Tyler Mininno '22
06:17:56 PM
My computer microphone says it is picking up audio
Tyler Mininno '22
06:18:48 PM
Im going to try to get headphones and see if they work
So tell her what I was selling it, uh, Mr Welborn is that like? I'll start kind of introduce what we're doing, like chit chat. In there I'll ask people to like if they have any burning questions you can throw him in. The chat will try and answer as many as possible, but like I'll introduce myself. But like try and say as much about yourself as possible to kind of give him idea of like you as a student. Here you know it's like.
There we go, got 30 people in 32.
Hope I rise doing well. We'll get started here in a couple minutes. I just want to give everybody a chance to get in. We have about, UM, six more potential, maybe 10 more potential people coming in. So I give it a couple minutes and then I'll get started. If you have any burning questions that you know for sure you wanna get answered, just go ahead and drop them in the chat box.
And then we will get started here pretty shortly.
I so quick microphone checked, can everybody hear me? If you can hear me, just throw a little like something in the chat. If you can't hear me.
Rosa, you know, let us know that you can't hear us so we can make sure we can try and help you guys out with any of that. So if you can't hear hear me on your on your end please let me know.
Looks like we got it. Looks like everybody can at least hear me.
Alright, so we we will. We'll get started here. We have a couple more coming in. I'll give it a couple more seconds.
We're pretty close our magic number.
Alright, we'll get started. Uhm, so welcome welcome everybody. Really appreciate you guys come in this is, you know, we we do a couple things.
Over the course of a year with our general information sessions tonight, obviously you're joining us to learn more about our athletics program here, and so we have two people here that are going to help you through this process. I'm a double agent for tonight. My name is Napoleon Sykes. I work here in admissions, and I'm also the head football coach. I also work with JV lacrosse. We just finished.
Our football season just last weekend and so now I'm transition and to really working on our seniors getting placed in ecologist get our juniors ready for get an early recruiting. I also am a duty officer in the Kennedy House and I have advised these and then Kenny House as well. So what we do tonight is, you know like what once we get started I'll let Mr Welborn and Tyler.
Introduce themselves and they'll tell you a little bit about themselves and what they do here and then we'll turn it over to Mr. Wellborn and he'll he'll get us started and tell us a little bit about you know what what athletics means. Here at Lawrenceville. So trip if you want to. If you want to start, you can introduce yourself.
OK, am I unmuted now or am I muted?
You're good, you're good. Yeah, you're good.
OK, welcome everyone. I cannot see you, but I know you were there and we're excited to have you as coach sites talked about. I mean, we have a lot of double agents here. They do a lot of things, but all of it is centered around other students and the students experience. And so we want to talk a little bit today about what that experience would be. And first I introduce myself and then I know Tyler would introduce himself and then I'll give you a a look around.
In inside of what athletics is here at Lawrenceville and then Tyler can talk about it from his experience in terms of how it's how it's manifested itself. As to shaping him to be the man that he is. So with that I'm a Dean Welborne as the kids called me here, Dean of athletics and cocurricular education. This is my 7th year at Lawrenceville. I am affiliated with the Upper House which is the senior boys house and I have two children.
One of which graduated from Lawrenceville last year and she attends the University of Michigan and my son is here and he is a third former, which is a tenth grader. And so I'm excited once again to have you here and look forward to having an athletic discussion with that, I turn over Tyler.
Hi everyone, my name is Tyler Menino. I've been at Lawrenceville for four years so I'm a senior. This year was the former House president of Kennedy where coach likes duty. Now I I've been on varsity lacrosse for four years and I'm currently committed for lacrosse to Harvard University. I also played football for two years. My freshman sophomore year played freshman basketball. My first first year I played house basketball my sophomore year, and I was Playhouse vocal my junior year, so.
Done a lot of things, most recently in the fall I did pack, which is the strength program here at Lawrenceville. So that was awesome. It was really good opportunity to focus on getting better and getting more athletic for to come next. So I'm really excited to have you all on.
Awesome, So what? We'll do we. We may have one more guy that's gonna come join us, but to start I'd like Mr. Welborn to kind of layout, you know the athletic program here, you know and I'll steal a little bit from him. But we are athletics is Co curricular here at at Lawrenceville. So it is a really integral part about of the learning process here at Lawrenceville. And student life here at Lawrenceville. So I'll let Mr. Welborn to go over and kind of give you guys the lay of the land.
