By now you've no doubt heard about the resolutions of Park's indoor seasons. The latter days of winter saw Bruins wrestle respectability from forecasts of doom while others found devastation where they'd expected glory.
Boys' basketball fell in the former of those classifications, slowing their semifinal game with heavily favored Chapelgate to a strategic crawl. Though the Yellowjackets had confidently handled the Bruins twice earlier in the season, for 3 quarters at least the contest remained a toss up. With little pressure to succeed, or even remain in the gym, our Parkies matched the undefeated front-runner blow for blow before finally succumbing in the final stanza. All in all, the boys built quite a season with no abundance of raw material, and may have begun to address some of their needs for next year with their experience at the end. Well done.
The squash team had a similar finish, impressively passing all but 1 of their number through to the second round of their individual tournament. Matched against some of the premier players in the country, the second day didn't go quite so well, but it was a proud showing by the ever-improving team. My own inaugural experience on day 1 (maybe I'm the good luck charm...?) was fantastic. Make a point to head to Meadow Mill next year and check these kids out!
The aforementioned athletes faced little doubt in their games. Most expected them to lose. The girls basketballers, however, found that doubt, like any number of analogous bacteria or viruses that given the space to multiply and gain strength, can quickly become lethal. Doubt is a killer. Slacken your defenses for just a moment and it crashes in, humbling the mightiest of individuals and spreading through teams like a malignancy. Doubt may have been present in the minds of some, though certainly not many, among the Park throng prior to their championship bid last Sunday. It's not uncommon for teenagers and adults alike to carry doubt throughout their entire lives with little or no symptoms or consequences. If it was present, it was apparently sealed away early as the Bruins managed the somewhat sloppy contest on their terms for a half. The locker room speech rang of confidence and motivation. But, if you watched closely, somewhere there in the third period you may have noticed it; just a shadow at first, but unmistakable nonetheless. Doubt. While still largely innocuous (the Bruins held a 9 point lead shortly into the fourth), tentacles of apprehension, gloom and despondency began their silent creep from player to player. Park fell behind, struggled to tie and faced an overtime. All the while the doubt gained, until the Bruins' no longer grasped the game they'd seemed destined to play in all year. Shots and free throws ceased to fall and eyes rarely left the floor during time outs. The girls were finished.
Another malady entirely affected the indoor soccer squad. The girls had apparently simply forgotten to set their alarm clocks, and at the conclusion of the first half, the Bruins awoke to find themselves down 4-1. Thankfully, their talent hadn't remained in their pajamas, and Park roared back early in the second, tying the game with 10 minutes to play. That effort continued for the remainder of the contest, but Garrison managed to squeeze 1 more goal through and it was enough to earn the win.
The winter of 09-10 will go down in the annals of history as a success, and rightfully so. Yet, no banners have been ordered, and the haunting questions remain. What does it take to get over that final hump... and where can we find some?
Friday, February 26, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Got Snow?
Among other things, a profound sense of guilt has driven me back to my keyboard in hopes of reviving What's Bruin. The feeling surfaced due in no small part to the castigation I've received via emails, phone calls and personal conversation with squash players and their fans regarding an erroneous, though outdated, post accusing them of remaining winless. The squash team HAS INDEED defeated Loyola and Friends. Forgive my ignorance squashers and, in the future, help to forestall it by granting me the occasional update!
Back to the grind, as it were, though I suppose many of us might consider our recent extended "vacation" to have been more laborious than any comparable period spent at work. Anyway, it appears the majority of us have adequately dug our way out of our igloos, motivated by Park's determination to return to some sense of normalcy before April and no shortage of cabin fever. Consequently, upon enduring the voyage characterized by craning necks around gargantuan mounds of graying snow substituting for stop signs at nearly every intersection and tiptoeing through the ice fields that mar the walk from car to office, we find ourselves back on campus. To our dismay, those few of us hunkered down in the PAC today have found ourselves thrust into a sports upheaval the likes of which none can recall occurring prior. The "storm(s) of the century" has, among other unpleasantries, shifted most postseasons springward by at least a week. The final week of the boys basketball season has been canceled, flash-freezing the standings but allowing all to enter the playoffs. Other teams find themselves returning to almost unrecognizable gymnasiums, ghostly venues holding vague memories of contests played oh so long ago. And it's game time! There's no warm up period in place so snow-weary squads can relearn their games. Oh no. Girls' basketball Quarterfinals are TODAY! Indoor soccer Semifinals are TODAY! Squash Team Semifinals are TODAY and Individual Playoffs begin TOMORROW (right gang?)! Boys' basketball Quarters are Thursday and Semis are Friday. Welcome back Bruins!
