Wednesday, we had our first Capital Athletic Conference game.  Some may describe our conference play as hegemonic.  This reputation is derived from our record of 100 wins and 0 losses since 1994 (our inaugural season in the conference).  Salisbury has won 14 consecutive CAC Championships during this time.  This is significant in that, usually, each time a team wins its conference tournament in lacrosse, it is awarded an Automatic Qualifier into the NCAA tournament.  Against the Wolverines, we were able to maintain this unblemished mark by winning 18-5.  I have an exam in Introduction to International Relations on Friday that I am going to get back to studying for.  There will be another post after this upcoming weekend.

      Please feel free to leave comments, suggestions, protests, and questions, and I will incorporate them into my posts. 

Over the past weekend, the Sea Gulls traveled to Lynchburg, Virginia.  The Lynchburg College Hornets were the 5th ranked team in the nation in some polls.  This fact, combined with last year's match ending with a 10-9 score which saw Salisbury on the victorious side, set the stage for this marquee early season battle.  

After spending a few hours on the bus, we made a stop for food.  Our head athletic trainer/team mom Maureen "Mo" Thompson handed out $20 per three players.  Most players, trainers, and coaches dispersed between the delicious Panera Bread and slightly less healthy Five Guys' Burgers And Fries.  A select few of my teammates found the diamond in the rough that was Chipotle.  In order to stay on schedule, there was a 20 minute time set in which we would reconvene at the bus.  At around 2:30 PM, the bus arrived at Lynchburg College where we would hold our ritual pre-game practice.  This practice, however, was held in enemy territory and was attended by some unconventional spectators.

Lynchburg's Shellenberger Field is quite an intimidating venue for athletes.  This is because the stands hang above the sidelines and the field is surrounded by the school's dormitory buildings.  Students welcomed us with open arms as they were cheering for the entire practice (they even brought air horns).

After practice, we checked into our hotel and were allowed some down time before going to dinner.  My rooming arrangements are with face-off midfielders Ryan Finch and Kyle Gallagher.  During this time, I went to greet my parents in their hotel room.

Dinner for the night was held at Macado's restaurant.  The decor seemed to encompass the history of the United States through various mediums from newspapers to comic books.  Much to the dismay of the staff, a local high school track and field team had just won their regional tournament and decided to hold a celebratory dinner at Macado's as well.  After a two hour stay at the restaurant, we received our sandwiches.  We encountered similar hardships when trying to eat breakfast at the hotel the next morning.  Ironically, we were quite fast and efficient with respect to the game.  The final was an 18-6 victory for Salisbury University in front of 621.

During this weekend, we covered much terrain with our charter bus.  Although it was quite draining, the trip was very rewarding.  I will give you an update after our next contest against Wesley College at home on Wednesday.

        Please feel free to leave comments, suggestions, protests, and questions, and I will incorporate them into my posts. 

       Hello again!  I am writing to you tonight now that I have completed another week of schoolwork, preparation, and extracurricular activities.  On Monday we were granted the day off from lacrosse practice in part because of our performance on Sunday and also due to the intense week of practice which was to come.  In what seemed to be an act of divine intervention, my schedule was completely cleared.  Due to the holiday of President's day, the public library in which I am currently interning at was closed.  In addition to this, the professor for both of my political science courses was out of town serving on a panel at the International Studies Association's conference in New York City.  

       Although the weather conditions were short of ideal (a sunny day of 50 degree temperature with a ferocious wind chill of -20 degrees), I decided that this would be a great opportunity to brush up on my golf game.  At Salisbury University we have a Club Golf Team of which I am a member.  As a member of this club, a student is given a yearly pass to a local golf course for a discounted price.  Those on the roster may also participate in tournaments both within the club and against other schools.  Since I finally have a formidable set of clubs, I signed up for the club in hopes of taking my game to the next level.  After working out, shooting, and doing some homework, I teed off on the course around 2:00 PM.  As I walked towards the first tee, I realized that I had become an impromptu member of a threesome comprised of two Division 1 golfers who work at the course and myself.  Thankfully, they only played through the first three holes.  Despite struggling to find my swing early in the round, I was able to finish the day with a couple of respectable bogeys, a few impressive pars, and some holes that may have served as better performances with a similar scoring card to gymnastics.  In order t o avoid frostbite in my fingers, I only played a round of 9 holes.

