This is the fourth and final article in a series on the dynamics of girls’ sports teams. The first three articles are Girls’ sports teams experience divisions, Team spirit of team splits, and Team divisions: how it begins.

Amid the great successes of girls’ sports at Westford Academy, there is a less healthy and productive side to the world of sports, particularly, girls’ sports. The dynamics among players is an issue and stumbling block for many teams- the question is what players and coaches plan to do to fix these problems.

Varsity Cheerleading Coach, Josh Vadala, made clear that he believes that dealing with divisions and friction is the first and most important step.

“If you sweep it under the rug it’s going to erupt at some point,” said Vadala, “Openly discuss things- if you are having issues deal with them so you can move forward.”

Vadala said that his personal coaching strategy and his advice to other coaches is to be honest about the problems that are happening in order to solve them. As far as poor dynamics on girls’ teams as a larger issue, Vadala says that he does not expect it to resolve itself any time soon.

“I do not see an end to this,” said Vadala, “I think that it’s bigger than people realize. It’s a bigger issue of the social scene within schools.”

He followed up by saying that instead of focusing on the larger issue, “the onus needs to be on both the team and the coaches. [Divisions on individual teams] have to be talked through,” Vadala said.

He also stressed that a large emphasis on team building was the best way to bring a team together, and that success and team dynamics go hand in hand.

Senior and Varsity Volleyball player, Lorraine Harhen, agreed with Vadala about the vastness of the problem saying, “I think it [friction] is just an understood thing in girls’ sports.” She went on to say that it needs to be addressed and would take a lot of pressure off of athletes if steps were taken to fix it.

The former Girls’ Junior Varsity Volleyball Coach and current Girls’ Varsity Basketball Coach, Russ Coward, said that he knows how he wants to begin attacking the issues within girls’ sports on his own teams.

“I know how I’m going to try to fix it,” said Coward, “The first thing I’m going to do is have practices with all three [Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Freshman] teams on the weekends. We’re going to do a silly workout video, because if they are feeling foolish, at least they are doing it together.”

He said that fostering interconnectedness among all of the players in each sport, regardless of which level they played out, would lessen frictions in coming years when JV players would move up to Varsity and have to get acquainted with a new team.

Coward, a new dad, said that when thinking of the friction and unhealthy dynamics of girls’ sports teams as a larger problem, he is wary, but hopes things will improve for his daughter.

Coward also connected these problems to the status of women’s sports in general.

“This has the potential to disappear in 30 years. If girls’ sports are taken as seriously as boys’ sports, they will care less about the social aspect,” said Coward.

Senior Rachel Socolow, who plays Varsity Field Hockey, Varsity Hockey, and Varsity Lacrosse, said that she agrees with Coward on his prediction.

Looking forward to the time when dynamics are not such a prominent issue, Socolow said, “girls’ sports have a ways to go, but there’s been a lot of progress already.”

Right now, it seems, every TV set in America is playing one NCAA play-off game or another. People in every state, have laid their bets as to who will win it all- even President Obama has filled out his bracket.

Yet every discussion revolves around the men’s teams- so much so that most people do not deem it necessary to clarify which team they are speaking of, it is simply assumed that the men’s teams are the only ones worth talking about.

In such a climate, it would not be surprising if Coward was right to say that it is the lack of respect and seriousness given to women’s sports that make team dynamics so troublesome.

While women’s sports slowly but surely gain more and more respect, though, it is important that coaches and players stay vigilant in being honest about the problems that do exist, trying to avoid the causes of friction, and dealing with divisions, openly and earnestly, when they arise.

This is the third article in a series on the dynamics of girls’ sports teams. The first two articles can be found here, and here.

A looming question in the discussion about the divisions among players on girls’ sports teams is where these divides and dysfunctions arise from. Is it a result of social issues at school? Are they fostered at an earlier age on club and travel teams? Is it simply a result of the nature of female athletes?

Girls’ Varsity Basketball coach and former Girls’ JV Volleyball coach, Russ Coward feels that poor dynamics arise from preexisting divisions. As for these divisions, he points towards club and travel teams.

