Sept. 14, 2006

by Paul Ohanian, Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff

Brought together by event organizer Bob Rubeor, four of the most successful coaches in men's collegiate lacrosse and 2006 Tewaaraton Trophy winner Matt Ward gathered on one stage in Baltimore on Wednesday evening to discuss the state of the game.

Despite the plethora of coaching experience - almost 100 years combined - and the 19 national championships in the coaches' collective portfolio, the focus of the evening had nothing to do with winning games. The message that the gathering of predominantly high school parents and players came to hear was instead about shaping off-the-field behavior among college athletes.

In the wake of the Duke rape case and the public thrashing of the sport's image, the four coaches - Dom Starsia of Virginia, Jim Berkman of Salisbury, Dave Cottle of Maryland and Dave Urick of Georgetown - and Ward found a small, but attentive, audience at the Sheppard Pratt conference center for their presentation, billed as "Student Integrity and Behavior in College Athletics."

While the sport may be a bit torn and tattered at the moment, the coaches stated that positive outcomes can emerge from the current troubles.

"There's a chance for lacrosse people to gather and discuss the things that have happened to us in the past year," Starsia said.

"We must turn the Duke situation into an educational opportunity for our teams," Urick said. "There's still a cloud hanging over the lacrosse world. We must take steps to improve the image of the sport."

Foremost among those steps, in the view the panelists, is the process of modeling the right behaviors for student-athletes. While the coaches uniformly accepted that responsibility, they also challenged parents to the same task.

"Role modeling the right actions is critical," Berkman said. "The impressions left by parents will guide their kids' behavior."

Coaches stressed that regardless of their best efforts, they may not be able to change during a few collegiate years those behaviors that have developed over a lifetime.

"Coaches are constantly battling the same problems that parents battle in their house," Cottle said.

"The challenge for us is to create new values in four years that may not have been instilled in the first 18 years," Urick said.

The panelists also concurred that the use and abuse of alcohol was the common denominator in virtually all the wrong decisions made by college students.

"It's the 1,000-pound gorilla in the room," Starsia said. "Trying to get our hands around the alcohol issue is something we deal with, as coaches, every day."

"Players are unanimous in thinking that their drinking doesn't affect performance," Cottle said. "We have to educate them enough to make responsible decisions."

All panelists stressed the importance of education and a proactive approach in helping to shape the behavior of college athletes. Each school has a number of programs and policies to help direct its students.

"Education begins the first day students are on campus," Berkman said. "We all want the best for our athletes. We have to help curb some of the behaviors that prevent them from accomplishing those goals."

Coaches also realize that's not always easy to do.

"We must find ways to educate our students and get them to listen to things they don't want to hear," Cottle said.

He explained that at Maryland, the athletic department has instituted a "three-strikes-and-you're-out" policy regarding underage drinking, with the loss of athletic scholarships as the ultimate penalty.

"You can hide from the problem or attack it," he said.

Georgetown is also tightening the reins.

"Up until this year, the guidelines we have given student-athletes have been pretty broad-based," Urick said. "But we are getting stricter. We have made some changes in team policies. We tell our players that it's a privilege, not a right, to represent the institution."

Ward, a two-year team captain at Virginia, encouraged the high school team captains in the audience to take an active role in leadership on their teams.

"Don't be afraid to speak your mind," he said. "The other players may not always like what you say, but say it anyway. And make sure you do it the right way yourself. Practice what you preach and be a good example. The other guys will start to notice."

Starsia explained that athletes must realize that sacrifice is needed to achieve goals, and putting aside potentially disruptive behaviors for the common good is required.

"It's a delicate balance. Are athletes willing to put what we are trying to accomplish as a group at risk? I try to tell the guys that the sacrifice is worth it," he said.

Because of the events of the past year - including incidents of hazing and embarrassing disclosures on web sites like facebook.com and myspace.com - the coaches all stated that the sport is under a bigger microscope than ever before.

"We are being looked at, and we all understand that," Cottle said.

Student-athletes also need to be more aware of the scrutiny that they attract.

"Athletes are visible and need to understand that concept," said Urick, adding, "It's important to recruit good players, but also important to recruit good people."

Ward acknowledged that the spotlight is brighter than some athletes comprehend.

"You definitely have to watch your step more than a regular student does," he said. "The rule to follow should just be `do what's best for the team.' "