Being the captain of a sports team is a lot of work and commitment. Getting picked to be a leader of your team is a huge accomplishment and shows many different qualities about you. Senior long-stick midfielder Steve Halko and senior mid-fielder Evan Downey were picked to be the new captains for Cabrini’s 2017 men’s lacrosse team.
“Evan and I both have good experience on the field, and we usually stay out of trouble off the field,” Halko said. “We both took the initiative the past two years to meet with coach and kind of make sure that our team was as best prepared for the season that we could be.” The two captains are actually roommates as well, so they really do spend a lot of time together on and off the field.
“You would always hear coach saying at meetings or around recruits that those two were always doing the right things on and off the field,” Downey said. When picked to be a new leader, one should always make sure a good example is set for everyone else who is looking up to you, and following in your footsteps.
“I prefer more of a leading by example kind of role,” Halko said. “The guys who need a little extra help could see myself playing on the field the right way, or talking on or off the field. Usually I’m not the one to pull someone aside and yell at them or talk to them. I would rather them visually see what I’m doing, and hopefully set a good example for them.”
“Growing up I had two older brothers and they were basically the two people I always looked up to. They would single me out push me to be the best, and always give my all,” Downey said.
Being a captain can be difficult for a college student because they are now in a position that is in between a coach and a player. Teammates have to listen to the captains, and might not agree with everything they do.
“I love the guys here on this team, they’re all such good players and guys in general. They all have their heads screwed on straight and they know how hard they have to work to make this program successful. I hope my teammates respect me, but at the end of the day I think of it as we’re all one team and we all have to put everything else aside and work together,” Halko said.
“It’s our job to try and get everyone to get along and agree on everything so processes during practices and games can go a lot smoother. I think both of us think of our whole team as a big family,” Downey said. “It’s hard to draw the line of being a teammate, a friend, and also that authority figure.”
The Cavaliers put together another successful season last year, going 15-5 overall and finishing as the 2016 Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) champions for the 16th time in a row. They went undefeated in conference play (7-0), and used the home crowd to their advantage going undefeated at Cabrini’s Edith Robb Dixon Field (10-0). Under the tutelage of head coach Steve Colfer, who’s been there for every one of the past 16 championships, the team is hoping to keep it’s reign over the CSAC’s continuing.
Steve Colfer, head coach of the men’s lacrosse team, said “The captains are basically an extension of the coaching staff to the players. They know what the expectations at practice are, on campus, at games, and when we travel. This year, Steve Halko and Evan Downey are good representations of what the leadership of our program should look like.” Colfer says that the whole team got to vote on who should be the captains this season, and Downey and Halko had the most votes.
“There were a number of players that got a vote, but Steve and Evan got the majority of everyones vote. And obviously the coaches concur with these decisions, and we agreed with choosing those two. I think everyone is comfortable with their leadership styles and personalities. They are also very well respected.
Colfer says that the captains this year work hard and always get along with their teammates.
“I think they work very hard everywhere. They put in a lot of effort on the field, and they are both strong students in the classroom. I think those are key things that their other teammates identify and follow by.”
“This season we’re definitely going to have to play our strengths,” Halko said. “We want to emphasize just coming together and making this a great season and trying our hardest to work as a team. In years past we’ve had a lot of ups and downs come our way and some players isolating themselves but in the end we all need to have the mentality that we’re all in this together, as one team.” Everything just comes down to putting your ego aside, and everyone on the team wanting the same things.
The title of being a team captain is honorary. Downey and Halko will assist in making sure all of the players are progressing properly and staying focused on and off of the field as well.
“In college, being a team captain is really about reinforcing what the coaches say, picking up your buddy from the sidelines when he’s hurt, just stepping back and looking at the team and seeing what everyone needs to work on to be the best,” Halko said. “Sometimes players even listen to us before they would listen to the coach because they know we are in their same shoes, and we know every feeling. We’ve been through all the ropes and it really all comes down to practice and experience.”
