Tourgee and Quan honored as Hock Scholar-Athletes

Each May, the Hockomock League celebrates educational athletics by honoring a male and female graduating senior from each of our 12 schools.  These 24 graduating seniors represent the best from their collective schools when it comes to excelling both in the classroom and on the playing field.  Ordinarily, our league's 12 principals and ADs host a banquet at Lake Pearl in Wrentham where the 24 amazing student athletes and their parents convene to be celebrated and honored. Long ago I had circled May 7th on my calendar as this event is one of my favorite nights of the Bulldog year.  Unfortunately, like so many other annual highlights of the Hock spring schedule, this event was postponed.

Caroline Tourgee

Although we won't be meeting to celebrate these two high achieving Bulldogs, our Canton recipients deserve our recognition and praise.  Canton's recipients of this year's Scholar-Athlete awards are Caroline Tourgee and Nathan Quan. They both value and understand the responsible balance between academics and athletics and, as a result have achieved great heights in both.

Caroline Tourgee has been a three-sports standout at CHS for the past four years.  She has made enormous contributions to the Soccer, Ice Hockey and Lacrosse teams for each of those seasons. She has helped to lead all three of these programs to great successes and more importantly- great memories and experiences for so many student athletes.  Caroline will be continuing her education at Providence College.

Nathan Quan made the Varsity Baseball team as a freshman and has been a key member of the team since- playing short stop for most of that time.  In many ways, he has been one of the faces of the program since he walked through our doors.  He had his team perched on the edge of a season that was looking to be great this spring. In more recent years, he has become a leader and huge asset to the Indoor Track team where he was key to the team's recent growth and success. Nate will be continuing his education at the University of Connecticut.

Nathan Quan

CHS is proud of both of these shining examples of student athlete excellence, as well as the hundreds of other Bulldogs who also commit fully to excelling in the classroom and in the athletic arena.  Caroline and Nate were two of many deserving Bulldogs in these areas of excellence.

Both Caroline and Nate, like so many of their classmates, were denied the opportunity to close out their Bulldog careers on the field this spring.  They were both expected to be major contributors to their respective sports and leaders.  I, like so many Bulldog fans, were so looking forward to these great role models closing out their careers on top.  Although they were not given that opportunity, I know that the paths they blazed while wearing the Green and White over the past four years, will make pay huge dividends to each of their futures as well as to the Bulldog teams of the future.

Thank you and Congratulations to Caroline Tourgee and Nathan Quan- 2020 Hockomock League Scholar Athlete Award winners.

Click here to view the Banquet Program. 

Guest Blogger- Trainer Kristen-Low Back Pain

Athletic Training Blog Series #9

Low Back Pain

Low Back Pain is one of the most common complaints across society, and the cause of many doctor visits. There are many causes of this issue. Mechanical issues such as:

• Sprains & Strains
• Intervertebral Disc Degeneration
• Herniated or Ruptured Discs
• Sciatica (that’s a blog for a different day)
• Traumatic Injury
• The Spondy family of injuries
• And many more

In addition to these there are additional factors that can increase our risk of developing low back pain. Age, fitness level (or starting a new fitness program/style/intensity), pregnancy, weight gain, backpack overload, occupation, genetics, and mental health all can play a role. 

How is Low Back Pain diagnosed? Whether in my AT room, a PT facility or a MD office-most evaluations will begin with visual and manual evaluations. Watching posture, how you walk, sit, and move is very important. The body is one chain and deficiencies in one area can cause issues in another. If myself or the PT feel it is more than a sprain or strain we will refer back to the MD for imaging-which starts with the basic X-Ray, and can lead to MRIs, CT scans, discography and others. 

Once a diagnosis is confirmed, treatment can begin. For the most severe diagnoses-surgery may be the only option. But for many folks there are other options. Chiropractors are great at readjusting the vertebrae to get us back in alignment. While I do not personally prescribe to the folks that state they can fix your ear infection or ankle sprain with adjustment-there are many fabulous benefits. I personally can say our Team Chiro at Springfield helped save my senior season-and I still routinely do the maintenance exercises he gave me.

Like many maladies- Ice and Heat can be very helpful in relieving discomfort. Also NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen, etc) can alleviate the symptoms, but as always be careful with medications because they can have long term side effects such as ulcers. Stretching and Strengthening will be very helpful to get you back to the activities in which you want to be participating. Core strength is very important to help support your lumbar spine. Planks, and other abdominal exercises are great. Stretching before any exercise is also crucial. One particular muscle group to focus on is the hamstrings. They attach to the Iliac Crest (top of hip bone) which means they help us move and bend at the waist in addition to many other activities. One of my favorite low back stretches is lying on your back and bringing your knees to your chest. Hold for 20 seconds and repeat as necessary. You can also add slight rotation to either side, as long as you keep the rest of your torso flat on the ground-only your hips should rotate. I have a great stretching plan that I am going to scan and can email if anyone would like it (just email me).

