Five months after their 2006 season was cut short in the wake of the controversy surrounding a March 13 party, the Blue Devils were finally back on the field Monday with a new coach and an inspirational phrase to guide them this year.
Led by head coach John Danowski, Duke opened practice early in the morning at the turf fields behind Koskinen Stadium in front of 25 media members--a rare sight for a fall practice.
Amid eager cheers of "Yeah Duke!" the 45 players rallied under their motto: "Succisa Virescit."
The phrase, Latin for "Cut it down, and it will grow back stronger," was inspired by the official motto of the Delbarton School. Reade Seligmann, one of the three indicted players in the ongoing criminal case, graduated from Delbarton in 2004 and three current members of the squad--Fred Krom, Ned Crotty and Ryan McFadyen--are also Delbarton alums.
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"Everyone's motivated for the new season," said co-captain Ed Douglas, who along with Matt Danowski was elected team captain last week. "We've got a lot of work to do. We have some rust to shake off."
Both captains declined to comment on sexual assault allegations, but Douglas said he personally felt the loss of Seligmann and Collin Finnerty, also under indictment.
"I wish with all my heart that Collin and Reade could be here, but we're going to keep playing lacrosse, and we're going to move on," he said. "This is a new day, and we came out here, and we didn't mention last season at all."
As for distractions brought on by the news coverage and the criminal case, senior Matt Danowski said the players just focus on the game.
"You block out distractions by not noticing," Matt Danowski said. "When I'm on this field--this is it."
John Danowski agreed with his son and said his philosophy is to move forward and hope the players will make right decisions on their own.
"We've talked about general behavior as I would with any team," John Danowski said. "One of the exciting things about education is that you really try and hope that you can teach life's lessons."
For Matt Danowski, opening day meant more than just returning to the field. It meant playing under his father for the first time in his life.
"This is my first time with him being my coach. I've enjoyed it--had a good time," Matt Danowski said. "Hopefully we'll keep it going like this, and he doesn't yell at me too much."
John Danowski said one of the lessons he intends to instill in the players is the need to appreciate the opportunity they have as varsity athletes and the responsibility they have to take an active role in the surrounding community.
"It is a privilege to play," John Danowski said. "It's a privilege to go out there and to give an hour back... and I want them to do that."
Matt Danowski pointed out that the team will be working hard to build a better relationship with the community this season.
"My dad's always been a big proponent of community service," Matt said. "We're going to be around, and we're going to try to do what we can to give back to what's given us so much."
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