Athletics Action

On Wednesday, February 14, thirteen members of the LCS Nordic ski team travelled to Highlands Nordic on the Niagara Escarpment just south of Collingwood for the CISAA Championships. There were approximately 300 athletes in attendance, on a picture perfect day with good sun, great snow and light wind.

The LCS team had a tremendous day of successes. Timur Dauletov looked like Nordic ski technique had suddenly come to him in an epiphany. Kyle Lee, Christoph Goerlitz, Jack Zhang and Timur put in great efforts on the longest race of the day, and missed the CISAA Senior Boys team trophy by a scant 3 seconds. Aiden Melville, Liam Cole, Wulfric Harris-Stoertz and TJ Stanley bested St. Andrew’s College to bring home the CISAA Junior Boys’ team trophy for the first time in more than 20 years. Sam Ferrier, Sarah Shi, Hannah Su and Leanne Britton-Foster brought home the CISAA Senior Girls’ team trophy after a tough race that saw the top four girls separated by only 46 seconds. Anna Harris was the only Junior Girl from CISAA, so her overall finish of 7th out of 69 junior girls from all associations was perhaps more of a victory than her CISAA gold medal.

One coach asked whether Sarah Shi and Hannah Su ever stop smiling, after witnessing the unique way they lay it all on the line with fierce determination hidden loosely behind genuine smiles. I think Sarah and Hannah embody the greater ethos of our team: we are there with competitive determination, but we also know cross country ski racing is hard work and staying positive through the tough times allows us to better reach the rewards at the finish. One coach asked, “Is that your team cheering again? Why don’t the other teams cheer?” It was a rhetorical question, but I think our athletes get that we are all battling the same elements, and cheering and smiling doesn’t keep you from being a competitor.

This season we have lost every game and the match against Hillfield Strathalan was no different in that sense.  Following the first period, after five unanswered goals, the LCS 1st Girls’ Hockey team took the opportunity to forfeit the game, mix the teams and play the remaining two periods as a hybrid of Lakefield and HTS players.  

We always have fun but mixing teams and exchanging chances on goal, laughing with people we'd only recently met, seemed to vindicate not only their long drive to Hamilton but also validate the core mission of our team: work hard and have fun.  

Grantland Rice once famously wrote, "for when the one great scorer comes. To write against your name, he marks-not that you won or lost - but how you played the game."  

We have played this game to the best of our ability.

We have worked hard.

We have improved.

But deeper than that, the game has become a place to be: a place to be after a tough test, a place to be after a broken heart, a place to laugh and sometimes a place to cry.

On Wednesday, February 14, the Jr. Girls’ Volleyball team spent Valentine’s Day travelling to Villanova College for a tri-meet against Villanova College and Appleby College. The LCS girls knew that Villanova would be a tough opponent given their record but were up for the challenge.  Unfortunately, due to many miss hits and the fact LCS was struggling to find their rhythm and get rid of their bus legs, we lost the first game 25-15.  With a quick team chat and some suggestions regarding strategy, LCS fought back in the second game but was unable to dominate and lost 25-21.

 

LCS came together and re-grouped for the second match of the day against a lower-ranked Appleby College team. Both games were won fairly easily with scores of 25-10 and 25-12.  Strong serving by both Cassie Mesburis and Abby Murray who each served 7 in a row, the maximum permitted.  The coaches were pleased at the positivity shown by the players as well as their sportsmanship, it was great to see everyone encouraging one another throughout the day.  

 

On Wednesday, February 21 the team travelled to Havergal College for another tri-meet against Havergal and Greenwood College.  LCS began their first game with determination against Havergal, winning 25-13.  With Cassie earning 7 straight points on her serves, and Charlize’s strong and well-placed hits, the LCS girls were building momentum.  Havergal’s serving improved significantly in the second and third games and LCS lost the next two games 25-16 and 25-13.

Greenwood played a solid first game, stealing points away from LCS with some accurately placed touches, earning them the win 25-15.  The LCS girls were caught on their heels and needed to dig deep and find the energy to bounce back.  They did just that with the help of some strategically placed tips by Chloe and improvements in how the players worked together.  LCS was able to come away with wins in both the second and third games, with scores of 25-15 and 25-19.

 

Congratulations on a strong finish to the regular season as the girls head in to a challenging quarter-final match on Monday, February 26.