“They [town travel teams] are so good at getting the girls to play but that means the pressure to make the team starts earlier,” said Coward.

He also explained that in order to continue improving off season, there is pressure to join club teams that cost a lot of money. Then, bonds are formed on those club teams and girls on their school teams who did not play club feel left out.

He also said that he has seen his players let feuds and friendships from school affect their games.

“I have seen situations where girls did not pass to other players because they weren’t friends off the court,” said Coward.

A senior varsity volleyball player who prefers to remain anonymous said that the coach’s treatment of girls on the team also fosters divisions. She said that when coaches have favorites- who they “are always talking to before practice…they don’t yell at them for mistakes”- it creates friction between players.

Senior varsity volleyball player, Loraine Harhen, echoed this idea. When talking about poor dynamics she had seen as a player she said that her coach “has a different relationship with the girls who are benched” but “seems [to be] friends with all the girls who start.”

Coward said that while he tries to avoid causing more friction on his team with the way he interacts with players, it is difficult.

“I can say I try to treat everybody equally but I don’t know if I achieve that,” said Coward.

Varsity Girls’ Cheerleading coach, Josh Vadala has seen divisions and poor dynamics ruin a team’s performance, and says that it stemmed from jealousy after one player was singled out.

He said that when there is competition within the team, instead of with the opposing team, there will be problems.

“[coaches] need to make a conscious effort not to single anyone out,” Vadala said.

The anonymous varsity volleyball player expressed similar sentiments when speaking about cliques on the Girls’ Varsity Volleyball team.

“[Coach Maria Henderson is] always encouraging us to fight for our spots. It’s hard to get along when we want to beat out our teammates for limited spots,” she said.

For one senior three-season athlete, the attitudes of her fellow teammates contribute to divisions and the feeling that she is left out on her teams. This athlete says that homophobia on teams can make it difficult for many players.

“We had a team boyfriend that everyone talked about. It was an obsession for everyone on the team but me- so I was the outsider,” said the three-season athlete who prefers to remain anonymous to avoid outing herself.

“I’ve always felt a little ostracized…being on sports teams definitely doesn’t make me want to come out,” she said.

Both coaches Coward and Vadala see these problems of dynamics more on their girls’ teams than they do on the boys’ teams.

“Boys seem to be able to separate the athletic and the emotional a little bit better than the girls do,” said Vadala.

Senior athlete Rachel Socolow, who plays varsity field hockey, hockey, and lacrosse, agreed with Vadala’s observation. She said that having played on a boys’ sports team, she can see the differences in how teammates interact.

“When I played on a boys’ football team they were very focused on their sport- nothing else was important while they were there,” said Socolow.

She also said that this focus on the athletic rather than the social increases, despite gender, as the level of skill increases. According to Socolow, girls’ sports may have more issues with dynamics because they are not as developed and respected as boys’ sports teams.

To some, it makes sense that boys would have an easier time at seperating the social and athletic realm due to notions that boys are less emotional.

“It makes sense that boys should be physical while girls…are social,” said Socolow.

Vadala also said that he saw the difference in ability to manage dynamics for boys and girls to be a natural occurance.

Perhaps, though, the mere expectation that boys are physical and girls are emotional is what creates these distinct differences between the sexes in the first place. If there was not the expectation that all boys will hide their feelings and all girls will care more about social connections than about athletics, maybe the differences in team dynamics would even out.

In fact, there are many ideas about what coaches, parents, players, and even whole communities can do to improve the dynamics on girls’ sports teams to be healthy and to better support the amazing talent these athletes have. Solutions and strategies for the future will be discussed in the next and final installment of this series.

Westford Academy senior Ryan Mumford has been elected to play in the first ever Massachusetts State Hockey Coaches Association (MSHCA) High School All-Star Hockey game. Mumford will be representing the Northern All-Stars as they play the Southern All-Stars on Saturday, March 20th. The game will be played at Tsongas Arena in Lowell at 3:00 PM. Tickets are $10 and admission pays for the all-star game as well as the Lowell Devils vs. Portland Pirates AHL game at 7:00 PM.

