My Spring Break Diary

While most college students head toward the warm comfort of home for two weeks of delicious home-cooked meals or the warm rowdiness of some exotic island location for some debauchery, we dedicate our weeks of Spring break to improving as a team and to grow closer to one another to set the stage for the rest of the season.

Following a loss to a quality Kean team, where we faced an opponent that showed us where we were as a lacrosse team and where we can be if we play to our potential, we hopped on the bus driven by Wayne Carey, also known as Coach Wayne. We met Coach Wayne last Spring break when we went down south. This is when each of us learned that he had quite a bit to contribute to the team aside from just being in the driver’s seat. His vast experience being involved with the Navy in his youth and his experience with music throughout the years (he is quite an accomplished bassist) made for some great guidance for the players on the team. I am not even sure if he had seen a lacrosse game before the trip last year, but it didn’t matter because he gives a great outside perspective to our practices and games. He is not looking at dropped passes or running plays, but simply being able to tell us if we look to be flowing or not as a team. We can never thank Coach Wayne enough for what he has contributed the past two years during the trip, and I am sure the team looks forward to seeing him next year around this time again, if not sooner.

Once in Maryland, we had the chance to see the University of Maryland play against Bryant University in College Park, the University of Maryland’s campus. It is always amazing to see teams of this quality and marvel in their skill and ability. Maryland won the game due to their overwhelming intensity and desire from start to finish. Coach Wayne made a note after watching the game of saying that when we watch these players, don’t simply look at them in awe, but realize these players are our contemporaries and while they may be bigger and be playing for a program of Maryland’s proportions, there is no reason to completely separate their lacrosse from our own.

Following the Maryland game we headed further south to Newport News, Virginia, where we would spend the rest of our week practicing and preparing to play Christopher Newport University and Neumann College later in the week. Walking around the campus of CNU and eating at the dining hall amongst their students (their food was delicious), we all began to realize how much we stood out on their campus. Some quotes heard from the students at Christopher Newport are as follows:

“Mustaches, just mustaches”-Two female students passing by us as we walked around the campus.

“Every single player on that team had mustaches…that’s awesome!”-A player on the Christopher Newport lacrosse team following our game against them.

Clearly we knew that we were no ordinary lacrosse team, but very unique in our style and personality, and the mustaches certainly helped show that as I did not see a single other mustache on the campus.

We played against Christopher Newport on Tuesday and lost a close game 8-6. It was a hard fought game where we were victims to our own mistakes. We took it as a lesson and allowed it to motivate us for the rest of the week. After the game the Gottliebs treated us to some classic southern barbeque. They made the trip down south to watch us and see some family that lived in the area.

The following morning we had an early practice that exhausted all of us but left us wanting more. In the afternoon we had the chance to go to Virginia Beach. Lets just say vacation spots out of season are a bit deserted. While it was sunny and in the mid-60s, it wasn’t exactly beach weather. Some of the guys on the team didn’t seem to understand this and still took the opportunity to take a dip in the ocean and toss around lacrosse balls on the beach. A Speedo even made an appearance, but I’ll leave it at that. Virginia Beach turned out to be a really great time to unwind where we just were able to have a few laughs with fellow teammates and get some souvenirs..

After Virginia Beach we headed back to Newport News, where we would get ready for our final game of our road trip against Neumann College. After another hard early practice we took the rest of the day to get ready to leave the following morning watch some of the NCAA basketball tournament. That evening the players and coaches cooked a dinner for the team consisting of chicken, beef brisket, mashed potatoes, rice, pudding, and an assortment of other things. Turns out Coach Nic is quite the grill master as both the brisket and chicken were cooked to perfection and disappeared instantly.

The next morning we headed for the five-hour trip to face Neumann College outside Philadelphia. We knew we would face a team that we beat in a close three-goal game last year, which would provide extra motivation to take it to us. However, in a game where every single player contributed, we finished with a big 11-4 win, showing that our Spring break was again a success and that E9 is the highest scoring house on the Vassar campus (we’re talking about points in a lacrosse game here). Thanks to everyone that made the trip happen, including the parents, coaches, and the hotels that let us run amuck around them for the week.