University of Connecticut Athletics
Sparks Notes: UConn Women's Lacrosse Blog (Feb. 13)
2/13/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
“It’s not about the name on the back of the jersey…
but the one in the middle?”
Game week has finally arrived. Although the cold weather seems to be working against us, we are all looking forward to traveling to Dartmouth on Saturday to face a team in another color jersey. While it is technically only a scrimmage against the Big Green of Dartmouth, it will mark the start of next stage of our season.
The weeks of preseason can surely become taxing, as both our coaches and us have noticed. One day late last week, we enjoyed a light practice to work on some shooting and defensive footwork. As a team, we also took it upon ourselves to get to know each other a little better. I’m not sure exactly how it began, but someone, most likely the soft-spoken Kimberly Noelle McGinty or Kathryn Christine Ryan, came up with the bright idea of calling each other by our middle names. While at first there was confusion as to which player was being referred to, we soon became used to this new form of identification.
Some of the honorable mention middle names include Jessica “Joan” Mucci, Stef “Alexandra” Burra (which soon became translated to the Spanish version: Alejandra), and the ever-popular Robyn “Danielle, Raquel, Davita, Rocket” Pastuch (which of the four middle names is accurate remains a point of debate, but as clarified by Meghan Elizabeth Bohns, Robyn is in fact her first name). While these middle names were worthy contenders, the middle name MVP was a unanimous selection: Molly “Missett” O’Brien. While the name game champ boasts good reason behind this circumstantially unfortunate identification, the rest of us were forced to judge it within context. Really, Molly, you had to be an attacker? As would any supportive teammate, we found the shooting drills a most opportune moment to emphatically cheer “Missett” on Molly’s turn. Ironically, Molly also holds the title for best Indian name, but that’s another story for another time.
In all seriousness, it’s the silly things like this that can spur just as much team growth as drills and conditioning. From team breakfasts to locker room dance parties and even to the middle name game, we learn, laugh and build trust with one another. In past experiences, I have seen chemistry make or break a team, regardless of talent, but it is fun to see the many personalities on this team come together in a very special way. The fact that we can make fun of our teammates and joke around highlights the belief we all have in each other. The best part is that this kind of trust is beginning to translate onto the field. On the defensive end, we have confidence in our help and slides, and in the midfield we are improving on backing up one another on 50-50 balls. In front of the net, no one hesitates before passing to an open cutter, especially when that cutter is “Alejandra,” “Rocket” or “Missett.”
^
Beth
