April 19, 2007

It would be easy for Bill Bjorness to just bury all the memories of the 2006 season.

Nothing went right for Bjorness or his team, and no one would begrudge the Hartwick men's lacrosse coach if he put the game tapes, the newspaper clippings and the stats in a metal box and pitched it into Gilbert Lake.

If he was asked about last season Bjorness could then roll out clichéd mottos like `Moving Forward' or `Forget the Past' or maybe even `Starting Fresh' as a way to deflect interest in the dark days of last February. This would allow him to focus all his attention, and other's, on this spring.

But Bjorness, who has been at Hartwick for eight seasons, is a teacher first. The painful lessons learned by his players both on and off the field serve no purpose hidden or ignored. The lessons of '06 need to be embraced in order to help his student-athletes as both lacrosse players and, more importantly, as young men.

That's why Bjorness has a simple reminder of the season hanging from a corkboard in his player's everyday line of sight.

"We've never been 4-10 here like we were last year, so that's up on the board in the locker room," said Bjorness. "You were 4-10 last year and don't forget it. Our kids have worked extremely hard on the field and also off the field. We have never been more aware of our conduct off the field. What happened last year opened the eyes of our guys, especially the leadership."

Off-field conduct became an issue for the lacrosse team, and the entire Hartwick community, after a hazing incident at an off-campus house in Oneonta on Feb. 19. News of the transgression was a hot topic in lacrosse circles for a short time, however, there was little coverage of the resolution as lacrosse outlets, and pretty much every media service, gorged themselves on the well-publicized events of a certain ACC institution.

To recap Hartwick's tale, a 19-year-old freshman lacrosse player reported to police that upperclassmen on the team forced the rookies to strip naked and consume the contents of a beer keg in two and a half hours, according to The Daily Star. Further abuses attributed to the lacrosse team shaped Hartwick's reaction.

The school's administration acted swiftly, suspending the program the following day and conducting a weeklong investigation resulting in charges against 15 members of the team for violations of the school's hazing policy. The protocol used by Hartwick was thorough and timely, and Bjorness' program was reinstated contingent on the acceptance of several sanctions.

Overnight travel was eliminated, multiple-game suspensions were served, captainships were rescinded, community service was mandated, and an apology demanded. Three students were suspended from Hartwick, or withdrew altogether, according to The Daily Star.

The game suspensions, which were rotated throughout the season, had the desired impact, forcing the team to struggle against a tough schedule. The '06 team was expected to fight for the hotly-contested Empire 8 title, making the 4-10 campaign a bitter -- and effective -- pill to swallow.

"They've really done a great job off the field and I think they finally realized -- actually they couldn't help but realize -- that your actions off the field directly reflect your success on the field," said Bjorness. "That was never made clearer than last year."

Learning this lesson will no doubt be a valuable tool for the student-athletes as they graduate and move forward with their lives. In addition, it has bonded together a group of young men who are attacking this season with a renewed zest after realizing how quickly it can be taken away.

The season has been a solid one, as the Hawks bring a 7-6 record into the season finale against No. 11 RIT, but there have certainly been trials along the way.

Some of the setbacks have been thorough. St. Lawrence crushed Hartwick in the third game of the season, 17-2, and the Hawks managed to score just four goals in a disheartening loss to St. John Fisher. Other defeats have illustrated how close Bjorness team is to being a serious player in the region. Hartwick had the ball in overtime against No. 3 WNEC only to bow, 7-6, and after trailing 7-0 in the first half to No. 5 Nazareth, the Hawks ended up losing in overtime, 10-9.

All of the obstacles the Hartwick men's lacrosse program has run up against have been limited to the field, and that is a welcome change from `06.

"It has been a year of comebacks for us -- a year of hanging in there and sticking together," said Bjorness. "What we went through last year definitely helps, and plays a part in our ability to do that. These guys love each other. We have a special thing going here and we always have.

"What happened last year was unfortunate, but our kids never stopped loving each other, sticking together and playing hard for each other. That's what we're going to hang our hat on at the end of the day."

Contact Jac Coyne at jcoyne@uslacrosse.org.