Donnelly's Bartlett departure
is picture perfect
By Bill Stone
Like other seniors in the Class of 2020, Bartlett’s Maddie Donnelly is losing out on special high school moments besides her fourth varsity girls soccer season.
“They canceled our (formal) graduation,” Donnelly said. “I’m disappointed, and it’s just kind of hard to get past the idea that these few weeks coming up were supposed to be your memories of senior year – prom, the senior picnic, senior boat trip, graduation – so much you’re looking forward to and the friends you were looking forward to being with.
“But bigger and better things are coming, and it’s just a matter of adjusting your outlook. The future’s bright. There are things to look forward to and more than just the senior memories you look forward to for four years.”
Donnelly has done her part toward creating a lasting memory for the Hawks.
She organized, edited and produced a team video in which 20 varsity members juggle a soccer ball and then “pass” it along to a teammate.
Inspired by similar videos by other college and high school teams, the entire project came together in just a couple of days even though Donnelly had never previously produced a video.
Since Bartlett assistant coach Anthony Glorioso placed the video on the team’s Twitter page April 1, there have been more than 1,200 views.
“It’s actually exactly what I was hoping for. It was a really good idea (for us),” Donnelly said.
“Other teams and other schools had done that before. That was pretty much the driving factor behind that. It was to get something together, and it kind of had to do with the idea we didn’t have a picture day. We have one team picture. It’s nice to have a video with everyone in it.”
If anything, it’s a great gift for a season that never was. It also shows the resolve of a team that feels bittersweet but also grateful that it’s only losing two seniors in Donnelly and Lewis University recruit Christina Mondelli.
In 2019, junior Serena Salvato was the Hawks’ no. 2 scorer with seven goals and two assists. Many sophomores also played varsity as freshmen.
“I’ll really miss getting to play with everybody, and I’m really sad I’m not going to play with the seniors again,” Salvato said. “ (Last season) I definitely learned to be more consistent with my skills on the ball and trust myself to be more aggressive overall.
“Everybody got that (video) done really quick and were super organized with it. I just really liked it and really glad we were able to come together as a team through these tough times, even if was just a video. It shows our connection as a team, and we’re not going to just give up because times are hard.”
For Bartlett head coach Vince Revak, it would seem fitting that Donnelly conceived and executed the idea. The four-year varsity standout also has often distinguished herself as being team first.
One of Revak’s favorite memories of Donnelly was following her collision with an opposing player in the middle of the field.
“As I ran out to her, I could tell she was probably mildly concussed, and she was tearing up a bit. Still, the first words out of her mouth were ‘I'm so sorry!, ’” Revak said. “She was always focused on the team over herself.”
The video begins with their one complete team photo from March 7 – at the school’s auto shop for a team bonding event of learning how to change a flat tire just before the high school building was closed beginning March 13.
Next comes the juggling.
Freshman Gigi Imperatrice starts, followed by sophomore Caitlin Yurkovich, freshman Hailey Morhardt, Mondelli, sophomore Tessa Evans, junior Lauren Kowalski, junior Maddie Balgeman, sophomore Megan Hadjuk, freshman Molly Palmeri, sophomore Balene Kroeger, junior Maddie Garrigan and sophomore Alaina Ramundo, freshman Brooke Baumann, junior Vanessa Thorne, sophomores Alexis DeRango, Sabrina Fowler and Abby Fausto, Salvato and Donnelly and finished by sophomore Madison Neer. Junior Kim Stoyakavich was the only player not in the video.
Nobody other than Donnelly saw the finished video until it was posted.
“I think it looked awesome,” Salvato said. “It was just a great way to get the team together during the quarantine and fun to have that video to get us together to do something.”
“I thought it was very cute,” Neer said. “Especially since we don’t have a season, it was a way to all see each other again. I think that we all wanted to do something especially since we hadn’t seen each other in a while.”
Donnelly started the process after seeing other teams online. The Hawks keep in contact with their coaches but also have a group chats among only players.
Everyone agreed to go forward. The project was kept as a surprise to Revak and Glorioso.
