Girls squash shut down the Hill School in a 9-0 finish on Tuesday in the Kline & Specter Squash Center. Despite missing their #1 Amanda Cowhey, the Quakers secured the win while only dropping a single game across all nine matches. The first rotation of matches saw ninth graders Sydney Delbello, Alex Glomb and Bea Buckley pick up 3-0 wins at the #9, 8 and 7 positions to get PC off to a great start. Ninth graders Dabney Baum and Lexi Bari and 11th grader Nezzie Alexanian each came away with 3-0 wins to put PC into a 6-0 lead and secure the match win. Ninth grader Lily McIntyre closed out her match 3-1 at the #3 position, and seventh grade twins Alex and Sam Jaffe played great squash in the #1 and #2 spots to round out the evening for Penn Charter with quick 3-0 victories. Next, the girls travel to Agnes Irwin for league play this Thursday, Jan. 23 at 4:30 pm.

Eight players scored in girls basketball's 59-34 road victory over Episcopal on Tuesday. The Quakers saw standout performances from senior Carmen Williams (18 points, 3 rebounds, 5 steals), ninth grader Kelsey Bess (13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals) and ninth grader Aleah Snead (9 points, 4 rebounds). After finishing the first quarter up 20-11, the Quakers remained in control as they steadily widened their lead over the Owls. The win puts the PC girls at 5-1 in the Inter-Ac, 17-2 overall. They play their next game this Friday at Agnes Irwin, 5:30 pm.

Boys basketball lost to Springside Chestnut Hill by a score of 69-61 on Tuesday at SCH. Down 38-29 heading into halftime, the Quakers worked hard to narrow the gap, outscoring the Blue Devils 22 points to 19 in the third quarter but ultimately falling short. Ninth grader Mark Butler led with 21 points, senior Ryan Holmes netted 17 and ninth grader Trey Shinholster added 11. Next, the Quakers travel to Malvern on Friday, Jan. 24 for a 7 pm game.

Boys basketball went 1-1 this weekend, starting with a 65-51 loss against Episcopal on Friday night in Dooney Field House. The Quaker Crew was out in full force as PC jumped to an early 15-11 lead over EA before beginning to trail in the second quarter. Senior Ryan Holmes was quick to find his groove again after spending two games on the bench with an ankle injury; he led the day with 23 points, and the Quakers' scoring effort was rounded out by freshmen Mark Butler (9), Keith Gee (5), Colin Schumm (4) and Trey Shinholster (4). On Saturday, the Quakers topped Carver Engineering and Sciences in a commanding 76-41 win. Down 25-24 at the half, the Quakers came out hot in the third quarter and outscored Carver 31-8, then 21-8 in the fourth quarter. Holmes led with 15 points, senior Aaron Reisman added 13, and Butler added 10. Next, the boys travel to Springside Chestnut Hill for league play this Tuesday at 4 pm.

Girls basketball beat Conrad School of Science 60-42 on Sunday in the Say Yes to Success Nation Showcase in the Bronx. Kelsey Bess (20 points) and Aleah Snead (18) shared MVP honors after a strong win for the Quakers that included baskets from Carmen Williams (14), Kait Carter (6) and Bella Toomey (2). Now 16-2 overall, the girls return to league play this Tuesday at Episcopal, 5:45 pm.

The girls indoor track team traveled to Lehigh University on Saturday for the Delaware Valley Girls Track and Field Coaches Association's fourth meet of the year. Penn Charter’s 4x400 team of Milan Poland, Elena Coupas, Charlotte Hodgson and Sara Shipon won its race with a time of 4:14. The girls Distance Medley Relay team – Julia Dolce (1200m), Peyton Parker (400m), Sara Shipon (800m) and Emma Zwall (1600m) – won its race with a time of 12:32.12, posting the second fastest time in the state so far this year. PC's Dani Shipon won silver in the 800 Meter with a time of 2:24.26, and Peyton Parker placed sixth in the 200 Meter Dash at 26.94.

The landscape of youth sports participation has drastically changed over the past 20 years. Increasingly, young athletes focus on a single sport instead of being multi-sport athletes. Upwards of 30 percent of young athletes are specialized by age 14, according to a recent study out of the University of Wisconsin Injury in Sport Laboratory.

Youth sport specialization is defined as intensive, year-round participation in a single sport, often to the exclusion of other sports. Sport specialization often requires increased training hours, which may predispose young athletes to social isolation, poor academic performance, increased anxiety, greater stress, inadequate sleep, decreased family time and burnout. Seventy percent of young athletes will drop out of organized sport by age 13.

