zenab Keita ’10 (Zee-na Kay-ta) says she has suffered from imposter syndrome, wondering if she was where she should be, doing what she should be doing. It didn’t matter that she had graduated from Yale with a BA in anthropology, or that she had played college basketball for the Bulldogs (appearing in 88 games), or that she earned a master’s degree in business management from Wake Forest, or that she was killing it at work, or even that the Sports Business Journal had named her one of its New Voices Under 30. “As a Black kid, with African roots, born in France, growing up in the American South, you are always gonna have a little bit of imposter syndrome,” she says. “I was always thinking, ‘Should I be here?’ But every time — I dug in, I did the work, and I proved to myself that I belonged.” In October, we sat down with Zenab to discuss where confidence comes from, why she chose to leave the Golden State Warriors, what she misses most about Pomfret, and how she is using her seat at the table to empower others.
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED WITH THE GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS?
I joined the Golden State Warriors in 2018, as they were opening the brand-new arena — Chase Center. They needed to outfit a team that could handle growing their existing partnerships and manage new ones brought on board. The CMO at the time reached out looking for someone who could learn quickly and jump right in, and I was sold. I was excited to bring an elevated level of sports business and partnerships into my day-to-day, and being able to do this with the Golden State Warriors was a no-brainer.
WHAT DOES A PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT MANAGER FOR A PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAM DO?
My responsibilities have varied based on the team and the partners they have, but essentially, brands are looking to partner with a sports team in order to use that team’s cache to help sell their service and products. It is my responsibility to act as the face of the team for that partner, helping to execute their agreements with the team by activating our contracts. This includes providing them with contractual assets, such as access to our players and fan database, our special gameday experiences, hospitality at games and concerts, and things of that sort. I was also involved with significant community programs put on with these partners, such as turkey giveaways, court refurbishments in under-resourced neighborhoods, and food drives.
HOW DID COVID CHANGE YOUR WORK?
Since we didn’t have assets like tickets or in-arena activations to rely on, I had to come up with new and different kinds of partnerships and community programs. One project that I am particularly proud of was a partnership with Nike to celebrate National Girls & Women in Sports Day. A co-worker and I created an all-day celebration that ultimately culminated with us featuring some WNBA players and putting on a virtual clinic for young girls
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to participate in. What was most rewarding was when Natasha Cloud, a known activist and WNBA champion, posted on Twitter a shout-out to the Warriors for actually doing something tangible and creating a space in which women and young girls could be celebrated. It felt good to be able to create that experience for our community, our partner, and our organization.
IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAD A GREAT TIME WITH THE WARRIORS. WHY DID YOU LEAVE?
After seven years on the team side, I wanted to do something new, especially after the Covid year. I had a thirst for being on the brand side and thinking of ideas and strategies on how to use partnership funds to sell products and build brand equity. The unique opportunity with The Athletic came up, and it was not only on the brand side, but also in the media and tech industries, both of which I wanted to get involved in — especially being in the Bay Area. It was a perfect little launchpad.
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR JOB AT THE ATHLETIC, WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT?
It’s cool because the job is all about getting to set the strategy for our partnership plan. I get to work with a team and figure out what we are going to do to get our brand out there and do something different that helps people choose The Athletic over other media platforms. I get to use the tools and knowledge that I developed in my two previous roles and now set a strategy for a brand, which is amazing. Early on in my career, I experienced some imposter syndrome. I used to wonder if I should be at the table — especially with senior leaders — having a say in the strategy and the decisions. So earning this new job and being in my role is great validation that I’m supposed to be here, I’m supposed to be at this table, and I’m supposed to be involved in these types of conversations. I’m excited to get going on that.
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YOU TALK ABOUT IMPOSTER SYNDROME, WHERE DOES THAT COME FROM AND HOW HAVE YOU OVERCOME IT?
I think I have experienced imposter syndrome since I came to the United States as a child. Now, I think my imposter syndrome is creeping back because I’m in this brand-new space in my career. I’m in tech and media, two new industries for me. And everyone at The Athletic is incredibly talented, so I feel a bit of pressure to perform exceedingly well. However, I continue to remind myself, as I have in my other roles, you have to be confident in your skills and what you uniquely bring to the table in order to perform and excel in unfamiliar environments. I affirm myself every morning, “You’re here for a reason. You’re doing a good job.” Then I do the work.