“They were really adamant about us staying connected and to keep talking,” Donnelly said. “They really liked it. I think they were really happy that we came together to make a video, especially since we can’t get together.
“We thought this was a good thing for us to do together while being apart. I think everybody was really excited about it. It was cute because everyone participated and had their own idea.”
One fortunate break was that the box of this season’s new black hoodies designed by Salvato and Donnelly arrived the weekend after the Bartlett building closed. Donnelly personally drove the hoodies to most players. Three played picked them up at Donnelly’s house.
Fausto made the suggestion that everyone wear this season’s new black hoodies for their juggling sequence.
As for the video, the first question became what to juggle.
Previous videos used rolls of toilet paper – an early high-demand stay-at-home item – instead of soccer balls.
“Definitely a soccer ball (is easier),” Neer said.
Imperatrice, who volunteered to juggle first, actually did so successfully with a toilet paper roll on her first take. Once the team agreed, she re-did her video with a soccer ball.
“Actually I didn’t want to be first, but I volunteered because nobody else did. But I was fine with it,” Imperatrice said.
“I did it in front of my house by a wall. It took me a couple of tries. I was a little rusty but then I got it. I usually always get nervous when I’m getting filmed or put on the spot.”
Everyone dribbled and passed to their left. Donnelly said only one video was redone to proceed in the correct direction.
Imperatrice dropped the ball to her foot on camera. All others started with a little assistance.
Donnelly received the ball off screen from her father. Salvato took the pass from her mother with the phone recording on the ground while leaning against a chair.
“It took a couple of times to get the angle that I wanted but not that hard,” Salvato said.
Coordinating the heights of receiving and passing the ball resulted in the final order of the players between Imperatrice and Neer.
How close players are in their video frame varies. Most were split between first taking the ball to their knees (nine) or feet (seven). Thorne, DeRango and Neer began with a chest trap. Baumann received the ball to her head, and Evans passed the ball along with her head.
“It was just a matter of getting the timing right so when they were receiving the ball it looked perfect enough that it looked like the pass before. It was mostly at the end and in the beginning,” Donnelly said. “I tried the get the best height, the speed on the ball -- kind of like a puzzle, putting the pieces together.”
Within the roughly 57 seconds of dribbling, there are many moments.
Imperatrice dribbles with an orange ball, Ramundo a yellow ball and Yurkovich with one that looks like planet Earth. Salvato and Balgeman wore orange shoes, and Baumann and Donnelly used red shoes.
“They’re (adidas) cleats,” Salvato said. “I had originally picked those out, because I was hoping they would stand out like that, and I guess that worked. I’ve had them for a few seasons, and they’re great.”
With cloudy and inclement weather in late March, indoor dribbling was done by Kowalski and Fausto, who was in front of a bright turquoise wall. Thorne had her head covered by the hoodie.
Strong dribbling sequences included Fowler moving the ball with a slick back-heel pass. Donnelly’s footwork unintentionally was the longest, nearly four seconds.
“(Fowler’s) was very creative and longer, and you really got to see her juggle,” Neer said. “Maddie has really good footwork and touches and stuff that’s really good, and it call comes from juggling so I wasn’t surprised hers was really good.”
From her driveway, Neer accepted the final task off a bounce as she dribbled the ball into the air and caught it with her hands. It’s among the shortest sequences at fewer than three seconds.
“I had messed up right before that so I had redone it and I had to go somewhere so I just did it really fast,” Neer said.
“I was the last one so I got to catch it. It took a couple of times because you have to have it coming in at the right spot but it ended up looking good. I think I replied first I’d do the video so (Donnelly) just asked me if I could end it.”
With Neer providing another big assist, Donnelly said she only needed about an hour to combine the segments. Without previous experience, Donnelly wasn’t sure how to edit videos and Neer suggested the application InShot.
For the accompanying music, Donnelly added an appropriate song – ‘Losing It,’ by Fisher.
“Kind of (about) going crazy in quarantine. I don’t know if people got that. It was kind of an upbeat song that I thought would just sound good,” Donnelly said.
