Lynnfield 11-29

NOVEMBER 29, 2018
WEEKLYNEWS.NET - 978-532-5880 9
Sports
Luders signs letter to go to Seton Hall
By Anne Marie Tobin
LYNNFIELD — Add the name
Jonathan Luders to an ever-growing list
of Lynnfield High School athletes who
will continue their playing careers at the
Division 1 level.
Luders made it official on Nov. 16
when he signed an NCAA letter of intent
to play baseball at Seton Hall University
in front of a large contingent of family,
friends and teammates.
Luders made a verbal commitment as
a sophomore after making an unofficial
visit to the New Jersey school’s campus.
“My first visit was the summer of my
sophomore year when I was playing a
summer tournament nearby with The
Academy,”
Luders said. “Coach (Rob) Sheppard
saw me play and he contacted my coach ,
and encouraged me to visit the campus. I
visited that August and loved the campus,
loved the coach, and loved the turf field,
which is similar to ours. I got to meet
some of the players and they were very
cool. I just loved the culture down there.”
Luders also considered Fairleigh
Dickinson, b ut Seton Hall was a better fit,
especially with academics .
“I want to study something health related
and maybe become a doctor or
sports psychologist,” said Luders. “I just
think Seton Hall offers me the best , not
only when it comes to baseball, but in
terms of my career plans.”
Luders singled out Lynnfield coach
John O’Brien for helping him navigate
the search process .
“I am blessed to play for such a great
caring guy who helps all of his players
when it comes to college selection,”
Luders said.
“He cares as a coach and as a person
and when it comes to baseball , he brings
PHOTO | ANNE MARIE TOBIN
Jonathan Luders second from left, signed his letter of intent to play baseball at
Seton Hall. Pioneer baseball coach, John O’Brien, is beside him, left. Sharing
the moment are Luders’ father, Mark, sister, April and mother, Jill.
out the best in every player and knows
how to win . I 100 percent discussed the
whole thing and he saw it through from
start to finish .”
“He turned into quite a leader, he leads
by example , ” O’Brien said. H e doesn’t
tell the kids what to do, he shows it by
doing what he does .”
“His going D1 means to a lot to me and
to the Lynnfield program ,” O’Brien said.
“ This is a kid who just loves the game and
loves life. I’m happy he found his D1
spot and will get a chance to play and get
a good education. It’s a win for everyone,
for all, for the team, for the program and
for the school.
“This is a kid who does anything you
ask to the best of his ability and I couldn’t
be prouder of him. This fall I chance to
watch him play two soccer games and I
never saw a kid who never stopped running.
That’s just who he is, going full
speed all the time. “
For Luders, going full speed, no matter
what the activity, is not an option , he said .
“I play with every sport with passion,
I just love the game of baseball and will
do whatever it takes to win,” Luders said.
“You have to have respect for anything
you do, and I think I learned that from
my mom and dad for bringing me and my
sister April up the right way. There are
many things you can’t control, but I can
always control who I am as a person.”
Luders is coming off a wildly successful
season with the boys soccer team,
which advanced to the North Division 3
sectional final before being eliminated by
eventual state champion Wayland.
Luders was named the Cape Ann
League Kinney Division Player of the
Year and also received the team Player of
the Year Award. He finished the season as
the Pioneers’ leading scorer with 14 goals
and 21 assists, factoring in exactly half
of the 70 goals scored by Lynnfield this
season.
A high honor roll student member of
the National Honor Society, Luders was
recruited as a shortstop.
“Their starting shortstop was a senior,
but I will play anywhere I can to get
playing time,” Luders said.
For now, Luders said he is focused on
getting ready preparing for the Pioneers’
spring season.
“I’ll be working out all winter to be in
shape for baseball,” Luders he said. “We
have an awesome team coming back, obviously
we are losing some great seniors,
but this is it for the new seniors, so we
are all in. We had such a great run last
year when nobody expected it from us,
and there is no reason why we can’t do
the same and even go one better and win
a north title.”
Still, O’Brien said Luders is far from
perfect.
“I had to pull him aside so many times
when he became a starter in the outfield
his sophomore year,” O’Brien said with
a smile .
“Every time I turned around he was off
chasing foul balls in the woods . and I had
to tell him that starters don’t chase foul
balls.
He couldn’t help it, he just goes full
speed all the time and puts himself out
there as an example. He is so motivational
and, with him, it’s infectious. I mean,
look at how many people are here today,
for him. Nothing speaks to his character
more than seeing what these kids think
of him, how they respect him.”
Jonathan proves to be a very good sport
Lynnfield High senior Jonathan Luders is this
year’s winner of the 18th Annual MIAA Student
Sportsmanship Essay and Multimedia contest.
Luders presented his essay Friday, Nov. 16 at
the annual MIAA Sportsmanship Summit at Gillette
Stadium.
NBA champion, Walt Frazier said, “The star player
must slay his ego and learn teamwork and communication
skills before he can achieve the ultimate in
sport.” These words sum up the definition of sportsmanship
in my mind. To “slay his ego” means total
respect for the game and the realization that no one
player is ever greater than the game itself. This is the
humbling thought that no matter how good I think I
am, there is always someone better. I must work hard
to improve myself and to be the best sportsman that I
can be every day by keeping my ego in check.
As a captain in both baseball and soccer, I understand
that strong teamwork and communication skills
are essential for “the ultimate in sport.” My job as
captain is not only to be the best leader and sportsman
I can be, it’s to motivate my teammates to believe
in themselves and each other so that they can be the
best players they can be. I try to model the words
of legendary UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden,
PHOTO | MIAA
Marilyn Slattery, MIAA President/Malden High
School house principal presents Jonathan Luders
of Lynnfield High with a plaque for winning the
Sportsmanship Essay Contest.
“...when a game is over, and you see somebody that
didn’t know the outcome, I hope they couldn’t tell
by your actions whether you outscored an opponent
or the opponent outscored you.” The only thing I can
control is my actions before, during, and after the
game. My goal is that my actions communicate to
my teammates how the game should be played. In
my eyes, that is sprinting on and off the field, diving
for that ball that no one thought could be caught, and
helping up an opposing player who has taken a fall. I
noticed that sometimes when teams line up to shake
hands, players say “good game” without the greatest
intentions, for example, when the score was 7-0. To
the losing team, it might not have been a “good game”
and they probably don’t want to hear those words.
Instead, I say “Respect” because that is something
players can relate to if they played the game hard and
in the right way. When I lead by these examples and
give my best, my teammates do the same.
True sportsmanship goes beyond the game. It carries
over to the rest of my life and will transfer to
my future endeavors, as I know I’ll be a man out in
the world longer than I’ll be an athlete on the field.
I believe sportsmanship in the real world is a matter
of respecting everyone, being scrupulously honest,
genuinely humble, and hard working because each of
these qualities is a key to success in today’s world.
Sportsmanship is when you do the very best you can,
every day on the field, in the classroom, or at work
because not only are you being the best version of
yourself, you are bettering all those around you by
raising the level of play and making the environment
where you work or play that much better.