As each season progresses, success is often judged by a team’s record. There is a lot of emphasis in
sports on how many wins a team can accumulate, how many goals can they score, and how many shots can they save. A typical fan base can get down on a team that struggles and players will tend to hang their heads in disappointment. That is not the case for the Gettysburg High School Boys’ Lacrosse team.

I am fortunate enough to be on the sidelines for each game, interacting with our team, coaches,
trainers, referees, and the athletic department. I get to talk with a lot of the parents before and after
each game. I am moved with happiness as I see how strong of a family that we have built at Gettysburg.

What many “fans in the stands” do not see is how courteous and respectful our Gettysburg Warriors
lacrosse team is. Each player is thankful of what the coaches, referees, trainers, and “game day staff”
does for them. Our players constantly cheer for their teammates regardless of what the scoreboard says. The encouragement is constant for a player that picked up a stick for the first time as well as a seasoned veteran. Being on the sidelines gives me full access to all of the chat between the players, which is always positive.

The “game day staff” puts so much into each contest that goes unnoticed by most. Kody, Maria, and
Syril put countless hours into making sure we have a team to play, a top end field on which to play,
referees to officiate the contest, and many other tasks that most casual fans don’t realize. Steve and
Sue adds to the environment with their announcing. Opposing teams enjoy their announcing as much as our fans do.

Chip and Lilly, our athletic trainers, set up tents when it rains on the sidelines (even for the opposing
teams) and get the fields ready for play. Chip supplies water for the referees, which always gets a thank you. When our players get banged up, our trainers are always there to help.

Our coaching staff of Tyler Powell, Joe Valle, and Devin Campbell are shaping our players into young
men that are ready for the next chapter of their lives. They give each player critique to motivate them
rather than tearing them down. They challenge our team to improve each day. I hear our fans from across the field always cheering for every player on the team. I many of the voices
by now and the parents equally cheer for their son as well as the other Warriors.

The last few home games sum up why we have the greatest family in sports. Pol Herrero, a foreign
exchange student from Barcelona, got a surprise visit from his extended family this week. Pol and the
team wanted to capture the moment in the pregame as the family was invited to take a few photos with the team. Pol’s family became part of our family tonight. Last week, Coach Joe Valle’s parents were in town from California to visit. We got to spend time with them, and they have become part of our family.

Tonight, Brody Granger from our lacrosse team sang the National Anthem as his teammates cheered
him on.

With half the season remaining, we will continue to make more “on field memories”. In five to ten years, we run into teammates, past coaches, staff, and other Warrior family members. We won’t remember our record or how many goals we scored. We will remember the fun times in practice, the comradery on the bench, and the lasting friendships that we have formed.

I am forever grateful of being a part of the Warriors Lacrosse Family.

#GoWarriors