The video made the lost season perhaps a bit easier, as well as a few welcome yet brief in-person encounters.
Donnelly planned to move to center back this season and play beside Fowler. Donnelly has seen her recently in passing as well as Mondelli while walking in the park. Neer also saw Fowler while running.
“We said hi and just kept going,” Neer said. “Sabrina is always outside. She runs a lot so I think she sees a lot of people.”
And Donnelly might have found a new interest. Her grandmother saw Bartlett’s soccer video and now wants Donnelly to combine clips to honor a retiring colleague at Fremd High School.
“It was just kind of funny my grandmother reached out,” Donnelly said.
“I was just really happy with the result of (the Bartlett video). I didn’t think it was going to be too difficult to do and each person did their own part. Nobody complained. Nobody had issues so that was nice. Everyone was really excited to do it, which made my job easier to want to edit it for sure.”
Bartlett High School honored its seniors as best as possible on May 13 and 14.
Last season, the Hawks had 11 seniors on their roster. Even with only Donnelly and Mondelli graduating, saying goodbye isn’t any easier for 2020.
“Maddie Donnelly is a four-year varsity player, which is no easy task in high school. She's seen this team change throughout the years, but she's as consistent and competitive as ever,” Revak said. “Her ability to lead has been apparent in her maturity for years now. She would give anything for her team and was harder on herself than anyone else ever was.”
The 5-foot-2 Mondelli made big contributions, especially in 2019 when she started for the varsity after playing only club soccer as a sophomore. Revak first coached Mondelli when she played on the junior varsity as a freshman.
“She works harder than any other player on the field, and I can't remember one instance where she complained about anything,” Revak said. “She was never the biggest player on the field, and we often worked on her aggressiveness. Last year, something sparked in her, and we saw her battle girls twice the size for the ball like it was second nature. It was an incredible transformative moment.
“My favorite memory from last year was her goal against Geneva. She took a quick touch inside and blasted a shot into the corner from at least 20 yards at the corner of the box. The best part was her reaction.”
is picture perfect
By Bill Stone
Like other seniors in the Class of 2020, Bartlett’s Maddie Donnelly is losing out on special high school moments besides her fourth varsity girls soccer season.
“They canceled our (formal) graduation,” Donnelly said. “I’m disappointed, and it’s just kind of hard to get past the idea that these few weeks coming up were supposed to be your memories of senior year – prom, the senior picnic, senior boat trip, graduation – so much you’re looking forward to and the friends you were looking forward to being with.
“But bigger and better things are coming, and it’s just a matter of adjusting your outlook. The future’s bright. There are things to look forward to and more than just the senior memories you look forward to for four years.”
Donnelly has done her part toward creating a lasting memory for the Hawks.
She organized, edited and produced a team video in which 20 varsity members juggle a soccer ball and then “pass” it along to a teammate.
Inspired by similar videos by other college and high school teams, the entire project came together in just a couple of days even though Donnelly had never previously produced a video.
Since Bartlett assistant coach Anthony Glorioso placed the video on the team’s Twitter page April 1, there have been more than 1,200 views.
“It’s actually exactly what I was hoping for. It was a really good idea (for us),” Donnelly said.
“Other teams and other schools had done that before. That was pretty much the driving factor behind that. It was to get something together, and it kind of had to do with the idea we didn’t have a picture day. We have one team picture. It’s nice to have a video with everyone in it.”
If anything, it’s a great gift for a season that never was. It also shows the resolve of a team that feels bittersweet but also grateful that it’s only losing two seniors in Donnelly and Lewis University recruit Christina Mondelli.
In 2019, junior Serena Salvato was the Hawks’ no. 2 scorer with seven goals and two assists. Many sophomores also played varsity as freshmen.
“I’ll really miss getting to play with everybody, and I’m really sad I’m not going to play with the seniors again,” Salvato said. “ (Last season) I definitely learned to be more consistent with my skills on the ball and trust myself to be more aggressive overall.
