Monthly Archives: December 2008

December 19, 2008 · 5:37 pm

Committed Newburyport Field Hockey Team Wins 13 Games

Clipper field hockey captains Callie Hefferan, Tricia Grasso, and Taylor Damon

Clipper field hockey captains Callie Hefferan, Tricia Grasso, and Taylor Damon

The turnaround for the Newburyport field hockey program was significant. 

After winning a total of nine games the previous two seasons, the Clippers were victors in thirteen matches in 2008 and reached the Division 2 North quarterfinals.

How did they do it?  I learned the answers from 2nd year coach Lauren Hefferan recently in the Anna Jaques cafeteria.  Lauren is a clinical leader in the cardiac unit at AJH.

“The key to the team’s success was the commitment that the seniors on this team made,” explained Coach Hefferan.  “They were the first kids this program has had that practiced skills all year round.”

More and more the out-of-season practice has become important.  “In the Cape Ann League, you need to have players working out in the off-season just to be competitive because many of the teams are so good,” added Lauren.

Lauren said that she started seeing the results of the team’s commitment to improve in 2007 when the team finished 5-10-4.  “The skill improvement was noticeable,” she said.  “Our biggest problem was that we couldn’t put the ball in the net.”

Enter senior Ashley Karelis in 2008.  “She was on the team in 2007 but didn’t score very much,” recalled Lauren. This year Ashley netted 15 goals.  “We only scored seven goals during all of 2007 so you can see how important she was to the team.”

The Clippers also had a solid group of JV’s (Cassandra Davis, Haley Johnson, and McKenzie Maguire) join the varsity.  “Sometimes underclassmen can be intimidated when they move up but not these kids.”

Strong at every position and able to score goals, the Clippers put together a stretch of thirteen games this season in which they didn’t lose. 

“We lost to powerful North Andover 1-0 early in the season and came away realizing how much we had improved over last season,” said Lauren.  “They had beaten us 7-0 in 2007.” 

A little over a month later, against the same team, the final score was 1-1.  “That game was memorable because it was supposed to be played at home but because of the lockdown we had to go over there for a second time, yet we still did very well,” she added.

Asked about coaching her daughter she said, “Callie was easy to coach.  She probably worked as hard at field hockey as anyone has.  I pushed her because I had a good idea what it would take for her to become really good at the sport.  Fortunately, she had a bunch of close friends who joined her in working at field hockey year round. That made it a lot easier for her.”

The CAL Coach of the Year played field hockey at Haverhill and then went on to be part of a UNH team that was ranked 7th in the country her junior year.  “I have tried to stay involved in field hockey since graduating from UNH,” she said.  “In the off-season, I coach at UNH and Seacoast United (Hampton NH) wherever they need help and whenever my schedule allows it.   Many of my former UNH teammates are coaches in those places as well.”

Callie Hefferan, Tricia Grasso, and Taylor Damon (the team’s senior captains) caught the field hockey bug as freshman.  “We all started playing together after Callie’s mom told us about the game and helped sign us up for a camp,” said Tricia.

Now the girls hope to play at the next level.  “I expect to play at Franklin Pierce,” said Taylor.  Callie and Tricia have yet to settle on colleges but want to continue playing if the opportunity presents itself.

(To be published in The Town Common on December 31st)

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December 17, 2008 · 2:32 pm

Local Sporting Events: A Gift Waiting to be Opened Year Round

I enjoy watching athletic events all year long and I find them to be a little bit like Christmas. 

A lively crowd abandons TVs and computers for an evening of high school basketball on December 16th at NHS. The Clippers defeated Triton, 63-57

A lively crowd abandons TVs and computers for an evening of high school basketball on December 16th at NHS. The Clippers defeated Triton, 63-57

Sporting events are a natural occasion for participants and family spectators to enjoy special times together.  It is also an enjoyable take for those of us on the outside looking in, to be able to witness this phenomenon.

Those special times are not necessarily celebrating victories but are always opportunities to watch character-building interactions that strike me as very important in the grand scheme of things.

Visit a game and you’ll see players comforted after losses by their parents.  Few words are spoken but the athletes get the message – “Win or lose, we’re here for you.” 

The very fact that parents attend athletic events involving their children is special.  The younger the participants the more likely it is that a child will be looking into the crowd for his/her parents.  Am I the only one who has seen a participating child wave to his family while a game is going on?

