This situation during warmups temporarily halted the action at the Ouellet court in Wellesley, until one of our players who can actually jump showed up.
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Wellesley sports update: Massive country club racquet facility takes shape; locals cheer on Olympic speedskater; Public Schools AD shares update; drop-in basketball
A brief update on Wellesley sports news:
Massive country club racquet facility takes shape
If you aren’t a member of the tax-exempt Wellesley Country Club, and don’t live in that neighborhood, you might be surprised to see the huge new structure arising on the pristine property.
Many of the town government approvals involved in going ahead with such a project of significant impact took place in 2020, as the club received blessings from Planning, Design Review (2 hours, 50 minutes into Aug. 12 meeting recording on Wellesley Media), and Zoning Board of Appeals.
The 100,000-plus sq. ft. racquet facility, designed in keeping with other buildings on the property through the use of cupolas, shingles, and “horizontality,” made it through the review process after project managers addressed landscaping and other concerns. The structure, which elevates to a peak of 50 feet and was repeatedly referred to as “massive” by Design Review Board members, replaces a 50-year-old two-court structure with one that doubles the number of indoor courts from two to four. Overall, the club will retain 10 courts between indoor and outdoor, plus add a couple of golf simulators to the new indoor building, which also will include a pro shop and lounge.
The steel framing for the building is going up now, the facade is set to go up during March-May, and building completion is slated for September, according to the club.
During one of the 2020 Design Review Board meetings a member joked that she might be tempted to go sledding down the steep roof of the new building. But of course that wouldn’t fly at the Club, which frowns upon such winter activity anywhere on its premises by the general public.
Locals cheer on Olympic speed skater
Members of the Bay State Speedskating Club, which practices at Wellesley’s Boston Sports Institute on Rte. 9, are rooting for one of their own, Medfield’s Julie Letai, as she competes in the women’s short track speedskating competition at the Winter Olympics that start in Beijing this week.
Wellesley Public Schools Athletic Director shares update
Wellesley Public Schools Athletic Director John Brown during the Jan. 25 School Committee meeting (about 63 minutes into Wellesley Media recording) shared an update on the status of school athletics, addressing some of the concerns around locker room use and spectator attendance that have been raised by parents and players (including during citizen speak at the start of the meeting).
More than 550 students participate in Wellesley High School winter sports, which were temporarily paused as COVID-19 cases spiked earlier in the season. Case numbers have fallen from dozens to less than 10, Brown said, so the administration is reviewing its policies, which among others, have limited spectators per student-athlete to two.
Brown said Wellesley’s attendance policy is the same as that of other schools in its side of the conference, and that things are starting to open up, with indoor track allowing spectators for the first time this past week per City of Boston rules.
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Men’s drop-in basketball
Early risers, start your weekends off right at Men’s Drop-In Basketball at the Warren Recreation Center, 90 Washington St.
DATES: Jan. 22 – Mar. 19 (9 Saturdays)
TIME: 6:45am-8am
SIGN UP: www.wellesleyrec.ma.gov/600/Recreation
ACTIVITY NUMBER: 141233-01
COST: $45 residents; $90 non residents
PHONE: 781-235-2370
QUESTIONS: william.warren.phillips@gmail.com
Wellesley Youth Basketball registration is open
Registration is now open for the Wellesley Youth Basketball 2021-2022 winter season programs.Visit the registration site and scroll down to find the form you need. Click on the Register tab on the left side of the page to sign up.
Financial assistance may be available. To learn more or apply, contact Nancy Williamson at wellesleybasketball@gmail.
Please email wellesleybasketball@
A 4th of July hero among us: Wellesley pickup basketball game must go on
The word “hero” gets tossed around generously these days, but it’s no overstatement to describe the actions of one fellow pickup basketball player this Sunday morning in Wellesley.
After the past days of rain, prospects of our over “X” basketball group getting in our regular Sunday morning game at the court at Ouellet Field looked shaky. But a break in the precipitation gave us hope, so a good number of players showed. This is not a group that gives up its game easily: I still remember the talk when I first connected with this crew about possibly having everyone chip in for a defibrillator.
After strapping on my ankle brace, I packed up my basketball, first aid supplies, and drinks, and limped over to my car this AM. I then circled back and grabbed a broom from the garage just in case we needed to brush away puddles.
“What’s that for, to show the other team you plan to sweep them?” asked Mrs. Swellesley, knowing me too well.
When I arrived at the court I was greeted not with the bouncing of basketballs, but rather the buzzing of a leaf blower. I thought nothing of it, given that this is one of Wellesley’s signature sounds, regardless of weather conditions or season.