“Everybody got that (video) done really quick and were super organized with it. I just really liked it and really glad we were able to come together as a team through these tough times, even if was just a video. It shows our connection as a team, and we’re not going to just give up because times are hard.”
For Bartlett head coach Vince Revak, it would seem fitting that Donnelly conceived and executed the idea. The four-year varsity standout also has often distinguished herself as being team first.
One of Revak’s favorite memories of Donnelly was following her collision with an opposing player in the middle of the field.
“As I ran out to her, I could tell she was probably mildly concussed, and she was tearing up a bit. Still, the first words out of her mouth were ‘I'm so sorry!, ’” Revak said. “She was always focused on the team over herself.”
The video begins with their one complete team photo from March 7 – at the school’s auto shop for a team bonding event of learning how to change a flat tire just before the high school building was closed beginning March 13.
Next comes the juggling.
Freshman Gigi Imperatrice starts, followed by sophomore Caitlin Yurkovich, freshman Hailey Morhardt, Mondelli, sophomore Tessa Evans, junior Lauren Kowalski, junior Maddie Balgeman, sophomore Megan Hadjuk, freshman Molly Palmeri, sophomore Balene Kroeger, junior Maddie Garrigan and sophomore Alaina Ramundo, freshman Brooke Baumann, junior Vanessa Thorne, sophomores Alexis DeRango, Sabrina Fowler and Abby Fausto, Salvato and Donnelly and finished by sophomore Madison Neer. Junior Kim Stoyakavich was the only player not in the video.
Nobody other than Donnelly saw the finished video until it was posted.
“I think it looked awesome,” Salvato said. “It was just a great way to get the team together during the quarantine and fun to have that video to get us together to do something.”
“I thought it was very cute,” Neer said. “Especially since we don’t have a season, it was a way to all see each other again. I think that we all wanted to do something especially since we hadn’t seen each other in a while.”
Donnelly started the process after seeing other teams online. The Hawks keep in contact with their coaches but also have a group chats among only players.
Everyone agreed to go forward. The project was kept as a surprise to Revak and Glorioso.
“They were really adamant about us staying connected and to keep talking,” Donnelly said. “They really liked it. I think they were really happy that we came together to make a video, especially since we can’t get together.
“We thought this was a good thing for us to do together while being apart. I think everybody was really excited about it. It was cute because everyone participated and had their own idea.”
One fortunate break was that the box of this season’s new black hoodies designed by Salvato and Donnelly arrived the weekend after the Bartlett building closed. Donnelly personally drove the hoodies to most players. Three played picked them up at Donnelly’s house.
Fausto made the suggestion that everyone wear this season’s new black hoodies for their juggling sequence.
As for the video, the first question became what to juggle.
Previous videos used rolls of toilet paper – an early high-demand stay-at-home item – instead of soccer balls.
“Definitely a soccer ball (is easier),” Neer said.
Imperatrice, who volunteered to juggle first, actually did so successfully with a toilet paper roll on her first take. Once the team agreed, she re-did her video with a soccer ball.
“Actually I didn’t want to be first, but I volunteered because nobody else did. But I was fine with it,” Imperatrice said.
“I did it in front of my house by a wall. It took me a couple of tries. I was a little rusty but then I got it. I usually always get nervous when I’m getting filmed or put on the spot.”
Everyone dribbled and passed to their left. Donnelly said only one video was redone to proceed in the correct direction.
Imperatrice dropped the ball to her foot on camera. All others started with a little assistance.
Donnelly received the ball off screen from her father. Salvato took the pass from her mother with the phone recording on the ground while leaning against a chair.
“It took a couple of times to get the angle that I wanted but not that hard,” Salvato said.
Coordinating the heights of receiving and passing the ball resulted in the final order of the players between Imperatrice and Neer.
How close players are in their video frame varies. Most were split between first taking the ball to their knees (nine) or feet (seven). Thorne, DeRango and Neer began with a chest trap. Baumann received the ball to her head, and Evans passed the ball along with her head.
