NBA Offseason & Free Agency—Summer Heats Up
Bobby Meehan '19, Sports Editor
September 13, 2018
Filed under News and Commentary, Sports
As soon as the NBA season came to a close in June, after the Golden State Warriors were yet again crowned champions, teams made moves to acquire the biggest free agent superstars on the market. This offseason was one like no other: LeBron James joined the Los Angeles Lakers. During the final year of James’ contrac...
Athlete of the Issue: Freddie Tobeason
Powers Trigg '20, Assistant Sports Editor
September 13, 2018
Filed under Athlete Of the Issue, Fall, Sports
As the late Vince Lombardi once put it, “the strength of the group is the strength of the leaders.” When it comes to the girls varsity field hockey team, leadership is especially crucial. The team brings back many key players along with new talent, and Coach Alison Hamlin has high expectations. B...
Boys Varsity Soccer Team Travels to Europe
Max Steinert '20, Assistant Sports Editor
September 13, 2018
At the close of summer, while other fall athletes prepared themselves for preseason, the boys varsity soccer team packed up their bags and embarked on a 13-day adventure to England and Ireland. The itinerary included sightseeing, bonding, and preparing themselves on the field for the upcoming season. ...
Mind the Gap: Facts and Figures Behind Gender Disparity in Sports
September 13, 2018
Filed under News and Commentary, Showcase, Sports
Despite efforts to level the playing field, discrepancies between the recognition and compensation of male and female athletes span the sports industry. This imbalance can be traced back to the early days of modern sport, when women were considered soft, weak, and ill-equipped to cope with the demands of phy...
Girls Making Gains: A Piloted Class
June 2, 2018
Filed under News and Commentary, Sports
The weight room is supposed to be a comfortable, casual atmosphere, fit for working out before or after school. The daily scene in Groton’s weight room, however, may not be welcoming to all kinds of people. It usually involves loud rap music, sweat, and a big group of boys. The issue: girls are lar...
Athlete of the Issue: Nailah Pierce
June 2, 2018
Filed under Athlete Of the Issue, Sports
“Trusty teammate.” “Fierce leader.” “Phenomenal athlete.” These are the words used by girls varsity crew team members to describe Nailah Pierce ’18. Nailah has been on the team since her first spring at Groton, and over the last four years she has managed to master the sport of rowing. In...
Boys Varsity Tennis Competes in New England Championship Finals
June 2, 2018
Two weekends ago, on the Groton tennis courts, the boys varsity tennis team concluded their outstanding season with the New England Championships. As the number-one seed and holders of a 14-0 undefeated record during the regular season, with wins over perennial superpowers such as Andover, Exeter, and D...
Sixth Formers Move On to College Athletics
May 30, 2018
Filed under Sports
Many high school athletes dream of competing at the collegiate level. Of the eight million students that play high school sports, fewer than five hundred thousand will have the chance to play in college. As the Sixth Form completes their time on the Circle, a small handful of Groton standouts are plannin...
Athlete of the Issue: Elechi Egwuekwe
May 30, 2018
Filed under Athlete Of the Issue, Sports
What makes an athlete truly exceptional? Sure, it comes down to your physical strength and reflexes, but the best athletes have a mastery of the intangibles: drive, determination, and grit. Elechi Egwuekwe ’18 is the perfect example of such an athlete. Finishing up her fourth year on the girls varsit...
Team Preview: Boys Varsity Baseball
May 30, 2018
Another long Groton winter is in the books, and it is time to put away the hockey skates and basketball sneakers to make room for baseball gloves and bats. Boys varsity baseball is eagerly anticipating the start of a new season. However, they experienced quite a shake-up in the offseaso...
Lower School Athletes to Watch
May 30, 2018
Spring sports are in full swing as lacrosse, crew, tennis, baseball, track, and many others finally hit the fields after a long and relentless winter. Although our teams are captained by juniors and seniors, there are many lower school athletes that hold crucial roles to their teams’ success. &...
New Coach Brings Experience, Energy to Girls Lacrosse
May 30, 2018
As the spring sports season commences, the girls varsity lacrosse team is experiencing a change in coaching staff. Rather than by former athletic intern Eileen Giles, the team will be coached by Annie Kandel, a new member of the Circle who accepted the job just months before the season. In addition ...
Athlete of the Issue: Tyler Forbes
May 30, 2018
Filed under Athlete Of the Issue, Sports
Four years. Four varsity letters. Four seasons of dedication to a team. Tyler Forbes ’18 has spent his entire Groton career playing lacrosse. Praised by coaches and teammates, both young and old, Tyler is a well-respected leader and captain. What Tyler himself calls “being gritty” and what Coa...
