IWLCA Convention

Missy and I headed off to Rhode Island this past weekend for the National Lacrosse Convention. It was a great experience and we definitely learned a lot. Here is a picture of many former Middlebury Lacrosse players who are now coaching!!

Barb Martin, Kate Livesay, Reid Berrien, Missy Foote, Mimi Schatz, Kully Reardon, Sarah Martin, Lisa Parsons

Missy Sews...

Here is a picture of Alice Livesay (daughter of Kate Perine Livesay) and Lola McCurdy (daughter of Dalton Cox McCurdy) on a play date! Alice is wearing the overalls that Missy sewed for her!

Babies On The Blog!

So many alums have recently had babies, so here are some pictures and tid bits about each baby! Enjoy!!

Kully and Tom Reardon's two kids--Jack and Finn

Finnegan Patten Reardon
Born on July 22, 2009 at 11:15

Weighed 7 lbs 8 oz.

Jack

Yes, that is a golf ball...

Missy and Alden Smith
Ellicott Amalie Smith, "Ella"
Born on December 3, 2008
Weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz., 21 in
Fun Fact: Ella will be in her first art show with two watercolors entitled "Fireflies" in the Middlebury Artwalk at Belladonna on October 9th.

Kate and Reeves Livesay
Alice Patricia Livesay
Born on June 1, 2009
Weighed 7lbs. 11 oz.
Fun Fact: Missy Foote has already
named her "AP", after her mom

Julia and Andy McPhee
Ryan Michael McPhee
Born on July 11, 2009
Weighed 8 lbs. 11 oz., 21 in.
Fun Fact: He has already traveled to NH, ME, VT and CT, along with MA, where he was born. He has also had two dates with his future girlfriend, Alice Livesay (see picture below).

My new favorite couple....Ryan McPhee and Alice Livesay

Molly and Coert Voorhees
Dayton turned 3 on September 16th
Annie was born on April 10, 2009
Fun Facts: The family just returned from a trip to Denver to ride Thomas the Train. (Picture with Sir Topham Hat). Also "Annie is known by all as 'Angel Baby', she is happy and relaxed unlike everyone else in her family."

This is a video of the day Annie came

home from the hospital...TOO CUTE!!

Whit and Jordan Berns
Ryan--2 1/2 years old
Hadley, Born January 16, 2009
Fun Fact: They are best friends and love making each other laugh.

Dalton and Brian McCurdy
Lola Grace, Born September 19, 2009
Weighed 7 lbs 13.5 oz, 19.5 inches

Heidi and Jesse Thompson
Liam and Shilah
Wilson, WY
Fun Facts: Liam likes moose...a lot! And Shilah tries to keep up with her "big" brother.

Peter Kohn Passes Away

As many of you have probably already heard, our beloved Peter Kohn passed away on August 5 at a University of Pennsylvania Hospital after suffering a heart attack a few days prior. Peter will be greatly missed and every time we step out on "Peter Kohn Field" we will be reminded of what an amazing inspiration and person Peter was to everyone who knew him.

There have been many articles published about Peter and I urge you to google him and read everything that's out there. I've included some links below to articles and YouTube clips that I think are worth reading and watching. Bobo Sideli '77 has graciously taken on the task of scanning Peter's thousands of photos onto Flickr and you can view them here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kohn_archive/

Feel free to e-mail me (mberrien@middlebury.edu) any stories you wish to share about Peter. Two stories from alums have already come in and you can read them below.

Memories of Peter:

I remember Pete Kohn as a good soul, always ready to help out, encourage and support. He had unshakable faith in the athletes and people with whom he worked, and his faith was contagious. Indeed, it was more powerful than I appreciated at the time. When he gave the field hockey team one of his typical, enthusiastic send offs from the steps of our coach bus, there was, I'm certain, a cynical part of me that believed our role was to respond to him with equal enthusiasm because HE needed that. Looking back, I marvel at the effect of his unequivocal belief in us, and his equally affecting ability to convey pure emotions. He expressed absolute certainty that we could accomplish anything we set out to do, just as he showered us with unchecked sympathy following a well battled loss, or a bad day. He cast his guileless support to team after after team, and to player after player, day after day after day after day.

18 years later, it seems that the cynical part of me suffered a myopia of youth. Pete's gifts played out in the short game by boosting our confidence and making us fight harder on the field. Pete's gifts play out in the long game, too. He set a high bar. Pete believed in people. He worked hard. He shared all of what he had, and he shared it with integrity, sincerity, dedication, kindness, constancy, and warmth.

We are all better people for having known Peter Kohn, and I suspect that this legacy would please him. I can see his signature smile now, always equal parts humility, joy and surprise.

