"Privileged" Journey, to recovery & redemption

[furpop16]

Michael Smerconish featured this young man on his radio program this week: https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... rini/54618

It's not a quick read and may generate some discussion on this thread about irresponsible partying and its relationship within the "lacrosse community". The post is particularly relevant to UFFP in its reference to Kip Taviano, the promising Furman recruit who died in an automobile accident the summer before his freshman year. The reference is about halfway through the article.

I'm a remote lacrosse fan, figuratively & literally, but the Kip Taviano reference recalled a similar event with similar consequences out here in Los Angeles. Occidental College suffered a loss of multiple baseball players in a horrific automobile accident several years ago. The effect was devastating both on the immediate families but also on the coach, who subsequently lost his relationship with the remaining teammates and eventually lost his job.

I wonder how much of the concerns regarding the current results of our lacrosse team have their roots in the loss of Kip Taviano? The lacrosse community, according to the article, is a small one and lingering effects of tragic events can ripple for years.

[fufanatic]

After the men's soccer tragedy in 2003 (?), the program suffered mightily for a few years and while they have been VERY good several times, they have never quite gotten back to that pre-2003 level.

So it wouldn't surprise me if the death of Kip Taviano impacted the lax program.

[paladinfan12]

The death of Kip passing away was tragic, but I don't think it is fair to compare that soccer tragedy to the Lacrosse incident. 3 current soccer player students died in a car crash when they were a top program. That is about 15% of the team. Kip wasn't a student.

[fufanatic]

The death of Kip passing away was tragic, but I don't think it is fair to compare that soccer tragedy to the Lacrosse incident. 3 current soccer player students died in a car crash when they were a top program. That is about 15% of the team. Kip wasn't a student.

That's a great point, although for accuracy's sake, I'm pretty sure only one player died, but at least two others were either not able to play again or had to take the year off.

[FUBeAR]

The death of Kip passing away was tragic, but I don't think it is fair to compare that soccer tragedy to the Lacrosse incident. 3 current soccer player students died in a car crash when they were a top program. That is about 15% of the team. Kip wasn't a student.

That's a great point, although for accuracy's sake, I'm pretty sure only one player died, but at least two others were either not able to play again or had to take the year off.

https://bysusannafraser.wordpress.com/portfolio/furman/

Furman student dies in car accident, three injured
By Susanna Fraser, Assistant News Editor

Furman mourned the loss of a promising freshman this week after a car accident claimed the life of 18-year-old soccer player Gray Griffin and injured three of his teammates early last Friday.

The accident occurred as Griffin was driving teammates Chefik Simo, Sean Murray and Josh Villalobos, also freshman, back to school after attending a concert in Charlotte, N.C., said Dr. Harry Shucker, vice president of Student Services.

[Jasper]

While the death of any young person is a terrible tragedy, I fail to see how the death of Kip Taviano, a Furman recruit some 5 or 6 years ago could possibly have an adverse impact on the Paladin lacrosse program right now as some have speculated. The young man was never a Furman student nor a member of the lax team, except in an honorary capacity after his death. Clearly it would have had a big impact on those close to him at the time, such as the young man featured in the article but current problems with the FU men's lax program are much more mundane and correctable. I am hoping that is high on the list for the new A.D.