The Waltonian

Eastern University is known for the variety of sports offered on campus. Each one offers a different benefit to our Eastern Community. Three of these programs are often under looked even though they are an important part of the community both in and around Eastern.

Marching bands provide many benefits to a school’s community, but here at Eastern the marching band creates a unique experience for everyone involved. The Eastern University Marching Band began their inaugural season this fall and since then has doubled in size. Due to the program being new here, there is room for traditions to be made. Marching band director Dr. Kate Smucker talked about some of the new traditions that she hopes to implement here at Eastern. The main one being the halftime show at football games. The halftime show is a great way to get the crowd engaged with the band. This in turn can create a more welcoming and enjoyable environment for students and visitors. Smucker also mentioned some of the events that the band attends outside of football season. The most recent was when they played at the Ronald McDonald House. Here they were able to see the joy they brought to the children by helping build community in the greater Philadelphia area.

Marching bands aren’t the only group that brings a unique experience to the Eastern community. The Cheer team can be seen at Eastern University football and basketball games. They are under the direction of head coach Julie Berardi and currently have 12 members. At these games they help build a sense of excitement and engagement with the crowd. The cheers performed connect with events happening in the game to help keep the momentum going. It also provides a great opportunity to encourage more people to watch the football and basketball games to see not only the playing team but also the cheer team. Community is not just found in the crowd though; it is also found within the team. Part of being on a team is creating a comfortable environment where everyone feels they belong. The cheer team creates this environment and community for their members.

The Marching Band and Cheer teams are both important to our Eastern community, but we can’t forget about the Esports team. Head Coach Joshua Franklin oversees the Esports team and works hard to engage with the Eastern community. The team competes in online video game competitions which are usually streamed on their twitch account. This past semester they competed in “League of Legends,” “Valorant” and “Rocket League,” with intentions to add “Marvel Rivals,” “CS:GO” (counterstrike) and “Super Smash Bros.” next semester. They provide students and others with the ability to cheer on and celebrate their school without having to leave their dorm room. Competitive gaming provides students in our community with skills that translate directly into the classroom and workplace after college, including teamwork, communication, strategic thinking, problem-solving, leadership, time management and discipline. Eastern’s Esports team is a great place to work on these skills and become better students. The team also hosts a yearly community fundraiser called the extra life fundraiser for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. All these aspects help build community both in and around Eastern. Nicholas Collazo, a member of the Esports team also mentioned the community within the team. He talked about how welcoming coach Franklin was and the specific roles in the facility to ensure no one is put to the side.All these programs play their own important role in the Eastern Community, but none of them would be able to operate without proper funding. The marching band uses money to purchase uniforms, music and instruments for the members. Without these materials, they would not be able to provide us with the marching band experience we have grown to love. The cheer team uses funding to provide uniforms, equipment and competition fees. All these help build and contribute to the experience of games and competitions we all look forward to. The Esports team uses money for the necessary equipment and software, league and competition fees and team uniforms. These allow the team to perform their best and represent Eastern University. All of these teams would benefit from more funding which would allow them to expand their programs. One way you can help with this is by donating at https://raisedonors.com/eastern/mwclub. All of these teams are available to accept donations from this website. Every donation helps keep these amazing programs funded and an important part of our Eastern Community.

Eastern University has around 24 different sports on campus. Two of these are our men’s and women’s lacrosse teams. Both teams have already begun practice for this upcoming spring season. Practices began for the men’s team on January 15 and for the women’s team on January 21, both for around two hours a day, six times a week. Both teams are fully dedicated to preparing for this new season ahead and working to do their best in the upcoming games.

The men’s team has 11 new faces this year but is still a mainly veteran group. New junior transfer offensive midfielder Brett Gougler talked about just how important brotherhood is to the team. The boys will go to lunch together and get together outside of the field to grow their relationships.

“Chemistry transfers to the field,” said returning junior midfielder Gavin Stark, “if you can’t get along off the field you won’t be able to on the field.”

The men’s team starts off the season with an away game against Salisbury university at 1p.m. on February 1. The out of conference schedule for the team will be challenging, but coach Colin Piper believes it’s a great way to help keep their “eye on the prize,” by inciting a lot of competition and hard work for the rest of the season. The team is also looking forward to this upcoming schedule and loves Piper’s positive attitude.

