Wellesley High swim & dive team tops Weymouth

October 2, 2024 by Bob Brown

The Wellesley High School girls swim & dive team kept their strong regular season going this week with a 91-70 win over Weymouth at the Boston Sports Center in Wellesley.

Among Wellesley’s top performers were diver Sarah Ginsburg, who put up a big score of 214 points and has qualified to compete at sectionals and states, and Audrey Sau, the top girls’ swimmer in the 50-meter freestyle race (see video below).

The Raiders ran their record to 4-1, and face Framingham High next week.

Wellesley has won the Division 2 state title three straight years.

More: Wellesley Athlete of the Week series

Wellesley Recreation Commission vows to have in-person pickleball discussion

October 1, 2024 by Bob Brown

Following technical difficulties with an online Recreation Commission hearing to discuss the latest on a concept for putting pickleball courts at the the Morses Pond parking lot, the Commission vowed it will schedule an in-person meeting to ensure the public can have its say on the matter.

We earlier posted a notification that the Sept. 30 meeting would take place and provided background on the town’s efforts to balance the needs of neighbors and pickleball enthusiasts.

Consultants hired by the town to conduct feasibility and design studies regarding possible pickleball locations in town shared a presentation during the online meeting. They outlined stormwater management, sound mitigation, and other issues relevant to possible courts at Morses Pond. The presentation and earlier documents can be found on the town’s website.

Not all members of the public who wanted to attend the meeting could get online. But a handful of those who did raised concerns about traffic, environmental impact, and the meeting’s technical issues.

A recording of the Sept. 30 meeting has been posted on Wellesley Media.

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Wellesley High Raiders light up Walpole in dramatic nighttime football win at home

September 29, 2024 by Bob Brown

Playing their first nighttime home football game since 2015—this time under permanent rather than temporary lights—the Wellesley High School Raiders (3-1) pulled out a memorable 35-28 win over Walpole High (1-3) after scoring a touchdown with just under two minutes left in the game.

Unfazed after having his previous throw stuffed by a big Walpole defensive end, Wellesley sophomore quarterback Lukas Prock answered by lofting a perfect 34-yard pass to Matthew Leibman in the left corner of the end zone for the go-ahead and stay-ahead score. Prock passed for a two-point conversion to the other corner to give the Raiders a 7-point lead. Before that, Walpole had come all the way back from a 27-7 deficit midway through the third quarter to take a one-point lead with under 6 minutes to play in the game. But after the Raiders pulled ahead late, one last Wellesley defensive stand led by ubiquitous Jason Stephens prevented a second comeback.

While things got tense in the fourth quarter, it was looking like a possible Wellesley runaway early on, after Matthew Yen ran the ball in just a few minutes into the game, well before the lights were turned on. Walpole struck back quickly on a long touchdown pass, but the Raiders scored twice in the second quarter to take a 21-7 lead at the half.

Matthew Yen heads for the end zone to give the Raiders an early touchdown lead

Raiders celebrate Bobby Shanahan's TD to give Raiders a 2 touchdown halftime lead — Raiders celebrate Bobby Shanahan’s TD to give Raiders a 2-touchdown halftime lead

The crowd wasn’t quite Thanksgiving Game size, as a couple of school officials suggested to me it might be as I entered the stadium. But most of the home bleachers were filled, with the pep band revving up the fans from one end, and the colorful student section packed at the other. Many students donned red-white-and-blue outfits and face paint, some arriving in cowboy regalia. Chants of “USA!” erupted whenever the Raiders scored and jeers of “You can’t do that!” whenever the opponent committed a penalty.

wellesleywalpolefootball — The student section had lots to cheer for early in the game

Athletic Director John Brown and the administration’s bouncer crew helped to keep students from going over the line with their cheers—or storming the field at the end. (From what we saw, it was near-bedtime younger kids in the crowd who really could have used the bouncers’ attention…)

Brown, via his cellphone, turned on the lights before things got too dark at the end of the first quarter, with the announcer proclaiming “Light it up!” and the crowd cheering. “Isn’t it great with the lights?” asked Cheer Coach Odessa Sanchez, before her squad headed to the middle of the field for halftime entertainment.