This week the girls' basketball team hopes to put a definitive end to the saga that has, due to no fault of the current roster, dragged on for 2 years after unexpected losses in 2 successive championships. You've heard the story before, as have the girls, and the added expectations and subsequent pressure to which they've been exposed as a result are unfair. Still they hang as a cliched dark cloud shadowing their romp through the regular season. Perhaps I'm making it all up, but it sure makes for good drama, no? First up is a quarterfinal showdown against Glenelg who has succumbed to the Bruins twice already, by 26 and 30 points, earlier in the year. Provided the win, the next opponent would be the Lutheran/BT/Oldfields winner. Their combined record versus Park is 0-4 with an average point differential of over 30, but I digress lest I jinx the outcome any further.
Indoor soccer is poised for a run at a championship as well, seated number 1 in the B-Conference. However, they face the task of regaining their cohesion and shaking the ice from their (soccer) boots after the long layoff. Their semifinal foe, Glenelg, conveniently played a quarterfinal game yesterday providing them a useful return to action before today's showdown at Du Burns arena. Are the Bruins rested or rusty following nature's interruption of their momentum? Will the defense return impenetrable or immobile after so many days of home-bound seclusion and Olympic television their only means of athletic outlet? We'll see. Further complicating the situation is St. Tim's decision to forfeit their semifinal against Garrison allowing the 2 seed a free pass to Thursday's final.
Boys basketball, it could be said, had the most conventional return to play, were it not for the outright wiping of the slate that was the remainder of the regular season. With no apparent alternative, the MIAA struck the final week of the schedule so as to maintain some semblance of their proposed playoff picture intact. The move cinched the 4 spot for the Bruins, which means a quarterfinal matchup with Indian Creek, whom Park beat 52-43 in their gym a month ago. What follows would be an imposing semifinal against 9-0 Chapelgate. The unfortunate truth is, had mother nature left well enough alone, the Bruins stood to face the dregs of the conference in their final games. Key (the 3 seed), on the other hand, was slated to play against 2 of the best. Third place would have been up for grabs with luck leaning slightly the Bruins' way. Alas, it was not to be but, regardless, the road to the title appears to wind its way through Chapelgate and Beth Tfiloh. No matter the side of the enlarged bracket, Park must take on all comers.
Welcome back everyone! Show your colors this week and support our contenders!
GO BRUINS!
Back to the grind, as it were, though I suppose many of us might consider our recent extended "vacation" to have been more laborious than any comparable period spent at work. Anyway, it appears the majority of us have adequately dug our way out of our igloos, motivated by Park's determination to return to some sense of normalcy before April and no shortage of cabin fever. Consequently, upon enduring the voyage characterized by craning necks around gargantuan mounds of graying snow substituting for stop signs at nearly every intersection and tiptoeing through the ice fields that mar the walk from car to office, we find ourselves back on campus. To our dismay, those few of us hunkered down in the PAC today have found ourselves thrust into a sports upheaval the likes of which none can recall occurring prior. The "storm(s) of the century" has, among other unpleasantries, shifted most postseasons springward by at least a week. The final week of the boys basketball season has been canceled, flash-freezing the standings but allowing all to enter the playoffs. Other teams find themselves returning to almost unrecognizable gymnasiums, ghostly venues holding vague memories of contests played oh so long ago. And it's game time! There's no warm up period in place so snow-weary squads can relearn their games. Oh no. Girls' basketball Quarterfinals are TODAY! Indoor soccer Semifinals are TODAY! Squash Team Semifinals are TODAY and Individual Playoffs begin TOMORROW (right gang?)! Boys' basketball Quarters are Thursday and Semis are Friday. Welcome back Bruins!
This week the girls' basketball team hopes to put a definitive end to the saga that has, due to no fault of the current roster, dragged on for 2 years after unexpected losses in 2 successive championships. You've heard the story before, as have the girls, and the added expectations and subsequent pressure to which they've been exposed as a result are unfair. Still they hang as a cliched dark cloud shadowing their romp through the regular season. Perhaps I'm making it all up, but it sure makes for good drama, no? First up is a quarterfinal showdown against Glenelg who has succumbed to the Bruins twice already, by 26 and 30 points, earlier in the year. Provided the win, the next opponent would be the Lutheran/BT/Oldfields winner. Their combined record versus Park is 0-4 with an average point differential of over 30, but I digress lest I jinx the outcome any further.
Indoor soccer is poised for a run at a championship as well, seated number 1 in the B-Conference. However, they face the task of regaining their cohesion and shaking the ice from their (soccer) boots after the long layoff. Their semifinal foe, Glenelg, conveniently played a quarterfinal game yesterday providing them a useful return to action before today's showdown at Du Burns arena. Are the Bruins rested or rusty following nature's interruption of their momentum? Will the defense return impenetrable or immobile after so many days of home-bound seclusion and Olympic television their only means of athletic outlet? We'll see. Further complicating the situation is St. Tim's decision to forfeit their semifinal against Garrison allowing the 2 seed a free pass to Thursday's final.