In October 2019, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) released information on youth sports specialization. The NATA, backed by the athletic trainers’ associations for the NCAA, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and MLS put out the following recommendations:

• Delay specializing in a single sport for as long as possible: Adolescent and young athletes should strive to participate and sample a variety of sports. This recommendation supports general physical fitness, athleticism and reduces injury risk in athletes.
• One team at a time: Adolescent and young athletes should participate in one organized sport per season. Total volume of organized sport participation per season is an important risk factor for injury. 
• Less than eight months per year: Adolescent and young athletes should not play a single sport more than eight months per year. 
• No more hours/week than age in years: Adolescent and young athletes should not participate in organized sport and/or activity more hours per week than their age (i.e., a 12-year-old athlete should not participate in more than 12 hours per week of organized sport). 
• Two days of rest per week: Adolescent and young athletes should have a minimum of two days off per week from organized training and competition. Athletes should not participate in other organized team sports, competitions and/or training on rest and recovery days. 
• Rest and recovery time from organized sport participation: Adolescent and young athletes should spend time away from organized sport and/or activity at the end of each competitive season. This allows for both physical and mental recovery, promotes health and well-being and minimizes injury risk and burnout/dropout.

Penn Charter encourages student-athletes to try multiple sports while at PC. The school schedules games and practices so students weekly athletic activity is equal to or less than as many hours as their age in years. Because of scheduling, not all athletes can take two days of rest per week, but PC Athletics mandates that student-athletes have at least one day of rest per week. PC Athletics encourages students to limit their participation in out-of-school activities in-season to promote rest and reduce the likelihood of overuse injuries.

Jessica Rawlings and Jeremy Eith, PC’s athletic trainers, John Estok and Lori Swartz, PC’s strength and conditioning coaches, in addition to Director of Athletics and Athletic Planning John Thiel, are available to answer any questions or concerns you may have about these recommendations or the work of Penn Charter’s athletic trainers and strength and conditioning staff.

Sporadically throughout the rest of this school year, the PC athletic training staff will highlight how William Penn Charter School helps prevent injuries in student-athletes and will provide the resources for your child to have a healthy and successful playing career. Stay tuned on SportsZone and on twitter @WPCSports.

NOTE: MS Parent Forum (LS parents grades 3-5 also welcome)

Thursday, Jan. 23, 8:15-9:15 am, Balderston Commons (Note: Time is am, not pm)

"Youth Sports and Specialization: Positive Strategies for Parents to Help their Student-Athletes Find Joy and Avoid Burnout"

Join John Estok, strength and conditioning coach and Physical Education Department chair; Jess Rawlings and Jeremy Eith, athletic trainers; Brian Hecker, coordinator of MS athletics; and Wilson Felter, director of Middle School. Our team will introduce recent trends and provide useful tips, recommendations and statistics to help parents navigate the ever-changing youth sports landscape.

Girls basketball came away with a decisive 60-30 win at the Academy of Notre Dame on Tuesday. After a close first quarter that ended with PC leading 10-9, the Quakers kept Notre Dame's offense at bay as they steadily widened their lead through the remainder of the game. Kait Carter topped the scoreboard with 16 points and boasted a field goal percentage of 78 percent! She was supported on offense by Aleah Snead (11), Carmen Williams (10), Kelsey Bess (7), Bella Toomey (7), India Barnes (5), Laila Hamiter (2) and Maddi Shoup (2). The Quakers played an aggressive defense, with Bess notching four steals, Carter three and Barnes two. Tuesday's victory brings the Quakers' winning streak to three games and their Inter-Ac record to 4-1. Next, the girls return to New York for tournament play at Nazareth Academy this Saturday, Jan. 18.

Boys basketball lost to Germantown Academy in a 70-58 game in Dooney Field House on Tuesday. A strong first half for both teams ended with GA up 38-32, and by the beginning of the fourth quarter the Quakers had narrowed the Patriots' lead to 43-42. In a high-scoring final quarter, GA put 27 points on the board to pull ahead. Aaron Reisman led for Penn Charter with 17 points, Mark Butler added 16, Trey Shinholster added 10 and Anthony Cirarrocchi eight. The boys host Episcopal Academy this Friday for a night game in Dooney Field House at 7 pm.

The boys and girls swimming and diving teams traveled to the Haverford School on Tuesday where they showed well against the Haverford boys and Agnes Irwin girls. The Charter boys had many strong swims and showed significant improvement from their early-season meets. They ultimately came up short against the Fords, losing 102-81.

The girls continued their streak of fast swimming and walked away with a 111.5 to 56.5 victory over AI. Many of PC's younger swimmers put in strong performances, proving they're ready to help score important points for the Quakers as they head into the final dual meets of the season. The girls team holds an excellent 4-1 record after Tuesday's win. Next meet: Wednesday, Jan. 22 at Lawrenceville.

Boys squash came away with a 5-4 win over Tower Hill School on Tuesday. The Quakers host Harriton High School on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 4 pm.