YOU WERE RECENTLY HONORED AS ONE OF SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL’S 2020 NEW VOICES UNDER 30. HOW HAVE YOU USED THAT VOICE IN THE SPORTS INDUSTRY?
I think I was selected for that award because I use my voice to say the things others may not want to say aloud, to encourage dialogue, and hopefully to educate others. That is how I disrupt spaces — I speak up. For example, with the social and racial injustice events of 2020,I used social media to express my opinion and it encouraged other people in my organization (even some of our players) to share their own opinions and thoughts on their platforms. Sometimes they reshared my content and sometimes they shared their own, but in all cases, it was good to have people feel empowered to discuss. I had co-workers, classmates, and mentors all calling me to talk about what was going on in the world because they saw me being vocal. I think people felt comfortable coming to me because they knew I was not going to judge them and I was open to the conversation. So in that situation and in my life and sports career thus far, I’ve always tried to use my voice and empathy to empower others and ensure people feel heard. Whether it’s speaking up for women, for younger employees, for underrepresented people, or anyone who feels like they can’t speak up themselves, it is important to me to make sure people feel validated and can trust me to be a vocal leader.
WHAT ARE SOME CHALLENGES OR MISCONCEPTIONS YOU’VE FACED AS A BLACK WOMAN WORKING IN SPORTS?
Due to generalizations created by reality TV or the media in general about the tie between Black women and athletes and sports, I sometimes feel a pressure to expand upon the roles Black women play when it comes to being involved with sports. I sometimes feel a need to represent Black women in those business settings — to demonstrate our intelligence, to display how nuanced we can be in sports business, and more generally, to provide examples of how we, too, can highly contribute in Corporate America.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OTHER WOMEN ASPIRING FOR A SENIOR ROLE WITHIN A SPORTS ORGANIZATION?
Be authentic in everything you do, whether it’s networking across the league or just working across the organization. The field of sports
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and entertainment is filled with enough people forcing or faking their influence, authority, and worth. Don’t be one of them. Trying to subscribe to a version of you that you think other people will accept, respect, and promote is exhausting, and it’s likely to be exposed eventually. People respect authenticity, and they appreciate it. If you can be trusted to be authentic when working alongside your team and trusted to get your work done in a way that’s true to you and the values of your team, you’ll get the role you want.
IF YOU HAD TO GIVE A CHAPEL TALK NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?
It would have to be around the concept of you belong here and you have a seat at the table. You were driven to this place. There is a purpose that you are supposed to fulfill by being here. So whether it is a short time or a long time, live in this space. Be in this space and take up space. Have a seat, not on the outside, but at the table. Say your piece, but come prepared. Having a seat doesn’t give you an excuse to be uninformed and ignorant. The worst that can happen is that someone can correct you, you can learn something new, or you could realize this table is not for me.
WHO WERE SOME OF THE PEOPLE AT POMFRET WHO LEFT A LASTING IMPRESSION?
Shout out to my basketball coach Rebecca Brooks, who was also my advisor. I have never seen a more poised, calm individual, ever. She was also always a person that you could count on and she was consistent — she was a great role model in that aspect. Even now, to this day, wanting to be a consistent person at work or for friends, I am so thankful for her. Also Bruce Wolanin, my college counselor, I am so grateful for him. He always believed in me and my ability to get into Yale. Also grateful to Johára Tucker, Bobby Fisher, and Sharon Gaudreau for making Pomfret feel like home. I appreciate them being unofficial aunts and uncles. Lastly, my classmates, many of whom I’m still friends with to this day, made a huge impact on me. I came to Pomfret having been one person my entire young life and they took me into their world and allowed me to explore myself and my interests. I think my time with them was a perfect segue into Yale and my college experience.
HOW HAS THE NEW OPPORTUNITY WITH THE ATHLETIC CHANGED YOUR WORK-LIFE BALANCE?
