Only Freshmen
Look - we need you to not be freshmen this year. Seriously.
This isn’t the regular “rah-rah/let’s crush it/let’s go/woo hoo” start of the lacrosse season encouragement lecture. Because that would be terrible. As the title suggests, this is for the freshmen. Freshpeople. Whichever you prefer. In fact, this message is for all of the first years and all the players pulling on a new jersey for the first time.
Listen...this isn’t going to be fun. Not entirely. A lot of you won’t play that much. Just as many of you will have to sacrifice your natural position and occupy spaces on the field where you’re wholly and completely uncomfortable.
You’re going to work and work and work until you think that you can’t work anymore and you’re still going to be wearing a long puffy jacket on the sidelines. Your toes are going to freeze no matter how many pairs of socks you wear. Invest in hand/toe warmers.
You’re inevitably going to dislike someone on your team. Perhaps with every fiber of your being. Perhaps so much that hearing their voice in the locker room will instantly make the small hairs on the back of your spine coalesce into a drop of cold vengeful sweat. It’s okay. You don’t have to be friends with all of your teammates; you just have to show them respect.
You’re still going to have to lead the ball hunt after practice, move the goals, grab the water jug, and/or carry the coach’s clipboard. You will grow to hate it. There’s no way around that - no one enjoys seemingly menial and tedious tasks. It’s okay to dislike it, but important to be consistent.
Everyone will tell you that your time will come. That you’re really improving and if you keep working hard you’re going to play a pivotal role. But you might not. You might never get to see the field. You might have to settle for sweats and a winter hat for longer than you thought.
Maybe you hate lifting and conditioning. It just means that you’re human. That’s something you have to grow to like. It helps you play by paving the road that you use to get to the field. Sorry, but there is no comforting phrase and no shortcuts here.
Sooner or later you’re going to get hurt - if you haven’t been hurt already. You can either play through it or not. Hurt and injured are not the same thing. There’s no shame in being injured. It will feel like shame, but that’s not what it is - that’s regret. Second-guessing. Try your best not to do that to yourself. Do the physical therapy. It’s the worst, but you have to go every day. Make friends with the training staff.
Ah, yes - the parties. Sorry, but parties are pretty much canceled. Blame the virus, blame the protocols, blame a higher power. This is not a puritanical message of abstinence. We are in a time of crisis. You’re lucky to be doing what you’re doing as it is. Going out and getting Shmammered just hurts, well, conceivably everyone you know. Wear a mask.
The season is not the gift - the game is the gift. Thousands of lacrosse players want to be where you are right now. Nervous, excited, emotional. It will seem like these feelings and moments are limitless and overwhelming at the same time. The upperclassmen and coaches will look, act, and feel calm. You’ll marvel at it. Wonder how they do it. They’re just as nervous as you, they’re just better at managing it.
Sooner or later something is going to happen that will really impact you. Something completely out of your control. The good news is that you have people around you to help. Talk to your coaches. Talk to your teammates. Talk to your friends outside the team. Talk to your family.
Do you remember where you were last year? Not at this time of year, but when you heard that your season was over? How much did that hurt? How many ball hunts would you have gone on in a row just to have one more set of line drills, one more four-on-three run, or one more shift?
Oh, one last thing, and this may be the most important piece of advice you may ever receive:
Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t accomplish something, even in a pandemic. Especially in a pandemic.
Good luck, nuggets.