Under the Arch: Embodying the Block M, Good Home Win
2/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Brian Archer is a sophomore faceoff man for the University of Michigan men's lacrosse team. In his second year of scribing excellence in 'Under the Arch,' Archer, a Brighton, Michigan, native, provides periodic commentary, musings, and observations from an inside perspective on Team Four. The program can also neither confirm nor deny that he writes his installments under the actual arch in the Diag on campus, as moped parking can be tricky in the surrounding area.
Welcome back, Under the Arch enthusiasts! Although the first bit of this blog is probably more serious than past editions, I thought it was something that may be of interest, as I sometimes find myself forgetting how lucky I am to be in the position I am today.
Tuesday conditioning sessions, studying until midnight because you had practice, refusing to take the stairs every time an elevator is available, and the constant fear of getting a hamstring cramp that inevitably results in jumping out of your seat sending your professors desk skyrocketing during office hours (hypothetically of course). These are all symptoms a lacrosse player at Michigan experiences daily for an affliction that only has one remedy: the Michigan block M.
Coach Paul showed us a video called "One of those Days" -- a video featuring freestyle skier Candide Thovex skiing on a perfect day. This video really hit home with me because although my teammates and I all have "one of those days" every so often, it's truly such an honor to be a student-athlete here at Michigan.
Wearing the block M every day makes the aforementioned affliction (we'll just call it Bo-matosis seeing as Strength and Conditioning coach, Bo Sandoval, is generally the reason for being sore 24/7) completely worth it. Whether it's wearing the block M on your shorts when squatting or pulling the block M jersey on over your head on game day -- that feeling is what makes it all worth it for myself and the rest of the Michigan men's lacrosse team. And winning with it on ... That's something we've really started liking too.
Side note: If I'm going to shout-out Bo I have to also give a big pump up to Jeremy Marra, our athletic trainer. As much as the stuff I said earlier about the block M's healing power is true ... Jeremy is the real magic at work in keeping all 48 of us as relatively healthy and game-ready as possible. Notice how I used the word "relatively" as even Jeremy can't find a cure for why Peter Khoury's hip only hurts on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you haven't followed past blogs, we only have conditioning on days that start with T.
Now, I don't mean to make a big deal ... but if you weren't in Oosterbaan last Saturday to see us take down Bellarmine ... you probably have cable and are like "Scrawny Arms" Rob Lowe. Mich lax put on the whooping with a decisive 16-9 win. For the first time in program history, we are 1-0. Being part of a startup program is cool because we get to experience lots of firsts. This Saturday we will play Detroit so make sure you come out to be part of us becoming 2-0 and achieving our first at-home win streak!
Looks like I'm not having any mayonnaise,
Brian William Archer, Multi-hundredaire
• Previous Blog: We're Back, First Week of Practice, The Thundercats