It is also nice to see the bonding that goes on within a team during a game and during a season.  I have no doubt that coaches promote the idea of being supportive teammates. 

When a team/teammate is struggling that support is taken to a higher level.  I witnessed this at Georgetown High School on December 15th.  GHS was playing talented Cathedral High of Brighton in a nonleague let’s-see-how-good-we-are boys’ basketball game.  I went to see celebrated GHS sophomore Jaymie Spears play and decided to chart everything he did. Not long into the game, I realized that the talented 5-10 guard was living a nightmare in front of a large audience.  By halftime, he had made just one of fourteen shots.  Discouraged?  You bet he was but during every stoppage of play, I saw teammates and coaches encouraging him.  I wish I could say that things got better in the second half but they didn’t.  He could only hit one of thirteen shots in the second half and his team ended up losing by a point.  However, through it all, his teammates and coaches stayed positive.  I came away believing that the support system in place on Coach Mike Rowinski’s Royals team will enable the young man to move on and that all involved have learned and displayed valuable life lessons in the process.

It doesn’t always happen but two of the area teams (Newburyport girls’ soccer and Amesbury football) rewarded their towns with the gift of their dreams – state championships. 

NHS girls’ soccer is the epitome of a successful program.  A well-run feeder system is in place and surely had plenty to do with winning a second straight state championship this season. Cape Ann League All-Stars will graduate but this has been a team that doesn’t rebuild, it reloads. 

At Amesbury High School, the football program took a turn for the better when the current seniors were freshmen and had an undefeated season.  Those freshmen moved on to the varsity the next season and were the nucleus of a team that wiped out Martha’s Vineyard and won Amesbury’s first Super Bowl ever. 

For me the beauty of attending officiated local sports is that I never attend knowing the outcome in advance – kind of like unwrapping a Christmas present.  Predictably, interesting things will unfold. 

The only “danger” in attending a local sporting event is that one game may not be enough for you.  Before long, you’re turning off the TV or computer and heading out to take in some real action on a regular basis.

(To be published in The Town Common on December 24th)

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December 9, 2008 · 7:16 pm

Amber Smith Works Hard to be the Best

Classic examples of how hard work can pay off would be two basketball players from Ipswich – Ryan O’Connell and Amber Smith.

At early morning hours when others were sleeping during the regular season, Ryan and Amber were at places where they could improve in basketball.  In the off-season when others were playing other sports or relaxing, these two were training and traveling with AAU teams all over the East Coast.

One common training spot for both has been the Ipswich YMCA.  “I used to work out with Ryan and others there,” recalled Amber.  “We’d lift and shoot and do drills.”

Ryan left the Ipswich school system after 8th grade for the Division 1 competition available at St. John’s Prep in Danvers.  He thrived among the best players in the state and became St. John’s all-time leading scorer near the end of the 2007-08 season.  He is now a freshman in a very successful D3 basketball program at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.

UMaine-bound Amber Smith starts her senior season at Ipswich

UMaine-bound Amber Smith starts her senior season at Ipswich

Amber has chosen to remain in Ipswich and enters her senior year as the school’s 2nd highest career scorer with 1341 points.  She is 301 points behind current leader (Justin Woodworth – senior at Salve Regina) and more than likely will claim the top spot before this season is over.

After Ipswich, Amber heads north to D1 UMaine in Orono thanks to a full, four-year scholarship to play basketball for the Black Bears.  “I think that it is the perfect place for me,” she said.

Amber is currently trying to recover from a stress fracture (she had the cast off last week) that has slowed her down for the past four months.  “There will be some pain but I’m used to it,” she reported after practice.  “In a couple of weeks I should be at 100%.” 

That will be bad news for Cape Ann League opponents.  Amber was the CAL Small Player-of-the-Year last season, averaging a nice 22 point/12 rebounds double/double per game while surrounded by multiple defenders. 

“I saw her in 7th grade and knew she was going to be a good one,” recalled IHS coach Mandy Zegarowski.  “She was already 5-9 and strong.  On top of her size, she could already shoot a jump shot.  There are kids playing at the high school level that still can’t do that.”

Amber went the AAU route to improve her game during each off-season. “My intent in playing AAU was to match up against higher level competition,” she explained. “It you want to get better you have to play against better people.”

