Fields remain wet after February snow storms
As the last of the 20-plus inches of snow melt away, the CHS fields are still saturated and muddy, but this will not cause any setbacks in the spring sports schedule, which starts before spring break. All practices and games will proceed as scheduled.
“Mother nature has melted the snow and our teams will return to their ‘normal’ practice locations as fields dry out,” CHS athletic director Dave Kelley said.
Despite holding tryouts in both the main and auxiliary gyms, spring teams were able to have outdoor practices beginning the week of March 8. Although the shared gym time was eventually split evenly among all sports, the different surfaces had an effect on the outdoor team sports.
“Indoor practices are never as good as outdoor [practices],” sophomore girls lacrosse player Ping Ni said. “The balls bounce differently and there is much less space.”
The big question going into the spring sports season was how to deal with the melting snow. The solution is to let the fields dry naturally, and the season will go on as planned with no deviations or rescheduling necessary.
“We were concerned about how practicing in the gym would affect us later in the season,” said sophomore boys lacrosse player Cameron Moshyedi. “But adjusting to the grass won’t be too difficult.”
As for concerns about the safety of athletes on muddy fields, especially the baseball diamond, there is a general understanding that the fields will eventually dry and there will be no issues. It is expected that the terrain will be slippery for a while, but the athletes have cleats with spikes for added traction.
According to Kelley, there have been absolutely no complaints from parents regarding the safety of their kids.
Even with the tarp covering all fields throughout the winter, the water from the melted snow found a way under, leaving the fields moist. Continuous use could possibly tear up the surface, but athletes do not seem to worry.
“Although the fields are not in ideal playing condition, it actually helps us if it rains during the season,” Moshyedi said. “As for now, we will wait it out.”
Following the Olympics, curling sweeps the nation
During the Winter Olympics only one sport made heads turn every time the scrape of the ice was heard. That sport that I am talking about, of course, is curling.
Curling: the art of competitive ice sweeping. Anyone can do it, but, as I learned from my endeavors, few can master it.
But first, a brief history lesson. Contrary to common belief, curling was not invented in Canada. Curling originated in late medieval Scotland, played on frozen ponds with flat river stones and first joined the Olympics as an official sport in 1998.
Thanks to the Olympics, the sport’s popularity is arguably now at its peak. The rinks at The Gardens Ice House in Laurel where the Potomac Curling Club is located was packed with first timers like me and experienced veterans alike. There was even a writer for the Loyola University newspaper there writing an article similar to mine.
“Definitely all clubs see an increase in interest and membership after every winter Olympics,” said Virginia Chalmer, Potomac Curling Club’s Junior Program coordinator. “Anticipating this jump in attention every four years has become a major part of every club’s planning.”
Fortunately, I was able to get right out on the ice, but the Potomac Curling Club was merciful. Instead of expecting everyone to go right out and play games,they put the first timers through drills to get us used to simply standing on the ice with our “sliders” and, while I did not struggle to stand, it was evident that these drills were helpful to many.
After about an hour of learning the basics of sweeping and throwing the stones, I was ready to jump in and play a few ends. During the first end, I played the role of skip, essentially the captain of the team. As skip, my job was to direct the thrower where to throw the stone and how to curl it and tell the sweepers how much to sweep.
As skip, I also had the pressure of my entire team on me as I was throwing last. With an empty house I had the opportunity to put the first point on the board and, unlike with baseball, it turns out I was a natural. Like Greivis Vasquez, I thrived off of the pressure and kept myself from becoming John Shuster, the most infamous curler in the world.
After another end where I took the role of vice, one of the sweepers, my team held on for the 1-0 victory in my curling debut. While sweeping was probably the most difficult part of the game, I did fall once (hey, those stones are tough to keep up on ice), I attribute the scoreless second end to my absence at skip and the lack of guidance the throwers were left with.
The true beauty of curling has to be the environment. There is no friendlier group of athletes than curlers and there is no other sport, other than maybe wiffle ball, which allows you to eat cookies and drink soda while you play. And to those who criticize the sport, why don’t you go out and try to sweep exactly as hard as the skip tells you for an eight-ender to get the stone to settle at the tee?
Boys Volleyball aims to earn spot in playoffs
Despite last year’s failure to make the playoffs, the boys volleyball team aims for a spot in the playoffs as team chemistry has become stronger after a rebuilding season.
