So I know everyone’s excited to get to March. Spring break…St. Patrick’s Day…March Madness…
Hold the phone. We’ve still got one more game in Gooding Arena, so break out those Squirrel Squad t-shirts, and make your way down to the GIAC for the 7pm tip-off between the Fords and the Ursinus Bears for the opportunity to play in the semifinals of the Centennial Conference Tournament.
The Fords have quietly, yet confidently made their way through conference play, finishing with a 12-8 conference record, and a 17-8 overall record. While standout 2nd team all-Centennial performer Dominique Meeks has consistently paced the team, 6 players have averaged over 6 points per game, contributing to their selfless, team ball. With a balanced offensive attack, and a staunch defensive front, this team has the appearance of one that could do some damage in the playoffs.
Haverford fan support during crucial, must-win games has been fantastic this year. The crowds at the men’s and women’s soccer games, as well as the women’s field hockey playoff were incredible, and certainly helped contribute to the team’s success. Let’s bring that same fire to this matchup, as the women’s basketball team continues their march towards a Centennial Conference title.
If you’re thinking about pre-gaming plenary, this is your event. Saturday afternoon. Haverford-Swat. The last basketball game of the year. The women have a chance to lock up their first ever Centennial Conference playoff birth. You know they’ll come out fired up and ready to play.
On the men’s side, we have some incredible individual storylines. No, we don’t have Jeremy Lin, but we do have his Division III equivalent: Ian Goldberg. The kid’s two points shy of hitting 1,000 points in his career, a milestone that hasn’t been reached since Brittany Lattisaw ’09 did it for the Lady Fords.
NO WAIT! THIS JUST IN! Cam Baker is only 5 points shy of 1,000!! So YOU’RE telling ME that we will likely have TWO 1,000 MILESTONES reached in the SAME GAME?!?! The LAST GAME?!?! At SWAT?!?! This is truely a must-see Division III Centennial Conference matchup. Who cares that the men are eliminated from the playoffs. IT’S SWAT. Let’s get out there and support both teams.
This game means a lot. Don’t believe me? Check out what Lekan Nicholson ’11 had to say about it:
My reflection on past swag games
The Swat game meant everything to me for my haverford basketball experience, for I remember dreaming about playing in it before I even got to Ford. The best part of the swat game was always the amount of fans that showed up, I wish it was like that every game, but I’ll take it for two games out of the season, having everyone there cheering us on made me feel like I was a part of something bigger than myself, every shot was a big deal, every movement felt different than other games, and a the excitement I felt was like nothing else I’ve experienced.
I knew how much the game meant to my fellow Haverfordians after we played swat my freshman year, Valdison Pina and I walked into a 14 basement party, after we won, and as we walked through the door, the music stopped and everyone applauded us, WE DIDN’T EVEN PLAY!!! LOL!!!
My junior year was the first time I got real minutes for the game, I was so nervous and excited for the game. During the game 1st half, right before the halftime buzzer sounded, I hit a 3 to kill swats run to end the half. I will never forget that feeling of my teammates jumping on me, Matt Palmer running down the sideline pumping his fist, me slapping Cam’s hand incredibly hard, and the fans exploding, I’m sure people walking their dogs on Ardmore Ave could hear the screams. For the next week I had people coming up to me telling me how great the shot was, and it such a great feeling for me that our fans cared about the game, just as much as us, and that they’d take the time out of their day to say something to us about it.
Another great swat game memory for me was my senior game, shout out to 2011, for I got to watch my boy A-Train do his thing, I never been so happy for a teammate, like I was in that game.
Good luck to the boys on Wednesday, I know they’re going to handle business, keep the streak going This is a serious game so PARTY, NO PARTY, WE TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS AND THEN WE PARTY. SWAT SUCKS!!!!!
Haverford is pretty damn awesome, as you all probably know. I’ve been told by many sources that Swarthmore sucks, and I was able to witness this suckiness first-hand during my four years at the ‘Ford. Basketball games between Swat and Haverford provide the perfect contrast between badness (them) and brilliance (us). One might even say they are like battles between good and evil, a theory enforced by the fact that their (former) coach somewhat resembled Darth Vader. But I digress. Haverford and Swat games are especially wonderful not because Swat sucks, which is undoubtedly true, but because they provide us Fords with an opportunity to show why we’re so special; community.
