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photo © James Levine Photography<br />
An Athlete’s Journal<br />
By Vanessa Constant ’10<br />
Particip<strong>at</strong>ion in <strong>at</strong>hletics is a seminal experience<br />
for many <strong>Horace</strong> <strong>Mann</strong> students, and one longremembered<br />
by many of the School’s alumni.<br />
To learn just how such a powerful experience<br />
develops <strong>Horace</strong> <strong>Mann</strong> Magazine asked current<br />
student-<strong>at</strong>hlete Vanessa Constant ’10 to share<br />
excerpts from the journal she kept during her<br />
season on the varsity lacrosse team in spring<br />
2008. The team’s experience began with<br />
pre-season practice in Hilton Head, South<br />
Carolina where team members readied<br />
themselves for competition away from the<br />
winds of New York in March. The trip included<br />
members of the JV team coached<br />
by Caroline Surhoff, and the varsity<br />
team, coached by Keri Hall.<br />
These entries from Vanessa’s<br />
journal speak to the commitment,<br />
learning, and fun team members<br />
share with each other and with<br />
their coaches. It was a challenging<br />
season as Lady Lions Lacrosse<br />
lost ten players from the previous<br />
year’s gradu<strong>at</strong>ing class, and<br />
entered a rebuilding phase. But,<br />
as this journal shows, th<strong>at</strong> didn’t<br />
dampen team spirits.<br />
Girls’ varsity lacrosse<br />
played its final game on May<br />
16, 2008, under Coach Hall,<br />
winning a tight, final m<strong>at</strong>ch<br />
by a score of 13-12. The<br />
season’s drama continued<br />
for the JV team as well,<br />
when two players were<br />
missing for the final<br />
m<strong>at</strong>ch. “I asked the girls<br />
if they wanted to play with<br />
so few players, and no goalie,”<br />
Coach Surhoff recalled. “Each<br />
girl said she would try to guard<br />
the goal and also cover her regular<br />
position.” The m<strong>at</strong>ch went off as<br />
scheduled, with the Lions victorious.<br />
“Because of the way all the<br />
girls stepped up and did wh<strong>at</strong><br />
they had to do, this was one of<br />
my most s<strong>at</strong>isfying games ever.”<br />
March 12: Thursday<br />
Lacrosse starts tomorrow. There’s been about a week of tryouts thus far and<br />
things are looking good. We’ve been doing drills and situ<strong>at</strong>ional practices… but <strong>at</strong> the<br />
end of this one we hear, “OK ladies. Go to the end of the line, and you don’t need<br />
your goggles!’ This obviously meant sprints. Anyway, we were told we were running<br />
seven-up, which is more like 56 thirty-five-yard sprints, with a partner. We tried to<br />
argue for five-up… but, yeah, it didn’t work.<br />
March 24:<br />
We got to the airport <strong>at</strong> 7:39 a.m. to leave for Savannah, Georgia (then we will drive to<br />
Hilton Head Island). We just s<strong>at</strong> on the plane and made grocery lists and did easy-level<br />
Sudoku, because the medium level is pretty close to impossible—haha. Once we got there<br />
we unpacked and went to play. Very tired, we all went home and passed out.<br />
March 26:<br />
Yay! Today we got to sleep in. From 10-2 we had team practice and did drills then we got<br />
to go to the beach to give us some relax<strong>at</strong>ion time. We hung <strong>at</strong> after th<strong>at</strong> <strong>at</strong> the houses,<br />
baking cookies and then e<strong>at</strong>ing them faster than anything. We also went to the Hilton Head<br />
store and <strong>at</strong>e some more. We did this until about 7:30 when we left for our games th<strong>at</strong><br />
started <strong>at</strong> 8:20. We played two 20-minute games vs. different teams. Then we drove home<br />
in the pony van (Coach Surhoff’s) belting out pop/rap music. Aside from having a gre<strong>at</strong> time<br />
we are learning about the sport and how to play with one another. (We leave the 28th).<br />
April 6: Sunday<br />
Mayor’s Cup was today. It’s an all day city tournament <strong>at</strong> Randall’s Island, actually more of<br />
a jamboree. We played 20-minute games. About six of them, with time in between. But it was<br />
freezing today. We also played Riverdale Friday and lost by one. Not the best way to start the<br />
season, but I think we will be fine. Now th<strong>at</strong> things have gotten started we have <strong>at</strong> least two<br />
games a week. Go Lions!<br />
May 13: Tuesday<br />
Today was our last practice, leading to our three consecutive games coming up tomorrow,<br />
Thursday, and Friday. We played lacrosse baseball—amazing! And then we w<strong>at</strong>ched the boys’<br />
lacrosse team. I can’t say we were the best cheerleaders, but it was fun regardless. With the end<br />
of the season around the corner we all start to look back and remember the place where we all<br />
started as individual players to where we are now as a team. Going through the sadness of losing<br />
or the excitement of winning our team has only gotten better, and seeing where we are now, I can<br />
only look forward to next season and the potential gre<strong>at</strong>ness we possess as lions. The ’08 LAX<br />
team has been a learning, teaching, and bonding experience.<br />
<strong>Horace</strong> <strong>Mann</strong> Magazine Fall 2008<br />
29
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