Also halftime, Brown and other school administrators presented the School Committee’s Linda Chow and Natural Resource Commission’s Jay McHale with certificates recognizing their efforts to get the lights approved and installed at the field. Financial contributions to the field fund made by the public were acknowledged as well during the game.

School Committee's Linda Chow, NRC's Jay McHale, Wellesley High Principal Jamie Chisum, Athletic Director John Brown, Public Schools Supt. David Lussier — School Committee’s Linda Chow, NRC’s Jay McHale, Wellesley High Principal Jamie Chisum, Athletic Director John Brown, Public Schools Supt. David Lussier

As the game tightened and Walpole threatened to grab the lead, parents behind the merch table and along the fence in front of the stands implored the defense to rise up, as it did in the end. One resident whose organization was instrumental in getting the lights funded breathed a sigh of relief when the Raiders took their late lead. “We want to win all the time, but they really needed to pull out the win given the circumstances.”

wellesley celebrates football win over walpole — End of game celebration

Next up for the Raiders: Brookline High School visits on Oct. 4 at 6pm.

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Wellesley Athletes of the Week: Cross Country’s Ben Aronson & Bridget Reidy

September 27, 2024 by admin

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: Ben Aronson

Sport: Boys cross country; senior captain

When & how you got involved in this sport: I started running competitively on a team in 6th grade. Outside of that, I had only done local fun runs like the Schofield 5k and the Turkey Trot.

What you love most about this sport: I love that running rewards hard work; it’s gratifying to see positive results after training hard. For me, that translates not only to the amount I run, but to recovery—nutrition, sleep, stretching, etc.

Pre-race ritual: I don’t really have a set routine/ritual; it often varies meet by meet.

Top goal for this season: My goals are to run 15:45 in the 5k and for our team to place top 10 in the state.

Thoughts about this year’s team: I think we are strong. We have a lot of depth and people really put in work over the summer, which is showing in our races. We definitely have high potential, especially with two more months to train.

An accomplishment that you’re especially proud of: I am proud of running under 5 minutes in the mile my freshman year. I trained throughout all of indoor and outdoor track for that one specific goal and it came down to the final meet. At the meet I had a breakthrough and ran 4:56. I’m particularly proud of that race because it was an accumulation of hard work over the course of 6 months.

An inspiring story related to your involvement in the sport/this team: Last year, Stephen Goehringer, who was a senior at the time, had a rough injury at the begin of the season. As a result, he missed out on over half of our races and started training late. However, he always maintained a positive attitude and he came back from injury stronger than ever. He ended up racing extremely well and helped the team a lot. Stephen is someone I really look up to not only as a runner but as a leader.

Interests outside of your sport: I have been bouldering a lot recently. I got into it two summers ago and found it really fun. It’s also not bad for building muscle strength that helps with running.

Coach Colin Corkery on Ben Aronson: Ben Aronson has been our leading runner this season. This past weekend he finished 17th out of 233 runners and had a personal record time of 16:05 for 5,000 meters at the Frank Kelley Invitational in Wrentham. As one of the captains of the team, he has been helping to inspire and support his teammates to do their best. Ben has been instrumental in creating a culture where guys work exceedingly hard both at practices and races, too. He’s been a source of tremendous positive energy for the team this season.

Athlete of the Week: Bridget Reidy

Sport: Girls cross country; senior

When & how you got involved in this sport: I started running in middle school as a way to train for soccer, but going into high school I decided to switch to running full time as my primary sport. I always say that this is the best decision I’ve ever made!

What you love most about this sport: I love the team and community of this sport and how everyone is always there supporting each other. Running can be a very individual sport because everyone is running for themselves and for their own time, but every year I’ve been on the team, we have always had the focus of driving the team spirit and camaraderie. I have met my closest friends on this team and for that i am eternally grateful.