At The Athletic, I get to work from home. During the pandemic, I rescued a dog, Remy, so I get to be home with him. I hope to get him a French passport soon, so he can travel throughout the European Union with me. My family lives overseas, and being able to go visit them is a blessing. I really couldn’t do that during basketball season — especially when you work for a team as good as the Warriors — their season was always two months longer than everyone else’s! Overall, I’m just happy to have flexibility in my life to work anywhere and work on a schedule that is more accommodating to my lifestyle, while still getting to work in and around sports. Quarantine helped illuminate what was really important in life, and I’m grateful this new role gives me the time, resources, and inspiration to go after those things. Reprinted with permission of Pomfret School
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ST. PAUL’S SCHOOL | CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Creating Goals
Women’s pro hockey franchise ownership fulfills a dream for Johanna Neilson Boynton ’84 by Ian Aldrich
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f you want to gain an understanding of, and appreciation for, the history of women’s hockey in the United States, the story of Johanna Neilson Boynton ’84 is a good place to start. As a child of the 1970s — and in a sport that offered no organizational structure for female athletes — the Philadelphia-area native scraped together pond or rink time every chance she could. She skated with the sons of family friends and, at one point, her parents even snuck her onto a boys team. “For me, it was just such a fun and exciting game,” says Boynton, a mother of four who now lives in Concord, Massachusetts, and is the CEO and cofounder of Boynton Brennan Builders. “I liked that it was a fast game and also being the only girl out there — I took a lot of pride in that.” Boynton’s continued hockey presence became a product of determination and timing. She arrived at St. Paul’s School in the fall of 1980, just as the School was launching a girls hockey program. On a roster stocked with former figure skaters, sisters of hockey-playing brothers, and a few recreational players, Boynton helped solidify the scrappy new program. She eventually was recruited to play at Harvard, where, as a two-time captain, she led her squad to back-to-back Ivy League titles in 1987 and 1988. Over the last three decades Boynton’s instrumental presence hasn’t diminished. She’s coached at the high school WOMEN SHOULD BE ABLE level, served as co-chair of the TO EARN A LIVING PLAYING Friends of Harvard Hockey, helped coTHE SPORT THEY LOVE ordinate the billets for the 2014 U.S. Women’s Olympic Team, and worked closely with USA Hockey to create the Sochi Family Fund, which enabled families of American players to travel to Russia to see their daughters play in the 2014 Winter Games. A little over two years ago, she took on what may just be her most important role yet when she became principal owner of the Toronto Six, the newest entrant in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF), a six team all-women’s league established in 2015. In her role, Boynton is the franchise’s guiding force, overseeing staff,
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funding operations, and building a team aligned with the greater values of a league she and other owners believe can be for women what the National Hockey League is for men. “I have forever been interested in the growth of the women’s game,” says Boynton, who represents the Six on the PHF board, “so they can be compensated, respected, and treated as equals. The next logical step [for me] was to grow the professional game. Women should be able to earn a living playing the sport they love; I want to be a leader in making that happen.” Would the teenage Boynton have believed in such a possibility? She laughs at the idea. “I would have thought it was impossible,” she says. “Even when I was in college, we didn’t have a national championship. We didn’t go to the Olympics until ’98. So to think we now have professional teams is incredible.” Within that condensed history lies an advantage that people like Boynton and her contemporaries can bring to their sport. Context, perspective — that kind of lineage carries important currency, Boynton adds. “I’ve always felt a sense of gratitude and appreciation for the opportunities I had,” she says, “and to share that with younger players means something. As someone who had so much less to dream for and achieve in the arena of women’s hockey, I can [now] make a difference in growing this game. This [league] is mission driven — it’s about empowerment and inclusion. It’s about making it a reality that women can play a sport professionally, and make a living doing it.” Reprinted with permission of St. Paul’s School
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TRINITY-PAWLING SCHOOL | PAWLING, NEW YORK
Court Vision: Tarik Smith by the Reverend Daniel Lennox