The team returns eight players, including senior Geoffrey Wang, who is expected to lead the team on and off the court. Key returning players junior Lan Jiang (middle hitter), sophomores Kevin Teng (hitter) and Raymond Li (outside hitter) are expected to have an impact on the team’s success.
“Last season was more of a rebuilding season because the roster changed drastically,” junior Kevin Chang said. “We lost all of our senior starters and our returning players switched over to the co-ed team.”
Last year’s practices were mainly focused on developing fundamental skills and identifying each player’s strengths and weaknesses, but this year, the team looks to practice to compete on a high level.
“This season we will focus more on strategy rather than skill,” coach Amanda Cook said. “Everyone has improved their skills so now we are able to focus on team chemistry and maximizing our strengths.”
According to junior Eric Lee, the team has had conflicts on and off the court as players were confounded by the lack of team chemistry and experience.
“The entire team was trying to find its niche on the court but it was difficult to do so because we had trouble communicating during games,” Chang said.
Cook is confident that the team will be able to reach the playoffs and compete among the top teams in the county. Consistency with passing, setting and serving, along with learning to place the ball on the court will be emphasized throughout the season.
“I am excited to compete with other schools but really more anxious to see how much our team has grown throughout our rebuilding season,” Jiang said. “This season we do not fear any other high performing teams because now we are no longer in the rebuilding phase, but rather looking to excel.”
Coed Volleyball hopes to improve upon last season
The coed volleyball team hopes to improve on last year’s 9-3 mark entering its first game March 23 against Whitman.
According to head coach Michael Endler the team must focus on three things in order to win this game and many others.
“We need to get used to the positions and switches on the court, and we must be more consistent,” Endler said.
Endler also said that even with the loss of many seniors last year many players stepped up during tryouts.
“I’m very impressed with senior Jonathon Huang and junior James Lee; they will be our main hitters this year,” Endler said. “Seniors Kelen Jiang and Grace Xia are also excellent all around players.”
Lee has worked very hard in the offseason to be one of the team’s best players.
“This offseason I practiced hitting and setting a lot to get where I am today,” Lee said. “Before this season, I couldn’t even hit.”
The team has very high hopes this year, but will focus on two goals specifically.
“I want our team to play to the best of our ability and continue to improve game after game, even if we lose one or two along the way,” Endler said.
If the team can accomplish these goals this year, the sky is the limit.
“We’re definitely going to make the playoffs,” Lee said. “If we try hard enough during practice and play well enough during the games I can see us winning a county championship.”
Improved pitching, new coach key for CHS
The baseball team will open up its season March 22 against Sherwood. While many of the players remain from last year’s team that upset archrival Wootton in the first round of the playoffs, two notable new faces dotted the tryout field during the first week of March: new head coach Scott Blackwood and senior starting pitcher Harris Fanaroff, who is returning from an ACL tear that sidelined him for the entirety of last season.
After controversy mired the team a year ago, the transition to a new coach is a welcomed change for a Bulldog team with plenty of promise.
“I’m very excited to have a coach like coach Blackwood,” senior Bryce Shemer said. “He has played the game, coached the game and knows the game well. We are all very excited about the season.”
The addition of offseason workouts is not all that Blackwood brings to the team; he brings a more aggressive managerial approach than has been seen in past years.
“We are going to be aggressive, both at the plate and on the bases,” Blackwood said. “I truly believe you have to give everything you have every single pitch. I expect the team to play with a ‘Bulldog’ mentality, a never give up attitude.”
The other major storyline of the season for the team will be the return of Fanaroff, the Lehigh commit and potential ace.
Fanaroff will join a loaded rotation that includes Shemer, seniors Tyler Siegel and Jameson McGrane and junior Ben Kramer, all of whom have pitching experience at the varsity level. One would think the Bulldogs have too many pitchers on the roster, but as anyone in the baseball world will tell you, there is no such thing as having too many good starters.
“I think one of our strengths on this team will be pitching,” Blackwood said. “We have a lot of depth at that position.”
The potential explosiveness of the offense is nothing to scoff at either. The offense is highly experienced, led by senior outfielder Eric Skrzyniarz, and experience is always something to fear. The team has four sophomores on the roster, but is also heavy with senior leadership.
