By May 7, 2004
Four years ago, Kate Varde came to the East Hill as a promising point guard prospect for the women’s basketball team. Then-sophomore teammate Jenny Todd ’03 said about Varde, “We have a very good point guard in Kate Varde whose coming off a knee injury. She’s recuperated very well, probably one of our faster people.” Varde was never the force on the hardcourt that was expected of her when she was recruited, playing in just six games while averaging 2.2 points in those contests. Struggling with her balky knees, Varde left the lady cagers and headed for greener pastures — literally — on the softball diamond. The switch proved to be a blessing for the softball team. In her first year, Varde led the team in home runs, hits, runs and slugging percentage while garnering Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Varde’s talent was evident on the field, as her athletic ability in a variety of areas was not lost on softball coach Dick Blood. “Kate’s a five-tool player,” Blood said. “When she gets on base, we don’t have to use the bunt to get her over. She’s blessed with power at the plate, she also hits for average. She covers a lot of ground in the outfield, and she’s got a cannon for an arm.” Since her auspicious arrival on the softball diamond, Varde has become one of the Red’s pillars. A first-team All-Ivy League selection in the past three years, Varde set the Cornell single-season record in runs, and also improved her totals in stolen bases, at-bats and total bases among many others. Making her mark as the Red’s Hank Aaron, Varde is at the top of the all-time home run list, hitting a career total of 28 bombs in her first three years. This year, Varde has continued her fine form, batting .317 while compiling a .561 slugging percentage. She also has nine home runs to go along with 30 RBIs. Yet, testament to her selfless nature as a former basketball point guard, Varde’s first priority is her team. “Kate Varde plays to win,” Blood said. “That’s really all she cares about. She’s not into individual stats, she’s really into winning, she’s all about winning.” While Varde’s career has been highlighted with a variety of successes including an All-ECAC first team selection last year, her contributions have resonated with a team which has a 39-11 record this year and a season which has led the Red to their first Ivy League title since 2001. Although Varde’s play has been exceptional during her career, she attributes much of her success to Blood. While she will remember the Red’s victories, especially the ones over Ivy League rivals, Varde said that one experience she will look back on is watching the play of teammate, junior Lauren May. “Watching [May] leap into the sky or making a diving play or a throw, that’s one thing that I’ll miss a lot,” Varde said. Off the field, Blood said that Varde is easy-going and down to earth, while staying committed to the team at all times. Calling her a “gamer,” Blood will miss her determination and intensity on the diamond. “We’re blessed with Kate Varde,” Blood said. “She’s one of the finest players I’ve ever coached, one of the finest I’ve ever seen play.” Even though Varde is not the starting point guard at Newman Arena which many projected her to be, her selflessness and humility are still evident — even as she picks up her diploma four years later. In the future, Varde hopes to be working in sports psychology — a field which is based on helping and guiding other athletes. And true to Varde’s humble fashion, she was surprised and honored when she found out about her selection as The Sun’s Athlete of the Year. “I’m absolutely thrilled,” Varde said. “It’s absolutely amazing and not something I expected at all.”Archived article by Brian TsaoSun Senior Editor
By May 7, 2004
The Chordials, one of the handful of co-ed a capella groups on Cornell’s campus, proved their pipes by garnering third place at the recent International Championships of Collegiate A Capella in New York City. This was the group’s fourth trip to the ICCA in four years, and by far their best finish, said Musical Director Rob Shapiro ’04. They advanced to the finals, held on April 25 at Town Hall in New York City, after taking first place in the ICCA Northeast semifinals in Albany earlier this spring. The Chordials and the groups with whom they competed at Town Hall played to a capacity crowd of approximately 2,000 spectators, making it the largest crowd that the Chordials have performed for, said Business Manager Jackie Pribil ’05. “It was really an incredible experience for us,” Pribil said. Three hundred a capella groups auditioned for the ICCA competition, out of which 120 participated in the first round of performances, Shapiro said. The field was narrowed down to 36 for the semifinal round, and seven were selected to move on to the finals. Groups from schools throughout the country, as well as Canada and Taiwan, tried out for the competition. “Technically, we’re now the third best college a capella group in the world,” said Bridget Tracy ’05. “Although for the most part it was North America.” The Chordials were in top form for the competition, Pribil said. “Our harmony was really good, and it felt great on stage” she said. It also helped that there were friends and family in the audience for support, Shapiro said. “Some of our alumni even came out” he added. The group performed four songs in the competition, Tracy said, which included a capella arrangements of Tamia’s “Officially Missing You” and Boyz II Men’s “Please Don’t Go” as well as two songs from the Broadway musical production of The Lion King: “The Circle of Life,” and an African chant entitled “One By One.” In addition to performing, members of the group do all of the musical arrangement for the songs that the Chordials perform, Pribil said. They have won several awards for their original arrangements, including recently Best Arranger, which went to Sam Coffin ’05 for his arrangement of Boyz II Men’s “Please Don’t Go,” Pribil said. Besides producing innovative arrangements and tight harmonies, the Chordials complement their vocal virtuosity with original stomping and dance routines, Pribil said. “We’re big on movements corresponding to sound,” Pribil said. “We did some stomp choreography last year, and we’ve recently been experimenting more with dance routines.” For their last performance Pribil choreographed a “booty dance for the girls” she said. The group, which was founded in 1997, is currently comprised of 16 members ranging from freshmen to graduate students. In addition to the ICCA competition, on-campus concerts and arch sings, the group travels to other schools throughout the state, including recently the State Universities at Albany and Buffalo, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Pribil said. The Chordials’ next concert, Cocktail Hour VII, will be held this Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Statler Auditorium.Archived article by Matt TompkinsSun Staff Writer