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hroughout his college basketball Smith sees the world as linked inextricably career, Tarik Smith was the go-to together, and his vison for his role at IT’S NOT JUST ONE point guard who possessed the Trinity-Pawling is to approach each day unique gift of seeing how the game was as a point guard approaches a basketball PERSON. IT’S AN ENTIRE going to unfold. In basketball parlance, he game: recognize opportunities, listen to had court vision, and he knew how to push the voices, be accountable to one another, COMMUNITY THAT WILL all the pieces together and pull out all the teach, find new ways of doing things, be FOSTER CHANGE. gifts of those around him for the win. vocal, lead the way, and weave everything Now, as the Director of Diversity, Equity, together to create a high percentage shot and Inclusion, the Head Varsity Basketball for powerful change. Coach, an English teacher, and as a leader in entrepreneurism as “I always played basketball with intention, accountability, it relates to the newly minted Institutes for Active Learning, this is and the understanding that every voice on the team mattered. how Smith intends to approach his professional life. “I’ve learned Being part of the black community, and the BLM movement, I you can do many things and be successful. Forward thinking understand the importance of such diversity and inclusivity, so leadership means wearing many hats. It’s a holistic approach I want to create spaces of accountability and set goals oriented to learning — being exposed to multiple things — that produces toward transformational growth that is achievable, and in striving opportunity and change and the desire to have the ball in your for those goals, develop a self-awareness that cultivates an hands late in the game.” equal environment for all. It’s not just one person. It’s an entire Smith joined Trinity-Pawling this fall from the Winchendon community that will foster change.” School where he taught in Smith is a leader. He’s the Humanities Department, the player you want on your Service and Impact Learning, team, and sure, he can and served as an assistant take the winning shot. He is prep basketball coach. A comfortable with the ball in graduate of Tufts University, his hands when the game is Smith studied English and on the line, but — at this stage Entrepreneurism while in his journey — he’s ready to captaining the Jumbos to pass his leadership, talent, some of the school’s most and wisdom to the community successful seasons, including of students, faculty, and staff advancing to the NCAA Elite of Trinity-Pawling. Eight in 2016. “I scored 1,000 Tarik Smith sees an oppoints, but that was just a portunity for growth, collaboralittle part of my role. Being tion, and transformation, and part of the team and the as the Director of Diversity, community exposed me to the Equity, and Inclusion, an Enidea that you can do multiple glish teacher, and the varsity things through collaboration, basketball coach, he’s ready teamwork, and creating to lead Trinity-Pawling to new spaces for transformation.” places and positions of potenPrior to his time at Tufts, tial. Smith was a standout studentHe’s got court vision — but athlete at St. Paul’s School in he has a grander vision too: a Concord, New Hampshire. “I vision of a better world. arrived at St. Paul’s from the Bronx, New York, where I grew up. It was a bit of a Reprinted with permission of culture shock, for sure, but Trinity-Pawling School. ultimately I learned about the power of empathy, adaptation, and community.” As a result,
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NEPSAC News | Spring 2022 | 39
CARDIGAN MOUNTAIN SCHOOL | CANAAN, NEW HAMPSHIRE
An Important Alumni Tradition Returns: Pond Hockey on Canaan Street Lake 35th Annual Cardigan Alumni Hockey
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eekends are precious. Pulled in multiple directions, we all seek to balance work and play — time for family and friends, passion projects, adventuring, sleeping late, catching up on household chores. The way we choose to spend our weekends says a lot about what is important to us. And that’s what makes Cardigan’s annual Alumni Hockey Game so special. It’s a day once a year when Cardigan alumni set aside all other weekend commitments and come back to The Point to play hockey. This year’s game took place outside on Canaan Street Lake under sunny skies. In plastic lawn chairs around a smokey fire pit in front of C.O.R.E. House, alumni pulled their gear from hockey bags bearing the logos of many well-known high school and collegiate teams; technically, these boys were amateurs but their passion for hockey runs deep and reflects the countless hours they have spent in practice and games on the ice. Skates, gloves, and helmets on, they made their way down the winding path of ice to the rink, where Director of Alumni Relations Jer Shipman ’00 was ready to STRANGERS BECAME form two teams, randomly dividing TEAMMATES, THE OLD the players’ sticks into two piles. GUARD JOINED RECENT Strangers became GRADUATES; IT SEEMED teammates, the old guard joined AS IF EVERY DECADE OF recent graduates; it seemed as if CARDIGAN HOCKEY WAS every decade of Cardigan hockey REPRESENTED. was represented. Of course, pond hockey is nothing like its fast-paced indoor version with high boards to corral the puck and a full-sized goal to accommodate airborne slapshots. Pond hockey is a slower game in which periodic breaks are needed to retrieve the puck from snow banks and no one seems certain of the score.