If there is a team of Angels up above, they are about to get better. :)
-Cassie Robbins '91
(Field Hockey, Squash)

I have to tell you - I went out for my run yesterday and was again - thinking of Pete as I had just read your email saying the funeral was that day and to wear a bird feather. As I stretched in front of my garage post - a single, spectacularly-blue feather floated down out of the sky and landed directly in front of me where I stretched. While we have a lot of blue jays around our house - I have NEVER seen a single feather anywhere. So - it was clearly a feather from Pete reminding me to play hard and bring home the bacon.
Made me smile. Even in California Pete is watching.
-Vic Hoyt
(Lacrosse)

Here is a picture of Peter, Lindsay McBride and Katie Sparkes at graduation, where Peter was mingling, with ever present camera in hand! And, of course, he imparted to the girls more words of wisdom..."to not look back years from now and regret that there were things you didn't do".
Peter should have had no regrets at all.
-Caroline McBride

Articles:

Baltimore Sun Obituary
Inside Lacrosse, "Call to Duty"
Tribute To Peter By Dave Campbell '09
Peter Kohn featured in Sports Illustrated

Videos:

Singing "Park School" at Peter's Funeral
Memorial Short Film
Peter Dances at Vail Shoot Out 2009

Thank you!

Dear Players, Parents, Alums and Coaches,

Thank you for an amazing two years. I feel blessed that I've gotten to come back to Middlebury and be part of a truly incredible family.

Luckily, Reid Berrien '08 is staying and will be the new assistant and blog manager!

I hope you're having a great summer!

Love,
Heidi

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Francie with her husband John, baby Morgan and pup Quimby.

Our last player of the week this season is Francie Madsen Maletis '99. She answers some questions for us:

Name, occupation, and where you’re living:
Francie (Madsen) Maletis, Marketing/Sales - Oaktree Capital, San Francisco, CA.

What you've been doing since graduating 10 years ago?
7.5 years in NYC, 1 year in VT/NH, 1.5 years in San Francisco. I worked for a hedge fund in New York City for the first two years out of school before going to my current firm, Oaktree Capital. I sell alternative investment funds to institutional clients (endowments, foundations, pensions). I continued to date John, my Middlebury boyfriend, for another six and a half years after graduation before we got married. We spent our first year of marriage back in Vermont (Upper Valley) where he completed his MBA at Tuck (Dartmouth). In September of 2007, we moved together to San Francisco. And in the last 2 years, we've added a black Labrador, Quimby, and a little boy, Morgan (4 months), to the mix!

What was your favorite Midd lacrosse moment?
There are a lot. But I think that winning the NCAA's for the first time in '97 and breaking the longest win streak in NCAA history (I checked the stat - 102 wins, which spanned from April 14, 1991 until May 18, 1997 when we won;) ) We stepped it up to another level that day. And I believe every team since then has been the better for it.

What was your favorite 1999 season memory?
Besides winning the NCAA's again on John's Hopkins Field? I loved everything about the season, starting with spring break. We were a very close team - I respected every single teammate very much and still do. I even loved the long road trips in the vans!!

What does it means to say you are a Midd lax alum?
It means you are part of an elite community of friends that you can feel proud of every day. Middlebury may be a small school and the lacrosse team even smaller, but you'd be amazed how well known and respected the program is...even across the country! I miss our days on the field together, but the friendships and support we started in Middlebury carries on.

What is the best advice Missy Foote ever gave you?
There are too many lines of wisdom to recount just one. What I loved most about Missy was that she was so much more than a coach. She supported you on and off the field. She was not only your coach, but also another parent looking out after you...and a friend. She saw you first as a individual, and then as a player on her team.

What does the word “TEAM” means to you?
Learning how to encourage, challenge and strengthen each other to achieve much more than any one individual player could. A support system that extends well beyond the parameters of the field. Work hard together, play hard together, have fun together. Friends for life.

What is something you want current team to know?
Make sure to pause often and take a mental picture of your days on the lacrosse field. Breathe in the crisp air and look at the mountains. Enjoy and realize how special you have it. What you are learning now will carry with you long after graduation. It's a great day to be a panther!

Our Season Comes to an End

Our team saw its season come to an end in an NCAA Regional Final game with Hamilton for the second straight season. It was an exciting and emotional weekend as we played Colby for the 3rd time this season in the second round game on Saturday. We devised a new game plan and it worked as we beat Colby with a convincing score of 9-3. On Sunday, we were up against Hamilton, the defending National Champions. After a hard fought game, we lost 13-9. It has been a great season and we thank you fans for your continued support!