Spring Break
PROFILE: Hattenbach leaves a lasting impression on his team
Varsity golf to last one more year
by Andrew Ng
Staff writer
Sports | 5/19/09
Posted online at 1:53 AM EST on 5/15/09
As a club team, the golf team would be unable to compete in the University Athletic Association Championships or the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III New England Regionals, where the team has performed progressively better over the last few years.
"With all of the bad news around campus, we wanted to keep the status we had. Club sports are not the same as a varsity sport. There is a seriousness associated with varsity athletics," golfer Lee Bloom '10 said. "It's nice to be associated with the school, and we get to represent the school and compete against other schools under the school's varsity name."
Team members praised Hattenbach's ability to motivate the team in its effort to save the program.
"[Hattenbach] was very enthusiastic from the beginning. He was always positive that we would raise the money. Even when others were a little doubtful, he was always there to boost our morale," Bloom said.
But Hattenbach's mission extended even beyond a fight for the continuation of a Brandeis team that he and so many others before him cherished. He explained that during his first few years on the team, members played into golf's individualistic nature off the course and did not share strong personal connections like other varsity teams outside of their athletic arena. Through the fundraising effort, Hattenbach said, he felt he could change the culture of the team he was leaving behind.
"During my freshmen year, our captains were generally on their own and [didn't] make the underclassmen feel included. They never really called us up to hang out or do anything, but this team has taken a turn," said Hattenbach. "Everyone on the team hangs out together regardless of their class [year]."
Though this past semester was his last at Brandeis, Hattenbach still remained the key organizer and leader in the efforts to save the varsity program.
"The reason I helped with this fundraising effort was because I had a great four-year experience as a member of the golf team. It made a huge difference in my college experience, and I want them to have the same experience I've had," he said. "I'm very close with [Bloom], [Charles Sacks] '11, [Aaron Cusato] '12 and the other guys on the team, and I want to see them finish off their collegiate careers, especially [Bloom], who had a great fall season."
Now, the team has a new mission at hand: continuing its fundraising efforts to get the team endowed for a longer period. The University estimates that the team would have to raise anywhere from $300,000 to $400,000 to do so.
Fellow golf team members say that Hattenbach played a huge role in the process of saving the team and that his efforts laid the foundation for the rest of the team to build upon in order to continue as a varsity program beyond next season.
"It means a lot to me that [Hattenbach] cares," Sacks said. "It means that I have to take this on after he graduates to work even harder to create the [endowment]. He put the pressure on us to keep it going."
-Ian Cutler contributed reporting
"With all of the bad news around campus, we wanted to keep the status we had. Club sports are not the same as a varsity sport. There is a seriousness associated with varsity athletics," golfer Lee Bloom '10 said. "It's nice to be associated with the school, and we get to represent the school and compete against other schools under the school's varsity name."
Team members praised Hattenbach's ability to motivate the team in its effort to save the program.
"[Hattenbach] was very enthusiastic from the beginning. He was always positive that we would raise the money. Even when others were a little doubtful, he was always there to boost our morale," Bloom said.
But Hattenbach's mission extended even beyond a fight for the continuation of a Brandeis team that he and so many others before him cherished. He explained that during his first few years on the team, members played into golf's individualistic nature off the course and did not share strong personal connections like other varsity teams outside of their athletic arena. Through the fundraising effort, Hattenbach said, he felt he could change the culture of the team he was leaving behind.
"During my freshmen year, our captains were generally on their own and [didn't] make the underclassmen feel included. They never really called us up to hang out or do anything, but this team has taken a turn," said Hattenbach. "Everyone on the team hangs out together regardless of their class [year]."
Though this past semester was his last at Brandeis, Hattenbach still remained the key organizer and leader in the efforts to save the varsity program.
"The reason I helped with this fundraising effort was because I had a great four-year experience as a member of the golf team. It made a huge difference in my college experience, and I want them to have the same experience I've had," he said. "I'm very close with [Bloom], [Charles Sacks] '11, [Aaron Cusato] '12 and the other guys on the team, and I want to see them finish off their collegiate careers, especially [Bloom], who had a great fall season."
Now, the team has a new mission at hand: continuing its fundraising efforts to get the team endowed for a longer period. The University estimates that the team would have to raise anywhere from $300,000 to $400,000 to do so.
Fellow golf team members say that Hattenbach played a huge role in the process of saving the team and that his efforts laid the foundation for the rest of the team to build upon in order to continue as a varsity program beyond next season.
"It means a lot to me that [Hattenbach] cares," Sacks said. "It means that I have to take this on after he graduates to work even harder to create the [endowment]. He put the pressure on us to keep it going."
-Ian Cutler contributed reporting
Be the first to comment on this story