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It also wouldn’t be pond hockey if the ice was perfect. As the temperature rose above freezing on Saturday, the ice softened and even the best skaters found themselves sprawled across the rink and launched out of bounds. Five minutes into the second half, the game was stopped, for fear that serious injury might ensue. Fortunately, Cardigan takes pond hockey seriously and has not one but two rinks on the lake. Drifting snow was cleared from the edges, benches and goals were moved, and the game continued. An equally important part of the Alumni Hockey Game occurs on the sidelines as current and former faculty gather, eager to connect with their former students. Even for those who have been faithful attenders of the game, it has been two years since they’ve all met on the ice (last year’s game was canceled due to the pandemic). In that time a new generation of Cougars has been born; they were there too, watching from the bench and playing in the snow. When the second rink became too rough for skating as well, players called the end of the game and made their way to the C.O.R.E cabin for ribs, sliders, and an ample platter of Cardigan cookies — yes, they’re as good as you remember them. Awards went to MVPs Juno Cowan ’20 and Al Stevenson ’00, and trustee Jon Wakely ’75 gave a history lesson on Cardigan hockey, highlighting alumnus and former varsity coach Bruce Marshard ’64, P’20 who convinced former Headmaster Norm Wakely H’91, P’70,’73,’75 to take a chance on admitting a handful of boys from an old rink called Hockeytown, USA in Melrose, MA. As the sun dipped behind the trees and the temperature began to drop, the boys, both young and old, trudged back along the snowy path to the parking lot behind the big red barn. They loaded up their cars with soggy gear and tired children––some with some newly acquired alumni swag and an extra cookie or two. They will take with them their memories of a perfect New England afternoon and the connections they made with their brothers––a worthwhile way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
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NEPSAC News | Spring 2022 | 41
Coach’s Mental Health: When Should Coaches Get Mental Health Support?
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oaching isn’t easy…there is pressure from coaches, administrators, and athletes – all with different agenda and needs. These days, helping athletes through mental health struggles and tough times can also be part of your role as a coach. But your mental health matters too. Now more than ever, it’s easy to end up feeling overwhelmed, anxious, depressed, and burned out, or simply that you’re taking too much work home from practice. Here, TrueSport Expert Kevin Chapman, PhD, clinical psychologist and founder of The Kentucky Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders, shares signs that your mental health might be suffering, and when to seek professional help.
Sign #1: Taking things personally
If you find yourself holding back tears or wanting to punch a wall during a practice or competition, that could be a sign that you’re taking your team’s progress entirely too personally, says Chapman. Your emotional wellbeing shouldn’t be dictated by how a practice went, or even by a player on the team who is struggling. If you notice that your emotions are attached to your work and to your players, you need to cultivate some separation. Empathy is important, yes, but not at the cost of your own mental health. You can be empathetic with players and care about their progress without hurting yourself in the process. “If you’re feeling significant distress regularly, it’s time to get help,” Chapman adds.
Sign #2: Trouble controlling emotions
Some coaches are naturally more boisterous than others: Shouting during practice isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but if you notice that you’re suddenly shouting constantly and you’ve never done so before, that’s another sign of
emotional dysregulation. Think of it as a warning sign or a ‘check engine’ light. “If I’m noticing that I’m yelling more than I typically do, or that I’m swearing more than I ever do, then that would mean I’m starting to get dysregulated,” Chapman says. Even if you’re saving the cursing for the coach’s meeting, that could still be a signal that something isn’t right.
Sign #3: Ineffective coaching
It’s no surprise that a coach who’s struggling with their mental health is typically going to be a less effective coach. You’re more likely to be distracted during practices and games, and more inclined to make bad calls. But players can also often sense that something is amiss: Kids have a surprisingly good emotional radar, and they tend to notice when a coach is acting ‘weird.’ Chapman suggests asking yourself practical questions like: “Are my moods impairing my functioning? Am I impaired in my ability to coach effectively? Am I performing poorly because I’m so distressed by my own emotional experiences?”
About TrueSport TrueSport®, a movement powered by the experience and values of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, champions the positive values and life lessons learned through youth sport. TrueSport inspires athletes, coaches, parents, and administrators to change the culture of youth sport through active engagement and thoughtful curriculum based on cornerstone lessons of sportsmanship, characterbuilding, and clean and healthy performance, while also creating leaders across communities through sport. For more expert-driven articles and materials, visit TrueSport’s comprehensive library of resources. This content was reproduced in partnership with TrueSport. Any content copied or reproduced without TrueSport and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s express written permission would be in violation of our copyright, and subject to legal recourse. To learn more or request permission to reproduce content, click here.
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Sign #4: Sleep disruption
On the more practical side, sleep disruption is one symptom that often goes hand in hand with anxiety, emotional dysregulation, depression, and burnout. Sleep disruption could be insomnia or struggling to get to sleep, says Chapman, or it could be the onset of lingering fatigue that forces you to sleep more than usual. If your sleep schedule has changed dramatically, that’s a signal that something might be wrong. Other physical signs may include things like digestive upset or more frequent headaches.