Pre-race ritual: I always listen to music before I race!

Top goal for this season: For this season, my goal is have fun! I want to remember all the positives and fun experiences of cross country having this be my last season. I also want to do well this season and I’m hoping to be able to run sub 19:00 again.

Thoughts about this year’s team: Our team is filled with so much talent this year- from freshman brand new to the sport to seniors who have run for 4 years, we have so many speedy girls on the team and such a positive environment and I’m excited for when we all race together at invitationals.

An accomplishment that you’re especially proud of: I am very proud of my course record I hold at our home course at Morses Pond. This is when I PR’d with a time of 18:56 and had the best race mentally and physically. I felt so supported by my team and family and friends going into this race and I think this is one of the reasons I was able to run so fast.

An inspiring story related to your involvement in the sport/this team: One inspiring story is when my friend Audrey Fitzpatrick (who is a freshman at Virginia Tech) won the Bay State conference meet after working hard for the whole season. Watching her win that race and be so happy after the race reminded me why I love the sport.

Interests outside of your sport: Outside of running, I spend a lot of time with my family and friends. My favorite school subjects are English and psychology. I also am a part of challenge success club to promote success that is outside of academics. During the summer I teach sailing to little kids and spend time with childhood friends.

What other sports do you play, if any? I want to thank my coaches Cassie and Griff for all of their support and help throughout the past four years. They have made me into a confident leader and a strong runner and I wouldn’t be the runner or person I am without their guidance.

Coach John Griffith on Bridget Reidy: Bridget is always positive, reliable, and approachable to her teammates. Her hard work and dedication is a major influence on our younger athletes. Bridget is a leader on and off the field and I can’t wait to see her achieve her individual accomplishments. I know she will do anything to help meet our team goals as well.

Wellesley hearing to focus on possible Morses Pond pickleball courts

September 25, 2024 by Bob Brown

The Wellesley Recreation Commission is holding an online public hearing on Monday, Sept. 30 at 6pm to present and discuss the latest on four possible pickleball courts at the Morses Pond parking lot.

Update: Here’s a link to the meeting that took place on Sept. 30. Some technical issues at the start prompted a decision that additional meetings will be held at times to be determined to ensure all those who want to speak to the subject have a chance to do so.

The “Pickleball Feasibility & Design Study Phase II” meeting will feature a presentation from town consulting partner Weston & Sampson, followed by questions and answers. A draft presentation has been posted on the town website.

Pickleball has been a hot topic in Wellesley since the pandemic, initially when many people picked up the sport as a way to get together outside at a safe social distance. Pickleball enthusiasm has continued, with the Rec Department recording some 2,000 hours of reserved play last year.

While many pickleballers prefer to play outside when weather allows, the noise from the game can be intolerable to those who live nearby. The town has attempted to balance the concerns over the past couple of years by limiting play at some locations (repurposed tennis courts), but has done so with longer-term plans for courts away from residences.

Proponents and opponents have organized, and they speak frequently at town meetings, from Recreation to School Committee to Natural Resources. Players have formed Wellesley Community Pickleball to work with town officials to support the sport in town. Regarding possible developments at Morses Pond, and the wider North 40 area, a group called Preserve Our Woodlands has launched to monitor developments and have their voices heard. Among concerns expressed: Pickleball at Morses Pond could bring tens of thousands of additional vehicle trips up and down Turner Road.

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Studying the issue

Spending $70K to study the pickleball issue was approved at Special Town Meeting last fall.

Under Phase I, the consultancy conducted an inventory of pickleball courts in town, surveyed the public, and looked at possible locations for new courts. It rejected four of the five possibilities for various reasons, and settled on the Morses Pond parking lot area as a possible site that would satisfy players, neighbors, environmentalists, and the town.