One final thought-Backpack wearing is a huge issue for students. You do not want your backpack to change your posture to either forward leaning, or back leaning. It should sit above your buttocks, not sag below. Wearing both shoulder straps is also important, as well as making sure the bag itself is not too heavy. One recommendation is 15% of your body weight. I am also happy to adjust backpacks-especially when I think it may be contributing to what brought you to my AT room. 

Stay Healthy.

Hockomock League Announces Winter All-Stars 2019-20

Jonathan Chery

The Hockomock League recently announced its official All-Star teams for the winter 2019-20 season.  As usual, many Bulldogs were honored amongst this talented group of student athletes from throughout the League.

Several teams earned League/Divisional titles and Sportsmanship honors as well.

Girls Basketball-
Team earned 2nd place in the Sportsmanship Award
All-Stars- Sydney Gallery, Kiara Cerruti, Honorable Mention- Fay Gallery

Boys Basketball-
All-Stars- Eric Mischler, Honorable Mention- Nick Cushman

Girls Swimming- 

Alexa Maffeo

Hockomock Davenport Champions!
All-Stars- Shanua Harney, Jessica Hart, Honorable Mention- Brianna Gilchrest

Boys Swimming-
Team earned 2nd place in the Sportsmanship Award
All-Stars- Javier Ferstler, Matthew Thompson, Honorable Mention- Ben Guerini

Girls Indoor Track-
All-Stars- Bronwyn Mahoney, Honorable Mention- Kayla Wong

Boys Indoor Track-
All-Stars- Jonathan Chery, Zach Goldstein, Junior Sainvil, Cam Sanchez, De'Yontai Dennis Honorable Mention- Kyle Downing

Gymnastics- 
Team earned 2nd place in the Sportsmanship Award
All-Star Honorable Mention- Emily MacKay

Johnny Hagan- MVP

Wrestling- 
All-Stars- Eddie Marinilli, Honorable Mention- Zack Peters

Girls Hockey- 
Hockomock Davenport Champions!
Hockomock Sportsmanship Award Winners!
All-Stars- Lizzie Tassinari, Alexa Maffeo, Olivia Maffeo, Meg Aldrich, Honorable Mention- Carolyn Durand

Boys Hockey- 
Hockomock Davenport Champions!
Hockomock Sportsmanship Award Winners!
All-Stars- Johnny Hagan (MVP), Chris Lavoie, Jock Connolly, Owen Lehane, Honorable Mention- Ronan O'Mahoney

Click Here for Boston Globe All-Scholastic Blog Entry.

Phaneuf heading to Providence College Cheer

Phaneuf in action at Gillette Stadium

The CHS Athletic Office is happy to announce that Nicole Phaneuf- class of 2020- has committed to attending Providence College in the fall and will be joining the Friar Cheer team where she will be cheering for the Mens Basketball team and participating in at least one NCAA cheer competition.

Phaneuf has been a key member of the Canton High School competition cheer team for both the fall and winter seasons for all four of her years her at CHS. She has served as captain this year, leading her teams through very successful seasons.  Coach Stephanie Parker had this to say about her four-year star heading to PC-

"Nicole has been an integral part of the team's successes this year- never missing a practice or game, always with the team's best interest at heart and wanting to be better. She is an outstanding leader, kind young woman and a strong advocate for her teammates. I am so proud of all of her accomplishments and to have been her coach. I cannot wait to see hier hit the mat at PC and cheer her on!"

Phaneuf with her coach and parents

Aside from excelling in cheer at CHS, Phaneuf has made her mark in many other areas including serving on the Board of Directors for the Canton Character Crew, Link Leader, and is also a member of the National Honor Society.

Phaneuf joins a long list of members of the CHS class of 2020 in taking her athletic skills to the collegiate level next fall. Keep an eye out on this blog for more info in the coming weeks about more of our college-bound student athletes!

Congratulations Nicole!

Final Statement on Spring Sports Season- 4-24-2020

An empty Walsh Softball Field at CHS in mint condition.

With the announcement by Governor Baker on Tuesday that schools will remain closed and operate remotely for the remainder of the school/academic year, comes the sad reality that our 2020 Spring interscholastic athletic season will not take place. The following bullets provide some information around this decision.

• Today, the MIAA officially announced the cancelation of the spring season- regular and tournament. Click here for a press-release from the MIAA.
• We are currently working on how to best wrap up the 2019-20 Bulldog athletic year.  Our coaches all care so much for their players and everyone wants to make sure the appropriate closure takes place, particularly for members of the class of 2020. 
• We will soon be making information available on the awarding of varsity letters for the spring 2020 season. 
• As we are in uncharted waters, please feel free to reach out to the CHS Athletics office with questions, thoughts, etc. during this time. I can be reached via email.  ericksond@cantonma.org

A personal note from the AD

In looking back at a history of CHS Athletics, I am unable to find any instance of this ever happening in our past -- ever. My research is basic as I have checked out old CHS yearbooks, etc, but at least since the WWII era, I can find no time when our Bulldogs were unable to participate in a sport season. If anyone with a longer history than me can provide any evidence to the contrary, I will stand corrected. But for now, I assume that what our spring student athletes are experiencing, in losing their season, is completely unprecedented.