There’s all the pre-game hype. This starts with the planning of Swat Sucks shirts (usually takes place on the way home from a long road game, instead of doing homework). There’s the good luck wishes from the professors, from Leon in the DC, from students around campus, constant reminders that people are excited about the game. There’s the Facebook event, the GoBoards post, the Drinker organized pre-party (or halftime party, whenever you want to fill up). Then there’s getting ready for the game itself, which almost seems less important than getting everyone at the game. I confess to thinking more about the crowd than my opposing match-up in the hours leading up to the game.
There’s the game. Our student section, decked out in red, spilling over three sections of the bleachers, loud and proud. The baseball guys, standing up in the front and running near the court for the big plays. The roar after a basket. Any lull in action quickly filled with “Swat Sucks” chants. I always felt like our team played together against Swarthmore, unselfishly, because to give our school anything less would make us unworthy of such intense support.
In the Swat game last year, which ended up being my last home game, there’s one play that stands out. I caught a rebound, took one dribble, and launched an ill-advised cross-court pass to Adrian. If you don’t know Adrian (where have you been?) he was a four-year member of the team who didn’t play a lot, but always was there for his teammates and his friends, and was an exemplary Havercitizen. He caught my pass, running full speed, and in one motion, flipped the ball up and into the hoop. Noise, noise, noise. The crowd went nuts, and it wasn’t just for the basket; to me, it was in recognition of Adrian’s efforts over his entire time at school. An acknowledgment by the Haverford community that they understood and loved us for our contributions. Maybe it was just cheering, just appreciation of a pretty play. But for me, I have rarely felt more connected to my school than at that moment.
There’s the post-game. Thankful for my teammates, for the crowd, for the wonderful win that we just earned, I felt that incredible combination of pride, satisfaction, and physical exhaustion that every athlete knows well. Games like that are why people love playing sports.
My favorite post-game moment, though, came a couple weeks later. As I was walking down the path to the apartments, an acquaintance from my economics class called out from behind me. She caught up to me with the sole purpose of telling me she had been at the game and loved it. She had read my GoBoard post and decided to come to her first basketball game ever, even though she wasn’t expecting to enjoy it. She loved being a part of the crowd (and even noted that it was very un-Haverford-like) and watching us play. They say that Haverfordians are afraid of little “awkward” interactions like this on the apartment path, which only made this exchange more meaningful. I felt like my basketball game had added to her Haverford experience, in a small and unexpected way, and she had the generosity to let me know that I mattered.
So if you usually think sports are foolish, you should come to the game. If you don’t have a clue what a three-second violation is, or what it means when the refs aggressively pound on their hips (it’s a blocking foul, for the record), you should come to the game. If you’ve ever had any positive moment with a member of the team, you should come to the game. Basketball was the activity I took the most seriously during my time at Haverford (don’t tell my teachers) and it meant the world to me to have the whole school’s support. I felt it on that pass to Adrian in my last home game, and I’ll never forget that feeling.
Swat sucks, yes, but we are Haverford. We are rarely disrespectful or rude, nearly always considerate. We don’t normally belittle those who are weaker than us, yell lustily for the total domination of an opponent. We are logical enough to know that Swat is a pretty good school, and that their students are not so different than us in some ways. But forget logic for two hours, and embrace your Haverford community in a more primitive, boisterous manner than usual. Hearing your cheers, feeling your love, your players will know that there is no other school in the world they would rather be representing. Say it with me now.
It is that time again! The annual Swat/Haverford basketball game is right around the corner and as a celebration of this storied rivalry, we are going to be doing special events all throughout the week so be sure to check back here often to be up on all of the news and schedule of events!
First off, we would like to introduce a lovely little competition. We love having healthy repartee with the opposing team, so whomever can tell us the best fun facts will win an awesome prize!
We also LOVE chants, so if there are any chants that you want us to use, email us and let us know. Here is some inspiration for you
What a big night. I am still so juiced that you could call me Ron-Ron. Heck, I am so juiced that I am making Jersey Shore references. Let me just say briefly that to win against Swat on Senior Day at home to seal our spot in the playoffs is just amazing. Don’t worry though, you will definitely be getting a piece of my mind soon. Tomorrow we are filming more SquirrelCenter for the Squirrel Squad Network and we have another Profile of a Player in the works. In the mean time we have another great guest article by Jacob Lowy about the Ultimate Frisbee teams and what they were able to accomplish last weekend.