“Coach always talks about the playoffs, projecting us into them even as early as the first practice,” said Stark, “this gives the team a good mindset going into the season.” Coming off a great season last year, the men are looking forward to the chance to prove themselves again this season.

The women’s team has eight fresh faces making it a largely new team. Coach Mikalla Gillespie is excited to have so many new people on the team and to watch everyone improve as the season progresses. Returning junior, Gracie Horton is ecstatic to play with so many talented new players and see how the season goes. Each new member came in with a different perspective and experience in the sport. Freshman Addy Whitaker says they are “reconstructing the family of Eastern lacrosse.” This provides a great opportunity for the team to grow and evolve this season.

Along with new players the women’s team has a new coach joining the staff. Emmy Stiles was a member of the lacrosse team last year and is now returning this season as a coach. With her new perspective from a recent field player to a coach, the women’s team is excited to see the positive impact she’s going to have.

The women’s team starts off this season with an away game against Arcadia University at noon on February 22. The girls are excited for the challenging schedule this season and look forward to proving themselves.

“We are not defined in wins or loses but rather in how we can stay in the game and feel more confident every game we play,” said head coach Gillespe. The girls anticipate growth across the board this season and amazing commitment and dedication to the team. Everyone is working individually to show that they are passionate about the sport and dedicated to the team. The girls are working to hold each other accountable in practice and even in school. “This will be the best season of Eastern women’s lacrosse,” according to first-year defenceman Whitaker.

Members from both the men’s and women’s teams have been working on preparing both physically and mentally for this upcoming season. Whitaker talked about the extra work she’s been putting in at the gym to keep in shape, including working with a trainer. Sophomore transfer defenceman Emily Berkley placed wall ball in her routine to help practice her stickwork. Stark mentioned the shooting practice he’s been doing in order to prepare for games and Gougler highlighted the preparation he’s been doing in school to stay on top of assignments during the demanding season.

Both teams look forward to showing off their skills this season and hope to see people attend their games. The first home game for the men’s team will be against DeSales University at 1 p.m. on February 8. The women’s first home game will be against Notre Dame University of Maryland at 3:30 p.m. on February 26. If you’re interested in watching one of their games, the men will be playing all home games over on the Valley Forge field, while the women will continue to play home games on Olson field. You can find the full season schedule online for both teams.

Sports are a huge part of the Eastern University community. Around 400 students on campus are currently involved in sports. Along with the recent addition of our flag football team, there are 23 different sports at Eastern. Keeping these teams competitive and engaged requires recruiting new athletes each year.

Coaches here are known for both going to high school/club tournaments and hosting their own sports clinics. Sports clinics are where high school students come and run through a set practice with the coach and other players to show their skills in the sport. Eastern University hosts many clinics throughout the school year. Most teams, including women’s lacrosse and field hockey, host one clinic in the fall and another in the spring. This gives people multiple opportunities to attend a clinic here at Eastern.

Most clinics at Eastern are run similarly. Starting with a warmup and some icebreakers, typically led by the current players on the team. Next, go into some drills that allow the coaches to see the recruit’s techniques and fundamentals. Then the coaches usually end the activity portion of the clinics with a small scrimmage. According to field hockey head coach Abbey Kemble, these mini scrimmages allow the coaches to see how girls manage to use these techniques in a game scenario. It also allows both coaches and current athletes to see the recruit’s teamwork skills. The main goal of this organization of the clinics is to show the potential recruits what regular practice is like. It can help players and their families decide if they like the way the coach handles drills and practice.

Coaches host clinics for a variety of reasons, but most coaches share a common theme. They love to see the potential players work with Eastern’s team and coaches. Working well with a team member can be a make-or-break decision for a coach. If you don’t get along well with the current team or the other recruits around, you can give the coach an inside look at how you might act on the team. Women’s lacrosse head coach Mikala Gillespe says she “loves clinics because tournaments don’t allow us to see how a girl really is as a player.” In a tournament, you only see the player in the game, not how they act with the others outside of the field. A team’s ability to do well is dependent on the interactions between the players both on and off the field. First-year field hockey player Julia Potter added that getting to know the team and interacting before committing helped solidify her decision.