While Mumford has been elected to the roster, he has the opportunity to be voted into the starting lineup. To vote for Mumford, text ALLSTAR8 to 24587. To purchase tickets to the game and support Ryan, visit the website, www.lowelldevilshockey.com/tickets/mscha_allstar.php.

Mumford is extremely excited to have the opportunity to play in this game. Mumford considers it a great honor as he was voted in by all Massachusetts high school coaches. Mumford described it as “a good accomplishment,” and said it “means a lot to be considered to be one of the top 45 players in Massachusetts.” One reason why Mumford might be so ecstatic to play in this game is his immense love for the game.

While describing how he felt when he was playing, Mumford said that hockey is “exciting to play,” and when he is on the ice, Mumford “forgets about everything else, and just focuses on hockey.” No matter why Mumford is looking forward to playing in the game, he would like to be voted into the starting line-up.

Mumford, who will be playing forward for the team, has been playing hockey for over ten years. His interest in hockey arose when he was only two years old. Mumford’s babysitter took him ice-skating, and his love of hockey has grown ever since.

Mumford, who captained the WA Varsity Hockey team this year, plays for two club teams in addition to playing for WA. Mumford said that the biggest challenge he had to overcome in hockey came this year. Before the season, Mumford believed that WA’s team wasn’t strong as it was “young,” but he was proud, as he believed that they turned it around together as a team, and that they turned out far better than he once thought.

After this year, Mumford is “undecided” on what he would like to do, either play for his college or just play club. Mumford “is leaning towards club,” but will “definitely be continuing with hockey.”

January 20, the varsity girls’ ice hockey team drove all the way into Waltham to face the Waltham team after three consecutive wins against Wayland, CC and Newton-South.

“We have a lot of confidence going into this match,” sophomore Steph Arno said. “We know how Waltham plays and we have a good strategy and mindset going into it.”

The game started off strong with WA challenging the Waltham offense. Arno and senior Hannah Grisichuck had four shots on net combined.

Second period rolled in with Waltham showing who was boss. Right away Waltham was on the Ghost’s defense but despite strong defensive efforts from sophomore Katie Lowe and senior Lauren Brett , Waltham’s Michelle Hinley was able to blast the puck past Socolow assisted by fellow teammate Annabelle Rogers.

The third and final period rolled in with WA trying to get the puck past Waltham’s stacked defense, but despite tied efforts from everyone on the rink, Hinley was able to get another assist off of Annie Gagnon with 54 seconds left in the match leaving the Ghost’s with a 2-0 loss overall.

“Yeah, losing was disappointing but we learned how to play against them [for] next time and we know what to work on. It was a good match and we had fun,” said freshman Jen Grisichuck.

As Westford Academy heads into the second half of the year, its cross country ski team races towards the finish line.

WA XC Ski team has had two races so far this season, both in Weston, on January 5th and January 12th. The Boys’ team has consistently earned 5th place in both races thus far, while the Girls’ team placed 4th on January 5th and dropped down to 5th on January 12th.

Their ranking is out of seven, as there are seven cross country ski teams in the Mass Bay West Ski League. The other teams in the league are Acton-Boxboro, Lincoln-Sudbury, Concord-Carlisle, Winchester, Wayland, and Newton South.

Also captain, senior skier Raelyn Carlyle had been the top scorer for WA so far this season. With a 21st and a 25th ranking out of 100 Girls’ skiers in both the races, Carlyle has earned her team a total of one hundred and fifty six points. Her time was 18:40 in the first race and 22:02 in the second race.

The top scorer for the Boys’ team so far is senior captain Jake English. He came in 21st place in the first race with a 14:36 time and 20th place in the second race with an 18:05 time. In total, he has earned one hundred and sixty one points for his team.