This high-powered landscaping gear wasn’t being used to scatter leaves, however. One of our mates, exhibiting real American ingenuity on this July 4th, was doing his darnedest to dry off the court. It wasn’t lost on me that he paid special attention to those baseline spots from which he insists on hitting fall-away jumpers despite having my hand in his face.
I’ll refrain from identifying this upstanding citizen. As a true hero, he’d want no public credit. (Though Wellesley DPW, if you’re looking to recruit him, I can get you a number.)
Meanwhile, I never took my pitiful broom out of the car.
In the end, the combination of the leaf blower, time, and dry air let us get our games in. Pretty much injury free, too.
Happy July 4th!
Wellesley High basketball gets go-ahead for winter season
The Wellesley High School basketball teams will be adding a new drill to their regimens: moving 198 desks and 198 chairs in and out of the gym so that they can practice and play during the pandemic.
“There’s a huge buy-in for our kids,” Wellesley High Athletic Director John Brown told the School Committee on Tuesday night. “They know if they want to play then they need to do this.”
The outlook for basketball being allowed didn’t look good late last month when a handful of other sports, including ice hockey and gymnastics, got the School Committee and Board of Health’s OK, but basketball did not. It was listed as “pending further information” in light of COVID-19 concerns.
Since then, the various approval parties have been convinced by medical experts and play modifications outlined by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association that basketball is worth a go. This applies to freshman, JV, and varsity boys and girls teams, with practices set to start Dec. 14 and games vs. 6 teams in their league beginning on Jan. 5. There will be no state tournament games.
Brown, who along with other school officials got the Board of Health’s blessing on Monday, reviewed the basketball game plan with the School Committee on Tuesday, Dec. 8 (around 1 hour and 15 minutes on the Wellesley Media recording). Among the rules and new practices: No in-person spectators, the introduction of mask break areas, and limited roster size. Some play modifications seek to limit close contact between players, and Brown noted that close defense has largely gone away anyway as more players are launching 3-pointers and defenders switch more on the players they cover. The school will work with coaches to strongly encourage all players to get tested for COVID-19 even though WPS can’t mandate the students to do so.
School Committee members raised concerns about safety, about the teams Wellesley would be playing, and fairness issues in allowing sports to take place while other student activities are not allowed to take place in person. But in the end, the committee voted unanimously to approve play.
There’s still no plan for clearing school gyms for Wellesley youth basketball.
Wellesley Youth Basketball plotting ways to play
Basketball is among the sports that is taking COVID-19 the hardest. Deemed a “high risk” sport, basketball basically just isn’t allowed so far under pandemic rules. Wellesley Youth Basketball is readying for the sport’s return as rules allow, but in an environment where the usual school and town gyms won’t be options.
That brings us to outside courts with coverings.
The possibility of temporarily or permanently covering the basketball courts outside of the high school near the track was discussed in some depth at a Playing Fields Task Force meeting earlier this month, and has come up at other town meetings as well (School Committee and Natural Resources Commission among them). The town’s Health Department and Wetlands Committee would also have a say in such matters.
As the Wellesley Public Schools system has learned, tents are hard to come by and expensive. The types of coverings being explored for protecting basketball courts and players would likely be more elaborate and pricey, especially if you rent them (think about the covering at the RDF’s give-and-take area).
Purchasing could be an option, but we’re talking tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, and questions arise about how often they’d be used down the road, where they could be stored, what permits would be required, etc. One possible benefit, beyond basketball, is that the courts could be used for other activities, both athletic and academic.
Other ideas floated have been seeking other surfaces, such as tennis courts or parking lots, that could be temporarily converted into basketball courts.
Shorter term, Wellesley Youth Basketball is looking to hold programs uncovered on an outdoor court near the high school even without coverings, and the NRC has approved that use.
If you have any other brilliant ideas for how to salvage Wellesley Youth Basketball this fall and winter, let the organization know.
Wellesley & Natick crowd thinks beyond pink at basketball games
A big crowd turned out Tuesday night at Wellesley High to watch the hometown Raiders face off vs. Natick in basketball and to raise funds for cancer research at the annual Think Beyond Pink night. Wellesley’s senior players, and their parents, were also honored at their last regular season home game.
The results on the court were tough to swallow for Wellesley, as the boys fell in overtime and the girls lost by a wide margin. But the overall feel of the night was rewarding, as players got into the spirit with pink headbands and bows, and the teams and fans belted out the national anthem before the girls’ game.
Generous fans donated gobs of money ($4,200!) collected by players and volunteers wearing pink-aprons to support the cancer research fundraiser inspired by locals Carol Chaoui (Wellesley’s Wonder Woman) and Harry Clark (former girls basketball team manager), as well as others in their lives.
