I am actually struggling to find the words to describe the feelings of playing lax again, in Midd jerseys, with old friends and new teammates.  It was surreal -- and yet somehow soul-satisfying.  It was a blast playing the game again; it was magnificent to have real competition and games with good men. It is one of those things that does not mean a thing to anyone who was not part of it, but to those of us who where there and played hard despite our protesting physical selves, it was magical.

I felt the old instincts kicking in and could sense the game coming back again; I felt the thrill of scooping a ground ball and "tearing" (it's all relative) for the open field and finding the open man; I reveled in the queasiness that comes from getting psyched up for a game. We might be older now and graying (or bald) but when we stepped on the field, we were like the old war horses that could smell battle in the air -- and we started stepping high in anticipation of competition.

Most rewarding was playing with you all for the love of the game and the camaraderie that goes with it.  It was like finding a missing part of a puzzle that one needs to complete a picture.  While I might be tempted to over-romanticize this experience, let me say this: one of the great feelings in the world is to be part of something demanding and challenging and yet fun with a bunch of guys who are sharing the same values and feelings; it is all too hard to come by at our age.  

To the rest of the world our tourney was probably some kind of pathetic exercise for a bunch of old farts who don't know when to quit. For me-- and I hope all of you-- it was a chance to reinvigorate friendships and fire up the competitive spirit.

Here is to next year -- and to the fine men and their families of the 2008 Middlebury Grandmasters' Lacrosse Team.

Mike Mulligan, '75