Someone once said, “good losers make the game worth the candle.” That person was probably a lowly journalist. On the other hand, Vince Lombardi once said, “you show me a good loser, and I’ll show you a loser.” Each team and athlete approaches losing in a different way, but if they fancy themselves competitors, however they respond to a loss must contribute to the next win.
This season, the Panthers have lost three of four games for the first time since 2007. In 2007, they went to the NCAA quarterfinals. The previous season, they also lost three of four games in the middle of the season. And again, they made it to the NCAA quarterfinals. Neither losing three of four games nor being an NCAA quarterfinalist––one of the top eight teams in the country––is good enough for Middlebury.
These lofty expectations smolder within anyone who recalls the glory of 2002, who watches this talented team or who knows that lacrosse is a sport.
Between 2000 and 2002, the Middlebury Panthers elevated themselves from contender to team-to-beat as they won three consecutive national championships. Fair or unfair, every future Middlebury men’s lacrosse team will be measured against the 18-1 record of the 2002 season, every offensive campaign compared to Matt Dunn’s ’02 82 points, and each season between the pipes judged against Eric Kreiger’s ’04 phenomenal .58 save percentage during his first-year campaign.
Need proof? Only a year ago, the Panthers fought their way into the NCAA semifinals. Mike Stone’s ’09 73 points and Pete Britt’s ’09 .53 save percentage carried the team to a 15-3 record, but those numbers were subconsciously erased from the collective mind of the Middlebury community because the season ended in a loss.
This past weekend, Tiger Woods was criticized for not being gracious after the Masters. When asked what he thought of the weekend, his first comment was not “thank you all for supporting me” or “it was great to be back on this storied golf course,” but that his weekend was “unsuccessful.” In his own words, “I came here to win the event and I finished fourth.
I just made way too many mistakes.” I would order that mentality 10 out of 10 times — just leave off the immaturity and hold the side of philanderer. Luckily, that sounds an awful lot like the general fan response to each Panther loss this season. You can hear the collective voice of fans who accept nothing less than perfection.
There is no praise for bladed irons or disjointed man-ups. And there should not be. While fans have the luxury of expecting excellence from the sideline, the team itself is showing the poise that Tiger lacked. There is no club slamming, no tantrums after 300-yard drives in the middle of the fairway that were “popped up” and no soliloquies detailing their imperfections.
“Obviously our record isn’t what we want it to be right now, but the overall attitude of the team remains strong,” said co-captain Jeff Begin ’10. “The guys in the locker room are hungry,” added Bart Witmer ’10.
The pressure of playing lacrosse under such great expectations could turn coal into diamonds, boys into men and men into insomniacs. Three losses in four games ratchet up that weight exponentially.
“We’ve been focusing on toughness — mental and physical,” said co-captain Pete Smith ’10. “The toughness starts at the groundball level, and putting forth the extra effort into wining that battle will help us win.” That toughness will be tested every day for the rest of the season.
I applaud the Panther leaders for maintaining composure and saying the “right” things, but I hope that behind those statements reside personal accountability and a competitive edge that can be silenced, but never extinguished.
Forget 82, .58 and 18. Those are the treasured relics of a storied past. Middlebury lacrosse is measured on a binary system: national champion or bust.
Can the Panthers get the pounce back in their play?
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