Sunny Speaks: We're Talking About Practice

"If I don't practice for one day, I know it; if I don't practice for two days, the critics know it; if I don't practice for three days, the audience knows it." -Ignace Paderewski, famous Polish pianist, composer, and the second Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland.

With their heart rates almost up to game speed, the Lyndon State College men and women's soccer teams were sharing practice toward the common goal of successful upcoming seasons in the North Atlantic Conference.

As the players' touches became more refined, and new and old teammates were linking together, the beauty in the sport and within human understanding shown through the setting sun with pastel strokes across the sky.

Suddenly, the game pace lagged, the air changed, and from across the field, as flow and understanding crumbled to dust, a woman in Lyndon State College Athletics uniform strutted out of the school and toward the Lyndon Soccer Field.

A robust Alex Evans, who also serves as Lyndon's strength and conditioning coach, was playing her role as Assistant Athletic Director, which today meant kicking Lyndon's soccer teams off the soccer field.

"We understand that the lacrosse team has field priority during our off-season, but their team is at an away game right now," said men's senior captain Phil Curll, "and the intramural field we are supposed to practice on is unplayable."

"A few teammates and I were playing on (the intramural field) the other day," said Michelle Wilcox, from the women's team, "but we were limited to where we could play, because of how soft and uneven the surface of the field was."

"In my opinion, the surface of the rugby field is pretty rough and unsafe for soccer and running purposes."

 "We are doing this for your own good," said Evans, Lyndon's conditioning coach. "The game field will be in better condition for your season."

 "When we can sign up to help fix the intramural field, we are all willing, but until then, I think we should be allowed a place to practice," said Dustin Ameden, LSC senior.

"This field can't take that much abuse," Ummer said after parking his four-wheeler on it. "I only get this trouble around this season with the soccer players... They are disrespectful and rude, and there's no place for that. That's what you should write your story about."

When asked if sense could be made of the regulations by enhancing the regulations, such as the limiting of off-season practices logically, taking into consideration that the spring season supports less than half as many athletes on the field as the fall over a shorter period of time, Ummer said the best bet would be to find a place off campus.

"Plans are being made to fix the intramural field," Ummer said. "The plan is to have it ready to play on by September."

"This field just can't take the abuse," he said again. "In the fall, if the lacrosse guys try to play out here, we tell them they can't."

When asked about the cemented in soccer goals at each end of the pitch regarding how they are not of regulation size, Ummer replied, "We are planning on replacing them soon. It's going to take some serious excavating."

And just like that, Lyndon's soccer field suffered another lonely sunset; once an easel for the prosperity of human expression, now just a shadowed memory of what could have been.