Dalton Charest
Equinox Staff
The alumni of Keene State College athletics are dosed with a small amount of nostalgia once every year when they do the annual visit back to campus.
Contrary to popular belief, these alumni aren’t here to party and grab a few drinks from the local bars. They’re here to play in the annual alumni games of their respective sport to show the current players and coaches that they can still play the game.
With the recent alumni games of both the KSC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams, and the field hockey team, players and coaches alike describe the setting as one of homecoming and camaraderie.
The field hockey team is able to field two different teams of alumni to play each other in the same game instead of having the alumni face-off against current field hockey players. This response to an opportunity to come back and play is great for the integrity of holding onto to a special bond.
KSC head field hockey coach Amy Watson said that even if the current players can’t play, they still attend to hold onto the idea of community that is KSC athletics. “It’s always good for the current team to see the people who played before them so it’s a good family building event,” Watson said.
Watson added, “The biggest part of it is having a sense of family and camaraderie between the current team and the people who played before them.”
Watson said the current field hockey team usually will attend the event and help run the lines and with the balls.
Though not an alumnus of Keene State College himself, KSC Men’s Lacrosse head coach Mark Theriault still says he straps on the pads to play in the games here and there but this past year decided to referee instead due to an influx of returning alumni.
“At the ripe old age of 41, it’s just this year we had 28 alumni back and for me to step in there,” Theriault said.
Coaches have their thoughts on the alumni games and what it means to their programs but the current players always have their own opinion on the games themselves.
Junior mid-fielder and captain of the women’s lacrosse team, Nicole Curry said that the games mean a lot for the programs and the alumni want a chance to see how the team is going to do in the on-coming season.
“To me it means that our program has grown and the people who have graduated still want to come back and contribute and see how we’re doing with our new freshman and everything like that,” Curry stated.
With a young team last season, the women’s lacrosse program depends a lot on its underclassmen. Curry said she thinks it’s good for the freshman to see the players for morale purposes.
“It’s good for the freshmen to see that we have a strong team and continue to pull together,” Curry said.
The men’s lacrosse alumni games every year are extremely competitive and are played in a much more in-season mind set by both the players and the alumni.
Theriault explained there’s a lot of pride from both the alumni and the current players while the games remain to be full contact which means keep your head up in lacrosse terms.
Theriault said, “Usually the most recent graduates of the school are still trying to flock their feathers and the new kids, the current players, want to show that they’re in shape and they’re on the top of their game.”
But when the game is all said and done, the two sides – both the alumni and the current team – come together as if each player was a part of their second family.
Theriault said the alumni games are an important piece in keeping the program together and also provide building blocks to fundraise the program. He said it’s good to make each player feel like a continued part of the family.
“A lot of these players put a lot of time and effort into their four years when they’re in college playing lacrosse,” Theriault said. Theriault continued, “For that to abruptly end because they graduate is sometimes a shock. I know for the college experience, the lacrosse piece is such a big part of the college experience so for me to have an alumni game to get them on campus, to see the new guys and to see each other I think means a lot to them.”
Nicole Curry said she will be back for her alumni game after she graduates from Keene State College.
Dalton Charest can be contacted at
dcharest@ksc.keene.edu.