Winter 2020 Sports Highlights

In the pool and on the courts, Foote athletes saw big growth this season as they celebrated wins, learned from losses and improved skills and teamwork. Read on for team-by-team season recaps.

GIRLS JV BASKETBALL

Three words describe the J.V. Girls Basketball team: spirited, energetic and talented. The team was rather young, with 10 sixth graders and two seventh graders. Only a handful of the girls had ever played basketball before but you would hardly know it. The girls learned quickly, applied their knowledge of other team sports and proved they were scrappy and athletic. They were willing and eager to practice the basics and to try to incorporate plays and strategies. Coach Anderson would like to thank both Brad McGuire and Denise Quinn for their help in these areas! The team had a rather good season with four satisfying wins, four disappointing losses and two exciting ties. More importantly, they were a true team, always positive and encouraging of one another. Three-quarters of the girls scored baskets this season for a total of over 175 points. We are proud of the growth of each player and we am impressed with their dedication and discipline.  We are grateful to have had the opportunity to work with this special group of girls. The future of Foote’s girls basketball program is bright!

 —Coach Anderson and Coach Quinn

 

GIRLS VARSITY BASKETBALL

The Girls Varsity Basketball team had a great season! It consisted of one sixth grader (Eloise), eight eighth graders (Chandler, Lucy D., Lucy P., Gabrielle, Alexie, Laya, Mia and Aisling) and two ninth graders (Lucy F. and Zainab). This team competed with the highest level of effort all season, finishing with a final record of 5–4. Our team was prepared to play every day. It didn’t matter if we were playing home or away, they were focused and determined. This effort was apparent at the Pine Point School Girls’ Invitational, where our girls were able to win three out of five games played. Over the course of the day, the girls played lockdown defense and team-oriented offense. In reflecting on the day, the girls felt that the tournament was a great bonding moment for the team and was the catalyst for their strong finish to the season. A huge thank you to the eighth and ninth grade leaders on this team, especially our two three-year varsity players, Lucy F. and Zainab. I wish all of our departing players success in their future endeavors and I look forward to continuing to work with our returning players.  Go Falcons! 

—Coach Brad

 

BOYS JV MAROON BASKETBALL

The Boys JV Maroon team played some really good teams—ones with older, stronger and more talented players. With that being said, I saw real progress in our effort, ball movement and overall teamwork. Support for each other grew as the season went on. Each game I heard more encouragement and involvement from teammates on the bench. The game that I'm most proud of is the one we lost by the biggest margin. The players could have easily given up and made a joke of the game. Instead they continued to finish plays and try to make defensive stops. They represented Foote well. We came to realize that playing our hardest, supporting one another and having fun were the most important components of the JV basketball team experience. Our players can be proud of their participation and growth this year.

—Coach Kossouth

 

BOYS JV GREY BASKETBALL

The Boys JV Grey team enjoyed an immensely successful season. Undefeated until our final game vs. a 7th-grade Hopkins team, the Grey squad consisted of a mix of boys who have played some basketball and sixth graders learning the game for the first time. As the season progressed, the boys learned to trust one another, and took great pride when a new player scored or got that key rebound or steal. Sprinkled throughout the season were moments of elation and frustration, but each and every player had a positive impact on the team and everyone contributed in one way or another. Looking back, it was impressive the way our bench supported the players on the court no matter the score. The team learned a lot this season, took strides to becoming better individuals and had a lot of fun along the way.

—Coach Climie

 

BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL

The Boys Varsity team had a tough, competitive season, finishing the year with a 4-6 record. The team had a mix of seventh, eighth and ninth graders, including five newcomers to the varsity team. Although the team had higher expectations for the season, we fought hard in every game, losing only one game by double digits. Season highlights were dominating wins over Renbrook, Williams and Chase Collegiate. Our best victory came against cross-town rivals Hamden Hall, as the boys held on to survive the final moments with a two-point win. Down by 21 in the first quarter against a tough Kingswood Oxford team, the team overcame adversity to storm back and nearly steal a win with just five remaining players. I am proud of how this team continued to fight in every game and I look forward to watching them continue to develop in their careers as student-athletes.

—Coach Joe
 

SQUASH

This season was a growth year for our squash team. The team had a number of returning players who continued to strengthen their abilities, while supporting our newer players, who made significant improvements in serving and hitting the ball. There were many close matches that went to tiebreakers and many players who celebrated first-time match wins.  All players had a great attitude throughout the season and were a fun group to work with. We closed the season with our annual match against the faculty; the students won and had a ton of fun playing. Congrats on a great season!

—Coach Small, Coach Birge-Liberman and Coach Zielinski

 

SWIMMING

As the days shortened and we transitioned from autumn to winter, uncertainty hung over the future of Foote's swim team. Having graduated the bulk of last year's small but mighty team, the question was ‘what’s next?’ Our fears were soon allayed, thankfully, for in stormed the sixth grade en masse to save the day. Stewarded by our seasoned upperclassmen, these eager new swimmers dove in and decisively asserted themselves, bringing fresh energy and dynamism to the team. And while the size and youth of our team meant a modest win-loss record was written in our stars, the numbers alone fail to capture the breadth of personal achievement we witnessed. In a sport which generally measures improvement in hundredths of a second, our swimmers habitually lopped whole seconds off their personal bests. Among the many highlights are Garrett’s first dip beneath 30 seconds in the 50 freestyle; Shunji's new school record in the 100 IM; Hanna's five-second improvement in the 50 backstroke; and Marlena's seven-second drop in the sprint freestyle. With improvement like this, even as we say farewell to our standard bearers in the upper grades, we may rest easy knowing that Foote swimming's future looks bright. 

—Coach Lavey and Coach Jamie

 

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