By Kim J. Harmon

According to the myths arising after the Trojan War (related on wikipedia.com), Thetis dipped the infant Achilles in the river Styx with the belief that he would become invulnerable to injury or death wherever the waters touched him.

But as she held his foot with her thumb and forefinger, his heel was never dipped in the river and, thus, left vulnerable.

Achilles was felled during the Trojan War when an arrow fired by Paris struck him in the heel.

In 1855, the Merriam-Webster dictionary began referring to Achilles’ Heel as an “an area of weakness.” It’s an expression a few Newtown High School sports team should be familiar with since they have all had their Achilles’ Heel in 2006.

Sport: Girls Soccer. Achilles Heel: Masuk

Record vs AH: 0-3-1. Record vs all others: 17-0-0.

Skinny: The Lady Nighthawks fell to Masuk in the South-West Conference tournament championship and then were knocked out of the CIAC Class LL state tournament with a shootout loss to the Panthers last weekend.

Sport: Field Hockey. Achilles Heel: New Milford/Pomperaug.

Record versus AH: 0-5-0-1. Record vs all others: 10-3-0-1

Skinny: The Lady Nighthawks played New Milford particularly tough, but lost to the Green Wave in the South-West Conference semi-finals and then, in overtime, in the quarterfinals of the CIAC Class L state tournament.

Sport: Volleyball. Achilles Heel: Bethel.

Record versus AH: 0-2. Record vs all others: 17-2

Skinny: It was Bethel, not Bunnell, that stopped the Lady Nighthawks’ 11-match winning streak and Bethel, not Bunnell, that knocked the ‘Hawks out of the South-West Conference semi-finals.