Thanks to all of the Squirrel Squad members that came out to tonight’s game. You all provided such an incredible atmosphere and gave me one of my best nights at Haverford. The Squirrel Squad isn’t just one person or whomever buys the shirts. Nah, we are all Squirrel Squad. Together We R Squirrel Squad.
Stay tuned for more and stay nutty my friends.
Jixillicious
Men’s and Women’s Ultimate Frisbee Teams Host Record Setting 38 Team at Haverween
By Jacob Lowy
On October 22nd and 23rd the Men and Women’s Ultimate Frisbee Teams (Big Donkey Ultimate, and the Sneetches, respectively) hosted their annual fall Ultimate tournament: Haverween. The weekend was the result of many hours of careful planning and coordinating by the captains of both teams, Matt Lowenthal and Aubrey Clark-Brown for the men and Aly Lieberman, Meg Bishop, and Julie Singer for the women. This resulted in the largest Haverween ever, bringing a record of 20 men’s teams and 18 women’s teams to campus.
“We promoted the tournament more than we have before. We emailed basically every team we could find on the East Coast and invited them to come play,” said Lowenthal. Five Ultimate, a major Ultimate gear company, also sponsored and promoted the tournament.
Both of Haverford’s teams also had a record number of players with over 30 members on both the Men and Women’s team. This allowed both teams to split into two separate squads for the weekend.
“We have been pretty lucky because we have gotten a lot of new freshmen and sophomores, and interest in the team has grown a lot overall this year,” said Lowenthal. “With a few people coming back from abroad, we might approach forty or more people in the spring.”
The men split into one team comprised of mostly upperclassmen (Haverford-X) and another of mostly underclassmen (Haverford-Y). The women’s team made a similar split, forming an A Team and A+ Team. These splits ensured that everyone received lots of playing time and experience. Haverford alumni teams also attended the tournament in both the men and women’s divisions.
“This was a really good opportunity for young players to play a larger role on the team- rather than being fourth or fifth on the depth chart they got to be the go-to guys, and the older guys got to work together and build cohesion,” says Lowenthal. “Basically it was a great opportunity for us to develop our chemistry.”
The Men’s team X finished 7th overall out of 20 at the tournament with a record of 4-3 and team Y finished 15th at 3-4 on the weekend. The Men’s Alumni team finished 3rd overall, falling only to Dickinson and American. Drexel took first overall at the tournament.
Freshman standouts Max Charles, Mike DeWolf and Dylan Cohn helped lead Team Y in victories over Muhlenberg, George Washington University, and Franklin and Marshall. “As a freshman, Haverween was my first intercollegiate Ultimate experience, and I am really excited to build off this for the future,” says Charles.
Team X beat rival Swarthmore 11-9 for the first time in over a year. Lowenthal was also proud of the effort Team X put in during their 13-7 win against Franklin and Marshall. “We came out really strong and kept a lot of pressure on them. We played hard and focused from the get-go,” he said.
For the Women, Haverford A came in second overall, falling to University of Pennsylvania 11-8 in the championship game. Scores for both tournaments can be found at scores.usaultimate.org.
Both the Men and Women’s teams plan to spend the next few weeks honing their skills in preparation for the spring season. The Men’s team will be attending Hucking in an Amish Paradise at Franklin and Marshall on November 5th and 6th, and Fall Brawl in Princeton on November 12th and 13th.
In the spring, both teams are looking to improve and grow with the hope of making it deep into the regional tournament and potentially the Division III National Tournament. The Women’s team is especially looking to build off of last year’s strong finish at Division III Nationals, and Captain Meg Bishop viewed Haverween as a great starting point. “Our playing this weekend was a real affirmation of all the work and fun we’ve been putting in since the start of the semester,” she says.
This photo is actually considered one of the best plays in the game- in frisbee you try to force the offense and in this picture Isaac “broke the mark” which means he overcame the force direction and opened up the field for the team.
Sorry about the wait on SSN; we know that you are all dying of suspense, but due to technical difficulties we have not been able to deliver the launch of SSN tonight as we had hoped. We do, however, have a guest post from a member of our Men’s Soccer team reflecting on the season as a whole and the meaning of the Swarthmore rivalry. I hope that you enjoy this article as much as we, here at the editorial board, did and that it invigorates you to attend the games this Saturday if you were not already planning on so doing. We promise you that it will be worth it and that SSN will be up soon. Thank you for your patience and we wish you a happy Friday.
Stay nutty my friends.
