Due to COVID-19, seniors spring athletes missed out on playing in their final season in the blue, yellow, and white for the Ardsley Panthers. Star lacrosse player Max Marchi is one of the many who have been affected.
Sports have always been a huge part of Marchi’s life. Being able to play lacrosse has “made [him] want to be better than everyone. The intense physical competition and strategy has pushed [him] to challenge [himself] every day in practice and in the classroom so that [he] could be the best performer on the field as [he could] be.” Lacrosse has also been crucial to his growth as a leader. “It has opened [his] mind up to the possibility that [he] should structure [his] future around becoming a leader.” He has been able to play while looking up to many different athletes. One that truly stood out to him was American Hero Pat Tillman. Tillman is “a man who demonstrated the ultimate dedication to his team and his country. While on the football field, he committed himself to every tackle he made (340 of them), and was a feared physical threat by most of his opponents. After observing the tragic events of 9/11, he sacrificed his career in the NFL (where many believed he would lead a Hall of Fame Career) to join the United States Army. He made the ultimate sacrifice for his country and in my opinion is the most honorable athlete of all time. He sacrificed his financial security, his passion, and his fame, for his country, to fight evil, to protect the American people.” Pat was able to serve his country and help others, and was sadly killed on March 19th, 2007.
Marchi sports the number 34 in lacrosse, and explains, “I’d always worn the number 33 because my lucky number is 3. [This number] means the trinity to me [a Catholic symbol]. Three has never been my number though because Preston has always rocked number 3 (he deserves it). But since 3 is never available I go for 33 usually. Last year, I realized the new varsity jerseys don’t have a number 33. I was a tad upset that I couldn’t wear 33 as a varsity athlete. Coach Danzi told me that the closest number available was 34. I wasn’t interested in 34 until Coach told me that he wore 34 in high school and that he wants me to wear it because I would make him proud representing 34 on the field. Representing his hard work that he put in to get where he is today; I wanted to wear 34 to make him proud.”
Through his years in lacrosse, Marchi has made many different connections with members of his team, and says he has “had a lot of chemistry with a handful of kids on my teams. I will not single out any players on my team because I wholeheartedly believe that I have had extremely close relationships with most players on my team. I like to view myself as an enabler in the Ardsley Lacrosse Program. As a more experienced player I like to promote positive relationships between captains and other players so that we can all learn together while respecting the authority of coaches and captains. With this mentality I have been sure to extend myself as a leader and a friend to my teammates. Because of this, I have befriended and crafted positive relationships with many if not most of my teammates.” He has been able to both mentor and learn from different athletes and coaches in the Ardsley sports program.
"'The intense physical competition and strategy has pushed [him] to challenge [himself] every day in practice and in the classroom so that [he] could be the best performer on the field as [he could] be.'"
Marchi has made many memories over his time with Ardsley, but believes that playing in a game against Rye was one of the best. “If anyone knows about this game they're going to ask me why this is my favorite memory. If I remember correctly, I think we lost that game 20-2. But, we learned a lot of valuable lessons. Rye was and still is one of the best lacrosse teams in New York State With multiple Division 1 commits. Playing against them was physically demanding and it definitely opened my eyes to the type of competition I will face if I am lucky enough to play at the next level. Despite the score and the difficulty we had in the game, I ultimately realized that Rye, just like any other team we played, has weaknesses. They weren’t unbeatable. In fact, I got by their top defenders and put shots on their net. With the right gameplan, attitude, and preparation there is no reason why Ardsley can’t take down big bad Rye or any other team that stands in their path. As my final statement I’d like to say to the future of Ardsley Lacrosse: remember, at the end of the day, they’re humans just like you. Whether they’re better players than you or not, they’re humans. They have weaknesses, they have holes, they can be beaten. No opponent is tough enough for us if we truly invest ourselves. The bigger they are the harder they fall. I want to see a section chip soon!”
Marchi expressed that “missing out on [his] senior season has been a terrible shame. It’s been wildly upsetting to lose the opportunity to lead [his] team to what [they] all knew was going to be [their] first winning season in a while.” He continued, explaining that he was “stripped of the ability to grow [his] leadership abilities and prevented from being part of the Panther brotherhood for [his] last time in high school.”
But Marchi has found ways to adapt. He says, “though it’s been upsetting, I have been doing everything I can to turn this terrible situation into one that will make me a better person. Instead of practicing with my teammates and friends, I’ve befriended the brick wall near the high school and the lacrosse nets locked up behind the bleachers. Every other day I spend hours on the track, wall, and nets improving my shot mechanics, footwork, and overall athleticism in order to take my game to the next level.”
"'Instead of practicing with my teammates and friends, I’ve befriended the brick wall near the high school and the lacrosse nets locked up behind the bleachers."'
With the persevering mentality needed to be a star athlete, Marchi is hoping to continue his athletic career at The United States Military Academy at West Point, with the possibility to join their lacrosse team. He believes that “[his] training has prepared [him] for collegiate level lacrosse. [His] mentality and physical presence will be [his] most appealing attributes as a player and [he] would be honored to play for Army West Point.”
We wish Max Marchi the best in his endeavors at the United States Military Academy at West Point, and look forward to watching him thrive -- as an athlete, leader, and person -- in the future!
Comments