Yeah, thank you. Thank you so much so so yes, it's Coach Sykes talked about in athletics. Here it is as we term Co curricular, not extracurriculars. And so for those who know I mean Co curricular mean it is part of the academic day. So it is an academic class and is treated as such just as you would as a physical education class. Extracurricular would be something of choice, meaning our clubs or other things you have to do. But it is not a requirement for graduation, whereas Co curricular is. So that checks that box and it's.
What the kids really enjoy and so is something that we all want to do. And furthermore we have our period set in what Tyler doesn't know is that he has periods. 8 Through UM, was it 88 through F? I think is is that? Uh, here's a through F right and the period after that is G and that would be athletics. And that's for games. It doesn't. It doesn't say it on his schedule, but that's how athletic period with the G. So we we started there for games after F so.
The way it's structured is that here at the school Interscholastic League we have 73 different teams and those teams have different levels. With this freshman junior varsity.
Could be JVB if it's not just a freshman team or varsity teams. And with our varsity teams alone we have 32 of those teams and it's stretched amongst 21 sports.
That is not the only level of participation, though. We have three different levels of participation when it comes to athletics because everybody is involved in athletics, and so we have the highest level which is interscholastic, which is six days a week and it's competitive play. And you represent Lawrenceville in the broader community. You go out and you play other teams with uniforms. The next piece would be the intramural piece, which is nestled right in the middle, and that is consistent with our our House.
Set up here, which is our dorm setup. We have different dorms such as Tyler talked about Kennedy House. He's affiliated with Kennedy, would play one of our other houses are dorms here within our circle, which is our 10th and 11th grade boys, and each year it's things such as it could be flag football, maybe basketball, volleyball, ultimate disc. There are lots of different things that can play when it comes to competition and that is a level, just as if.
Girls, we have the same thing with the girls as well and so the next tier outside of that is an elective tier.
And that's called how come lifetime and lifetime is our recreational sport and what that means is that that stretches from anything, from yoga, to spinning to karate to our big red farm to tech crew to golf. It can even be dance. It could be periwig and in our plays or it could. Or it could be any other type of activity that we have such as outdoor leadership in rock climbing.
So we have lots of options and every term we have different ones and sometimes we have the same. So this past term we had 27 interscholastic offerings and we had 13 off friends that were Co curricular, non interscholastic not including our intramural type program. So that's how athletics is set up. Most of our kids here at the school at some point throughout the year we have about 820 or so kids here at the school about 700.
Play at least one interscholastic sport a year.
And because we have lots of opportunities, we want to give people a chance to be able to put on a jersey and represent themselves and Lawrenceville in the best way possible.
Outside of that, we have about 400 of the kids play. Actually two interscholastic sports in a season and then we do have about 200 to 225 typically every year that actually participate in three interscholastic sports, and so a sport every single year.
Any student that doesn't participate in a scholastic Lee, they steal each participate in either house and or lifetime every term and each term is about 400. Kids that do interscholastic in about 400 kids that do house in lifetime. So whatever cohort you're in, you'll have a full array of activities and classmates that do them with you, and you have the memories to show for it. So we're really excited about that. The kids get into it and it's just a fun experience.
Altogether, and some of the best memories I know Tyler would talk about it. It would be similar things that he spent with Kennedy House and in some of his house games as well as football as well as lacrosse. And so everything that you do with others is what makes it memorable. It's not just the activity, it's who you do it with. So we're excited about that and we're glad to to talk about it. And so after Tyler gives his experience and talks about that, then we'll be able to answer any and all questions regarding athletics at Lawrenceville.
Yeah, perfect segue. Let's just start on that note talking about Kennedy House football I played last year and that was my athletic requirement for the fall. We were the first. I don't know first, but we were undefeated and that I, like Dean Welborn, said that was probably also in my favorite memories. Just because first of all, I love playing flag football, but the people I was spending all the time with where all the kids from my house. All the kids that I was seeing throughout the dorm and then there was transfer over the kids that I maybe didn't know.
I'm walking through the hallways all of a sudden were kids that I was saying hi to tapping up in the hallways or shaking hands like people that when I saw around campus there was this bond that was not there before. So those how's how sports are some of the best memories. There's some rivalries that go way back. For example at my house and another House Hamill, there's always a game and winning that game is a big big sense of pride, so there's tons of tradition that goes way back with all that, how sports and.
