On Sunday, for the third consecutive year, the men's lacrosse squad held its annual Judgment Day team building workout. But this year, the Jumbos knew "The Program" would be a little different: they were headed to Hingham to spend the day in sand and icy waters. The Jumbos drove south on Sunday afternoon, and, led by former Navy SEAL Coleman Ruiz, began their rigorous workout. Designated Jumbos led their teammates through various calisthenics on the beach, focusing on detailed execution. With temperatures in the thirties, the team was cold, sandy and tired. And they knew this was only the beginning. The Program staff split the Jumbos into smaller "crews" and gave them inflatable rafts to carry. The groups raced across the beach, competing against their own times. The field trip culminated with a team−wide boat race to an island and back — a true test of their communication and teamwork. "Doing all of this on the beach was more challenging than doing it on Bello Field," said senior attacker Jordan Korinis of his third time through The Program. "Running on the sand can be tough, especially after diving into the freezing ocean to get fully submerged." Yesterday morning, the team returned home to Bello for part two of the process. The workout began at 4:30 a.m. in subzero temperatures. The Jumbos repeated their pushups, mountain climbers and, like every year, jumping jacks. Once they achieved their goal of "one perfect jumping jack" — meaning every member of the team completed a flawless jumping jack in perfect unison — the training was complete. Though the players walked off the turf exhausted, they knew they were better prepared for Saturday's season opener at Hamilton because of it. "The most valuable takeaway for the upperclassmen was the reminder that this team is 0−0 and has accomplished very little so far, except for the hard work we have put in since last summer," Korinis said. "As for the underclassmen, I hope that it reinforced the example of the physical and mental toughness and focus that needs to be exerted on a daily basis in order to make this season a success." Ultimately, the experience sharpened their focus on the task at hand. "Judgment Day requires some minimum level of physical fitness to complete, but it is a mental exercise," Korinis continued. "It is a great tool for building mental toughness while also being a great team−building activity. The idea is to keep the mental edge on whoever our opponents are. Right now, the team's goal is to beat Hamilton and be 1−0."
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