The boys’ and girls’ hockey programs at Upland Country Day School have created a long legacy, defined by achieving success both on the rink and in the classroom. Recently, Landenberg Life visited the campus to speak with boys’ varsity Coach and Assistant Director of Athletics Ben Weston and girls’ varsity Coach and Director of Athletics Taylor Swarter to learn about the school’s mission, the goal of the programs and the mystique of the Cleveland Hockey Rink.

Landenberg Life: The development of an Upland Country Day School hockey player begins on the first day of school, and in addition to practice also includes team building and character building. Take the readers of Landenberg Life into that aspect of the program. What do you stress?

Ben: We’re fortunate that we get to skate right away, and on the first day of school, we begin practice at 2:45 p.m., which most high school programs are not afforded. We piggyback off the school’s character mission: we want well-rounded student-athletes with the emphasis on ‘student’ first. If we can have good people on the rink and have them bring the same attitudes and outlook and perspective to the classroom, then we’re all going to grow.

As coaches, we can go oh-and-40, but we’re still going to have jobs if we are preparing our student-athletes for life after Upland. It’s not about wins and losses. It’s about student-athlete development, character and leadership. For our students, Upland is just the beginning, so we get to set a foundation for what we truly believe in.

Talk about how the relationship works between the hockey programs and the academic assistance the school provides each player.

Taylor: Our handbook states that our athletic fields and our rink are just an extension of the classroom. Our hockey curriculum is the same lessons being taught. We want to help them go through the hard moments, we want to celebrate the victories and learn the same lessons we would in the classroom. In terms of academic support to compensate for our traveling hockey teams, our student-athletes get a chance to go on the road with their science, math and history teacher – who are also their coaches. 

What do you look for in an Upland hockey player, not necessarily in terms of talent, but more in terms of the intangibles he or she brings?

Ben: We look for work ethic, body language and an ability compete. If we can see those three attributes in a player, we can then begin to unpack how their brain works when they are in a competitive environment, how they play the game without the puck. When we identify hockey players who may positively impact our school community, we look for good kids from good families that we think will energize the program – to find those who will complement our mission and not complicate it. We start with good people from good families and go from there.

Taylor: We want to encourage our boys’ and girls’ hockey players to bring value to our school. Scanning down the roster, we look for kids who talk to each other on the bench, for those who are excited to get on the rink, and for those who ask, ‘How can I get better?’ For the girls’ program, I want to hear their voices. I want them to guide the ship and start to learn the game as we start to prepare for our upcoming season.

You both played hockey on the collegiate level – Ben at the University of Rhode Island and Taylor at Castleton State College in Vermont. It’s safe to say that the hockey teams at Upland Country Day School serve as feeder programs for secondary, Tier 1 and eventually NCAA-level hockey programs. Is it safe to assume that most players arrive here with the goal of furthering their hockey careers well past Upland?  

Ben: Part of our mission is to educate not just the student-athlete about future options, but their parents about the possibilities their son or daughter may have in hockey. We plan our away games around secondary schools we have relationships with and where our past players have attended. I’m very fortunate to have a vast network of the secondary school marketplace, so it’s easy for us to get a campus tour of secondary schools when we schedule games in those areas.

We tell parents that secondary schools with good hockey programs are a good option for their children. They do not have to immerse themselves in the club- or travel hockey schedule, which eats up a lot of time and cuts into more valuable things for the 14- to 17-year-old like their education, family vacations and supporting their siblings. We teach them that there is a world out there where they can enjoy high-level hockey and a high-level education and have the time for things that have to do with becoming a well-rounded adult. 

Taylor: We open every door possible, by letting the player and his or her family take a look in and then talk about the options that make the most sense for them and where the student-athlete will most be able to thrive and set themselves up for the next three to eight years. 

For many years, Court Dunn was the head of the hockey program at Upland. What have been among the most valuable aspects about coaching that he has shared with you, or that you have acquired by observing him?

Ben: Court has taught me a lot about emotion, how to manage it and how to manifest it in the right ways. He saw a lot of frustration in me last year when I was making the transition from being a youth hockey director to the structure and organization and community of Upland. Court was paramount in helping me make that transition, and there were times we didn’t leave the rink until 6:30 p.m., because he was helping me make that transition. He taught me about the importance of teaching and holding student-athletes accountable, being able to process my emotion, and over the course of the last ten months, Court became one of my best friends.   

Taylor: The big message from Court to me is that we are all educators first, and the locker room and the rink and bus trips and the hotels are just more moments to be an influence on these kids’ lives. He has also taught me about the importance of showcasing what a one-of-a-kind educational experience attending Upland is. 

To many opposing players coming into Cleveland Hockey Rink, it can be a bit daunting to see all of those banners hanging in the rafters. It magnifies the long success of the program. Is it ever intimidating for you as coaches to see the glories of past programs above you? 

Ben: I feel a sense of pride seeing those banners rather than intimidation. I think our expectations are high, both because of the program’s success but also the standards we have set for the program. It’s also got some heat and passion to it, and you can touch it. 

Taylor: There’s a lot of history there, and the kids feel it too. The second both our boys’ and girls’ teams won our respective tournaments this past season – the first in ten years – the banners went up, and they are representative of the hard work both teams put in and the vision we have for these programs. 

What are your favorite moments as hockey coaches? I’m not talking about major victories your teams have achieved, but in the day-to-day experience of leading young men and women, what stands out to you?

Ben: Any time you see a connection between the decisions being made as a coach and the decisions being made by a player in a game, it becomes a kind of ‘eureka’ moment. It becomes the prefect moment in a hockey game. The player looks at the coach and in that split second and you realize that everyone is part of something larger than the outcome.

Taylor: Those moments showcase the work that goes on to build a relationship with the player, to put him or her in the right spot. As I get older, I find myself getting more emotional going into big games about 30 to 45 seconds before the puck drops, and whether it’s nerves or passion, it’s the anticipation for the game that is about to start.

Where those emotions all come full circle is that last game of the season, when my ninth graders realize it’s their last game at Upland and they don’t want to leave the lock room because they know it will signify an ending.  

You host a dinner party and can invite anyone – living or not, famous or not. Who would you want to see around that dinner table?

Ben: I would invite [legendary basketball coach] John Wooden, Elvis Presley, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan and my two best friends from when I was a kid.

Taylor: It would probably be a group of athletes across different sports, largely because I would be interested in hearing about the journey they have been on and understanding what got them to the topo of their sport, and whether there is a golden ticket or whether they all share the same story.

What item can always be found in your refrigerator?

Ben: Apples, eggs and milk.

Taylor: As a plant-based individual, there is always tofu, nutritional yeast and non-dairy creamer.