Correction appended
Baseball legend Babe Ruth once said, "The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but it they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime."
For most teams, their captains serve as the lubricant that reduces friction between team members and helps teams play more as a singular unit.
As the leaves turn red for the seniors' last fall in Hanover, '08s have taken over as captains and leaders of their respective sports teams. For most of them, the transformation from pea green freshmen to campus icons has been a long but rewarding journey.
"It's definitely an honor to be the captain," Justin Cottrell '08, one of four football captains, said. "Actually, it is probably the greatest honor that I have ever received and I am just proud to lead the guys out onto the field."
For most Dartmouth athletes, their captains are the people they turn to whenever the going gets tough. Advice on a broad range of issues, often unrelated to one's sport, is not beyond a captain's job description.
"We help them through their schedules and tell them which classes to take, which classes not to take during the season," said Megan Strout '08, captain of the field hockey team. "In social scenes, we tell them what to stay away from and just keep an eye out for them. I think they are glad we were there to help them through that process."
Strout's personal experiences outside of Hanover have certainly made the St. Louis native more sensitive to and appreciative of others' needs. Strout's older brother suffered from a serious case of cardiomyopathy, but successfully underwent cardiac transplantation four years ago. A formative event, her brother's physical difficulties played a major role in shaping Strout into the team leader she is today.
"You have to look at the bigger picture and ask yourself, what can I do to affect change on the team?" Strout said. "For example, we are on a bit of a losing streak right now and I am trying to look inward instead of pointing fingers at whoever didn't mark or whoever wasn't hustling at a certain point in the game."
When it comes to advising the freshman class on the rules of Dartmouth, Cottrell has looked to previous leadership for inspiration.
"I try to take a page out of [former captains'] books when I help [the freshman players] along, to make things easier for them like someone once did for me. I try to do the best that I can and reach out as much as possible," Cottrell said.
Cottrell is no stranger to taking charge. In addition to being a captain of his high school football, baseball and wrestling teams, Cottrell has two younger brothers whom he guides and advises on a regular basis.
While freshman year seems a rather distant past for many seniors, athletes remember vividly the impact that the Class of 2005 leaders during their freshman year had on their initial Dartmouth experiences.
"The impression that seniors make is huge, especially on a soccer team, or any other fall sport, because you are here almost a whole month before school starts," said Brian Lappas '08, co-captain of the men's soccer team. "So almost all of your first Dartmouth experience is based on what the older guys talk about and what they say." "I was lucky enough to have a couple of really good leaders my freshman year. I try and take the good things that I thought they did and apply it today," Lappas said.
Jared Dowdakin '08 had a somewhat similar experience in his first few weeks on campus.
"A few of [the seniors] weren't so friendly toward us when we were freshmen," Dowdakin, the poised football captain, said, "but, overall they made us feel welcome."
"I remember being a freshman so I sympathize with the younger guys," Dowdakin continued. "I know that they are a little scared coming in."
Becoming a captain has also affected how some seniors carry themselves on the field, as their teammates now look to them to set the tone of the game.
"Sometimes when I am on the field, I feel a greater responsibility to continuously play better and give 100 percent all the time," Strout said. "I can't slack at any point in the game because I know that my teammates do look to me for certain attitudes on the field. I try to remain positive and helpful as much as I can. But you can definitely feel, when we are down by a goal or the other team just scored, that the team looks to Whitney [Waugh '08] and me to enlighten them."
"It's tough sometimes when we are losing by a few points but I just really try to lead by example and hope that my hard work will show people how they should play," Strout said.
Monica Martin de Bustamante '08, women's soccer captain, tries to do the same for her teammates.
"A big thing this year has been leading on the field and finding a way to get our teammates pumped up and ready to go for every game," Martin de Bustamante said. "That hasn't been the easiest but we are still trying the hardest that we can."
Adversity is nothing new for Martin de Bustamante, who moved to the United States from Spain as a freshman in high school. However, beginning her soccer career in the spring of that freshman year, Martin de Bustamante was able to pick up the sport in less than two years. Martin de Bustamante impressed college scouts when she went to a showcase during her junior year of high school, leading to her career at Dartmouth.
Juggling responsibilities as both a captain and a player is far from easy. Not even for Lappas, who has served in that capacity since his junior year.
"I sometimes feel like a cheerleader, which is not always exactly what you want to do, but I try to give a good balance of criticism and encouragement," Lappas said. "This way the team has good morale but at the same time, no one's slacking. It's hard to find a balance but it's easier with a stronger senior class by your side."
The two-time captain has been suffering from compartment syndrome, a muscular condition that inflicts severe pain. This condition is rare, but most often seen in athletes. The condition results when dangerously high levels of pressure build within muscles -- in Lappas's case, his calf muscles. When the pressure reaches a certain level, the lack of oxygen in the muscle can cause damage to nerves, blood vessels and muscle cells.
Lappas underwent surgery this summer to relieve the pressure in his calf muscles but he is "still recovering" and "not 100 percent." The scars on his legs are still highly visible.
"It's frustrating because I didn't get to train all summer," Lappas said. "I was basically doing rehab so when I finally started playing again, I was really out of shape. I lost a lot of athletic things, like speed, agility and jumping. So while I am trying to play, I am also trying to get those things back. But I am playing more and more each game and getting a little bit better with every game."
Injuries can be devastating to an athlete's career, and no one can relate better to Lappas than Tom Bennewitz '08, the starting quarterback on the football team. Bennewitz won the coveted starting quarterback position in the season opener last fall but tore ligaments that connected his collarbone to his sternum before the end of his first collegiate start. After he recovered from the injury, Bennewitz bounced back in this year's preseason to secure the position for a second time. As quarterback of the football team, Bennewitz is responsible for running the huddle and calling the plays. As one of the seniors on the team, Bennewitz also takes on the responsibility of being a resource for the new players.
"I definitely try to branch out and talk more to the freshmen," Bennewitz said. "I try to take guys in the quarterback position under my wing. But if I think one of the guys is feeling intimidated, I'll go over and talk to him and try to be nice and down to earth."
As members of the last class recruited under former head coach John Lyons, Bennewitz, Cottrell and Dowdakin expressed some feelings of confusion after Lyons's departure. However, because they were only freshmen when Coach Buddy Teevens was hired, the current seniors did not have too much trouble transitioning to a new coaching staff.
"I didn't get to know the old staff as well since I was just a freshman," Dowdakin said. "It wasn't too much of a transition for me as much as it was for some of the older guys."
For most Dartmouth seniors involved in a fall sport, this season will be their last serious stint as competitive athletes. However, the reality hasn't really sunk in for many of them -- and will certainly be difficult to deal with when the time comes to hang up their jerseys for the last time.
"My competitive soccer years are probably over, at least the serious competitive years," Martin de Bustamante said. "I am sure I'll be playing club soccer on some team, somewhere. But it's sad and very strange to be here. I don't think any of us have really realized that this is our last season."
Whether or not these senior leaders go out on top of the proverbial mountain of glory -- and most will not -- they will look to leave a legacy they and their teammates can be proud of.
A headline in Monday's issue ("Senior Portraits: Six Big Green Captains," Oct. 8) incorrectly stated that all of the seniors profiled are team captains. Tom Bennewitz '08 is a senior quarterback on the football team, not a captain.