The AAU season generally runs from March-July. Amber’s most recent team (Mass Thundercats from Lynn) added 32 games to her 20-game CAL schedule.  “We traveled to DC for the Nationals this past year and played a lot of games in New York City.  I have seen and played against some of the best players on the East Coast.”

However, one of the best players she’s faced recently may be her younger brother, Colin.  The 6-2, 8th grader would appear to have as bright a basketball future as his older sister.  “I play against him all the time,” said Amber.  “He’s already on an AAU team. He dunked for the first time the other day. Lately when we’re playing, I (at 5-10) am starting to have trouble getting shots off against him.  I am stronger than him, though.”

Amber realizes that her defense needs improving. “I’m not as quick as I need to be right now but maybe if I got to the gym an hour earlier I could speed up fixing that problem,” she joked. 

Don’t bet against her doing whatever it takes to be the best.

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December 8, 2008 · 2:23 pm

AHS Football Team Wins Super Bowl

(Waltham) Santa’s parade may have started in Amesbury at 3:30PM on Saturday (December 6th) but hours before that parade the AHS football team had already been on the receiving end of all sorts of gifts from Division 3A Super Bowl opponent Martha’s Vineyard at Bentley University and as a result captured their first Super Bowl, 40-19. 

The uncharacteristic “generosity” of the (11-2) Vineyarders gave the Indians (12-1) numerous opportunities to show off their explosive offense.  And show it off they did – excluding a one-play possession just before the half, they turned their first six possessions into 40 points. 

AHS head coach Thom Connors with Super Bowl trophy

AHS head coach Thom Connors with Super Bowl trophy

“We jumped on every chance we got,” was how Amesbury coach Thom Connors explained a near-perfect performance by his team afterwards. 

The numerous mistakes were a big surprise to everyone, especially the Vineyarders.  MV head coach Don Herman claimed that his team had only fumbled twice all season.  Unfortunately for Martha’s Vineyard in this one, their highly regarded quarterback (Mike McCarthy) had that many giveaways in the first quarter of the Super Bowl, and to make things worse had thrown an interception.

Opportunities are one thing but cashing in are another.  “You have to take advantage of those things,” said Coach Connors.  “You let a team hang around and then you’ve got a fight at the end.”

That cha-ching you heard was Amesbury cashing in on each and every opportunity.  The yardage gained was not large on every play but always enough to either keep a drive going or to find the end zone.  We never did find out who the Amesbury punter was.

“The things we planned for this game worked,” said Coach Connors midst a throng of well-wishers after the game.  “We thought that we could run Jesse (Burrell) up the middle and Kevin (Johnston) and Ryan (Dragon) off tackle.  Then of course, we had the X Factor in (quarterback) Jared Flannagan.  We hoped to get him to the perimeter with options to run or pass and that worked perfectly today.”

At 5’6” – 155 pounds, AHS senior Jared Flannigan isn’t an imposing figure but his ability to dodge tacklers and find room to pass or run drove the Vinelander defenders crazy causing many missed MV tackles.

In the biggest game in Amesbury football history, Jared passed for one touchdown, scrambled for another touchdown, set up another with a scramble, and faked out the entire MV defense on a bootleg that literally allowed him to walk into the end zone unnoticed for yet another score.  Truly remarkable and surely a performance that will be talked about for years to come in Amesbury.

Coach Connors recalled cautioning his team at halftime that even their 34-7 lead wasn’t safe.  “I told them if we could score 34 points then they could as well.”  Nice thought, but on the first play from scrimmage in the second half, Jared dodged and darted his way 61 yards to the end zone. 

Jared’s TD put AHS comfortably ahead, 40-7, and the chants of “over-rated” started in the Amesbury cheering section aimed at the discouraged MV side.  Later the celebrating in the stands was joined by the players on the sidelines after Coach Connors took his starters off the field with 4 ½ minutes left in the game.  Plenty of hugs, high fives, and attempts to douse coaches followed.

At game’s end, the Super Bowl trophy was presented to the Amesbury captains at midfield.  Up on the team’s shoulders went Coach Connors with the trophy raised to the skies. 

What a great day for the town of Amesbury.

( This story will appear in The Town Common in the December 17-23 edition.)

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December 6, 2008 · 11:20 pm

Amesbury High School – Division 3A Super Bowl Champions

(Waltham) I was at Bentley University on Saturday afternoon and saw the Amesbury Indians capture the Massachusetts Division 3A Super Bowl title, 40-19, over highly regarded but poorly performing Martha’s Vineyard.