XC Skiing is scored on a 100 point system. The first one hundred skiers to finish a race are given a specific number of points depending on their place. These points are on a descending scale. For example, the 1st place skier would earn one hundred points for their team, whereas the 100th place skier would be awarded one point. Any skiers to come in after 100th place are not scored. The team with the most total points wins that particular race.

WA Girls’ team was awarded a total of three hundred forty points in the January 5th race and three hundred forty three points in the January 12th race. The Boys’ team received two hundred and ninety two total points on January 5th and bumped it up to three hundred and twenty points on January 12th.

Not all cross country skiers are so competitive, though. A large amount of people on WA’s team do not even race and merely do it for the fun and the exercise. New skiers are always welcome at Greatbrook Trails in Carlisle, where the Westford Academy team practices.

“It’s like difficult to learn, but then once you get it down, you really don’t forget how to do it,” says new skier Julia McCoy.

If you are interested in XC Skiing, talk to one of the six captains. Besides Carlyle and English, they are Ellen Haynes, Amanda Pease, Cam Close, and Kevin McCall.

It does get cold out there on the trails, admits some skiers

“But we love it!” says senior skier Tyler Kalaijian.

The gymnastics team here at Westford Academy, have had 5 meets and are still waiting on a win with a high score of 126.7. Their average score for the season is 123.9. Stephanie Anderson, coach of the team, says that this year is a rebuilding year for the team. There are only nine members on the team, two and a half of which have been injured.

“The two injured gymnasts were both vital to the team”, says Anderson. One of the girls has recently acquired a no-activity note from her doctor, and the other one sprained her ankle one day before their first practice.

Hannah Goodwin, a gymnast that was referred by Anderson as the “half”, got injured and can only compete on bars, which is one event out of four.

The top scorers are Sarah Cusson, Amber Diluzio, and Danielle Craig.

The gymnastics team, which has existed since 1972, is made up of nine gymnasts. The two team captains are Sarah Cusson and Danielle Craig. The team manager is Bria Doherty. The other gymnasts are Amber DiLuzio, Hannah Goodwin, Chrissy McLean, Julie Apicco, Jenna Amato, Shana Hardy and Rebecca Order.

The team often practices at All-Star Gymnastics, which is owned by Tom Boncci, the assistant coach for the team. Anderson says that it is much easier to practice in the gym because there is no need for setting up or cleaning up.

The team usually practices at WA the day before a meet so that they are comfortable with the equipment. Practices at All-Star usually last for about one and a half hours and practices here at WA last for about 2 with cleaning up and setting up.

Anderson says that even though the team is not faring so well this year, they are doing pretty well, taking into account that this is a rebuild year for them. Their score this season so far is a 126.7.

The gymnastics team made a record score in 2006 with a score of 142.7. Records were also set in the years of 2009,2005, and 2004.

Anderson expects the team to do better in future meets because she says the girls are improving. The equipment supplied to the team by the school is the best equipment that is offered, giving the team a competitive edge.

“Bob Conley, the director of sports, has done a great job with the quality of the equipment he has provided. He is really big on safety and making sure that the equipment does not break or snap. Especially the bars and the beam”, says Anderson.

Every Thursday and Sunday night, Westford Academy’s Alpine Ski Team practices with Coach Ruhmann, a Blanchard Middle School teacher, and Senior Captains Helen Webb and Ben Andrews.

Races are held weekly at Nashoba Valley Ski Area on Tuesdays, from three to five. In downhill skiing, there are two different kinds of races, Slalom and Grand Slalom, also known as GS.

Slalom is more difficult and is characterized by its short and quick turns through closely spaced gates. The most difficult turns in slalom are called “flushes.” These gates are arranged in a row down the mountain, so that getting around them requires only the slightest movement. These are the sharpest turns.

GS is less difficult and has wider turns, but can be completed in a shorter amount of time. This means that racers are going at a greater speed.

More advanced skiers often have two different pairs of skis. Giant slalom skis are usually longer and are made of different materials than slalom skis, which are shorter and lighter to accommodate for the closely spaced flushes.