As a fellow Bulldog for my entire life, I know that I can speak for Bulldogs everywhere -- and from every era -- in saying that we are all with our Spring 2020 student athletes.  We stand with you.  We feel for you. We are in awe of your resilience. We can all TRY to empathize with you, but in reality, we can only imagine what it must be like to have one of your passions taken away from you. 

Whenever asked, I have always said that the greatest lessons that high school sports can provide are around how we can handle setback and adversity. Well..game on.  This group of hundreds of Bulldog student athletes have been dealt a major, unthinkable set-back -- the complete loss of one of their precious seasons of play.  It is so difficult to see today, but this will ultimately be a defining moment. It will impact each and every one of you and forge who you are and will be. I would never wish this set-back on any of our Bulldogs, but this is the moment we are in.  So in this moment, lean in on another value of sports -- TEAM.  Although you and your teammates are apart -- in many ways -- you have never been closer, as you are all going through this together.  The mark that our spring 2020 teams will leave behind at CHS will be powerful and profound.  Your season that wasn't will certainly provide all future Bulldogs with an unshakable appreciation of what we have.

Thank you 2020 Spring Bulldogs.

Guest Blogger- Trainer Kristen- Posture

Athletic Training Blog Series #8

Home Office/School Posture

All of a sudden we are all faced with working and learning from home, and away from the traditional desk spaces to which we are all accustomed. So before we all develop hunchbacks, carpal tunnel, and neck pain, I thought I would share a few tidbits on how to best set up your space to avoid injury.

Everyone has the tendency to slouch when sitting for long periods of time, this is why standing desks have become popular in many office settings giving employees the opportunity to vary their days between sitting and standing. Since that is most likely not an option at home, here are some quick ideas for your space:

• Knees and Hips should be at 90°. Feet Flat on the floor
• Desk/Table Height should allow forearms and wrists to lie flat 
• Screen should have 10-20° of tilt, and be 15”-20” away from you
• Keep shoulders square-think of holding a pencil between your shoulder blades

Some other tips:

• Avoid Eye strain by staking screen breaks to look at items 20’ or so away
• Get up and move! When  your fitbit or apple watch buzz it means you’ve been in one place too long. Do some jumping jacks, or take a lap around the house. It will help refocus too
• Set a schedule and allow yourself breaks. 
• Stretch regularly
• Reward yourself for jobs well done
• Eat Healthy snacks
• Work when your most motivated
• Get outside in your yards when the weather allows. 
• Listen to music

Stay Healthy and Well!!!

Guest Blogger- Trainer Kristen- Exercise Induced Asthma?

Athletic Training Blog Series

Is It Exercise Induced Asthma or Paradoxical Vocal Cord Dysfunction?

Mr. Erickson and I received an email back in December (man does that feel like a million years ago) from a parent of an athlete from a different town about this very topic, so now seems like a great time to explain the differences of these two syndromes.

Exercise Induced Asthma is a narrowing of the airways in the lungs caused by strenuous exercise. It causes shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing and other symptoms during or after exercise. The prefered term is Exercise Induced Bronchoconstriction as it differs from the root causes of Asthma. Many athletes are still able to participate in their chosen activity while taking preventative measures, and alleviating symptoms with common asthma medications such as Albuterol or Pro Air.

Paradoxical Vocal Cord Dysfunction (PVCD) is the abnormal closing of the vocal cords when you breathe out. It also can be triggered by strenuous exercise, allergies, environmental irritants and upper respiratory infections. The symptoms are identical to asthma. However with PVCD asthma medications do not work to alleviate the symptoms.  So how can they diagnose the difference? There are a few differences that you and your MD should take note of:

• Harder to breathe out when symptoms flare
• Asthma medications don’t work
• Typical Asthma/Breathing tests are normal, or only show minimal changes
• Tightness tends to be in the throat versus the chest in asthmatics

Now that you have the diagnosis-how should you treat PVCD? Exercises focusing on the breathing technique are the way to go. Each athlete has to learn to be self aware of his/her breathing. Then re-training to use diaphragmatic breathing during exercise. Visualization also helps. Focusing on keeping the throat/airway as wide as he/she can during rapid breathing. All exercises start in a supine (lying down) position and progress to sitting, then standing, walking, then finally running. It is a re-training of the neuromuscular system, and how the systems react to exercise. 

If you think this describes your experience with asthma-please let me know, there are several local people who specialize in this. I have also included below a link to one such person that was included in that email from way back when, and more informational links as well.

Stay Healthy.

https://speechandvoicetherapycenter.com/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/exercise-induced-asthma/symptoms-causes/syc-20372300

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/asthma/expert-answers/vocal-cord-dysfunction/faq-20058019

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC164364/