MEN'S LACROSSE
Paul prepares for rigors
of varsity-level lacrosse
By DAVID CASSLEMAN
Daily Sports Writer
Michigan men's lacrosse coach
John Paul graduated from Ann
Arbor Pioneer High School in 1984
without having played a single orga-
nized game of lacrosse.
A quarter century later, with
several MCLA championships in
his swollen trophy case, Paul leads
the newly announced varsity men's
lacrosse team into the competi-
tive and bureaucratic challenges of
NCAA lacrosse.
In the beginning, playing catch
with friends at Burns Park in Ann
Arbor, some bystanders mistook
Paul's lacrosse stick for a Jai alai bas-
ket. Others wondered ifhe was going
fishing with his peculiar-looking
net.
"I knew I wanted to play in high
school, but at the time there were
maybe 13 high school teams in the
state," Paul said. "Pioneer didn't
have a program yet, but there were a
number of us trying to get a program
going. I had a stick in high school,
and I had buddies who had grown
up around lacrosse."
In the past 25 years lacrosse has
exploded in popularity, rising from
an East Coast-dominated sport to a
national and even international phe-
nomenon.
Paul attributes the growth of
lacrosse to cultural considerations.
"The 90s brought on this oppor-
tunity for new sports, even though
ours is a very old sport," Paul said.
"All these sports that weren't con-
sidered sports now became main-
stream. It provided a cultural
opportunity for new sports."
And no one's mistaking lacrosse
for Jai alai anymore.
In the mid-1980s, Paul trans-
ferred from Albion College to Michi-
gan, where his father was a professor
and deanofthe College ofPharmacy,
and began playing club lacrosse.
"When I played it was very much
a club team," Paul said. "You showed
up when you wanted to show up.
We'd hop into each other's cars to
get to games.
"It was pretty good lacrosse but
it was nothing like it became as an
MCLA team."
Paul's coaching career began
shortly after his playing career,
when he started helping out at his
alma mater, Ann Arbor Pioneer.
After receiving his undergraduate
degree in 1992, Paul took a position
in the development office in the Ath-
letic Department, while assisting
with the Michigan club team. Paul
became head coach in 1998.
In 14 seasons Paul's overall record
is 223-43, with 11 CCLA conference
championships and three MCLA
national championships. And Paul
helped create an environment where
the club varsity team flourished, by
attracting donors, building infra-
structure and attracting talented
athletes.
The success of Michigan lacrosse,
along with a host of other factors,
contributed to the team's promotion
to the varsity level.
Another significant factor was a
change in leadership in Michigan's
Athletic Department.
Athletic Director Dave Brandon
arrived in Weidenbach Hall with a
strong plan concerning the future of
Michigan athletics. Part of that plan
was the elevation of men and wom-
en's lacrosse, which Paul learned
about as soon as Brandon took over.
Former Athletic Director Bill
Martin, while generally supportive
of the lacrosse team, did not make
the team's promotion a priority.
"He was very supportive of our
program in every way except mak-
ing it varsity," Paul said. "It's not
something I ever approached him
about in any serious way because I
knew it wasn't on his agenda."
Now in the world of the NCAA,
Paul faces a demanding landscape
of compliance issues, scholarships
and the other frustrating realities of
big-time college athletics. Of course
there is also the essential challenge
of playing better teams.
"We go from a program that's 76-2
over the last four years to a program
that realistically is going to struggle
for a few years as we build our talent
base up to an elite level," Paul said.
"That's going to take some time."
With new obligations come new
privileges. As a club team Michigan
lacrosse had to do everything by
themselves - from hiring and sup-
porting a training staff to providing
IT support. Now they have the full
support of the Michigan community.
For the players, the change will
begin to be understood when they
come back to Ann Arbor in the fall.
"Theyare excitedbutI'm not sure
that they full realize yet what this is
going to mean," Paul said. "This is a
dream for a lot of them."
Monday, June 13, 2011
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You deserve a factual look at ...
Israel: A Light unto the Nations
Those who demonize Israel are either
misinformed or malevolent
If that proverbial man from Mars came to visit and read the world's newspapers, especially those in the Arab and
Muslim world, he would be convinced that Israel was the most evil nation in the world and the source of all of
the world's strife.