“One thing that shocked me in the beginning was after every practice or workout almost every single student athlete came up and shook myself and my coaching staff’s hand,” Blackwood said. “That shows a lot about a person. Just the amount of respect they showed us from the beginning made us respect them even more. I have so much admiration for these kids. I can’t ask for anything better.”
Young tennis team looks to repeat championship
After ending last year’s season on a high note, the underclassmen-heavy boys tennis team hopes to repeat as county and state doubles champions.
The team consists of 10 new players as former key players Pavan Sethi and Felix Sun graduated.
“That is high school tennis,” coach Benjamin Woods said. “It created opportunities for someone else and it gives them the chance to be great contributors. It lets someone step up in leadership and earn more playing time. I don’t look at it as a loss, but a new beginning.”
Some may view the lack of senior experience as a disadvantage, but strong leadership from returning players like seniors Jason Teitelbaum, Adam Draiman and junior Kevin Chu will help guide the new players to a winning season.
“Our major weakness would obviously be our lack of experience since we only have six returning players,” Chu said. “However, everyone is coachable, always looking for ways to improve their game and always grateful when they receive tips.”
The Bulldogs suffered one of their only losses last season to Whitman who will continue to be among the Bulldogs’ primary challengers along with Wootton and Bullis.
“Every team is really an obstacle,” Draiman said. “However, Wootton and Whitman are always tough matches every year.”
The Bulldogs will play their first match against Damascus, March 22, where they hope to begin the season on a strong note.
“With strong leadership from our returning players and our new players continuing to work hard we should mold together as a team, so that we will be ready when it comes time for our first match,” Draiman said.
Track looks to build off of indoor season
The 2009-2010 school year has been the best in recent memory for CHS track and they look to carry the momentum of their strong cross country and indoor seasons into this spring.
With the girls team taking home the top spot in the county for the fourth time in five years, it is safe to say that CHS has become something of a county powerhouse of late. Thanks to seniors Maryam Fikri, Alex Giedd and All-American Katie Wolf, the girls have become one of the most dominant teams in the state, and are among the best in CHS history.
“We began to talk about it as a dynasty,” coach Scott Silverstein said. “All the girls on this team weren’t on that first team five years ago, so it shows that they can continue to have success.”
The boys, after several years in the Montgomery County gutter, have begun to emerge as strong contenders for the county title, finishing fourth overall during the indoor season.
“These boys are really well balanced,” Silverstein said. “They are the best team since I got here.”
The balance of senior leadership and strong underclassmen contributions has served CHS well this year.
While the girls boast some of the state’s finest runners, a new crop of underclassmen are poised for a breakthrough season and will be ready to fill in when needed. Most notable among the underclassmen girls are sophomore Charlotte Bourg and junior Taylor Caulk.
The boys on the other hand, while significantly less top heavy with seniors, still feature a few star runners. Among those are seniors Sei Masuoka and Tarek Elhage, who finished fifth in the state in the two-mile.
“Seniors and underclassmen will make an equal impact on this season,” Ethage said. “We have very strong veteran runners but we also have many talented younger runners that can keep up with the senior runners.”
CHS track’s lethal combination of star power and depth leaves them in an excellent position to build on two already outstanding seasons. Both the boys and girls squads are approaching this season with every bit of the intensity and dedication that led them to strong finishes earlier in the year.
“We prepare the same way with hard workouts,” Silverstein said. “When things work you keep doing the same things.”
The Bulldogs’ first meet will be Wednesday, March 23 at home against Blair.
Boys lacrosse boasts more experienced lineup
The boys lacrosse team, led by 15 seniors and head coach Jeff Fritz, began its season March 22 at B-CC. However, the team has been practicing since March 1 and has had many scrimmages to prepare for the season.
“Everybody is going into the season with a big hope of success,” senior goalie Max Kalicka said. “We have all been waiting for senior year and we are going to set the bar high.”
Last year the Bulldogs had an 8-3 record before losing to Whitman in the playoffs. CHS beat Whitman earlier in the year by a pretty large margin, but lost a close game to them in the first round of the playoffs.
Looking forward to the new season, many players have high expectations for the team. Even though the team has a young midfield, much of the team has had varsity experience.
