Falcons' athletes 'spring' into action to close out another school year of super sports play

By Rick Menning

New Haven, CT -- The winds of change from chill to warmth once again blew across The Foote School campus as the Falcons spread their wings back to the fields and courts for springtime activities.

With the exception of volleyball, which is always held inside the gymnasium, the great outdoors beckoned the other sports: girls' lacrosse, tennis, ultimate (disc) -- and the welcomed return of baseball/softball instruction on the lower field off Highland Street.

After a few years without those latter two sports, a group of ballplayers signed up for the training sessions culminating with a highly memorable exhibition game against faculty/staff members.

BATTER UP! Baseball and softball stepped up to the plate this spring with drills and thrills on The Foote School's lower field. The goal is to have these sports return to regular-season action on campus. (Photo courtesy of The Foote School).

The goal of this instructional program is to rekindle baseball and softball as regular spring sports and eventually play other schools. The turnout is encouraging to Athletic Director Carrie Boyce, who would love to see the diamond doings back in the April-May lineup.

Volleyball continued to be a non-competitive sport filled with learning and camaraderie, while the trio of lacrosse, tennis and ultimate held regular seasons against varying opponents.

Here are the highlights as reported by the coaches:

Baseball/Softball

Despite not having enough participants for regular teams in baseball and softball, a group of student-athletes from The Foote School nonetheless took the field day in and day out to hone their skills and become solid ballplayers.

Rather than spend their springtime without bats and gloves, these youth were determined to do their best and improve with each training experience.

"The core challenge of (this) skill-building is that the student-athletes have to take seriously their growth and engage in effortful, intentional practice and repetitions without the promise of the "fun" of games," said Bailey Arango, one of the instructors along with Evan Pasquale.

Mission accomplished as the team of aspiring middle schoolers came together to experience the thrill of learning while going through all the various phases of growth and continual improvement.

With each passing afternoon, they gained a greater knowledge of the fundamentals of throwing, catching, hitting and fielding, as well as the rules of the game and how to communicate in the language of the sport.

Through drills, simulated games and trips to the batting cages (complete with video analysis of their swing mechanics courtesy of Coach P), students were able to grow as ballplayers while coming together as teammates. 

"Students showed up in April not knowing what a ball or a strike is," Arango said. "Yet (as the training progressed) they used quick thinking to identify the situation, an optimal course of action, whose responsibility it should be to make that happen efficiently, and then calling that information out to the team."

Their progress was truly remarkable, he added.

"The team truly came together around the shared, communal joy of throwing a ball around in the springtime," Arango concluded. "From counting our stretches in a variety of different languages to learning how to chew and spit seeds together, to the process of selecting and enjoying walk-up music for the faculty and staff softball game, our athletes filled the field with joy, laughter and supportiveness." 

Falco Award: Bodhi Henley-Cohn.

Full Count Award: Scout Lee.

Coaches Award: Maddy Normandin.

Team Roster: Cyrus Charles, Philip Corso, David Crump, Bodhi Henley-Cohn, Adam Huang, Rohan Ketwaroo, Scout Lee, Sebastian Tripp, Maddy Normandin, Jane Ehrlich, Eliza Wareck. The coaches are Evan Pasquale and Bailey Arango.

Girls Lacrosse

When the Falcons' lacrosse squad first took the field for its pre-season practices, the skill level ranged from girls who had played before to those who were completely new to the sport.

It didn't take long, however, for the camaraderie and chemistry to blend together into a unit that answered all challenges.

"We finished the season with an even number of wins and losses, which felt like a huge accomplishment and a reflection of how hard the team worked! Super proud of them," said Maddie Milazzo, a member of the coaching ranks along with Lauren Luparia and Sheila Lavey.

Milazzo, Luparia and Lavey instilled in the girls the importance of stick skills, defensive communication, transitions and overall confidence.

"The girls really committed to improving their fundamentals, and it showed," Milazzo continued. "The growth this year was incredible. More importantly, this season laid a really strong foundation for next year."

TAKING FLIGHT: The Falcons' girls' lacrosse team honed their skills and showcased their talents with focused and determined efforts all season. (Photo courtesy of The Foote School).

There were several moments throughout the season that stood out, but one game in particular against Hopkins was especially memorable.

"Aurora, our first-year goalie, had an unbelievable performance in net. Her stats in that game were incredible ... she played with so much composure and confidence under pressure."

Another standout moment came during action versus The Williams School, which fielded a talented group of high school freshmen players.

"Although we lost, the team played incredibly hard," Milazzo said. "The effort, determination and teamwork the girls showed in that game made me extremely proud as a coach."

Each grade level brought something important to the group. The sixth graders were dependable and consistently showed up ready to work and improve, while the seventh graders brought energy, athleticism and skill to every practice and game.

Then there was the all-important leadership of the eighth graders, who did a great job of setting the tone for what it means to be a supportive teammate and competitor.

Many of the girls who started the season unsure of themselves finished the year playing aggressively, communicating well and trusting their abilities -- some of them even scoring a couple of goals!

