4 minute read
Athletics Return to CSW
Photo Credit: Tetsuya Tanaka ’24
On Friday, February 28, 2020, CSW’s Boys Varsity Basketball traveled to the Marie Philip School for the Deaf in Framingham for the MBIL D-II championship. After a hard-fought game, the Gryphons came home triumphant, winning the championship game 48-46. This would be the last time a CSW interscholastic team would compete in a league game until September 10, 2021, when Boys Varsity Soccer had their home opener against the same school, over a year and half later.
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In the midst of the pandemic, schools everywhere grappled with how best to handle interscholastic athletics, and with the knowledge available at the time, CSW’s athletic leagues made the difficult decision to cancel games for the duration of the 2020-21 school year. Still, CSW did its best to continue to provide opportunities for students to stay active. When school was remote, the Athletics Department offered various fitness classes — pre-recorded and live — over Zoom. And once school was back in session, students were able to participate in team sports but with a focus on “skills and drills,” and very strict limits on physical contact.
“It was really challenging because we had components of practice that had to be virtual,” says Boys Varsity Basketball Head Coach Bobby Savino. “So our time together became more focused on team and relationship building.” Still, Bobby says he appreciated the opportunity to be able to coach students from all grades and skill levels, instead of just the varsity team as he normally would.
Rachel Amster ’22, who plays on CSW’s varsity volleyball and basketball teams, says she missed the excitement of having real games during the pandemic.
“Even though we had skills and drills, there was little motivation to play because we couldn’t have games or go up against other teams.” While she was grateful for the opportunity to be active and spend time with her teammates, she says the experience just wasn’t the same.
Flash forward to this fall and winter, and students are thrilled to be competing against other schools again. While indoor sports such as volleyball and basketball do require that students wear face masks, student-athletes have been able to compete without pandemic modifications or restrictions. For those students who played outdoor sports in the fall, practices and games were some of the only times during the school day that they were able to go without a mask, serving as a much-appreciated reprieve.
Photo Credit: Jared Charney
Runner Suri Kautz ’25 Has Record-Breaking Season
Photo Credit: Tetsuya Tanaka ’24
“I don’t think I realized how much I missed sports until soccer season started up again this fall,” says Richard Cui ’22, who also plays on the Boys Varsity Basketball team. “Just knowing I have practice or a game to look forward to at the end of the school day has been a really positive shift. It feels good to be able to exercise and hang out with my friends in a space outside of academic classes.”
At the start of this school year, only CSW’s Juniors and Seniors had any experience playing at the high school interscholastic level, and the Juniors have yet to experience a spring season. Although it will likely take some time to make up for this gap, CSW’s new director of athletics, Alan Miles, feels optimistic about the future.
To learn more about CSW’s Athletics program and keep up with our teams, visit www.csw.org/athletics.
Suri Kautz '25 with assistant coach Shad Sommers-Dehaney
Ninth grader Suri Kautz made a name for herself on the cross country running circuit this year. The first-place finisher at multiple races this season, Suri broke CSW’s home course record at Jericho Forest in Weston, MA, on September 14, 2021, with a time of 20:13. Then, on September 22, she broke her own record with a time of 19:36. She broke the record yet again on September 29, setting the new record at 19:32.
Her efforts helped earn CSW a place in the Massachusetts Bay Independent League (MBIL) championship race, where Suri came in first for the girls and set a new course record at Chauncy Hill Chapel Hall. Following this stellar performance, she was unanimously voted as the league’s Most Valuable Runner for the season.
On November 13, Suri ran in the 2021 New England Prep School Track Association (NEPSTA) Division IV Cross Country Championships and finished in second place overall with a time of 21:25. She also ran in the NEPSTA All-Star Race on November 16, and finished in sixth place with a time of 20:27.
Suri’s coaches and teammates are excited by what is clearly just the beginning of a very exciting career.