Practices focus mainly on the dynamics of finding balance when ski racing. Balance is one of the most important aspects of ski racing. The racers use their edges, both sides of the ski, when turning. This is rather difficult, as many people use only one edge of their ski without realizing it, similar to favoring your better foot.

One of the methods used to teach skiing on edges is going down the mountain on only one ski. Each skier leaves one ski at the top, and then struggles to get down the mountain at a high speed while only balancing on one ski.

There is a range of talent on the team. Senior skiers are not necessarily better, just as freshmen are not necessarily worse. Finley Payne, a sophomore, holds the top varsity position.

Helen Webb, one of the team’s captains, is very proud of the way this season is going.

“Being a captain I focus on teamwork and bringing all of the grades together. I like how there are students from each grade on the team. Building a team is just as important as practicing the skills to become a better skier,” says Webb.

Although skiing is an individual, competitive sport, there is also a sense of community on the ski team. The skiers are not only competing against their own teammates, but are also competing as a single unit against other schools.

“It is an individual sport but I feel that there is a strong sense of community on the ski team,” says Webb.

This is the second article in a series on the dynamics of girls’ sports teams.

Many coaches and players, alike, point to spirit days as a point of friction among team members. Josh Vadala who assistant coaches Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse and coaches Girls’ Varsity Cheerleading

“In girls’ sports in particular, spirit and team dinners… can do one of two things. It can bring a team closer if it has a healthy dynamic, but if it doesn’t have a healthy dynamic those team dinners and those spirit days are really going to highlight the social issues that are already there and split the team apart even more,” said Vadala.

Kelly Huber, the only freshman teammate on the Girls’ Varsity Soccer team this fall, agrees with Vadala’s comment.

“At spag. suppers there are definitely people who are all friends and then there are those… that sit at the end of the table and listen instead of participating,” said Huber.

Lauren Brett, a senior on the Girls’ Varsity Soccer team, did not see spaghetti suppers in the same light as Huber.

“You go, you eat, and then you get out,” Brett said after joking about how much soccer girls like to eat. “For WAGS, spaghetti supper isn’t a social pressure- it’s just about eating.”

Brett believes that there isn’t any divide. She said that if teammates feel like they do not fit in, it is a personal issue, not a result of team dynamics. She explains that though she has felt left out, it was about her own feelings, not an actual divide.

“I wasn’t getting much playing time so I felt inadequate, so I was less open,” said Brett, explaining she thinks most girls who perceive divisions may actually be causing separation due to insecurity.

According to Vadala, as a coach, he has watched teams become divided and says their performance has suffered because of it.

“Our most talented class had the worst and the most unhealthy dynamics,” said Vadala. “That year the most talented team underachieved.”

Additionally, he saw that once divisions had developed, spirit became a point of friction that exacerbated the problems.

“That year that we had negative dynamics, if the seniors picked a grand thing to do and everybody didn’t follow it, it became a real social problem.”

For volleyball players, there is added social pressure regarding “team spirit” though it is not coming from within the team.

A group of mostly upperclassmen boys have taken it upon themselves to attend the Girls’ Varsity Volleyball games and cheer on the players. They call themselves the Superfans and, according to team members, boost morale during games with their original cheers.

A senior volleyball player who prefers to remain anonymous discussed how the Superfans can put pressure on the players and emphasize divisions between captains and other players.

“They [captains] are the people that the Superfans love the most, which is a big deal because it is a group of guys who follow the team around.”

Lorraine Harhen was one of only two seniors who did not have a Superfan assigned to cheer specifically for her. Though Harhen wasn’t a starter, according to her, there were other non-starters who did have a Superfan, so not having one made her feel left out and inadequate.

“They create cheers based on the starting players. Then Henderson will throw you in [to the game] and they’ve got nothing,” said Harhen. “All you can think of is I wish I had one.”

Russ Coward, who has coached Varsity Girls’ Basketball, JV Girls’ Volleyball, and JV Boys’ Volleyball in his time at WA, also believes that divisions and unhealthy dynamics are a problem on girls’ sports teams.

