Wellesley Athlete of the Week is made possible with sponsorship support from Deland, Gibson Insurance. The family-owned and operated business has carried on this Wellesley tradition for over 30 years.
Athlete of the Week: Beckham Gould
Sport: Boys ice hockey (junior, forward)
When & how you got involved in this sport: I’ve been playing Hockey for as long as I can remember. All three of my older brothers played, so I was in skates as soon as I was old enough.
What you love most about this sport: Apart from all of the great aspects Hockey has to offer on the ice, what I love most is the bond I create with all of my teammates.
Pre-game routine: I eat fruit and honey before every game.
Top goal for this season: Progress as a player and a teammate, and have fun along the way.
Thoughts about this year’s team: It’s a really great group. We’ve created a very strong bond on and off the ice.
An accomplishment that you’re especially proud of: This past month, I scored the overtime game-winning goal against Braintree. It was not only fun to score the goal, but it was overall a great experience with my teammates.
An inspiring story related to your involvement in the sport/this team: I started off as just a practice player Freshman year, even though it was hard to face as a 9th grader, it helped me grow as a player, and a person.
Interests outside of your sport: I am very interested in Science and Math. I also enjoy golfing and cooking.
What other sports do you play, if any? I played Lacrosse for most of my life, but gave it up in the past few years. I also play golf whenever I can.
Coach Paul Donato on Beckham Gould: “Beckham has been consistently productive game in and game out. He has a high motor with tremendous work ethic that inspires teammates on the ice. Beckham plays many different roles for our team from five-on-five play to power play and penalty kill. We can always count on him to be in the right position and make the right play.”
Athlete of the Week: Derek Qi
Sport: Boys swimming (senior, captain)
When & how you got involved in this sport: I’ve been swimming most of my life. I started taking lessons when I was around 3 at the YMCA and joined my first swim team when I was 6.
What you love most about this sport: Most people find it hard to like a sport like swimming, even I sometimes. What I love most about this sport, though, is the feeling of accomplishment it can bring. Even if you didn’t have your best day, going to practice and making it through a tough set provides something for you to look back on and say, “I got something done, I got something positive out of today.”
Pre-meet routine: Stretch and eat a banana. If it’s a big meet, I drink half a can of Mountain Dew.
Top goal for this season: Break 23 seconds in the 50 free, 50 seconds in the 100 free, and 55 seconds in the 100 fly.
Thoughts about this year’s team: This year’s team has been awesome. Although we had a few tough losses early on, the improvement in our team’s depth over the course of the season allowed us to win our last few meets and take home a Baystate League Title. I feel that the way our entire team has progressed is a testament to all the work my teammates and coaches have put in. We hold each other to higher standards to bring the best out of everyone, and that’s what I love most about this team.
An accomplishment that you’re especially proud of: I’m especially proud of how my team has worked to win back to back Baystate League titles. Particularly this year, the depth of our team allowed us to win the meet without outright winning a single event (although I was close to winning the 100 free but got out touched).
An inspiring story related to your involvement in the sport/this team: Before the last event of the Baystate League meet last week, the officials announced the score and the entire pool heard we were up by just 8 points. One strong Newton North relay performance later, everyone had thought we lost the meet by a tragic 4 points. It was a great delight for us, but not so much for Newton North, when the officials announced minutes after that Wellesley had actually won the meet, due to a error in scoring from the previous event.
Interests outside of your sport: I enjoy watching and (casually) playing other sports, listening to music, and cooking.
Coach Doug Curtin on Derek Qi: “Derek had an impressive end of the regular season with multiple important individual wins and relay contributions at both our Brookline and Needham meets. At our Bay State Championship he was also a top finisher placing 4th in the 50 free and 2nd in the 100 free helping bring home some major points that contributed to the teams Bay State Championship win. Derek is a senior captain and has been a selfless leader, swimming various events to help the team to a stellar end of the season.”