"The girls genuinely enjoyed being around one another, and that positive environment made the season special," Milazzo concluded.

The “11” Award: Safiya Gonzalez.

The Bar Raiser Midfielder Award: Georgie Esselstyn.

The Midfield Anchor Award: Dylan Hawkins.

Anchor Award: Darcy Driver.

Coaches Award: Violet Lloyd.

Brick Wall Award: Aurora Burke.

Team Roster: Arden Boms, Juliet (Aurora) Burke, Annie Burwell, Clio Ditner-Tiven, Darcy Driver, Georgie Esselstyn, Ellen Ferguson, Safiya Gonzalez, Dylan Hawkins, Violet Lloyd, Caroline Matouk, Indra Noble, Cornelia Piasecki, Petra Teng, Sophia Villacis. The coaches are Lauren Luparia, Maddie Milazzo and Sheila Lavey.

Tennis

There was once again strength in numbers on this year's Foote School tennis team as for the second straight season there was tremendous interest among the student body in being a part of the competition on the court.

"We had nearly 40 athletes sign up to play tennis this season, which created a fun and energetic atmosphere while also challenging everyone to stay focused and make practices meaningful," said coach John Hay, who was helped out on the sidelines by Ross Holzschuh, Anne Lu, Jennifer Friedman and Nate Pawelek.

Strong team spirit quickly developed, and it was most evident in the doubles' pairings.

"The players built great chemistry, formed meaningful and competitive partnerships, and consistently showed resilience and determination by battling hard and never giving up even against very strong opposition," Hay explained.

FULL FORCE: Another extraordinary turnout for tennis at The Foote School as the Falcons' netters volleyed their way into the spotlight. (Photo courtesy of The Foote School).

Among the strong performances this season were victories over Choate and The Country School. In a girls' singles match against Choate, Hay noted that Alara came through with a sparkling effort resulting in a 'W'.

"The lead shifted back and forth throughout the set before Alara ultimately won in a thrilling tiebreak after saving match point," Hay said.

All season, the squad balanced drills with games to keep practices engaging, and the players developed strong camaraderie and enthusiasm.

"The players consistently supported and motivated one another, creating a positive, hard-working environment that helped the team grow both on and off the court," Hay concluded.

Coaches Award: Alara Deniz.

Golden Racquet Award: Anina Gregg.

Team Roster: Talia Abeles, Zayn Ahmad-Dhillon, Sukhi Bindra, Mateo Caliendo, Ava Chan, Alara Deniz, Anika Deshpande, Graham Dickson, Clara Ederer-Kerr, Hatim Elarabi, Aran Esmailpour, Noah Fisher, Elena Garces-Marques, Anina Gregg, Kieran Hagen, Tahira Hargrove, Elise Hsu, Alexandra Ipek, Greta Kelly, Colin Keung, Emerson Lasater, Daniel Liu, Charlotte Martinez, Alex Messing, Owen Messing, Ruthie Myers, Eleazar Para, Rudra Patel, Yoobin Perry, Nina Rodriguez-Dhir, Gage Seymour, Tristan Shahid, Rae Shaw, Keda Tan, Cadel Tiernan, Gabriel Wang, Avery Wiess. The coaches are John Hay, Ross Holzschuh, Anne Lu, Jennifer Friedman and Nate Pawelek.

ULTIMATE

The Foote School's Ultimate (disc) squad rode its strong base of veteran leaders, including some founding members of the team, to a commendable .500 record.

Working with the newcomers to build a solid chemistry, the Falcons established a culture of playing hard with joy and making friends on the other side of the field.

In one particular game, the team -- with only five players suited up -- had to battle not only their opponents but also gale force winds.

Despite the adversity, the maroon and gray disc throwers almost won the game in a sensational display of determination.

STALL Award: Sión Lopez.

HUCK Award: Hoji Smith-Souza.

DISC Award: Daniel Perez.

Team Roster: Matthew El Fakhri, Sión Lopez, Xavi Lopez, Levi Lucarelli-Apatow, Ben Normandin, Daniel Perez, Charlie Schwartz, Hoji Smith-Souza, Matt Sweet, Alonso Talavera. The coaches are Colin Maher and Jimmy McCaffrey.

VOLLEYBALL

Rounding out the spring season teams at The Foote School, the volleyball team returned to the hardwood with a willingness to learn and succeed.

The Falcons' serve-and-spikers consistently cheered for each other and uplifted one another during every practice.

All of the hard work and training paid off as these student-athletes made a tremendous showing in an exhibition match against members of the faculty and staff.

Team Roster: Lea Antonello, Dar Asaf, Rowan Botelho, Megan Bradford, Lark Bromage, Noor Burgess, Sofia Caliendo, Erica Choi, Layla Colon, Mateo Cruz, Eloise Dickson, Avery Earnshaw, Maddie Hay, Daisy Hames, Isla Kelly, Audrey Lasater, Eve Laskin-Tievsky, Clara Lu, Nora Miller, Jessica Park, Noa Saltzman, Ara Smith, Mara Solas-Ghandi, Ellie Sudmyer, Alex Teng.