       The rest of this week has been devoted to preparation for our game against Lynchburg College.  Wednesday saw a slight downpour of rain as well as freezing temperatures.  Normally, these types of elements would not deviate us from our daily routine because we practice on the convenient, expert drainage system of the field turf in Sea Gull Stadium.  However, our #3 ranked Women's Lacrosse team had a home contest against Christopher Newport University in which they were victorious by a score of 18-8.  Therefore, we were forced to hold practice in our gymnasium at 2:30 PM.  After practice, I drove to the public library in order to give a tour to a group of English as a Second or Other Language (ESOL) students for part of my internship.  Later, I attended the Salisbury University Men's Basketball game.  The Sea Gulls fell to Marymount in a heartbreaking 62-60 final. 

       We will be departing for Lynchburg, Virginia tomorrow morning at 7:30 AM.  Our ETA is 2:00 PM.  At this time, we will hold a pre-game practice at Shellenberger Field.  Since many of us will be missing our classes for this trip, we were required to communicate to our professors that we would not be in attendance.  At this point arrangements are made to take quizzes/tests or turn in assignments earlier in the week.  Some professors ask that student-athletes acquire notes from their coach in order to be excused from class.  I handed in the excuse to my professor who gave me a word of encouragement "WIN!"  I will be waking up at 5:30 AM tomorrow morning in order to make sure my things are ready to go for this weekend.  I'll give you an update tomorrow night from Lynchburg.  

Please feel free to leave comments, suggestions, protests, and questions, and I will incorporate them into my posts.

P.S. In response to the Zarch's inquiry, it's known as an offsides penalty and an earful of unpleasantries.    

Hi everyone, let me first start off by introducing myself.  As you can see my name is Tim O'Branski and I am a senior co-captain of the #1 ranked Salisbury University Sea Gulls' Men's Lacrosse team.  Currently, I find myself in my third year at SU after transferring in from St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa.  I am majoring in Spanish with minors in Political Science and Athletic Coaching.  When I was approached to write this blog for the NCAA, I grew very eager to have the opportunity at attempting to create an insider's perspective of the college experience for a student-athlete.  Hopefully, I will succeed in this endeavor. 

        Some of you may be wondering about the title I have chosen for this entry.  Through the years, our lacrosse program has gained a reputation for constantly achieving the highest level of success in the NCAA (we currently have won 8 National Championships including 5 of the past 6).  It is for this reason that some have given us the identity of The Evil Empire, a name which we are very passionate about.  For example, we walk out before warm-ups on game day to The Imperial March composed by John Williams.

This past weekend was quite eventful in Salisbury.  Love was in the air on Saturday as restaurants and candy stores filled with those both looking to set the ideal romantic evening and those who hoped to forget about the significance of Valentine's day.  Around 11:30 AM about half of the team flocked to Sea Gull Stadium to tune up their lacrosse sticks and perfect the intricacies of their passing and shooting.  Pre-game practice was set for 12:00-1:00 PM.  After a productive practice in the beautiful weather (an abundance of sun and a 50 degree temperature which felt like 70), I stayed after for about an hour shooting.  Immediately following this session on the field I went to my co-captains' house in order to finalize the warm-up tape for the home opener set for the following day.  About three hours later, we finished our task.  Finally, after turning in the CD for our assistant coach's approval, I was able to meet up with my parents for dinner at The Greene Turtle.  By the time I got home from dinner, I was ready to go to sleep.

On Sunday morning, I sprang out of bed like a child on Christmas morning with great anticipation for the day.  This was the day of our season home opener against the University of Scranton Royals (yes, the same Scranton as The Office).  Aside from being our first game, I was excited to play against a couple of close friends from my hometown of Binghamton, New York.  I arrived in the locker room around 10:15 AM in order to make sure I was well-stretched, warmed up, and that my stick was tuned up.  I felt a wave of nostalgia as I watched the rookie players cherish the moment of putting on the "Maroon and Gold" for the first time.  Today's contest was slated for a 1:00 PM face-off in front of 729 fans.  Despite a very slow start to the game which saw us trailing 3-0 in the first quarter, we prevailed to win 24-6 via a 16-0 run.  At the tailgate after the game, Coach Berkman spoke and introduced his coaching staff as well as some of the dedicated parents who help coordinate and run our parent's association.  I have attached a couple of pictures of the tailgate.  After a goodbye with my parents, I relaxed for the rest of the night .