By Ethan Andrzejewski ’13, Sports Editor

It is fair to say that Newark Academy is best known for its excellence in the classroom. In holding such a prestigious academic reputation, NA offers a myriad of stimulating pursuits that set it apart from surrounding high schools. From our college-sque IB Program, to our countless AP courses, and our brilliant and dedicated teachers, NA has it all.

Newark Academy’s athletic offerings, however, are not as comprehensive as the academic ones. For an upper school of only 400 students, NA’s athletic department is by no means lacking. Yet, the department does not offer the likes of ice hockey, boy’s volleyball, cheerleading, and bowling, sports that are available at many schools statewide. Because of this, there is a lot of talent that goes unrecognized. Of late, students are taking initiative to bring new endeavors to our community. Thanks to Tyler Dohrn and Cynthia Yang, students now have the opportunity to represent Newark Academy outside of school while playing ice hockey or figure skating.

There have been countless attempts to form an ice hockey team. One came three years ago when Joe McGrath ‘12, a member of the New Jersey Colonials, was in the eighth grade. Transportation and ice time were obstacles, and numbers were less and less of an issue. Yet, the athletic department doubted that they could maintain the program. Reflecting on the subject, McGrath stated, “It is truly a disgrace that NA does not have a hockey team. Almost every high school in New Jersey does and the sport is quickly gaining popularity.” As his attempts failed, he gave up his talent, dedicated his time to soccer, and passed the reins to Tyler Dohrn ’14, a member of the New Jersey Freeze. Although Dohrn was unable to form an official team, he made significant progress and found a way for NA students to play together outside of school. “My travel team shared ice and practiced with Gil St. Bernard’s team last year,” he said. “I told their coach that my high school didn’t have a team, and he offered to coach a combined team this spring.” Because there are only a handful of players at NA that would be committed to playing, joining forces with GSB is the perfect solution. Along with a number of players from Gil, six Newark Academy students will compete in Aspen Ice’s Spring League. Dohrn commented, “It’s great. High schools can sign a co-op and combine athletic teams. Doing this in the spring will hopefully lead to a co-op in the winter.”

The hockey players are not the only NA students that will be representing the Minutemen on the ice. Cynthia Yang ’13 and Jessica Lim ’14 recently teamed up to create a student-run figure skating team that will represent Newark Academy. Yang has been skating for seven years and is currently a member of the Essex Skating Club of New Jersey. Her long list of accomplishments, which include winning the 2009 Garden State Games and the 2010 New Jersey Council and placing fourth at the 2010 Morris Open, the 2010 Hersey Open, and the 2011 North Atlantic qualifiers, is headlined by serving as an alternate for the Junior Nationals earlier this year. Lim has five years of experience and has excelled in synchronized skating. As a member of the Essex Skating Club’s Synchronettes, she placed second at Eastern Sectionals and seventh at Nationals two years in a row. The girls plan to enter competitions in which they compete for NA against other high schools with teams that belong to the United States Figure Skating Association (USFSA). Commenting on the subject, Yang stated, “NA’s new student-run teams give every student at the school a chance to showcase their own unique individual talents and allow for more students to become involved in the community.”

Although Newark Academy students now have the ability to represent their school while playing these sports, the athletic department remains hesitant to form official ice hockey and ice skating programs. “To form additional athletic programs at NA, several criteria must be met:  do we have the facilities; are there enough schools playing the sport at our level; is there a critical mass of interested students and will those numbers be sustained in the foreseeable future; do we have the proper number of athletic teams, i.e. do we adequately fill our present rosters,” Director of Athletics Ed Manigan said. “These and other criteria need to be considered before we contemplate adding teams to our athletic department.” In considering the terms that must be met, it is understandable why it is so hard to form an official team. Manigan continued, “In the late 90’s we started a hockey program which, although it was fun to watch, did not have the staying power in terms of the criteria listed above.” For sports, like ice hockey, that are so hard to maintain, gathering a group of students from NA and getting involved outside of school is the best option.

Only time will tell if Newark Academy can keep up their new athletic endeavors. With dedicated students and an ever-supportive community, it is not hard to imagine that these athletes will both survive and thrive. In fact, they should serve as incentives for other students to convert their passion into something more.