The most important thing is the people you meet and what you're doing with them and how much fun you're having, so those are great offerings and I've always loved those and you can take them as competitively. Or if you're out there to have a good time, that's too, but I'm a person who hates losing. So I was always super competitive in those.
US basketball as well, so how sports are amazing. Really glad they offer on. I also have done a few as team overseeing sports that are just free offerings. For example I was talking a little bit earlier pack which is stands for.
Honestly, I forgot, yeah.
Performance, performance, agility, conditioning and knowledge.
And then the K on the back end is also for kick **** so you know we they, they go to work out there and they and and they they get into it and they get into it a lot.
Yeah, yeah, that's that's one of my favorite offerings. I'm someone who needs exercise to sort of regulate, so having that open gym sort of scenario and beginning to work with our two, or for this term one, but normally have two awesome strength coaches and get it to cater my program to what I best needed for my sport was just amazing. I saw so many tremendous strides and that's that's probably why.
One of my favorite things about Lawrenceville is is the gym offerings and keeping you active. I've when I came into Lawrenceville, I was probably 80 pounds and two inches shorter and just from working really hard with our strength coaches. And then throughout those activities, I've become so much better of an athlete and also so much better of a person just getting to learn those lessons.
And then lastly, I guess I'll talk on my experience on like a varsity program. I was played a few minutes on Farsi football myself for a year and then obviously have had partial across experience for four years. And the brotherhood there is unlike anything I've ever felt before.
The time you spend in the locker room is before games and before practices have some of the most underrated moments on campus. You meet people that.
R4 years older than you when he comes in freshman and they just sort of take you under a wing. I still know some of the seniors I played football with my freshman year. I still give people seniors from across your comment on my Instagram and her super supportive. You make this web of connections with people and then obviously you take that to the field and there's massive carryover you step on the field and your competitors. You're fierce. And some of my best friends are the people I've gotten into it with a little bit in sports and gun chippy, but then you shake hands when you walk off the field and you if you come.
Even better friends after it. I've gotten to be part of some really big games. Obviously our hill rivalry for all sports is huge, so getting to be on the sidelines for that is just the best feeling and getting to beat them is even better. So that's been awesome. We for lacrosse we had a really great season last year and I got to be part of like higher level across the night ever experienced before in my life so.
Uh, Lawrence feels a place where I don't think. I don't think there's any other place where I could experience those type of things anywhere else. Those those three levels of just getting better, meeting new people, and competing at the highest level. You can do whatever you fits your needs and whatever makes you happy. And that's the that's the best part of it.
Awesome, that was great. That was great. I was letting all the crowd died down. They were clapping allowed. You can't hear him but oh look at this so you guys are gonna get menoken you can can you hear us?
I so, so we're trying to get get. Yeah so you guys are getting out the pleasure so you know before we go any farther. Introduce yourself to everybody. Tell us about where you're from, what house you're in, the sports says you've done here and just after that go into a little bit about your experiences, athlete year at Lawrenceville.
Perfect, that was awesome. That was awesome. Alright, so here's what we will do from here. Will there's a couple questions in the chat. There's a couple questions that people had submitted prior to tonight. I'll steal the first question and then the first question was someone asking about if they wanted to try a new sport and is that it? Is that possible here and I'll, I'll speak from experience, I'm not like I said before. I'm the head football coach here.
You know 10 or 12 kids that had never played football before this year, and I think there's a space for kids that want to try new things, right? So from a from a school standpoint, this school is about exploration, right? So we want you to come here and try new things right? And so there are freshman level teams in some depending on the number their JV level for each person. So we we still encourage people to come out and try and use.
Port here sometimes you drive sport that you've never played before and ends up like like my note said, it becomes a sport that you fall in love with and you can actually excel in. So we. We definitely encourage people to come here and try new sports as they get here. The next one I'll ask I'll hand over to Mr Welborn.
Someone asked is it possible to do two sports in the same season? For example like track and baseball.
So unfortunately, you're not allowed to do two interscholastic sports at the same time, so you have to commit to one, and there's a couple of reasons for that. First of all, there are rules and regulations regarding how many practices a kid can have during the season, and in addition to that, though, you want to be fully committed to those sports in interscholastic sports or six days a week and.