Sign #5: Unhealthy behaviors on the rise
The last sign is one that will look different for every coach: unhealthy behaviors. For some, this may be as small as suddenly becoming chronically late for everything. For others, it could look like stress eating, or staying up late to watch TV even when you know you need sleep. It could also mean more dangerous behaviors, like drinking more than you usually do, says Chapman. Ultimately, you’re the best judge of if you’re shifting into unhealthy behavior patterns. If you sense that you are, it’s time to get help.
Takeaway
Pay attention to your own emotions, habits, behaviors, and patterns as a coach. It’s time to get help if you’re feeling significant distress regularly.
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WILLISTON NORTHAMPTON SCHOOL | EASTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS
Injured Athletes and Their Road to Recovery by Grace Bean ’22
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wo of many Williston students in varying stages of recovery from season-ending ACL tears are debunking the myth that cross-season training spoiled their ability to participate in the sport they were recruited for. Junior Tate Kuster is in full recovery from an ACL tear that put a major setback on the recruiting process months before the 2021 spring lacrosse season. Tate, back to 100% on the field now, is eager more than ever to showcase what he’s been preparing for. Tate, a repeat sophomore from Williamstown, Mass., has yet to take a face off for the Wildcats due to his injury, which he got in March 2021 at lacrosse Nationals, just weeks before the Wildcats season began. Tate said his injury affected him both mentally and physically. “At first, after my surgery in March, I felt helpless” says Tate. “I was in a terrible mental state and felt sorry for myself; I was physically worn out and had no motivation anymore.” Once he got off of his crutches and into physical therapy, his whole mindset changed. Although it was tragic to lose his sophomore spring for lacrosse recruiting, along with this past summer and fall of his junior year, Tate took an optimistic approach. “I grew obsessed with my recovery and physical therapy, watching films and trying to improve at every aspect of my sport,” he said. “My mindset was: minor setback, major comeback.” Overall, Tate believes tearing his ACL “gave me a certain edge and drive that most athletes won’t have without going through a similar heartbreaking experience.” “The drive to recover and improve is something that cannot be taught, it has to come from inside you,” Tate continued, optimistically. “I believe that through these 10 months since my ACL tear I will be coming back a much stronger, more athletic, and dangerous player.” Another athlete in the Williston community who recently underwent ACL surgery is hockey player Caroline Aufiero. Caroline, who is at the beginning of her recovery period, experiences everyday activities becoming increasingly difficult, such as walking up stairs. She is noticing herself making progress, however, which has helped her adopt a more positive mindset. Hockey has always brought Caroline happiness, so it has been extremely difficult having this aspect of her daily life taken away. “No matter how hard of a day I had, or how much homework I needed to do, hockey has always been an outlet for me,” Caroline said. “However, with the help of my teammates, coaches, teachers, and friends, I get through the day with a smile on my face.” Caroline admits it was a pain — both physically and emotion ally — to get injured during soccer, which is not her primary sport. “It was devastating getting hurt playing a sport that didn’t mean as much to me as hockey does,” she said. “I know that I can get injured in a hockey game, but that means that I get hurt doing something that I want to pursue past college and throughout my life.”
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Caroline knows, “It’s not everyday that I will be able to tie my skates and get on the ice, so when I do get back, I will never take a second for granted.” With nine months of recovery ahead of her, Caroline remains optimistic and driven to meet her recovery goals and return to the ice. Having a major setback such as this creates the strongest athletes mentally and physically, which is shown through Caroline’s determination to compete again. Despite Caroline’s beliefs that her injury could have been prevented if she hadn’t been a member of the Girls Varsity Soccer squad, both athletic trainers, Ansel Garvey and Melissa Brousseau, claim otherwise. Brousseau and Garvey spoke to the scientific approach to injury prevention, and the increased likelihood of injury that occurs with athletic specialization — when athletes only play their primary sport. Both agree that focusing on one sport without athletic performance or cross-season training with a similar sport will increase chances of injury. Brousseau emphasizes the number of predicted injuries in athletes who do not cross-train; for example, basketball players frequently experience patella tendonitis from overuse of their knees and excessive amounts of jumping, and competition on hardwood floors without seasonal breaks is predictable. She also explains the high risk of tearing a rotator cuff playing tennis without another sport or lifting program to break up the seasons and keep athletes fresh and versatile, working different muscle groups year round instead of the same specialized for an athlete’s main sport. According to an article on single sport specialization by Changing the Game Project, “Athletes in the study who specialized were 70 to 93 percent more likely to be injured than children who played multiple sports.” Dr. Christopher Dolan, a member of an organization called STOP Sports Injuries, is well-versed in overuse injuries in sports, and states that “repetitive micro-trauma to the tendons, bones and joints” are the result of single sport specialization. Dr. Dolan shared information from the American Academy of Pediatrics. “Specialization of sports before puberty is directly correlated with a higher incidence of overuse injuries,” he wrote. “They’ve shown that the young athletes that play diverse sports, actually play at a higher level, for a longer period of time, and experience less injuries, and that’s because of using different motions.”
