Energy & Camaraderie During an Atypical Winter Term

ARTICLE & PHOTOS: MASON KUMIEGA ’21

Adjusting to life with COVID-19 certainly hasn’t been easy by any stretch of the imagination, and being indoors this winter with restrictions has definitely taken time to get used to. With winter athletic competitions being cancelled and athletes unable to compete against other schools, there has been a desire for some healthy competition. The Broomball tournament offered exactly this, and students were able to maintain their health and safety while having some fun and competing for a $500 cash prize and bragging rights.

The broomball tournament was one of my favorite Suffield events in my four years here at the Academy. It helped the student body come together as a community in times where isolation has become the norm. I am proud to be a champion. All of our hard work paid off in the end. Aiden Attainese ’21

The tournament saw some preliminary games to determine standings in the group stage. Going into the elimination rounds, $500BOYZ and #1 Seed led their pools with seven and six points, respectively. The $500BOYZ led by Mr. Van Dam and #1 Seed coached by Mr. Cahn each finished with a 2–0–1 record before the playoffs began, making them the two most formidable teams in the league. Following at a close third was Triple G with one of the best goalies in the entire league: Ms. Lopez. With a total of 5 points, Triple G had a record of 1–0­–2 heading into the playoffs.

After the first elimination round, the semifinals saw $500BOYZ versus Triple G and #1 Seed face off against Faze Naplemans. After two close games, $500 BOYZ and #1 Seed were off to the final, while Triple G and Faze Naplemans jockeyed for third place game in the petite final. Triple G got the job done against Mr. Gamere’s team of formidable PGs, securing their third-place win and $100 in cash with a score of 3–1. Garrett Mastella ’21 of Triple G thoroughly enjoyed the broomball tournament, saying “It was a great idea! I had a lot of fun competing against the other teams. Happy to take home third place as well.”

The two top contenders of the group stage battled it out in an intense matchup for the 2021 Suffield Academy Broomball Championship. The game was all defense, with the only goal being scored in the last five minutes of play by Tom Dowd ’21. The effort by goalies Bruce Zhang ’21 of #1 Seed and Harrison Cahn ’22 from $500BOYZ made the game amazing to watch from start to finish. The 1–0 score resulted in #1 Seed being crowned the champions with a 5–0–1 record and $500 cold hard cash in their hands. Aiden Attainese ’21 noted that “The broomball tournament was one of my favorite Suffield events in my four years here at the Academy. It helped the student body come together as a community in times where isolation has become the norm. I am proud to be a champion. All of our hard work paid off in the end.”

As we look towards spring and the winter trimester draws to a close, there is no doubt that the 2021 Suffield Academy Broomball Tournament has been one of the most illustrious parts of this year that has been so drastically altered by the coronavirus. We must continue to support each other and be there to help one another as we work through this difficult time as a consolidated community.

Congratulations to #1 Seed on their well-deserved victory.