“This season will be very different from last,” Kalicka said. “The defense will have some of the most experience on the field and we’re a very close group.”
The team has to deal with the hard task of replacing players who graduated last year, but many players have stepped in to fill in those positions. CHS has scheduled a few scrimmages early in the preseason against highly competitive opponents to prepare themselves for when the regular season begins.
“We got to assess some talent levels of different people,” Fritz said. “So now we just need to tweak our lineup to make the most productive team we can.”
Players from the team have been participating in winter indoor lacrosse leagues together. Also, the team has been practicing three times a week since school began, running practices just like Fritz would have since he is not allowed to coach the team in the offseason.
“We have very high expectations,” senior Matt Bank said. “With over 15 returning seniors, we look to be very competitive.”
Girls Lacrosse looks to match last year’s success
The big snowstorm in February caused many problems for everyone, girls lacrosse included. CHS had to use the main gym for tryouts, as did all spring sports, which made it difficult for the players to show their skills and the coaches to really assess the players. The team tried to get what it could from indoor practices and looks to make up for the lost time when they are able to get outside.
“[We will] work hard and prepare in practices with the same intensity, as we will play in our games,” coach Christen Pena-Ariet said. “We are adjusting and for the past two days this past week we were able to go outside.”
Going all the way last year to regional finals undefeated, the Bulldogs did very well, but one question on people’s minds is can they do it again this season without one of their main players from last year, Angela Biciocchi, who had 71 goals, 24 assists and 26 forced turnovers.
“I think we need the whole team to step up,” Pena-Ariet said. “This is a new season and losing Angela hurts, but that’s going to happen as the years go on and we need to just focus on the present not the past or future.”
The big players for this year are expected to be seniors Zoe Kabelac and Sophia Ein and sophomore Mairin Hall. Kabelac was the main scorer last year, who had 80 goals, and is expected to fulfill the same expectations, while Ein will try to have the most assists again.
“Based on our returning girls, Zoe was our leading goal scorer and Sophia was one of our leaders if not the leader for assists,” Pena-Ariet said. “Both are seniors and both need to be prepared to work even harder now that people know who they are. Other girls who are new will need to step up to our team intensity, aggressiveness, and will to win.”
Lacrosse is a sport of endurance and stick handling and passing. The Bulldogs will need to have that factor of endurance and passing skills. One of the ways they were so successful last year was because of their endurance and hunger to win.
“We will mix it up this year,” Pena-Ariet said. “We want to definitely be in shape so that we can out run our opponents for the entire duration of the game.”
Athlete of the Month: Chris Verboncoeur
When senior captain Chris Verboncoeur won both the 50 meter freestyle and 100 meter butterfly at the County Championship Feb. 18, it proved that he truly leads the swim and dive team by example.
Verboncoeur started swimming when he was 6 years old and currently swims with the Rockville Montgomery Swim club.
“I have improved drastically for the past two years as I gave all my other sports up to swim full time,” Verboncoeur said.
Over the last two years Verboncoeur has been training rigorously to hopefully qualify for the Olympic Trials as he practices for about two hours three to four times a week both before and after school.
“Swimming affects my everyday life because it is everyday except for Sundays,” Verboncoeur said. “My ultimate goal is to qualify for Olympic Trials and I have not yet, but I’m not too far off.”
Because of his natural athletic ability, Verboncoeur was skilled in both basketball and football, but decided to drop them to focus on swimming.
“I chose swimming because I really wanted to compete in a sport in college,” Verboncoeur said. “Realistically, swimming was the only sport I could see myself competing in.”
Verboncoeur’s motivation to win and his intimidating size and speed led him to win almost every event he swam. Verboncoeur earned the honor of First Team All-Gazette, which caught the eye of some college coaches.
“He swims the two most exciting events and he almost always wins those events,” head coach Rodney Van Tassell said. “Aside from being the best swimmer, he is very competitive and determined to win.”
Verboncoeur has been talking with five NCAA Division I schools and hopes to swim in the ACC next winter. He will be one of 17 seniors leaving the swim and dive team next year.
“I don’t want to think about it,” Van Tassell said. “We will be missing him a lot and we’ll have enormous shoes to fill next year. Whichever school gets him will be lucky because he still has room to improve.”
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