“It was just a matter of getting the timing right so when they were receiving the ball it looked perfect enough that it looked like the pass before. It was mostly at the end and in the beginning,” Donnelly said. “I tried the get the best height, the speed on the ball -- kind of like a puzzle, putting the pieces together.”
Within the roughly 57 seconds of dribbling, there are many moments.
Imperatrice dribbles with an orange ball, Ramundo a yellow ball and Yurkovich with one that looks like planet Earth. Salvato and Balgeman wore orange shoes, and Baumann and Donnelly used red shoes.
“They’re (adidas) cleats,” Salvato said. “I had originally picked those out, because I was hoping they would stand out like that, and I guess that worked. I’ve had them for a few seasons, and they’re great.”
With cloudy and inclement weather in late March, indoor dribbling was done by Kowalski and Fausto, who was in front of a bright turquoise wall. Thorne had her head covered by the hoodie.
Strong dribbling sequences included Fowler moving the ball with a slick back-heel pass. Donnelly’s footwork unintentionally was the longest, nearly four seconds.
“(Fowler’s) was very creative and longer, and you really got to see her juggle,” Neer said. “Maddie has really good footwork and touches and stuff that’s really good, and it call comes from juggling so I wasn’t surprised hers was really good.”
From her driveway, Neer accepted the final task off a bounce as she dribbled the ball into the air and caught it with her hands. It’s among the shortest sequences at fewer than three seconds.
“I had messed up right before that so I had redone it and I had to go somewhere so I just did it really fast,” Neer said.
“I was the last one so I got to catch it. It took a couple of times because you have to have it coming in at the right spot but it ended up looking good. I think I replied first I’d do the video so (Donnelly) just asked me if I could end it.”
With Neer providing another big assist, Donnelly said she only needed about an hour to combine the segments. Without previous experience, Donnelly wasn’t sure how to edit videos and Neer suggested the application InShot.
For the accompanying music, Donnelly added an appropriate song – ‘Losing It,’ by Fisher.
“Kind of (about) going crazy in quarantine. I don’t know if people got that. It was kind of an upbeat song that I thought would just sound good,” Donnelly said.
The video made the lost season perhaps a bit easier, as well as a few welcome yet brief in-person encounters.
Donnelly planned to move to center back this season and play beside Fowler. Donnelly has seen her recently in passing as well as Mondelli while walking in the park. Neer also saw Fowler while running.
“We said hi and just kept going,” Neer said. “Sabrina is always outside. She runs a lot so I think she sees a lot of people.”
And Donnelly might have found a new interest. Her grandmother saw Bartlett’s soccer video and now wants Donnelly to combine clips to honor a retiring colleague at Fremd High School.
“It was just kind of funny my grandmother reached out,” Donnelly said.
“I was just really happy with the result of (the Bartlett video). I didn’t think it was going to be too difficult to do and each person did their own part. Nobody complained. Nobody had issues so that was nice. Everyone was really excited to do it, which made my job easier to want to edit it for sure.”
Bartlett High School honored its seniors as best as possible on May 13 and 14.
Last season, the Hawks had 11 seniors on their roster. Even with only Donnelly and Mondelli graduating, saying goodbye isn’t any easier for 2020.
“Maddie Donnelly is a four-year varsity player, which is no easy task in high school. She's seen this team change throughout the years, but she's as consistent and competitive as ever,” Revak said. “Her ability to lead has been apparent in her maturity for years now. She would give anything for her team and was harder on herself than anyone else ever was.”
The 5-foot-2 Mondelli made big contributions, especially in 2019 when she started for the varsity after playing only club soccer as a sophomore. Revak first coached Mondelli when she played on the junior varsity as a freshman.
“She works harder than any other player on the field, and I can't remember one instance where she complained about anything,” Revak said. “She was never the biggest player on the field, and we often worked on her aggressiveness. Last year, something sparked in her, and we saw her battle girls twice the size for the ball like it was second nature. It was an incredible transformative moment.
“My favorite memory from last year was her goal against Geneva. She took a quick touch inside and blasted a shot into the corner from at least 20 yards at the corner of the box. The best part was her reaction.”