Jixi
Swat Sucks
By Ford Bohrmann
Copy editing done by Colin Lubelczyk
You couldn’t have written a better script building up to the men’s soccer game this Saturday. It’s Haverford vs. Swat. It’s win and move on, lose and go home. And yes, it’s even going to snow.
It wasn’t an easy journey to arrive at this dramatic conclusion for the Haverford Men’s Soccer team. Starting Centennial Conference play 0-4 following a few tough-luck (and undeserved) losses we found ourselves disheveled and written off by almost everyone. Sitting at 0-4, we knew we had to win our remaining 5 conference games to make the playoffs. At that point in the season, merely winning one conference game seemed a daunting task, while five in a row almost impossible. With our backs against the wall, something changed. Against a strong Dickinson side in a must-win game, we pulled out a gutsy 3-2 win. With that win, we suddenly were pumped with a new confidence that had been initially absent. The team knew we could win, and the wins started to roll. Next came a 1-0 win away against Gettysburg. Then a 2-1 OT win at McDaniel. Then a 1-0 win at Ursinus. Four wins in a row to have our playoff destiny in our hands against Swat. The stage has truly been set for heroics of mass proportion.
In many ways, this season is a representation of the entire men’s soccer program in the past 10 years. The beginning of this year seemed all too similar to the Fords’ past history in the tough Centennial Conference (no playoff bids since Haverford’s entry in 1994). But then a turnaround happened. Each season the team would win more games than the last, culminating with the team that just missed the playoffs last season after a heartbreaking loss to hated rival Swarthmore.
Haverford and Swarthmore have a strong relationship off the field. Students of each school regularly take classes at the other, and all of us probably have at least a friend or two among the Garnet nation. Whatever social bond can be felt between the two communities however, is immediately erased when the two bitter rivals step onto the field. Saturday’s game promises to live up to all the hype of any great sports rivalry, filled with passion, intensity, and probably a few flaring tempers.
Lately, Haverford has asserted its dominance in almost every sport. Every sport, that is, besides men’s soccer. This is another reason why the game is so important. Swat wants to hold on to one of its last remaining advantages in athletics, and Haverford wants to win it all.
All of this is why Saturday is much more than just a regular season game. It’s essentially a playoff game. It’s a shot at revenge. It’s a chance for our team to prove that Haverford is now a competitive program again. And most of all, it’s Haverford vs. Swat. So if you love Haverford as much as you hate Swat, we hope you can make it out to all the games this weekend, not just the men’s soccer game. Just remember to wear a jacket.
Whether you like it or not, you WILL run into Cory Walts at least once in your Haverford career. Cory Walts is an inevitable character on campus and a key player when it comes to athletics. So why should Haverford’s Squirrel Squad dedicate any of its time to Cory Walts? Because without him, our athletic teams would still weigh 80 pounds and max out on the bench at 75.
So who is this mysterious, buff man, who seems to critique your athletic position no matter how you contort your body? It is hard to believe, but Cory was once a young man, who was a student-athlete himself. While at Ithaca College, he played college football. The Ithaca ‘Bomber’ wore the jersey number 32 as the team’s linebacker. I would attempt to give you his player stats, but that seems boring and I don’t even want to start guessing what all those numbers mean. An internship and master degree later, Cory was hired by Haverford College in 2007 as its “Fitness Center Director and Strength and Conditioning Coach,” but don’t let that long title fool you; Cory is a real softy at heart.
So how did the ex-football from Albany, New York end up at a small liberal arts school that prides itself on trust, concern, and respect? That is still a conundrum that may never be solved, but we can still come to a few conclusions about the man we have come to love (?)
He is a Halloween Costume Favorite- How many times have I seen someone throw a pillow down the backside of their athletic shorts and call themselves Cory Walts? Answer- Too often. Every Halloween, Haverford’s campus is blessed with Cory wannabes who throw on that grey under armor strength shirt and spastically start yelling at people to “Have a Day!” What drives so many people to dress as the famous Walts for the holiday? Obviously the power and great glutes that comes with the character.
The only way to be an athlete is to master the abs brace- Give someone a handshake. Now brace your abs and give that same person a handshake. Yes, you are more athletic when you make that constipated face and flex your abs. I have come to learn that not only should my abs be braced in the weight room, but also they should be ready to go in general. Always having your abs braced leaves you in a continual athletic position that prevents you from getting off balance (perfect for Lunt parties) or hurting your back when lifting heavy objects (also known as my 2 months of dirty laundry). I encourage anyone out there the next time they see Cory to ask him if his abs are braced and they should be – because any real athlete is always ready to go.
