Katey Stone graduated from the Taft School in Connecticut in 1984. She was not only captain, but a four-year letterman recipient for the New Hampshire Wildcats. Prior to her time at Harvard, she coached at Tabor academy, Northfield Mount Hermon School and Phillips Exeter Academy.
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Stone recently resigned from her position as head coach at Harvard, amidst accusations she encouraged hazing activities on her own team. As Harvard's findings from investigations into her program haven’t been made official, numerous players have spoken up about the horrific treatments they were forced to partake in to be a Terrier.
To prove that freshmen had what it took, a gruesome initiation week was conducted by upperclassmen with the alleged knowledge of Stone. Some of the worst accusations were to “put condoms on bananas, fake orgasms and act out skits that referenced their sexual orientation. Some years, underaged players felt pressured to consume alcohol, some until they passed out or vomited” (Salvian and Strang ).
The accusation that started to turn heads was the naked skate. Players took to the ice at The Bright-Landry Hockey Center, stripped down besides their skates and ‘super-manned’ their ways down the rough, cold surface. The skates would leave players with burning skin and chafed nipples. Only when a player became uncomfortable with the skate and brought it up with Harvard's administration, did Stone come out to say it was an unsanctioned event.
No evidence has been found that Stone attended initiation week, but she regularly announced to the team “There’s not a single thing on this team that goes on that I don’t know about.”
What has been proven Stone participated in, is when Stone would respond to a rule infraction by leading a chant against the offending player: “I hate (player’s name)! I hate (player’s name)!” Stone also had teammates write negative things about each other and would later show what everyone had to say about each other.
In the past six years, at least four concerns have been brought to the University’s attention. The University didn’t do anything to solve the recurring issues of hazing, and nothing was announced of them dealing with any particular players.
Jim Davis/Globe Staff
Stone had many rules players were forced to follow, respecting coaches to the highest extent, praising players that passed the puck in order for a goal to occur and not allowing new players to sit in the locker room until proven worthy. Stone also had favorite players and players she didn’t care for, allegedly. The divide didn’t occur by skill, but on who followed her rules best.
Stone has been thought to body-shame athletes and would make the girls send pictures of their meals, announce when clothes weren’t flattering and weigh them in. One player said that the team's trainer would have the upperclassmen watch her down protein shakes and she gained 20 pounds in one season.
Maryna Macdonald (2018-22) said, “The longer the season goes, the more the team just falls apart, because she pits us against each other and creates this dynamic where we’re not rooting for each other to be at our best, we’re waiting for someone to fall so we can be in their shoes.”
Whereas everything stated above is purely alleged, Stone's resignation amid the case speaks volumes. Harvard said once looked into, they’ll announce the findings, but this has taken months to get thus far. If found that it is all true will the law get involved? Will Harvard also get in trouble?
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