Why Hockey Players Choose Groton
March 2, 2018
Groton’s boys varsity hockey team competes in the Eberhart division of the New England Prep School Ice Hockey Association. The season begins in the end of November, and stretches to the end of February, playing two to three games per week. Groton’s hockey team prides itself on strong teamwork and e...
Do Managers Deserve Half a Varsity Letter?
March 2, 2018
Managing a varsity team has long been an alternative to athletics or drama for fifth and sixth formers seeking an afternoon activity. However, not playing in the games or matches sparks the question of whether managers ought to be considered part of the teams they manage – and whether they deserve th...
2018 Winter Olympics Preview
March 2, 2018
Finally, the wait is over. Beginning February 9, the 2018 Winter Olympics will be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. This tradition, idolized by spectators and competitors, happens once every four years, and the competition looks sharp for yet another year. Team USA will return with both veteran compet...
Athlete of the Issue: Alyna Baharozian
March 2, 2018
Filed under Athlete Of the Issue, Sports, Winter
The day was February 27, 2016: St. Mark’s Day, one of the most important days for a Groton athlete. All Groton students who play sports pit themselves against St. Mark’s students in a battle that comes down to pure athletic prowess. The team was girls varsity basketball, and things weren’t looking go...
Team Preview: Boy’s Varsity Hockey
January 19, 2018
The challenge of any varsity team is to adapt as players graduate, encourage returning players to step up, and welcome new students onto the team. Boys varsity hockey graduated excellent players last year, but has also welcomed seven new faces onto the ice this year. Both coaches and captains have acknowledged ...
The Squash Ladder, Assessed
January 19, 2018
The success of a squash team relies just as much on the order in which its players are placed as it does on the skill of each player. Just as in tennis, the ranking of players (known internally as a ladder) determines who plays whom in interscholastic matches. In a typical squash match, there will be sev...
The Celtics’ Irish Luck
January 19, 2018
Over the summer, the Boston Celtics were among the busiest teams in the NBA offseason, trading for 4-time All-Star and NBA champion point guard Kyrie Irving from the Cleveland Cavaliers and signing the All-Star Utah Jazz guard Gordon Hayward. They were among the best teams in the league on paper, but sti...
Athlete of the Issue: Noah Aaron
January 19, 2018
Filed under Athlete Of the Issue, Sports
If there’s anyone who’s had a lifelong bond with a sport, it is Noah Aaron ’18. Despite having come in fourth form, Noah makes his mark as an essential member of the football, basketball, and track and field teams. Noah’s presence has since transformed each team for the better, bringing energy...
Lower School Athletes to Watch
January 19, 2018
Robbie Stankard Robbie Stankard ‘21 is returning for his second year onto the varsity basketball team this year. This winter season, he will be playing center. Robbie has been playing basketball for as long as he can remember, starting to play in his town league in first grade. Outside of Groton,...
Bruised and Broken: Athletic Injues
October 26, 2017
Consider this: so far this term, the athletic trainers have offered over 1,200 treatments for athletes, ranging from simple ice packs to full injury rehabilitation. In most winter and spring seasons, for reference, treatments average five to six hundred per term. Why the bump? Every fall, ...
Your Fantasy Football Preview
October 26, 2017
With football season in full swing, Americans around the world are glued to their cell phones, laptops, and TVs. Why? Fantasy football. According to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, approximately 33 million people play fantasy football each year. For those who are not familiar with t...
Head of the Charles 2017
October 26, 2017
Held on the penultimate weekend in October, the Head of the Charles is advertised as “the world’s largest two-day rowing event.” It serves as a grand test of endurance for more than 11,000 athletes participating in 55 different races. As spectators lined the Charles this fall, they saw not only co...
Athlete of the Issue: Paul Michaud
October 26, 2017
16 minutes and 38 seconds. You can use this amount of time to read 5,000 words, or get through the bulk of a television show, or perhaps catch up on your Latin reading. Or, if you’re Paul Michaud, you can run five kilometers. Paul had humble beginnings in the sport of running. It all start...
Athlete of the Issue: Greg Segal
September 11, 2017
Filed under Athlete Of the Issue, Sports
A player with both talent and leadership is essential to the success of any team. Quarterback Greg Segal ‘18 is this sort of player, and Groton varsity football is lucky to have him at its helm. Hailing from Montreal, Greg joined the Circle last year as a new fifth former. He padded up for the first...