Cory and the cross-country teams speak two different languages- For the team that has won the most (and only) national championship in Haverford’s history, it seems ironic that they have little to no interaction with Cory in the weight room. I have come to the conclusion that this misunderstanding is not based on hate, but on cultural differences. It is almost as if Cory speaks Spanish, the cross-country team speaks Mongolian, and the two make no attempt to check out the language dictionary from Magill. Fine I say! This just leaves more Cory and ‘constructive’ criticism for the rest of us!
He is the postal service- “Neither Rain, Nor Sleet” will cancel morning runs. Remember that blizzard of ’10? Remember waking up at 5:45 AM for morning run even though there was 3 feet of snow on the ground? I DO! Cory’s dedication and determination for improvement leaves no room for anything less than perfection. Some may say he is crazy for purposely sleeping at a friend’s house during the blizzard since it was closer to campus (meaning he could come on time for the run), but I see it as zealous commitment and tenacity!
His warm-up is actually not the conditioning- Neither the summer packet nor the optional posted runs can prepare oneself for the ‘warm up’ that Cory has produced for all the teams. You want me to do a full field backward reach-and-run? You want me to A-skip to the 50 and then stride out to the end line? All of this sounds like fun and games until you hear to get on the end line for your 300s. Don’t worry that you are out of breath already, just drown out the pain with the ‘soothing’ voice of Cory screaming to sprint faster.
He does not hate freshmen, he just sees them as fresh meat- It is not uncommon to hear someone tell a freshman, “Oh don’t worry, it takes a while for Cory to warm up to you guys.” I am here to tell you that that statement is false. Cory does not hate the new kids; he just sees the scrawny gangly freshmen as a work in process. The weight room is almost like a factory line- you go in looking like Richard Simmons and four years later you pop out looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger from The Terminator. So the next time you think Cory is ridding on your back, just remember that he is really just looking at your bicep and thinking about how he could increase it 5 inches.
Honors Excel was the most useful class Cory ever took in high school- I thought I had mastered the basic program of Excel…until I saw Cory’s workout card. With its plethora of cells filled with exercises in size 8 font, Cory’s cards are brainteasers that challenge even the greatest of minds. As you stare at the card trying to figure out what the difference between the glute ham raise and glute extension are, you are forced to realize that there are 10 different exercises in each cell that each require 3 sets of 12. Cory might as well write in webdings on his card because I am pretty sure that they would make more sense than his ‘easy’ abbreviations and slang.
Cory discovers his new lifts from the dance floor- It is a little known fact Cory is an avid dancer and club go-er. With all this time spent on the dance floor, Cory has let the beats take over and influence his workouts. There is no way that the combo lift was created from thin air- there is just too much choreography and rhythm. The snatch cleans are really just a way to get low on the dance floor and high/low pulls are ways to get your hands up in the air. Moral of the story- ever feel awkward on the dance floor? Just pull out your favorite Cory lift and start rockin’ out the motions…we all know Cory is doing the same thing.
His idea of ‘6 meals a day’ does not include Oreo Pie- In order to be in the maximum shape possible, one must be the MOST healthy. To maximize one’s genetics, Cory recommends 6 meals a day, but this does not mean having 6 different candy bars throughout the day as I had previously imagined. No, don’t you dare reach out for that Oreo Pie- only whole grain bread, organic dairy products, and protein enriched meat is worthy of our mouths. Sorry The DC, but I just don’t think your meals are up to par for me to be the best athlete possible.
We may not have a football team, but he treats us all like star quarterbacks- As mentioned before, linebacker Cory now works at a school that doesn’t sport a football team (no pun intended). This lack of testosterone and hitting does not prevent Cory from bringing that intensity into the weight room though. Cory expects the best from every athlete in the weight room and he provides each person with the attention and motivation that they deserve. Not everyone can win ‘athlete of the week,’ but everyone can be his or her own special teams unit in Cory’s eyes.
So, bravo Cory Walts…Bravo! Your weight room is an athlete-producing machine and your crazy antics are fan-club favorites. I may never understand why you always tuck in your shirts or why 30-minute fartleks make any sense, but I will always know that I have a personal coach waiting for me, pushing me to play and perform my best. Oh, and that reminds me…do I really need to wake up for my 7:15 AM lift this week?
