Indoor track team fizzles from low participation

For now, Housatonic indoor track faded when last year’s seniors graduated, but all it takes are enough students with a passion for running and the team could easily be revived.

As the bright leaves fall off the trees and Housatonic’s exciting fall sports seasons come to a close, winter sports are ramping up with some big changes ahead for HVRHS’s indoor track, swim, and boys basketball teams.

The first and most notable change for many HVRHS students interested in running is the absence of the recently established indoor track and field team. While indoor track had been offered somewhat inconsistently by the school in past years, Housatonic alumni Kyle McCarron and Patrick Money decided to try and start it up again in their senior year in the winter of 2024.

McCarron and Money were both Berkshire League champions across many events, and McCarron would go on to run D1 for Quinnipiac University, so it was only natural that the pair would want to continue to run during the winter season.

With the help of athletic director Anne Macneil, Housatonic’s winter track and field team was brought back last year, and a team led mostly by seniors competed at meets across the Berkshire League.

But only four people signed up before the Dec. 1 deadline this year, meaning there weren’t enough people to run a team. Track and field and former winter track coach Alan Lovejoy explained what’s changed.

“Last year, we were real senior heavy,” Lovejoy said. “I just think we have smaller numbers … I talked to a few kids and they just don’t like running in the cold.”

However, this isn’t the last Housatonic will hear about winter track. Senior Silas Tripp continues to represent HVRHS at indoor meets, while continuing to practice with the Lakeview indoor track team. For now, Housatonic indoor track faded when last year’s seniors graduated, but all it takes are enough students with a passion for running and the team could easily be revived.

An intriguing development for Housatonic’s swim team comes with the many underclassmen joining the team. In past years, the team has flown well under the radar, leading to many students being unaware that the school even hosted a swim team at all.

“[The swim team] was always really small … and almost always girls, like last year there were only two boys,” senior Anna Gillette said.

While the team has suffered from a lack of people in the past, the future of the team is looking brighter with the high number of underclassmen. Four freshmen and three sophomores are new to the swim team.

Freshman Phoebe Conklin is one such swimmer, having swam and competed for various club teams since she was three years old. “I’ve heard that it’s just … not a very competitive program at the moment,” Conklin said. “But I think [the underclassmen] are gonna improve it … I’m excited.”

Another notable change comes to one of Housatonic’s most popular sports, the boys basketball team, as former coach Kurt Johnson hands over the leads of a commanding team of seniors to Bobby Chatfield.

Johnson teaches Chemistry at the school, and coached the boys basketball team at HVRHS for four years. Johnson cited the large time commitment as the reason for his resignation before the start of the season.

Chatfield, Johnson’s replacement, has coached basketball and baseball for the Region One middle school programs since 2020, and this year he started coaching for HVRHS’s basketball team. But this is far from the first time he’s played with this team, as only a few of the students on the team are players he hasn’t coached previously.

“I think we’re gonna do pretty good, pretty competitive … [Berkshire League] and State Tournaments are our two team goals,” Chatfield said. “We’re senior heavy, so that bodes well for us.”

Coach Chatfield believes the team’s athleticism is one of the biggest strengths, a sentiment echoed by many on the team such as seniors Wesley Allyn and Anthony Labbadia.

“I think our biggest strength is gonna be our size and our speed,” Labbadia said. “In the four years that I’ve been here, this is easily our strongest year.”

The HVRHS girls basketball team is set out for success this year, with aspirations to win the Berkshire League title and compete at states.

“I’m feeling very optimistic,” said senior Victoria Brooks. “Our strength is definitely going to be our dedication this year.”

Last but not least is the HVRHS Ski team, a small team that competes at Mohawk Mountain against private schools from around the area. Having lost the talent of various seniors, the team of six is looking for new talent to break through and give the team an edge against more formidable private school teams.

“Last year, we finished third in the League, and we’re looking for new talent,” said junior Danny Lesch. “We’re a bit short staffed … but we’re really excited.”