Boys basketball, it could be said, had the most conventional return to play, were it not for the outright wiping of the slate that was the remainder of the regular season. With no apparent alternative, the MIAA struck the final week of the schedule so as to maintain some semblance of their proposed playoff picture intact. The move cinched the 4 spot for the Bruins, which means a quarterfinal matchup with Indian Creek, whom Park beat 52-43 in their gym a month ago. What follows would be an imposing semifinal against 9-0 Chapelgate. The unfortunate truth is, had mother nature left well enough alone, the Bruins stood to face the dregs of the conference in their final games. Key (the 3 seed), on the other hand, was slated to play against 2 of the best. Third place would have been up for grabs with luck leaning slightly the Bruins' way. Alas, it was not to be but, regardless, the road to the title appears to wind its way through Chapelgate and Beth Tfiloh. No matter the side of the enlarged bracket, Park must take on all comers.
Welcome back everyone! Show your colors this week and support our contenders!
GO BRUINS!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Week of January 11... Back to work.
Welcome back everyone. Here's hoping that students enjoyed their break and those real world adults out there at least enjoyed the thought of one. If it's any consolation to the unfortunate working class, Park athletes were forced to report for duty during the winter hiatus as well. The Hoops for Habitat Tournament interrupted the 2-week vacation, leaving both the boys' and girls' teams with unpleasant tastes in their mouths.
For the boys' basketball squad, the entire 2-day competition proved a struggle. A not-what-they-used-to-be athletic and savvy Grace Bible team pushed the Bruins to the limit, who toughed out a fourth quarter, 3 point victory. The tourney final did not go nearly as well. The Metro top 10 Edmondson-Westside Red Storm hammered the hapless Parkies. All the heart in the world may not have been enough to slow the waves of linebacker-sized aerialists that seemed to materialize from the opposition's bench. All the morbid details can be found elsewhere on the website. January seems to have lifted the boys' spirits, however (perhaps it's the return to classes). In their return, the Bruins got their first C-Conference win against the then undefeated Key School Obezags, and followed with their second B-Conference upset, knocking off Boys' Latin. Oddly enough, that brings the boys' record to 1-2 in the C and 2-0 in the B! There's been heart and guts and, at times, streaks of precision shooting intermingled with breathtaking slashes to the basket. There's also been fumbles and lapses in discipline and concentration intermingled with the tried and true habit of playing down to lesser adversaries. Plagued by this sort of inconsistency, Park faces a difficult road to the playoffs.
MBB: 1/13 @ Indian Creek, 1/15 @ Sts. Peter & Paul
The version presented by the girls' basketballers offered a bit more drama but the same second place dissatisfaction in the end. Grace Bible's girls apparently haven't been visiting the same recruiting neighborhoods their boys have frequented in recent years. They played the part of speedbump in the Bruins' drive to the final. Bryn Mawr put up a tougher fight, however, and unlike the Park boys, our girls sadly have no magic spell for defeating B-Conference teams. In the end, the Bruins found themselves trailing by but 3 points when time expired, a slim loss and an exciting game but a shock to the system nonetheless. The girls are currently 7-0 in the C-Conference and have enjoyed an average margin of victory of 25 points in their 10 overall wins. That statistic includes the 3 league conquests since returning to school, over Lutheran (62-22), AACS (65-36) and St. Tim's (53-20). The run has again sparked conversations on the appropriateness of the girls' C classification. The arguments for a move are credible and many (and, by the way, the transition year is upon us), but perhaps the most damning evidence against the upgrade is the conspicuous lack of that ever-elusive championship. Perhaps this is the year... let's not go there. And, take heart C-Conference haters; rumor has it that several B teams may be descending to liven up our next regular season. Stay tuned...
WBB: 1/11 v. New Town HS, 1/13 @ Key
The winter break caused a brief stir among the indoor soccer girls as well, unleashing a fleeting offensive outburst as they toppled Oldfields in bookend games (12/17 and 1/5) games by a combined tally of 27-1. Ouch. Reality snapped the team from its postseason daydreams, however, when the Bruins met second place (then 4-2) Garrison. The result was a 1-8 thumping, even despite another 23 save performance by goalie Nikki Casper. Normally a defensive powerhouse, with just over a 1 goal-per-game-against average in their 7 total wins, Park was spread thin by the Grizzlies' attack who notched scores with 6 different players. Park had beaten Garrison earlier in the year and, though a rude awakening, the Bruins remain alone in first place at 6-1. Only 1 game (3 points) now separates the 2 teams and, as the soccer gods would have it, they'll play 1 more before season's end.