The expected high scoring affair turned out to be partially correct.  While Amesbury scored at will, MV gave the ball away at nearly the same pace. 

The offensive weapons that carried the Indians to the Cape Ann League Small title confounded MV.  Amesbury raced off to a 34-7 halftime advantage and then came back after halftime and scored on the first play of the second half.  The winner, thereafter, was never in doubt, only the margin of victory.

Fortunately for me I located myself and my Canon Power Shot digital camera in whatever end zone Amesbury was heading for.  I took pictures before the game, during it, and afterwards.  My favorite was the one of Jared Flannigan strolling into the end zone after faking out the entire MV defense.  I have put that picture at the top of my blog.

Below are some of the pictures I took at the Super Bowl. Anything underlined has a picture connected to it so click away.

Before the game AD Elizabeth McAndrews and AHS principal Les Murray are all smiles. 

Jared Flannigan and Steve Serwon lead the Indians onto the field.

Kevin Johnston sweeps left for second Amesbury score.

Jared Flannigan strolls in for Indians 4th touchdown on a bootleg in the second quarter which made the score 28-7.

Martha’s Vineyard intercepts a Flannigan pass in the end zone in the third period.

Jared Flannigan waits on the sidelines as the game winds down.

Kyle Mroz and Steve Serwon all smiles as game nears end.

Amesbury captains wait to receive Division 3A Super Bowl trophy.

AHS head coach Thom Connors rides on the team’s shoulders.

Coach Thom Connors with the Super Bowl trophy.

Amesbury football group picture for Division 3A Super Bowl.

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December 5, 2008 · 12:48 pm

Georgetown Soccer Rides “do-or-die” to Division 3 North Finals

In a time of cliché overkill, the phrase “do-or-die” is overused and often abused. 

However, write about the 2008 season of the Georgetown boys’ soccer team and the phrase fits perfectly.

This team was a very unimpressive 3-7-4 after coming off 4-0 losses to both Masco and Wilmington.  With few games left, the success of the season hung in the balance.

GHS coach Ron Comeau with Div 3 North Finals Trophy

GHS coach Ron Comeau with Div 3 North Finals Trophy

 “We knew full well, that with four games left, we couldn’t lose or tie the rest of the way or we wouldn’t make the playoffs,” explained GHS coach Ron Comeau.

And sure enough in the very next game (at Rockport), the Royals were in a 0-0 tie in the last minute.  “We had a 30 MPH wind to our backs and a direct kick from the sidelines,” recalled the Royals eight year coach.  “We had everyone up in the box because we couldn’t afford a tie.  Kyle McKay took the kick and laid it across everyone’s head and curled it into the corner for the game-winner.”

“From that point on we really believed that we could make the playoffs,” said Ron.  “The kids’ confidence seemed to grow and we did qualify for the state’s.”

The GHS coach believes that playing in the strong Cape Ann League is a tremendous plus when it comes to the state tournament.  “Even in losses to the CAL powerhouses like Masco the team gets better and later when you face teams your own size in the tournament you have some advantages.”

The Royals were seeded a distant 14th in the North Division 3 playoffs.  With a 7-7-4 record, they were unlikely to scare too many teams outside of the Cape Ann League.  But after three games in the tournament Georgetown was still standing.  That got them to the North Finals where CAL opponent Hamilton-Wenham beat them 2-1 at windy Manning Field in Lynn on November 16th.

“We had a great run in the tournament,” said Ron.  “Even the loss to Hamilton-Wenham could have gone our way.  In the first half, we hit a crossbar and had another shot glance off the crossbar.  Put us up 2-0 and things might have been different in the second half.”

Coach Comeau was quick to admit that this was the most successful of the eight seasons he’s had at Georgetown.  The team had been in the playoffs before but had never gotten to the North Finals.

Coach Comeau’s personal soccer-playing past is an interesting one.  “I never played soccer growing up.  It was my kids that got me started.  They played and I helped out on their teams.  Then I was their coach and before long I was the Georgetown soccer commissioner.  I took up playing soccer myself by joining an Over-30 league and it was there that I fell in love with the game.  I played for the Georgetown team for eight seasons as a defensive player and a goalkeeper.  Along the way I got state certified to coach at the high school level.”