Like Vadala, he saw spirit as a point of friction. He believed that rather than having a team-building effect, spaghetti suppers and sleepovers created problems by mixing social activities and pressures in with the athletic activity.

“We talk a lot about the chemistry of the team and the dynamics of the team, and how we can enhance them,” said Vadala. According to him, spirit only emphasizes the dynamics already present while getting issues out into the open and actually discussing issues is the way to foster a cohesive team.

If you have additional information you would like included in the series, or a personal experience on a sports team, please email me at morrisonb55@gmail.com.

Senior Shane O'Neal run the 600 meter run

In the 55 meter dash, Captain Max Elliott, senior, placed third, finishing the race with a time of 7.16 seconds. Brendan Sullivan, sophomore, and Captain Jung Park, senior, placed second and forth, respectively, with times of 8.52 seconds and 8.63 seconds.

In the sixth event, the 300 meter dash, senior and Captain John Wells took forth (40.19 seconds), and Captain Matt Newman, senior, placed fifth (42.47 seconds).

Senior Captain Adam Pickersgill took home first in the 600 meter run finishing with a time 1:29.75 minutes, placing sixth overall in the DCL. The tenth event of the night was the 1000 meter run, Senior Captain Shane O’Neal and sophomore Andre Lacroix ran this event grabbing fifth and third, respectively.

The boys’ one mile run finished with junior John Ryan placing second with a time of 4:37.51 minutes and placing third overall in the DCL. The two mile ended with junior Mike McGee running second, 10:44.15 minutes, also placing fifth overall that night. Then senior Captain Alex Inman captured forth with a time of 11:39.99 minutes.

The boys’ 400 meter relay placed forth overall but falling just short of finishing before Newton-South. They finished with a time of 3:46.63 minutes.

The field events started with high jump. Sullivan took home first, jumping 5-6.00 feet.

In long jump, Elliott took forth, jumping 18-07.00 feet. Junior Adonis Carrasco and O’Neal placed fifth and sixth, respectively, both jumping 17-10.00 feet.

Shot put concluded the field events with Westford Academy taking first, second, and third. Senior Captain Mike Townsend took first, throwing 44:04.50 feet. He threw the farthest of anyone in the DCL that night. Senior Pat Martell threw 39:09.50 feet; and junior Eric Meredith threw 39:09.00, placing third.

Head coach Phil Archambault, commented, “there were some great performances by runners on the team, but it was just not enough to win.”

He went on to say “the team is a young team, and although there are many seniors, last year we have exceptional athletes and for the current seniors coming in third was a good job because we had people locking first and second in. This year they have to win and they are still getting there.”

Martell thought that injuries played a big part in the score. “If we didn’t have so many injuries then the score could have been closer. John [Wells] just came from having mono and Joe [Calitri, senior Captain] is injured.”

The boys have their next meet Thursday January 21, vs Lowell at Lowell High School.

Week three of basketball was strong for the Varsity Girls Team. The Ghosts defeated the Boston Latin Wolf Pack 56-25 on Tuesday night. The win of both the freshman and Junior Varsity teams before them encouraged the varsity to acheive victory. The Grey Ghosts quickly took the lead and had Boston calling a time-out less than half way through the first quarter.

Rachel Secrist had assists to Asia Ewing throughout the game. Defense by Westford Academy kept the Wolf Pack to two points in the first quarter while clean passing got the Ghosts eighteen points.

The Ghosts only fouled a total of nine times. This is a great improvement for the team since last game the team fouled more than ten times each half.

The defense led seamlessly into an unselfish offense. No girl was taking advantage of a steal when another player down court was better positioned and wide opene. This week’s game was well rounded offensively and defensively.

The next time the lady ghosts take on an opponent will be on Sunday in the Christmas Tournament at Masconomet High School in Boxford. It is a two day tournament stretching from this Sunday to the following Tuesday. Last year the team won all of the games during this tournament. The girls are hoping to be just as successful this year.

Correction: Originally printed Rachel Cloutier. Corrected 1/7/2010 Rachel Secrist.