ISC: 1/13 v. St. Tim's
Park squash remains winless in the hyper-competitive A-Conference, though they've shown signs of life, narrowly missing a win against Friends before the break. Unfortunately, details on the team are lacking just about everywhere and (fortunately I suppose) few among the group have visited the athletic training room so there's little to report. Though another game against undefeated Gilman looms in the near future, there are potential victories to be had in the weeks ahead, and the determined Bruins continue to improve.
SQ: 1/12 v. Gilman, 1/14 v. St. Paul's
With recent improvements in score reporting and the consistent updating of the website, What's Bruin looks to become less of a report on games past and more a look to the future and, perhaps, an outlet for thoughts on the program and/or high school competition in general. Send me your ideas, arguments and philosophies. Let's hear all that's good and bad about Park athletics, the ins and outs of Bruindom, and your ponderings on the MIAA/IAAM and all that is teen sports.
For the boys' basketball squad, the entire 2-day competition proved a struggle. A not-what-they-used-to-be athletic and savvy Grace Bible team pushed the Bruins to the limit, who toughed out a fourth quarter, 3 point victory. The tourney final did not go nearly as well. The Metro top 10 Edmondson-Westside Red Storm hammered the hapless Parkies. All the heart in the world may not have been enough to slow the waves of linebacker-sized aerialists that seemed to materialize from the opposition's bench. All the morbid details can be found elsewhere on the website. January seems to have lifted the boys' spirits, however (perhaps it's the return to classes). In their return, the Bruins got their first C-Conference win against the then undefeated Key School Obezags, and followed with their second B-Conference upset, knocking off Boys' Latin. Oddly enough, that brings the boys' record to 1-2 in the C and 2-0 in the B! There's been heart and guts and, at times, streaks of precision shooting intermingled with breathtaking slashes to the basket. There's also been fumbles and lapses in discipline and concentration intermingled with the tried and true habit of playing down to lesser adversaries. Plagued by this sort of inconsistency, Park faces a difficult road to the playoffs.
MBB: 1/13 @ Indian Creek, 1/15 @ Sts. Peter & Paul
The version presented by the girls' basketballers offered a bit more drama but the same second place dissatisfaction in the end. Grace Bible's girls apparently haven't been visiting the same recruiting neighborhoods their boys have frequented in recent years. They played the part of speedbump in the Bruins' drive to the final. Bryn Mawr put up a tougher fight, however, and unlike the Park boys, our girls sadly have no magic spell for defeating B-Conference teams. In the end, the Bruins found themselves trailing by but 3 points when time expired, a slim loss and an exciting game but a shock to the system nonetheless. The girls are currently 7-0 in the C-Conference and have enjoyed an average margin of victory of 25 points in their 10 overall wins. That statistic includes the 3 league conquests since returning to school, over Lutheran (62-22), AACS (65-36) and St. Tim's (53-20). The run has again sparked conversations on the appropriateness of the girls' C classification. The arguments for a move are credible and many (and, by the way, the transition year is upon us), but perhaps the most damning evidence against the upgrade is the conspicuous lack of that ever-elusive championship. Perhaps this is the year... let's not go there. And, take heart C-Conference haters; rumor has it that several B teams may be descending to liven up our next regular season. Stay tuned...
WBB: 1/11 v. New Town HS, 1/13 @ Key
The winter break caused a brief stir among the indoor soccer girls as well, unleashing a fleeting offensive outburst as they toppled Oldfields in bookend games (12/17 and 1/5) games by a combined tally of 27-1. Ouch. Reality snapped the team from its postseason daydreams, however, when the Bruins met second place (then 4-2) Garrison. The result was a 1-8 thumping, even despite another 23 save performance by goalie Nikki Casper. Normally a defensive powerhouse, with just over a 1 goal-per-game-against average in their 7 total wins, Park was spread thin by the Grizzlies' attack who notched scores with 6 different players. Park had beaten Garrison earlier in the year and, though a rude awakening, the Bruins remain alone in first place at 6-1. Only 1 game (3 points) now separates the 2 teams and, as the soccer gods would have it, they'll play 1 more before season's end.
ISC: 1/13 v. St. Tim's
Park squash remains winless in the hyper-competitive A-Conference, though they've shown signs of life, narrowly missing a win against Friends before the break. Unfortunately, details on the team are lacking just about everywhere and (fortunately I suppose) few among the group have visited the athletic training room so there's little to report. Though another game against undefeated Gilman looms in the near future, there are potential victories to be had in the weeks ahead, and the determined Bruins continue to improve.
SQ: 1/12 v. Gilman, 1/14 v. St. Paul's
With recent improvements in score reporting and the consistent updating of the website, What's Bruin looks to become less of a report on games past and more a look to the future and, perhaps, an outlet for thoughts on the program and/or high school competition in general. Send me your ideas, arguments and philosophies. Let's hear all that's good and bad about Park athletics, the ins and outs of Bruindom, and your ponderings on the MIAA/IAAM and all that is teen sports.
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