“It was terrific the way the town supported us during the playoffs,” he added.  “Georgetown is a very nice town to play sports in.” 

( Submitted to The Town Common on December 5th )

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December 3, 2008 · 4:27 pm

Turks and Caicos? Book it!

tci-porch-view-11-24-08

 

My wife and I went with family to Turks and Caicos (TCI) from November 23rd – November 30th.  Calling this place “beautiful” is an understatement. 

This is a place you could really love if you’re from our part of the country – Newburyport MA.  The weather?  Think June around here.

We were situated at a resort that had the Caribbean in the front yard and a pool in the backyard.  It took me a while to come to grips with the fact that I could get into outdoor water in late November and not risk a heart attack.  Once I got beyond my fears, I was in both water options several times each day.

One thing I didn’t do was parasail.  They were offering it and doing it right across in front of our resort.  I’m not crazy about heights and they sent you up about 80 feet or so it seemed.  My two granddaughters (aged seven and ten) did parasail with their father.  Maybe I’ll try next time……….don’t count on it.

TCI is located south of the Bahamas and is part of the British West Indies.  Most of the people we ran into spoke English although at the resort, some of the employees were speaking another language and it wasn’t Spanish or French. 

My wife and I got up early on a number of mornings and walked the beach. I was pleasantly surprised that no matter the time of day, or the brightness of the sun, the sand on the beach was never hot.  Any of you who have ever been on the beaches at the Salisbury Reserve or Crane Beach in the summer know how hot the sand can get.  Not at TCI, though.

One constant at TCI was the wind.  It was never a matter of, would it be blowing, but of, how strongly would it be blowing.  Those winds brought out the wind surfers, kite sailors, as well as catamaran users.  I watched those folks in action with great envy.  I tried to convince myself that under different conditions I would be right out there with them.

The prices in TCI will get your attention.  Not surprising, however, since almost everything they have has to be imported.  I believe that I saw gas being sold at $3.99 a gallon!  Eating out or buying food to cook at the resort was a real financial revelation.  I heard that the locals bring back coolers of food when they return from US visits because of the prices.

Another thing that caught me by surprise was the lack of birds.  I’m so used to being places where birds are plentiful.  I did see a few sea gulls but not many.  I also saw a couple of pelicans. 

The flowers, on the other hand, were numerous and gorgeous.  The hibiscus and bougainvillea were especially noticeable.

We got to and from TCI by air.  I had not flown anywhere for a number of years and had forgotten that almost every flight leaves stories behind.  They still are allowing crying youngsters to sit near you.  You can also plan on some sort of glitch to occur before departure or before you can actually get off the plane.

We prepared for the warm weather ahead by wearing only warm-weather clothes to the airport at Hartford (CT).  We got onto the plane with temperatures outside probably in the low 40s.  They did not close the door to the great outdoors for a while because of some malfunction.  Being dressed in warm-weather clothes became a bad idea as the minutes wore on.  Once the malfunction was fixed and the door closed, we taxied out to the runway.  The pilot then informed us that some light wouldn’t turn either off or on and we would have to return to the terminal.  We then learned that this problem could be fixed by airport maintenance if they had the part. If not, we’d be taking other flights.  TCI started seeming like a long way’s off to me.  Fortunately, the part was found and installed and off we went to Charlotte.

The pilot for the Charlotte to Hartford trip on our way back was actually quite gruff insisting that people get down the aisles in a hurry and get out of the way of others trying to pass by.  I liked that because it sped up the departure time.  However, just as most of the passengers were seated he announced, “Hurry up, get out of the way so that the mechanic can get to the back.”  I tried to imagine what that was all about and none of my imaginings was comforting.  Nothing came of it, as far as I know.  Maybe the mechanic needed to use the bathroom? 

We departed Charlotte and as we leveled off the pilot told us, and I paraphrase, “There’s good news and bad news.  The bad news is that because of the weather the trip will be quite bumpy.  The good news is that we have a tailwind and we’ll be going very fast.”  The bumpiness was such that they didn’t serve beverages during the flight.  The speed?  When we landed and were moving very fast down the runway the pilot said over the intercom, “Whoa, big fella, whoa!”  I had my own brakes on trying to help him.

However, we walked away from every flight in one piece and really enjoyed our time away in wonderful Turks and Caicos.

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