No Off

At the end of each school year, Athletics recognizes stand-out senior student-athletes. Some have demonstrated a career of prowess on the fields; some have excelled in the classroom and on the court; some have represented good sportsmanship and The Mariner Way. One award, however, recognizes the seniors who have chosen to play competitive sports each of the seasons of their four years.

This spring, we presented four M. Dorothy Young ‘48 Awards to seniors Derek Block, Andrew Hogan, Katie Kerachsky and Ben Lawson all of whom have completed 12 consecutive seasons of competitive sport over the past four years. Three of these seniors will actually receive an award for 21 consecutive seasons, which will include three full years of Middle School participation as well.

In a world where premature specialization in sport and young athlete burnout is taking hold, Derek, Andrew, Katie and Ben have chosen to show up each season, to ride the ebbs and flows of three different teams each year, to have both championship seasons and rebuilding stretches, to lead in some sports and take a backseat in others, to challenge themselves and their time management skills and their egos, and they are absolutely the better athletes because of it. They each have other pursuits: instruments, clubs, student government, jobs; but they’ve chosen to give of themselves - to their teammates, their coaches, and our program without taking a single season off.

Three-sport athletes (and 12 sport and 21 sport athletes!) make our teams richer and more competitive. They allow rosters to build off of different skills and experiences. Three-sport athletes help teams win championships! Derek, Andrew, Katie and Ben - we’ve loved watching you grow up through sport and the fields will certainly look different without your presence on them next year. Thank you for all that you’ve given us for these past four years!

12

Dan Shaker Technology Manager, eSports Coach

When started working here back in 2019, it was before the need for remote classes or no-contact sports. Unbeknownst to me, however, there was already a thriving eSports scene within the student population that was in need of a dedicated coach. Having played the game in question, League of Legends, for roughly ten years, was excited to take on the new responsibility of coaching students eager to learn. They not only met my expectations, but exceeded them!

Since then, we’ve been through three iterations of the team, conquering challenges along the way. With barriers such as distance learning taking our practices completely virtual, the task of bringing completely new players up to the level of seasoned veterans, and a Fall/Spring seasonal rotation that doesn’t *quite* line up with our sports seasons here, the Mariners eSports team endured. Students have risen to the opportunity, learning important leadership skills and gaining confidence in a competitive environment. Even more than that, they’ve built friendships that have sustained beyond the Rocky Hill campus, and set a precedent for future generations of RHCD students.