They practice at the same time and so it's difficult to be a part of one practice, but then showing up at a game or meat or a competition of another team or sport because as Manouk referenced and Tyler part of it is the experience that you have with the people that are in the trenches with you that are bonding with the activity of choice. But if you're going back and forth and you're not actually creating and or experiencing that with only that particular team because you're leaving when they're working.
So we don't allow it, and also it's something that's not allowed statewide.
Awesome, someone asks about. Uhm, let me see this one right here. So when you come to campus and I guess.
You can answer this. Wanna get tripped up when you come to campus? How do you get involved in sports? Are there preseason? I guess I'll kind of. I'll talk from a standpoint of from football where usually the one of the first teams on campus. We do have a preseason right and so we we advertise that to our players that are returning players and then we will also give that information out to you.
From a standpoint of if you're a brand new student as well, but I know that. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but when you it's about like that first week of school. We will also have a period in time where people can come and try out for sports once school starts.
Correct, that is correct. In the fall is actually the only season you truly have a preseason because it happens prior to school starting at that being said though, it's for varsity candidates only, so all teams you have tryouts for all teams. Once we're back in school. However, because we have flexibility going into each new year a week earlier, a few days early depending upon the sport, you get a chance.
To come in varsity tryouts, start. So if you're a candidate for varsity, then you would come early. Otherwise, if you're playing on on any sub varsity level, which most of our kids here by number of teams, it would be sub varsity teams versus only varsity teams per turn, then they would they would come at the necessary time after everyone else comes back because they wouldn't need to come early unless they're playing on the varsity team. However, some of our teams complete.
As a compete as a program such as football and so every kid, junior varsity and varsity would be here at the same time because that it's a one program team versus some of the others. It is not as such.
So there's one. There's one question I'll let. I'll let Minogue take this one, but someone asks on the weekends are you involved in sports?
Perfect, alright. So Tyler, I'll let you let you tackle this one. There's a question asking about like what in your experience, what was the style of coaching you got from your coaches and then on top of that leaving after your done in that season? Did you feel like your coach was still connected to you to prepare you for the next time you came to that season?
Yeah, yeah, I'll speak to that dumb. So definitely the coaches. They it's. It's a lot of tough love. They're hard on you because they know you're talented and I think that's why a lot of people come to Lawrenceville is because they want the challenge. Lawrence was not an easy school and neither is our coaching. It's it's difficult. It's a grind. Like Minnock said, it's hard, but at the end of the day, it's all worth it because you've gotten so much better towards the end of the season, so they're hard.
Coaches are hard on you and they push you because they know you are capable and they know you'll get better from it and outside of.
Like when you leave that season, it's not like right now that coach is out of sight out of mind. I've had a lot of coaches who are checking in with me not just about sports, but how are you doing off the field houses or school going? How's your life going? How's your family? How are the holidays? And then they'll also offer options for possible practices outside if you want to like go out and work with a coach, or if there's a lift that's optional for us.
Or so it's it's definitely the coaches are connected and they care about their kids and they push you to be better because they know you can be so yeah.
Good answer, all right trip. I'll take this one back to you. Someone asks about playing club sports, so if you were a soccer player and still and and still wanted to play in on a club team in the area, how would you be able to do that? Or would you be able to do that?
So the short answer is yes, you are allowed to participate in off campus activities. The longer answer is each situation is different and you have to fulfill your Co curricular obligation here at the school first. So for some people depending upon what that may be.
Whether it for this House or lifetime, depending upon your level of engagement, then there much. There's much more flexibility in your club activities and travel, and I'm not talking about classes and classes missed. That's another category that you have to really pay attention to when it comes to participate in anything off campus. But just athletically you you have to know how to navigate it.
It is rather difficult in seasons to do in interscholastic sport any club sport at the same time because the level of commitment is six days a week for one and then you have club that's layered on top of it and so you're going to be really tired. It's not the kids haven't done it, but it is. It is difficult because this isn't as Tyler has mentioned in the note mentioned as well. You know this is not a a school that is easy. I mean this this this is a school that the kids come and they work hard and they enjoyed themselves.