What are the facts? ridiculous, so preposterous, it is hard to believe that
A nation to be emulated. The reality, of course, is serious people can countenance it. The exact opposite
that Israel is a nation, a society, that should be is the case. Israel is the only country in its benighted
admired and emulated by many countries in the neighborhood in which people of all colors and
world. The very fact of how the State of Israel came religions prosper and have equal rights. Israel,
into being is one of the most inspiring in history. expending substantial effort, rescued tens of
Born out of the ashes of the Holocaust, it has emerged thousands of black Jews from Ethiopia. And it has
as one of the most advanced, productive and given assistance and absorbed countless Christian
prosperous countries in the world. expatriates from Sudan, who escaped from being
The demonization of slaughtered by their
Israel, assiduously "As the prophet Lsaiah presaged: Israel is Muslic countrymen.
cultivated by the Muslim Isalsoe~n ilo
world, has reached a indeed a Light unto the Nations." Arab citizens enjoy the
crescendo following same rights and privileges
Israel's 2008 defensive action in Gaza. Instead of being as their Jewish fellows. They are represented in the
grateful to the hated Jews for having totally Knesset, Israel's parliament, and are members of its
withdrawn, the Palestinian Gazans showed their bureaucracy, of its judiciary, and of its diplomatic
"gratitude" by almost daily pounding Israeli towns service.
with close to 10,000 rockets and bombs. After All over the world, Leftists, including in the United
countless warnings, Israel ultimately decided to put States and, sad to say, even in Israel itself, tirelessly
an end to this travesty, condemn and vilify Israel. Why would they do that?
When Israel finally did invade Gaza it took the most First, of course, there is good old-fashioned anti-
elaborate precautions not to hurt civilians. As a first Semitism. Second, many of those who hate the United
in the history of warfare, Israel dropped tens of States vent their poison on Israel, which they
thousands of leaflets, warning the population and consider being America's puppet in that area of the
urging it to abandon areas in which military action world. But Israel should certainly get top grades in all
would take place. The Israeli military made thousands areas important to the Left. In contrast to all its
of phone calls urging people to leave areas that would enemies, Israel has the same democratic institutions
come under attack. But fighting in a densely as the United States. All religions thrive freely in
populated environment is difficult and loss of civilian Israel. Also, in contrast to all of its enemies, women
life is hard to avoid. Hamas fighters wear no uniforms. have the same rights as men. The Chief Justice of
It is impossible to tell them from civilians. Is a person Israel's Supreme Court is a woman. One-sixth of the
who allows a rocket launcher in his backyard a Knesset are women. Compare that to Saudi Arabia, a
civilian or a fighter? And how about using schools, medieval theocracy, where women are not allowed to
hospitals and mosques as munitions depots and staff drive cars, where they cannot leave the country
centers? The hue and cry of Israel's demonizers in without permission of a male relative, and where they
accusing it of "disproportionate force" is totally can be and often are condemned to up to 60 lashes if
absurd. The ultimate insult, comparing Israel to the the "modesty police" deems them not to be properly
Nazis, is freely bandied about by Israel's detractors. dressed in public. Gays and lesbians are totally
Israel is not an "apartheid state." Another familiar unmolested in Israel; in the surrounding Muslim
tack of Israel's vilifiers is to call it an "apartheid state," countries they would be subjected to the death
on the model of former South Africa. But that is so penalty.
In spite of demonization and vilification by so much of the world, Israel is indeed a Light unto the Nations. The
State of Israel is the foremost creation of the Jewish enterprise and Jewish intellect that has benefited every
country in which Jews dwell, certainly our own country, the United States. Second only to the United States
itself, Israel is the world's most important factor in science and technology, way out of proportion to the small
size of its population. Israeli Jews are at the forefront of the arts, the sciences, law and medicine. They have
brought all these sterling qualities to bear in building their own country: Israel. By necessity, they have also
become outstanding in agriculture and, most surprisingly, in the military. What a shame that the Arabs opted
not to participate in this progress and this prosperity and chose instead the path of revenge, of Jihad and of
martyrdom. As the prophet Isaiah presaged: Israel is indeed a Light unto the Nations.
This message has been published and paid for by
Facts and Logic About the Middle East
P.O. Box 590359 U San Francisco, CA 94159
Gerardo Joffe, President
FLAME is a tax-exempt, non-profit educational 501 (c)(3) organization.
Its purpose is the research and publication of the facts regarding
developments in the Middle East and exposing false propaganda that
might harm the interests of the United States and its allies in that area of
the world. Your tax-deductible contributions are welcome. They enable
us to pursue these goals and to publish these messages in national
newsapers sa magazines. We hedrtually nooverhead. Almost all
of sesenre payst ifrost medaionalworktothese clar.ying
essages, andfor related directemil. 19
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