FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2013
Page 7
SPORTS Lacrosse starts year with a new face the new season against By Olivia Baldassari Contributing Writer This season, Palm Beach Atlantic’s lacrosse team will be facing the toughest schedule to date, said head coach and offensive coordinator Chris Southard. But this did not intimidate newcomer C.J. Lucarelli from joining the team. “This will be my first year in general ever playing,” said Lucarelli, a sophomore. “I love lacrosse; it’s so much fun, I should have played in high school, but I just didn’t know it was as fun as it is.” Before college, Lucarelli mostly played hockey and soccer.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTIAN WILLIS
C.J. Lucarelli and the lax bros will take on their first home game March 3 against Kennesaw State University starting at 2 p.m.
PBA was his first choice of school when choosing where to go after high school. His top reason: the atmosphere of the school. “I guess ‘cause everyone knows everyone really. There’s not very many people that I don’t know,” said Lucarelli. At the start of the season, Lucarelli came out with his friends Jacob Morris and Abel Cartwright to try out for the team. “C.J. is very willing to learn,” said Southard. “He’s a great athlete…intense.” For his first season, Lucarelli’s position will be midfielder, where a player is active in the midfield and can play both offensively and defensively. “I’m not DM or offensive middle, they don’t know which one to put me at yet,” said Lucarelli. “But still, like, we haven’t had our first game yet, so they don’t know what to do, where to put me.” Lucarelli likens lacrosse to soccer in the way the players are situated. There are about 30 players on the team and 10 play at a time on the field. There are the defensive and offensive midfielders and there are three midfielders at a time on the field. Then there are three defensemen, who stay on the defensive half of the field, and the three attackmen, who primarily stay on the offensive half of the field. Finally, there is the goalie, whose main objective is to keep the opposing team’s shot out of the net. “You can only have six players on a side at one time,” said Lucarelli. “So if you’re on offense and the defensive middies come off, then the offensive middies come on.” There are four 15-minute quarters in college lacrosse, which means that the total playing time is 60 minutes. If a game has to go into overtime, then there is an overtime period of five minutes and the team that scores first wins.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTIAN WILLIS
Joe Ciringione (left) attacks goalie Zack Brewer (right) in practice.
Lucarelli will be playing in the team’s first game of the season, Jan. 31, against Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. “I intend to play everyone…I intend to run all the guys through so I can figure out, you know, who fits in where,” said Southard, who has strong faith in Lucarelli. “I think he’ll contribute,” he said. “I think my hope is to have as many guys contribute as possible. I think the nature of any collegiate sport team is that there’ll be those who start, those who see some time and some folks who will see very limited time.” Though new to the squad, Lucarelli seems to fit right in. “I love my teammates,” he said. “They’re some of the coolest guys that I have ever met. We’re all very uplifting. No one ever gets down on each other and that’s the good thing about it, especially for me as a firstyear player.” Lucarelli finds motivation for this season in his
favorite verse, Philippians 4:13: “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” When looking ahead towards the next two seasons, Southard sees Lucarelli continuing to enjoy the game. “His faith is clearly important to him and I think that if he has a good experience this year he’ll continue through,” said Southard. Lucarelli points to several standout players to look out for this season: Dominic Scalzo, a junior, whose position is offensive and who has played Division I lacrosse for four different colleges; Bobby Hantske, a senior, who plays midfield; brothers Jacob Morris, defense, and Jared Morris, midfielder, both sophomores; and freshman Abel Carwright, whose position is defensive midfielder. The Sailfish will play in their first home game March 3. They will be playing Kennesaw State University at 2 p.m. and the location has not yet been announced.
Athletes bobbing their heads in headphones is a common sight. Anyone who has exercised with an iPod knows how music can be a powerful motivator, helping with focus and drive. We have compiled a list from our beloved sailfish athletes of their favorite music.
Senior basketball player Dante Valentine sits back in his Bob Marley T-shirt with his dreads catching the back of his chair. “I don’t think I played a game since middle school that I haven’t had my headphones in before the game listening to something pumping me up,” said Valentine. Music has always been a driving force for athletes during work-outs and games. Valentine,
an Atlanta-native guard, listens to hip-hop and rap before tip-offs. “It’s a way to zone out everything else, and you just are in your own world, preparing to get hyped for the game,” he said. “I listen to something fast-paced to get my adrenaline going.” Music does not only help divert your focus while working out, it also helps emotionally and psychologically. Vilja Vähätalo, a
tennis player born and raised in Finland, looks for spiritual encouragement through music. “I like to listen to Christian music before matches to build up my confidence,” said Vähätalo. For softball and baseball, a walk-up song towards the batter’s box can speak volumes about a player. The 20-second clip of a song can be a tune the batter can relate to or something can help
the player get pumped up “In softball you get three chances where it’s an all or nothing opportunity at bat so you should pick a song where it will fire you up,” said Brianna Parker, second baseman of the softball team. It doesn’t matter what kind of music you’re into. It can be Chicago rap to Finnish reggae; get motivated and get going.
Senior Guard Dante Valentine
Sophomore Tennis Vilja Vähätalo
Junior Guard Mary-Madison Sims
Sophomore Second Base Brian Walker
Junior Second Base Brianna Parker
Favorite Music: Chief Keef, Nas, T.I, Tyga, Bob Marley.
Favorite Music: Finnish rap and reggae, Jukka Poika, Rappana.
Favorite Music: Lecrae, Miranda Lambert, Kid Cudi, Drake.
Favorite Music: Lil Wayne, Trey Songz, 2Chainz.
Favorite Music: Ellie Goulding, Jason Aldean, Brantley Gilbert.
Guilty Pleasures: Justin Bieber, Ke$ha, Rihanna.
Guilty Pleasures: Blake Shelton.
Guilty Pleasures: Bach, Chopin.
Guilty Pleasures: ‘N sync, Justin Bieber.
Guilty Pleasures: Eminem.
By Kent Berame Sports Editor
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF PBASAILFISH.COM