But then they expect to be coached hard as well because they have aspirations and expectations and they want to meet those then for those who aren't trying to do that athletically, then there's other levels for you. But we, but we expect everybody to try to ascend, and so because of that, if you have aspirations and you play club, you can do it, but there's some level of sacrifice and compromise with everything when it comes to club, but that's the only way you can get to where you want to get to is that you have to have some level of sacrifice. So yes, you can do it better.
Rather difficult, sometimes other times it's not so difficult.
Awesome, so there's one in here and I'll I'll tackle this one. Is it common for student athletes that may start on a JV team as a freshman to move up to varsity after their first year and the the short answer? That is hopefully I think that's the point. You know as us as coaches us as older teammates you know part of that process is like Tyler said and Doug said as a as a student athlete is to be.
You've gone through the process and you not only become an older member of the team, but you also become a mentor to that. To an extent, our job as coaches is to develop student athletes and give you the tools so that you can progress over the years, right? And then it's always good if you guys go home and eat Wheaties and come back bigger, stronger, faster in it, and that helps too. So I think the goal of our athletic program, especially in the interscholastic realm, is for us to develop young players.
That will end up being old players and mentors in all of our programs, so I think that that hopefully that answered that question.
OK, so here's here's one right here. Here's one right here.
So someone asked specifically about golf. Is golf all year sport or is it a sport that is really just in the spring?
It's not working out. I'll take that one so golf interscholastic Lee is a spring sport.
That being said, you are here on campus. We're fortunate enough to have a modified golf course. I mean, we have six holes now. It was nine, but we've changed that because we're building and with construction some different things on campus. But we have a six holes with some training holes as well, and so there's an opportunity for you to play as often as you can get out and play as long as it doesn't interfere with your other Co curricular and academic obligations. So if you ask, is golf year round.
Sure it is. If you want to play in the snow, you could play in the winter. You could play anytime you want. The golf course doesn't close for you as a student, however. Interscholastic competition in the golf team competes in the spring, and that's girls and boys golf. They compete at the same time.
Tyler, you can take this one because I mean, I guess technically you answered a little bit of this, but.
Did you feel like this from a prior one? Did you feel like?
Uh, your large field sports experience helped you prepare to get recruited to play college college sports. Obviously you are. So the answer is yes, but like if you want to speak to that too.
Yeah, absolutely. So there's.
There's something about playing with a varsity team where the pace of the game is just much quicker than club for a lot of those scenarios. Speaking particularly for lacrosse. After my high school season, when I went back and I played club ball with my my age group, I noticed that the balls weren't being thrown as hard people weren't hitting us hard, it was, it was just a bit slower. So getting that coaching under a higher stress scenario where everything is moving quicker was absolutely.
One of the biggest things if all of a sudden the game at my age group just slowed down and I was able to see things I hadn't seen before. Furthermore, in season a lot of the time and out of season we get lifts that gets you that are focused and pertained for your specific sport. Which is the awesome part about having two strength coaches. So for the cross in particular, like in the winter, will do a lot of the heavier compound movements to get bigger and then well as we get into the spring and we're in season we're running, we're putting more stress on our bodies.
It'll do more into flexibility with more mobility work, or make sure nothings getting injured so.
Everything that we do as a team and outside of the team prepares you in one way or another for the next level. So I every sport I've played with football House no matter what has in some way or other, impacted my preparedness for college lacrosse.
How do you balance three sports and school here at Lawrenceville?
Nice, you could take this one this next one slam dunk. This one it was asking.
Yeah, go ahead, go ahead.
Can I add a comment to that? Yeah, also, like one local saying that your coaches understand the academic stress, your teachers understand the athletic stress. So if you need to you. I've multiple times when I'm in the season I've just talked to a teacher and said I would came back really late from a Game II. Is there a chance I can get?
24 more hours to do this assignment, and they're they're more than willing. Sometimes they offer me 48 hours. They understand the stress that you're going through and the teachers and coaches I found are more than willing and more than happy to make sure that you're not freaking out and you're not running up against a deadline they would rather have better work and I'm happier student then rushed and sloppy work and stress student so.
Yeah for sure. Alright, so here's one last one and I'll kind of unless anybody has anything else someone asks about the cuts and we can kind of all speak to this. I'll start. Some of that is whether you make a team and whether you don't make a team. Some of it depends on the sport, how many, how many players can handle in that. I know for football we tend to have a lot more kids, but we have.
