By Nicholas Becker ’11, Sports Editor

The Newark Academy 2010 Fall Sports Assembly – a time to honor the men and women who have excelled in their respective sports at the varsity level.  Highlights include the presentation of varsity letters, the scintillating speeches by the coaches, and the wonderfully embarrassing slideshow at the end of the ceremony.

But our sports assembly is so much more than that.  It is an iconic moment for the entire school – one where we recognize the passion and commitment that makes our students so much more than academic machines.  We respect their talent, their hard work, but most of all we respect the words on the front of each jersey: Newark Academy.

Our student-athletes press onward, routinely sacrificing their paltry amount of free time to bring glory and victory to Newark Academy.  Why do we do this?  Why focus on non-scholarly pursuits in the quest to gain an exceptional education?  Senior Jake Gillman, a two-sport athlete, puts it best, suggesting that he plays sports because “after a full day of moving from desk to desk, sports are the only time in my day where I can let loose – where I can escape from all the outside pressure and just lose myself in the moment.”  That is why we honor our athletes every year; they remind us that at the end of the day, our community is strongest when we escape from outside pressure to embrace what we want to do.

This year, among all of the poignant speeches, one in particular stood out.  The new football coach, Steve Trivino, led the boys in black with dignity and poise, and ultimately to a successful season.  Yet none of this was what made his speech memorable.  He inducted himself into our global community with the raw passion in his voice.  He spoke of intense training sessions, and of bowling alley shenanigans.  He spoke of hardship, and he spoke of glory.  But it was the power of his tone and the look in his eyes that captivated even the last row of the auditorium and stayed with us afterwards. His speech demonstrated that he cared deeply about these boys not only on the field, but off of the field as well.

We often remember sporting events based on their outcomes.  It is easy to get lost in the thrill of a postseason triumph against an archrival like Montclair Kimberley Academy.  It is not a bad thing.  But even in those great moments, I try to remember something senior Scott LaBove said to me a while back.  He told me that sports are not just about the ecstasy in victory – they are about “uniting our sometimes divided society, if just for a moment.”

So, if you have any interest in sports, or even if you do not, just remember one thing:  we play sports because of the passion they bring out in ourselves.  And is that not exactly what Newark Academy strives to do – to bring out the passion inside each one of us?