Olivia Weir cartwheels all the way into Big 10

Nine to Big Ten - As a 9-year-old, Olivia Weir cartwheeled across the finish line in a 5K in Rehoboth Beach. I caught the action with my camera and a woman said, “How did you get that photo?” I said, “You have to know your athletes.” That was 10 years ago; now Olivia is on the gymnastics team at the University of Maryland. I saw her on the Big 10 Network doing her balance beam and uneven bars routines. Olivia is spry and springy and courageously athletic; in other words, she is absolutely insane. Olivia, a freshman out of Garnet Valley High School in Pennsylvania, had a personal best 9.725 on the balance beam in the Terps’ recent win over Rutgers.

May the circle be unbroken - Wrestling happens inside a circle on a square mat. During the final bout of the Cape at Sussex Tech match Jan. 30, senior Seth Layfield of the Ravens was locked up with Lucas Ruppert of Cape in the 285-pound match. Layfield’s dad and coach Scott was a state champion in 1989 at 275 pounds. Ruppert’s handler is Matt Graviet, a state champion in 1999 at 275 pounds. Lucas was favored, but when the big boys went to the mat, it was Seth on top who rocked Lucas’ shoulders to the mat and held on like a calf roper. Layfield got the win by pin. “When the big guys go down, often it’s just a matter of how they fall,” coach Layfield said. “Lucas is tough. So much respect for him as a wrestler and an athlete, and he’s also a great kid.”  

Parity a rarity - Cape girls’ basketball should be in a conference with St. Elizabeth, Conrad, Sanford, Ursuline and Woodbridge. Those six teams have a combined record of 28-3. Cape, Conrad and St. E are all undefeated. If I had to pick a No. 1 based on the data in front of me, I’d choose St Elizabeth.Years ago, I asked former coach Frank Aiello – three state titles and six second-place finishes – what was the secret of success to St. E’s basketball. He looked at me and said, “I-95.” So what’s the secret to Cape’s recent success under Pat Woods? The Factory. “Here's the deal,” as Jake from State Farm would say, “We don’t know the disparity of the parity when teams are playing each other.” 

Looking for trouble - A year after winning the school’s first state title in 2009, the Cape girls’ lacrosse team had no goalie in the pipeline, so swimmer Sarah May, an academically talented senior, auditioned for the job. Her first scrimmage at Cape was against McDonough, the No. 1 team in the country. And that is a P.J. Kesmodel trait, going out and finding the best competition to get his team ready for states. Sarah let in 25 goals. I said to goalie coach Steve Aubrey, “I saw something good with Sarah.” “Great, I can’t wait to hear what it is,” Aubrey said, smiling. I said, “After each goal, she got the ball, rolled it back onto the field and held up her stick like, ‘Let’s go.’ She’s a gamer with a short memory.” Sarah learned on the job. Heading into the tournament, coach P.J. said, “I’m still worried the other team is going to find her.” In the semifinals, with Cape protecting a 9-8 lead late in the game, Tower Hill sent an attacker all alone on Sarah May and she stoned her. Cape went on to win 12-7 over Saint Mark’s in the finals. May had 14 saves over two games and Cape finished the season 18-0. And that’s why you challenge yourself against the best people because you learn the character of your team. 

Doing swimmingly well - The Cape boys’ swim team is a sport I don’t know much about, but what’s to know? They race in the water, some individual events by strokes, a few relays, then points are added at the end and someone wins. Because it's a sport contested in a pool, depth is important. Cape boys are currently undefeated at 6-0 and likely to finish 10-0, then hopefully a conference championship meet at the Sussex Academy pool. And beyond that, it’s everybody’s guess whether a state meet will be contested. 

Snippets - LeBron James is 36 years old in his 18th year in the NBA. If you Google “LeBron/steroids,” you can read articles all day long. There are outliers in sports that defy statistical models and LeBron is one of them, or he is a designer cocktail guy, or his Noxema jar needs chemical analysis. James holds back critics, saying he spends $1 million a year on diet and fitness. He seems happy, not sullen like Barry Bonds or arrogant like Roger Clemens. Could be a case that “too good to be real” is actually the truth. Go on now, git!