Under Phase II, Weston & Sampson dove into the town possibly building pickleball courts at the parking lot site. (The outside firm’s draft presentation flip-flops between referring to the area as Morse’s Pond and Morses Pond, the latter of which the town uses.)

In its draft presentation, Weston & Sampson describes rejecting two possible Morses Pond locations, while identifying one that could be feasible at the back of the parking lot. It would require less tree removal and be further from trail users, while being situated in a relatively flat space. The consultancy shows two possible options at that site, one within the current parking lot, the other adjacent to it.

The envisioned four courts would require a 15-foot sound barrier alongside them, informed by an acoustics study conducted during Phase I of the study. No residential properties sit within 500 feet of the possible court location in the lot, per the consultancy. There had been some talk along the way of possibly covering the courts in a hangar-like facility, but there’s no mention of this in the latest from Weston & Sampson.

“Based on the feedback we received through public survey and town-wide inventory, it is recommended that 4 dedicated pickleball courts be located at Morses Pond to alleviate the growing demand and needs of the community,” the draft presentation reads. It says the courts could accommodate up to 4,800 daylight hours of play, weather permitting.

The courts could cost between an estimated $558,000 and $637,000 to build, according to the report, which wraps into those figures site prep, stormwater drainage, fencing, and more. One big factor in the cost would be whether bituminous or more expensive post tension concrete materials are used; each has its pros and cons.

At the Sept. 30 meeting, members of the public will be able to comment and ask questions, limited to three minutes. Send email to recreation@wellesleyma.gov by noon on Sept. 30 to get a zoom link place in the queue. Advance written comments are welcomed at that same address.

The Recreation Commission did touch on pickleball within the first 20 minutes of its Sept. 24 meeting, but did not discuss the subject in depth.

More on pickleball: Longfellow-Babson unite

We wrote recently about pickleball taking off at Babson College. After we alerted Babson’s student pickleball ambassador that the new Longfellow Wellesley Tennis & Health Club had opened next to the Babson Skating Center, he connected with the Longfellow pickleball pro and now the Babson Pickleball Club is holding tournaments and practices there.

Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Wellesley Youth Field Hockey Club celebrates turning 10

September 17, 2024 by Bob Brown

When the Wellesley High School field hockey team plays its first game under the new Hunnewell Field lights on Wednesday, Sept. 18, the crowd will be filled with family, friends, and lots of young players for “Youth Day.”

The town has built a strong field hockey community, thanks in large part to the Wellesley Youth Field Hockey Club, which turns 10 this year. The program, originally called Wellesley Scoops Field Hockey, has not only turned kids onto the sport early on, but has produced skilled players that go on to high school and college teams.

I connected earlier this month with Kelly Uller and Elizabeth Kaplan, both Wellesley Youth Field Hockey Club board members and moms of current high school players. None of the club’s four board members have kids in the program anymore, but they all remain dedicated to it. Board member Michael Bessette has led the junior umpire program and advocated for more boys to play, while Angela Snyder has been instrumental on the skills development and coaching program.

The club started in 2014 with about 40 first and second graders (now in high school classes of ’25 and ’26), and currently has more than seven times that number of participants in grades 1-8. The club seeks to field two teams per age group to ensure players are able to get quality coaching time and learn necessary skills.

Programs are offered during all four seasons, and include a mix of league play and skills training. Spring has become a particularly popular season for players who might have other activities during the fall; plus, there’s no travel required outside of Wellesley. Spring play goes all afternoon on Saturdays until the sun sets.

“Over the past few years we’ve really seen more players dedicating themselves to field hockey, not just kids who are like ‘Sure, I’ll try that.’ These players want and need real practice time and space,” said Kaplan, who played field hockey in college. With more kids in the program learning the sport early on, the results can also be seen at the high school level, with the Raiders experiencing more success in recent years (and off to a strong start in 2024).

Uller, a member of the town’s Playing Fields Task Force representing girls lacrosse, says the Youth Field Hockey Club has sought to rightsize itself for the available turf fields. No new turf fields are in the works, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon, she said. In part this is because of community sentiment against putting artificial surfaces into natural environments (not that there aren’t some environmental benefits to turf fields, such as not needing to water them).

