Athletics

Athletics BIG BLUE HIGHLIGHTS

Spring Athletics Tribute In early May, when the pandemic was still raging and it was clear that Pingry students would not reunite for the last stretch of the 2019-20 school year, much less the spring athletics season, Director of Athletics and Community Wellness Carter Abbott shared the following tribute.

“Spring is usually a time of excitement on campus: the crack of a baseball bat, the roar of the crowd, the whoosh of a can of tennis balls being opened, the smell of fresh-cut grass. However, this spring, the fields are empty, the track has no runners, the fans are gone. COVID-19 has ended our seasons—records remain unbroken, championships remain unclaimed, and the promise of spring is unrealized. With the season over, I want to thank all of the coaches, athletes, and supporters for all of their hard work and preparation for the season. Please know that Pingry pride is alive and well, and that Pingry athletics will come back, stronger than ever.”

To view the video tribute, see

pingry.org/extras.

Q&A WITH LAUREN MOLINARO / HEAD COACH OF THE GIRLS’ VARSITY SOCCER TEAM

Pride on 3!

You took the helm of the Girls’ Varsity Soccer Team in the fall of 2016, after serving as head coach of the JV team for two years. In the fall of 2019, the team (17-5) secured its second straight Non-Public A state title, earning a #8 state ranking. Did you envision this level of success so quickly when you joined the team?

I never envisioned being a varsity head coach again! I came to Pingry with the idea of being the fun JV coach under [then-Head Coach] Andrew Egginton. When he decided to resign, the opportunity to lead a program again presented itself, and the rest is history. The prestige of Pingry’s girls’ soccer program and its level of excellence and intensity were very clear to me. I knew that we would be a contender for counties, conference, and states, but when I actually entered preseason that first year in 2016, particularly seeing the freshmen, I knew the group was going to be really special.

What led to the team’s success? The “special sauce” has always been a serious dedication to the program. These kids have a hunger for success and a willingness to do whatever it takes to get there. When we coupled that with our talent and our personalities, it created this really awesome dynamic. That’s not to say that we haven’t had our ups and downs. But it really is the perseverance through those struggles that makes Pingry kids in general—and our soccer players in particular—so special. Last fall was the program’s 10th state title, so the legacy of the team is also a big part of our success. Instead of feeling intimidated, the kids are excited to rise to the challenge and be a part of the next group of champions. And this positive attitude is what makes a winning team.

Adjunct coaches—those who aren’t Pingry faculty but nevertheless contribute significantly to the life of the School—put in a great deal of time and energy with student athletes. What do you enjoy most about

coaching at Pingry? I have a master’s degree in Education, and I began my career as both a high school teacher and coach, and then went on to coach collegiately. There’s no topic I love teaching more than the topic of life, and soccer—sports in general—is reflective of life. I ended up getting out of public school teaching and subsequently college coaching because there was a time when I felt like I wasn’t able to help kids truly be better and fulfill their potential. And I didn’t want to teach and coach if I couldn’t do that. But when I got involved in the Pingry program, even at the JV level, I got involved in something that made me feel alive again. One of the reasons I love Pingry is that the culture allows me to hold high standards, hold kids accountable, and show them they are capable of amazing things. And these kids really respond to those life lessons. They engage in life and buy in, and rise to the challenge. Coaching at Pingry has made me love soccer again.

Your first year out of the University of Connecticut, where you helped your team to the NCAA National Championship finals your freshman year, you were drafted by the first women’s professional soccer league, the Bay Area Cyber Rays. A preseason injury kept you on the sidelines as the team went on to clinch the national title later that season. What did you learn from the experience, and how did it shape your trajec-

tory? I do have a bit of regret . . . I decided after rehabbing from my injury that I should see it as a sign to go back to school and take a different path. My 40-year-old self now says I should have returned to the team. When you’re in your early 20s, you have so much life and success ahead of you athletically. I just couldn’t see it at the time. Instead of dwelling on it negatively, the experience has become a teachable moment, and has fueled my passion for helping kids understand that injuries are just a blip. You can still get back and play. Don’t let challenges define your dreams. I want kids to see that if you work hard, focus, and strive for your dreams, success will come in its most incredible forms, even if it takes some failure first.

In July, the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) announced a shortened season, beginning October 1, due to the pandemic. (The Pingry Review goes to press in late October, but as of this writing, their call had not changed.) What was your

mindset as you approached the season? I am a glass-

WHAT YOU’LL HEAR HER YELL FROM THE SIDELINES . . .

Get the next one!

It’s not about the mess up—it’s about where you go from there.

Don’t be afraid to fail big! Failure is so important to success.

Go together!

Together we are stronger and better.

Do the little things! “As a coach, my job isn’t to teach

Little things add up to big things and are often what matter most. student athletes what or how to think, but how to come up with creative half-full person, but I’m also realistic. I’m so thankful we are solutions of their own.” getting half a season. Things could be far worse. All I wanted for these kids—seniors especially—was for them to have a season, What do you most want Pingry girls to take away from whatever it looked like. Our experiences are as good or their time with you? Vigor, enthusiasm, and excitement bad as we make them. What’s been awesome to see is that for life and its challenges. I want them to come away these kids had their first summer session practice in late knowing that life is hard; that is a fact. But that they are July, and they were saying, “Thank goodness we have stronger, they are more resilient, and they can overcome part of a season!” That positivity was incredible. Now any challenge. I want them to go into college knowing that we’re figuring out how to make what we’ve been given the it will be difficult, but that they can do it. I want them to be most amazing experience we can. I’ve told them to hope real, be authentic, and look challenge in the eyes. Whatfor the best and plan for the worst and just be willing to ever they’re going through in life, just tackle it and go forbe flexible because things are fluid. Whatever comes, we ward. Our pregame cheer is “Pride on 3 . . . 1,2,3, PRIDE!” will make it as amazing and memorable as possible. And living life this way will make them proud.