Katherine Chwasciak still gets choked up thinking about winning the New Hampshire cross country state championship during her sophomore year at Merrimack Valley High School in 2004. You might expect that emotion to stem from the pure elation of the moment, but Chwasciak was – and still is – even more grateful for the support of her family, coaches and teammates.
“Having family there cheering me on, I even get a little emotional thinking about it,” Chwasciak said. “Just such a big accomplishment at the time, a lot of people supporting me along the way.”
Chwasciak will join Jason Smith and Ashley Dlubac as the three inductees into MVHS’ Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday night, the fourth class of honorees since the tradition began in 2018 (there was no ceremony held in 2020 due to COVID-19).
When asked what they were most looking forward to, all three were quick to mention seeing old teammates and friends. They hope that can teach current high school athletes a valuable lesson: Not only did their triumphs help them advance their athletic careers, their experiences – even more importantly – helped them build meaningful relationships that continue to this day.
Smith, now the head boys’ basketball coach at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, shares similar memories of learning to love the sports he played while at Merrimack Valley, even before he reached high school.
“I remember being 8, 9, 10 years old going to the games,” he said. “I was, growing up, always one of the youngest kids in the group or in the neighborhood and, frankly, would get my butt handed to me playing basketball or baseball or soccer because I was younger by two, three, four years or even more.
“I just think that the coaches that I had really fostered a love of the game with me but also my teammates, and the older kids in the community really helped me as a player (and) also develop a love of the game.”
Since graduating from MVHS in 1991, Smith has coached boys’ basketball at Pittsfield High, Bishop Brady, Proctor Academy and, for the last 22 years, at Brewster, a prep school that’s produced several NBA players, including the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell.
At MVHS, Smith wasn’t just a basketball player. He said he was determined to diversify his skill set in as many ways as he could playing soccer, basketball and baseball. He won basketball state championships in 1989 and 1990 and was the 1991 MVHS Male Athlete of the Year.
Now, more than 30 years later, he’s even more appreciative of the people he shared those memories with.
“It just comes down to just being a part of some really good teams and people,” he said. “People that I consider my closest friends are people that I grew up with in that community.”
Dlubac, a member of the Class of 2008, participated in soccer and track at MVHS; she continued her track and field career at Ithaca College and added that the increased competitiveness at the collegiate level made her appreciate even more the emphasis her high school coaches made on learning how to balance focus in practice with just having a good time.
“They really took time to celebrate small moments whether it was a personal best or even getting top 10 in an event,” Dlubac recalled. “They really took time to have fun and take away the stress of trying to be the best.”
And even with that focus on enjoying the moments, Dlubac still celebrated her fair share of wins, including NHIAA Class I titles in javelin and the 4×200 and 4×100 relays.
Smith, Chwasciak and Dlubac will each have one extra moment on Friday to celebrate their contributions to MVHS’ athletic legacy, perhaps one more moment than they thought they’d have in the spotlight at MVHS. All three were pleasantly surprised when they were made aware of the honor, and they all hope sharing their own experiences will help current and future athletes get the most out of their time participating in high school athletics.
“They’re probably all striving for individual achievements, like they want to run their PR (personal record), they want to place higher than they did the last time or maybe as a team they want to score higher than they did in previous races,” Chwasciak said. “But you want to take a moment to slow it down and really cherish the memories that you’re building, because it goes by fast.”