Grace Bean is a three-season athlete at Williston Northampton and will graduate this year.
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FACILITY SPOTLIGHT CANTERBURY SCHOOL | NEW MILFORD, CONNECTICUT
Introducing Hamilton Stadium!
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brand-new multi-purpose stadium is now lighting up the Canterbury campus. In recognition of an anonymous philanthropic gift, the School has announced the naming of Hamilton Stadium, a newly constructed, multi-sport facility for Canterbury teams to compete, host night games, and schedule additional hours of practice and off-season conditioning. A dedication will take place in May to coincide with the final athletic contests of the spring season. The name Hamilton has special significance to the donor.
“We are deeply grateful for this strong show of support for our students, athletes, and the overall student experience,” Head of School Rachel Stone P ’23, ’24 said of the gift. “It is especially gratifying to know that the Hamilton name, so meaningful to this particular benefactor, will be forever associated with such an extraordinary facility and the momentum of our School.” The centerpiece of the $4.15 million stadium project is the first-class, all-weather, all-season synthetic playing field lined for football, lacrosse, and soccer. In addition to the recently installed bleacher seating for 340 spectators, coaching boxes, and stadium lighting, a six/eight-lane track will be completed once the weather warms. The entire Canterbury community benefits from Hamilton Stadium—it is open to all for recreation and exercise and offers an outdoor venue to expand weekend activities and student life programming. On April 2, Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse competed for the first time on the new home turf and celebrated a shutout victory against The King School. “The field has such an amazing view and great stands,” said team captain Matthew “Cullen” Mulhern ’22, a four-year varsity midfielder who has committed to play lacrosse for
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Providence College in Rhode Island this fall. “What makes it exciting for players is that our peers can come watch us during the day or at night. Our game Saturday was an awesome team win!” The first-ever game under the lights at Hamilton Stadium was held later that evening when the Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse team competed against The Hill School. While the Saints lost a hard-fought contest, it did not dampen the excitement for the student-athletes. “It was an amazing experience,” said Lindsey Grandolfo ’22, a team co-captain and defender who has played lacrosse during all four years at Canterbury. “Even though the outcome was not what we had hoped, it was such a thrill to have all our fans, family, and friends in the bleachers watching us as the lights lit up the whole field.” Canterbury School offers 25 varsitylevel sports and competes in the New England Preparatory School Athletic
Conference. For the past five years, at least one-third of the School’s graduating class has gone on to play Division I, II, and III college athletics. According to Director of Athletics and Head Football Coach Jim Stone P ’23, ’24, the facility is a major boost for Canterbury’s athletic program. “This project plays a powerful role in our ability to attract and retain student-athletes who want to maximize their ability to perform on our hilltop, to keep their skills sharp in and off season, and, for some, to further develop their potential for playing at the collegiate level,” he explained. “It is another example of our long-standing commitment to providing the best possible opportunities to our present and future Saints.” Hamilton Stadium is Canterbury’s newest addition to its 150-acre campus and its second turf facility, located adjacent to the School’s existing synthetic field—Sheehy Field—that was built in 2013. To design and build the project, Canterbury partnered with SMRT Architects and Engineers of Andover, Massachusetts, and Burlington Construction Co. of Torrington, Connecticut. “The stadium is truly going to impact the way our campus comes together,” added Lindsey, who will attend Cornell University after she leaves the hilltop. “It’s so versatile—you can take a run around the track, you can have a practice, you can hang out with your friends on the turf, or you can gather in a student section during games. We have a small community, but Hamilton Stadium helps emphasize the big support and incredible school spirit we have for each other.”
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