We need a lot more players to be able to practice. Obviously there's some sports like basketball where you can't carry 40 kids on the basketball team, so a lot of that really depends on the sport that you're playing. Just because you get cut from a sport doesn't mean you cannot try out for that sport again the following year, sometimes being come from a sport just means you play at a lower level on a JV team. So there's there's still opportunities, especially at this at the level that.
The physical change from a freshman in high school to a sophomore in high school and really from a sophomore to a junior is is a drastic drastic change so that that is definitely a case by case scenario.
And anybody else want to jump in on that one?
Uhm yeah, go no. Go ahead. Go ahead, go ahead.
Yeah, for sure that'd be awesome.
I can give a little context in color to the overall process so that folks know that they won't be left out. If you want me to do that, I'm going to give you a little bit OK and so. So as coach Sykes and Minnock talked about.
We have several types of teams here at the school.
One type of team would be a team that is a no cut team. When it comes to talent.
It's only cut when it comes to commitment.
And that would be football. As an example, if you're willing to go through the practices put in the hard work, do everything you need to do. You don't have to be the very best football player that's ever stepped on. The face of the Earth or even on campus. You just have to have a heart that wants to play and the only way you can get cut from that team is if you cut yourself by not showing up at practice, ready to go.
Alright, it's not about how big you are or how fast you are. It's about all you committed.
There are other teams as coach talked about that we're limited by facilities.
And or spaces on a roster.
And those sports require us to have to make tough decisions as to the number of kids you can have that are eligible.
That being said, we have several tiers and so just being cut from one tier does not mean that you're now no longer able to participate in the sport that you love.
It just means that maybe it's not at the level that you want to be, but then that should give you some incentive to work hard at the next level, so you can then reach that level of varsity if that's what you're going for, such as Minnock said, because you never know the next year, you may just be that guy you made that one, but if you let a setback detur you from actually continuing to pursue that sport, then maybe it wasn't the sport for you because you gave up that easy.
And so that's that's a part of it, and just everything in life, you know, just a decisions have to be made. And there's competition all over the place. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't try. And so we want everyone to continue to try because we have lots of teams and lots of opportunity for you to find your way. And I will tell you, is that many kids start off playing one sport and end up.
Finding another sport is a sport that they love.
Just as Minnock talked about is that he did not come in as a track athlete.
But that is his sport. Now this is almost where he's played. A lot of sports, but that that's that's his. That's his thing. And that's not what he started doing. But that's what he fell into, and he's great at it. And he's one of our fastest kids, and so we're excited about all different opportunities. But you have to work for it, and you have to want it, because if you don't.
Somebody else does and people are waiting in line to have that spot, so you have to really work for it.
Awesome if here I'll give you guys a couple more minutes if there's any other questions. I know some of you guys had some specific sports questions and I'll address that in a little bit, so I'll give you guys just couple more minutes if you have a question you can drop it in the chat real quick.
Alright, sounds good well.
I appreciate you guys coming out this was this was awesome. Appreciate Mr Welborn and Tyler and note for helping us out and giving their insights into being an athlete or coach or just being athletic and athletic department here at Lawrenceville. So a couple things before we leave. If you guys are still interested in.
In other sessions like this, please go to the website and look under the travel and events page and we will have things placed there. If you have any specific questions about a sport if you wanna if you want to know something more about football or if you want to know more about rowing or fencing, you can go over to the Lawrenceville page, go under the sports page and under the teams you can. Actually we have all the head coaches and assistant coaches emails there listed so that if you have any specific questions.
Come for a specific sport you can go ahead and answer their ******** there and coaches. The coaches are awesome here. They're there, they will get back to you and give you a give you feedback, give you answers, even refer you to players in their program that you can reach out to get another. You know another set of eyes on the question that you have and that is that is something that we we welcome and we we want you guys to do is ask us as much as you can so that you guys can make.
And informed decision about Lawrenceville so.
We appreciate you guys have a good evening and make sure you guys. I think I want to say if you guys take a quick little quick little water break. I think at 8:30 there is another session on our Arts department. So you guys should get over there and check that out. It's pretty cool so thanks a lot. Thanks for Soilborne Tyler Manoa appreciate you guys. Everybody have a good evening.
Alright, let's see how that.