Groton’s Newest Varsity Sport: Voleyball
September 11, 2017
After four years of growing popularity and widespread student support, volleyball has been bumped a notch up on Groton’s athletic roster, finally taking its place as a fall varsity sport. Starting this fall, volleyball will be ranked at the same level of intensity as our football, soccer, field hoc...
Athlete of the Issue: John Cecil
June 2, 2017
Filed under Athlete Of the Issue, Sports
John Cecil is seven feet tall, co-captain of the Boys Varsity Crew Team, and committed to row at the University of California, Berkeley. Yet when he first came to Groton, crew was nowhere in his mind. “My older brothers encouraged me to try it out,” said John. “I was actually planning on playin...
A Groton Sports Year-In-Review
June 2, 2017
As the spring term comes to a close, so too does the Groton athletics calendar. The 2016-17 athletics season has seen many incredible plays, sending senior off with medals and memories. Below, we trace some of the best moments in Groton sports this year. In the fall, boys varsity soccer brought the...
Girls’ JV Tennis enjoys success in recent years
May 11, 2017
For the past decade, Girls’ JV Tennis has consistently finished each season with one of the best records of any team on campus. The team is undefeated in the ISL since 2015, and fell only to rival St. Mark’s in 2014. This season, they are off to an impressive start, winning their all of their six ...
Strength in numbers for Track and Field
May 11, 2017
This year, Track and Field has the second largest roster of any team on campus despite being the newest program. Established as an FSA in 2007 and recognized as a varsity sport in 2010, the team has witnessed a dramatic growth in participation in its ten years. With a current group consisting of 15 ...
Lower school athletes make immediate impact on varsity teams
May 11, 2017
Groton Varsity baseball is lucky to have so much young talent on this team this year. This season, Luke Beckstein ‘20 stepped right into a starting role at second base. He is a multidimensional player who is comfortable playing at any spot in the infield, and has developed great chemistry with fellow mid...
Athlete of the Issue: Marcella Flibotte
May 11, 2017
Filed under Athlete Of the Issue, Sports
The Independent School League is known for its fierce athletic competition, and this standard remains especially high for lacrosse. Facing powerhouses such as Governors, St. Mark’s, and St. Paul’s, Groton Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse remains a competitive team in the league. The team owes their suc...
Beyond the Circle: Members of the Form of 2017 commited to college teams
Layne McKeown '18, Reporter
April 19, 2017
MacGregor Beatty, Univeristy of Chicago, Tennis : MacGregor Beatty has played at the top of the Boys’ Varsity Tennis ladder since he was in Third Form. Next year, MacGregor will play tennis at the University of Chicago. A competitive program, UChicago is currently ranked fifth within the University Athlet...
Athlete of the Issue: Taggart Eymer
Powers Trigg '20, Reporter
April 19, 2017
Filed under Athlete Of the Issue, Sports
Sir Alex Ferguson, the legendary Manchester United manager, offered his take on what makes teams successful. “Attacking wins you games. Defense wins you titles.” Taggart Eymer, a starting defender on the Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse team for the past four seasons, understands this sentiment as wel...
Varsity teams look towards St. Mark’s games
Westby Casperson '17 and Powers Trigg '20
February 23, 2017
Rivalries always loom large on the schedule. The stakes are high. Passions run deep. Tensions rest at the razor’s edge. As Jimmy Connors once said about his battles with John McEnroe, “There are no hugs and kisses.” With the earliest competition dating back to 1886, Groton vs. St. Mark’s ...
March Break Trips to Prepare Teams for Fast-Approaching Spring Season
February 23, 2017
Each year during March break, teams take trips in preparation for the spring season. These trips provide opportunity for athletes to improve their game as well as develop strong team camaraderie. This year, Baseball, Boys’ Lacrosse, and Girls’ Lacrosse will all travel to warm destinations over the b...
Athlete of the Issue: Kai Volcy
February 23, 2017
Filed under Athlete Of the Issue, Sports, Winter
As a dual varsity athlete and captain, Kai Volcy is a dominant athletic force. After spending the fall season conditioning, Kai is in top shape during basketball and track seasons. As Kai has only been on the track team since her Fourth Form year, being elected to the position of captain for her Six...
New Intramural Basketball League adds excitement to winter term
January 27, 2017
If you enter the Athletic Center and walk up the stairs to the gym on a Sunday or before week day basketball practices have commenced, you will often see balls flying around the court. Pick-up games of one on one, three vs. three, and even full court five on five are common in the winter. Without lawn ...