During the COVID-19 pandemic field hockey actually gained some turf field use because football got pushed to winter, and other sports moved as well. “We just didn’t give it up,” Uller said.

While field hockey really needs to be played on turf, other sports like lacrosse (especially at younger ages) and soccer don’t need to be, Uller and Kaplan said.

“It’s frustrating when you watch field hockey on grass at any level, especially for the little girls… the ball just doesn’t move,” Uller said. When the players get older, it gets dangerous on grass because they tend to chop at the balls and send them flying, she said. (As an aside, Dana Hall School has a great grass field, but that’s because it’s mowed very low.)

While more players are starting to specialize in field hockey, Wellesley Youth Field Hockey Club aims to keep its practice and game schedules from conflicting with those of other youth sports such as lacrosse and soccer. Uller and Kaplan said they still believe that kids, especially younger ones, should be exposed to multiple sports.

They said they’re proud though when players move on from the town program to other higher-level field hockey clubs as they get through middle school. “It means that we’ve done our job,” Uller said.

The town program features instructors who really know the game, but relies mainly on parent coaches who may be less familiar with it. “It can be intimidating for parents,” Kaplan acknowledges, but assures that they don’t need to be experts, especially when coaching younger kids. The focus is on keeping things fun for players as they learn the game.

One reason the program has gained participants is that the sport has become more visible. When the club started, it spent much of its time on Wellesley College fields, which while nice, weren’t really in the public eye. Since shifting games and practices to the Sprague Fields, more kids and parents have had a chance to notice field hockey and get intrigued by it.

Uller says she recalls walking across the Sprague Fields one day and hearing a kid ask her mom what the girls were playing, and the mom said “I think it’s lacrosse.” Hopefully between field hockey becoming a more common sight in town (and maybe even getting some exposure during the summer Olympics), the game is becoming more familiar to more people in town.

Having a couple of night games on the Wellesley High field hockey team’s schedule will only help increase exposure, Uller said. A lot of the good high school programs have lights, and the Raiders can be at a disadvantage when playing such away games, she said. “The feel is different, the glare is different,” she said.

The lights are strictly for the high school teams, so the club won’t be playing at night anytime soon at Hunnewell Field. But with the Wellesley Youth Field Hockey Club growing to its current size, celebrating its 10th season, and playing games until sunset on Saturdays at Sprague Field, the sport is still getting a bright spotlight shone on it.

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Wellesley Athlete of the Week: Boys golf’s Brian Campbell

September 13, 2024 by admin

Athlete of the Week: Brian Campbell, Wellesley High senior

boys golf brian campbell — Brian Campbell

Sport: Boys golf, captain

When did you get involved in this sport: Started when I was 13.

What you love most about this sport: I love being around my teammates and being able to come together as a team and put together some really good team scores.

Top goal for this season: My top goal is for us to win the cape cod national tournament and of course the state championship.

Thoughts so far about this year’s team: We are very solid and have lots of depth. We have a top 6 guys that I would put up against any team in the state.

An accomplishment that you’re especially proud of: I’m very proud to be named captain of the team. Being on the team since freshman year I’ve always looked up to the captains and being able to have the opportunity to lead a team to a state championship is awesome.

An inspiring story related to your involvement in the sport/this team: One inspiring story is one of our seniors, AJ Sacher, was really struggling at the start of the year but instead of giving up he was always the last guy to get off the range at practice and this week he scored an even par 36, which is the best of his career (9 straight pars).

What other sports do you play, if any? I’ve played hockey my entire life but the last two years I’ve stopped so I could focus on college recruitment for golf.

Coach Ken Bateman on Brian Campbell: Brian is a Captain of the team, and has been an integral part of the team’s success over the last few years. He is consistently in the top 2 golfers at every match. He leads the team on and off the course through his steady play and leadership.

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