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Men's Lacrosse Meets President Bush at the White House
9/24/2002 10:57:37 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Executive Adventure
Sean Lindsay and Donn Vidosh kept watch at the entrance to the Old Family Dining Room. They were on the look-out for the man who had invited their national-championship lacrosse team to the White House.
President George W. Bush hosted NCAA Spring Sports Championship Day on Sept. 24. The Orangemen were one of 10 teams that attended this special ceremony which paid tribute to all the NCAA Division I teams that won championships in the spring of 2002.
For Syracuse, it marked the lacrosse team's second visit to the White House to meet a U.S. President. In 1990, the Orangemen were treated to a special day in the Rose Garden by President George H.W. Bush.
Both visits were an honor and both will always hold a place in the memories of the Orangemen who attended.
Syracuse flew down to Washington in two shifts. The first group, chaperoned by head coach John Desko, arrived in the nation's capital three hours before the second group. With time to kill, the fortunate first 19 passengers participated in a tour of the Federal Bureau of Investigations headquarters in the J. Edgar Hoover Building.
Helping to arrange the tour was former SU Associate Director of Judicial Affairs Emily Vacher, now a special agent with the FBI.
Players walked by exhibits that detailed the FBI's history of U.S. law enforcement. White-collar crime, organized crime, illicit drugs, terrorism and violent crimes were discussed. The team passed by a DNA laboratory and a firearms arsenal. At the end of the tour, the team was brought down into the firing range. Tom Hardy and Solomon Bliss were selected to hold a pair of Tommy guns for a photo that the tour guide recorded.
The two SU traveling parties were reunited at the ESPNZone in downtown Washington for lunch.
Graduated seniors John Burns, Josh Coffman, John Glatzel, Tom Hardy, Alex Mummolo, Brian Solliday, Billy St. George and Spencer Wright were all in attendance.
A tour bus carried the Orangemen down Pennsylvania Avenue in order to meet their 1:15 p.m. appointment. Security agents greeted the bus at the East Gate and ushered the Orangemen through. There, they joined other national champions who had also gathered outside the White House gates. Student-athletes were asked to pass through a security checkpoint where identification cards were required for admittance.
The players were discouraged from bringing cameras inside the White House, but the President made sure to stop and pose for a photograph with each team. A White House photographer arranged the team on risers and snapped a picture, promising to send the prints back to Syracuse.
The Orangemen were asked to wait for the President inside the Old Family Dining Room, along with the Princeton women's lacrosse team. The room had yellow-painted walls and chandeliers. Its most distinguished feature was a large, painted portrait of Edith Roosevelt, wife of President Theodore Roosevelt, the U.S. commander-in-chief who played a critical role in the creation of the NCAA back in the early 1900's.
After a 20-minute wait, White House officials announced that the President would be arriving inside the Old Family Dining Room in two minutes. Lindsay and Vidosh kept their eyes fixed on an elevator door just outside SU's waiting room. A member of the military informed the two players that the President was on his way via the elevator. Vidosh tried to position himself in the field of vision, so that he could try and shake the President's hand.
President Bush briskly entered the room and welcomed the entire team. He wore a blue shirt and, ironically, an orange tie, which he later pointed out was his attempt to avoid favoritism. After all, orange was a shared team color of three teams in attendance: the Orangemen, the Princeton women's lacrosse team and the Texas baseball team.
Coach Desko shook the President's hand and thanked him for the invitation. During their brief conversation, President Bush revealed that he kept in shape by exercising everyday.
The team had their picture taken with the President and then proceeded down the hallway to the East Room where they were formerly announced in front of representatives from each of the schools, administrators and members of the media. From Syracuse, UUTV and the Daily Orange sent reporters to cover the event. Congressman Walsh, who was instrumental in getting the team a visit to the White House, was also in attendance.
Captain Josh Coffman stood on stage holding the team's gift to the President - an autographed, framed Syracuse Lacrosse poster.
Flashbulbs popped all over the room as the President took the podium. His opening remarks spoke to the unique timing of the teams' visits, in light of the on-going war on terror. He reminded his guests that the United States is the greatest country in the world and he praised them for the dedication and determination they used to achieve the title of National Champion. He said similar perseverance is what it will take to make our nation successful in defending freedom.
The President's comments included a message about serving as positive role models. He reminded the student-athletes that they are always being watched and that they have an opportunity to have a positive effect on the young people who look up to them.
President Bush then said a few words about each team and accepted the gifts from each of the captains. When he got to the Orangemen, he said, "Syracuse dominated. Wait, did I say dominate? They won their last four games by just one goal."
Later, when Bush remarked on the record-setting ways of the Princeton women's lacrosse team, he suggested that since Syracuse beat the Tiger men for the championship, maybe the Orangemen should take on the Princeton women. His quips drew laughter from the entire room.
After the President concluded his ceremony, the SU players and coaches milled about the East Room, trying to absorb all that they had just experienced.
On the way to the team's dinner at Morton's, Sean Lindsay sat on the bus talking to a Daily Orange reporter on a cell phone. He vividly summed up the emotions of the day.
"Our hearts were beating so fast," said the junior midfielder. "It was a feeling of anticipation to meet this man ... the most powerful man in the world. He kind of sensed everyone was tense and did a good job of breaking the ice.
It was a truly unique experience - something we can always remember and tell our grandchildren about. Very few athletes can say they met the President at the White House."
University Union Television attended the event and has a full recap, including reactions from players and Coach Desko. You can access UUTV at http://uutv.syr.edu
On The Bench, the show featuring the highlights from the White House, will air on Time Warner 98 on Sept. 26, at 4:30.