Students also attend clinics for multiple reasons. Clinics here at Eastern are a popular choice to help know the campus and the team. Both Kemble and Gillespe talked about how different a tour with your team can feel compared to a regular campus tour. It allows the players to feel more comfortable with the people they might spend the next few years with. They also help to get on a coach’s radar and get an offer. Julia Potter attended two clinics here at Eastern before committing. Her decision came down to the interactions between the team and her coaches that she experienced at these clinics. Eastern University’s field hockey clinic stood out to her because of the “involvement of the girls, coaches, and players.” Julia attended a lot of different clinics for multiple schools, but Eastern’s was by far her favorite.

Sports clinics are a critical part of the athletic community here at Eastern University. Many of our own players attended clinics here and it helped solidify their decision. Kemble, Gillespe and the other coaches all put hours of effort into designing and executing these clinics. Students such as Potter attend these clinics and sometimes end up attending Eastern University as well. If you’re interested in joining a college sport for Eastern University these clinics are a great place to start!

Joe Walsh is a music education major at Eastern University. Despite being a sophomore, Walsh is taking 22 credits while also balancing being an RA, the marching band’s drum major, the woodwinds section leader, a TA, a member of the jazz band, the concert band, the sax trio and the music department technology assistant. If you have been involved in any ensemble here at Eastern then you have most likely met Walsh. If not, then you have most likely seen him on stage, heard his music coming from Fowler, or said hi to him at the RA desk. Growing up Walsh has always loved music. He started playing saxophone in 4^th grade and has been in bands ever since. He also joined the school choir from 4^th to 7^th grade. But high school was the place that solidified his decision to be a music education major. His high school band director, Ben Vinci, was one of the people who had the biggest impact on his decision. He was the one who Walsh said “made me love music, especially jazz music. I want to be like him by having that same impact he had on me on future students.” Vinci wasn’t the only reason he decided to become a music major. When asked about his other experiences that led to his decision he replied “I have loved music and education separately for a long time, and in high school I had a chance to combine them by teaching some individual saxophone lessons. This made me feel fulfilled and like I was having a positive impact on others.”

There were many reasons why Walsh chose Eastern University, but one of the main reasons was the music department. Walsh came for a tour of EU after a recommendation by his aforementioned high school band director. After touring the music program and meeting some of the faculty, he made his decision. “It just screams family,” is what Walsh said after his tour. It’s always been important for him to have a tight knit community in his life and “Eastern was the place for that.” When asked who his favorite professor in the music department was, he replied, “how can I pick only one? All of them are amazing.”

But it can be stressful to be involved in so many different activities on campus while attending classes. In the music department alone Walsh is involved in the Eastern University Marching Band, the Eastern Sax Trio, the Jazz Band, the Concert Band, and he’s the woodwind section leader as well as the music department technology assistant. Outside of the music department Joe is also a TA for Professor Baker’s INST-150 section and an RA for Kea 2nd North. This busy schedule is not for the weak. Walsh has taken time over the past two years to learn how to balance this seemingly hectic schedule. “Time management is a huge key,” he shares, “setting aside time each day for practicing and homework helps me manage this busy schedule.” In order to be involved in the music department you don’t have to join everything Joe is involved in. He says, “you don’t even have to be a music major to be part of the music department.”

You can even join many of these programs without experience. “It is super easy to join university choir without any previous experience. The [music department] faculty all love teaching and will even help you learn a brand-new instrument.” Walsh highlighted his experience in marching band to show this point. “I had never participated in a marching band before this year, but Dr. Kate was willing to help show me the ropes and teach me to be the Drum Major.” If you’re interested in joining any of the music department activities or ensembles, then Joe is the person to talk to. He says, “we can always use more musicians.” While these programs and activities can count for class credit, you can also join if you already have a full schedule credit-wise. Walsh takes 18 credits a semester in music and education classes, but he still participates in all the ensembles.

Even with his busy schedule, Walsh still finds time to listen to his favorite music. One of his favorite albums is “Smokin’ in the Pit” by Steps (Ahead). Walsh is a big jazz fan and loves “anything even slightly jazz.” Another one of his favorite jazz albums is “Vista Chinesa” by Baptiste Herbin. “I recommend everyone give listening to jazz a try,” he says, “It can make you feel something you’ve never felt before.” Since he plays the baritone, tenor, alto and soprano saxophones, as well as piano and clarinet, he loves to listen to his native instruments in these songs.

When asked why he loves music so much Walsh gave a heartfelt response: “I love music because it’s a universal language. I can enjoy music from any part of the world and feel the same emotions it evokes for other people without needing to know the language they speak.”