Thomas Pilewski is a man of many talents. Coming back to the sport he loves after a gruesome injury left many speechless. Pilewski had suffered two hip surgeries throughout his time being a lacrosse player, the resilience in this man is unmatched.
Many athletes go through some sort of injury throughout their career, the main question is how will you recover from it? Pilewski is a junior at Suny Cortland College and he plays for the club lacrosse team here on campus.
His love for the game came to him at a very young age. Pilewski was initially drawn into the game of lacrosse from playing with a friend. They would play catch when he was young and due to him unable to catch the ball correctly, he yearned for more.
“What drew me into lacrosse was trying to play catch with my friend all the way back in elementary school,” said Pilewski. “I couldn’t really catch or throw the ball but there was something about this sport that really spoke to me, I just wanted more.”
As the years went on he honed in on his craft and now he is very good at all aspects of the game, moving quick as the wind and being very sharp with his techniques.
In high school Pilewski was noticed by the varsity coach, giving him a chance to show what he has got. This gave him so much more confidence in the way he plays, acts on the field, and even how he acts off the field.
Defining moments is what many athletes live for and Pilewski is no different. He himself has had special moments throughout his career that helped him be the player he is today.
“My first varsity save was one of the happiest moments of my career,” said Pilewski. “ I got pulled up to Varsity in the 10th grade and when I was put in my first save was right on the crease.”
Pilewski is no stranger to tough games and defining moments. He has played many games where he needed to give his all to the sport, especially when he played his rival school.
“Remember how I was talking about my first save in varsity, that save was against my rival school,” said Pilewski. “It was such a great accomplishment and the whole day I felt a sense of fulfillment.”
Pilewski is the perfect example of a student athlete, he does not allow his schedule to become too cluttered with work. He is a man of principle and tries to get everything he needs to get done, done.
“Procrastination is something I am not a fan of,” said Pilewski. “I try to stay on top of myself and meet every deadline, I try to tackle things as they are assigned so nothing gets piled up and I get overwhelmed.”
Athletes such as Pilewski have a strong moral compass, this is such an important characteristic because it shows who the person truly is. Having good moral principles allows many people to love you that much more.
Pilewski truly loves life, his love for the game is just as important as his love for people. Pilewski tries to be the best version of himself anytime he can, whether this be on the field or off the field.
“I look at some athletes in the world and many of them don’t have good morals, ” said Pilewski. “I believe that what truly sets an exceptional player apart from the rest is what they do off the field, when they’re not playing.”
Great team leaders are something that’s hard to come by but for Pilewski this is not a hard thing for him. As a leader of his team he values the team in itself, meaning that everyone has a voice and no one is scared to let it rip.
“I try to be a leader among equals,” said Pilewski. “ I value everyone’s opinion and always take into account what they say.”
A leader such as Pilweski has the potential to make his team feel heard and important to any given situation. He is a perfect example of what a leader really should be.
“I think it is good to have someone that can be your friend but also a person you can rely on when things get a little too hot, ya know,” said Pilewski.
Pilewski’s career has been nothing short of extraordinary. Many years of hardwork and dedication is what made him such a gifted athlete. The journey was something that he will cherish forever.
“Since I only have one year left to play lacrosse, I am hoping to make the best of it,” said Pilewski. “I just want to have as much fun as possible, that’s what it is all about right?”
Pilewski feels like he has done everything there is to do in his lacrosse career. Since this upcoming year is his last, he plans to hold on to the memories that have made him into the man he is today.
Working as a team, especially in the case of Pilewski, allows for you to understand how to work with people. This also helps people understand how to communicate properly, Pilewski has learned that throughout his career, this made him a formidable opponent to anyone he had to go against.
“The sport of lacrosse has taught me many things, especially in terms of communication and team building,” said Pilewski. “It taught me a sense of camaraderie and how to work as a team and also to just do your part.”
Accepting criticism is something Pilewski is not afraid of, it can only make you better on and off the field. Having said that, Pilewski had a time where he had to practice a play over and over again in order to please his coach. This is not a surprising thing, Pilewski is a man that will continue to work until he has finally perfected his craft.
That is the type of resilience and deduction that this young man has to the game.
“I take criticism very openly, I welcome it, if I am going to be honest,” said Pilewski. “I like to make sure that I am bringing the team up and not dragging it down.”
Pilewski’s coaches were hard on him because they knew he had the potential to become the best player. Pushing him every second of the practice to be better and learn more ways and techniques.
“It is better that I learn the plays and be ready for them to be called, rather than just going through the motions and not fully understanding what is going on,” said Pilewski. “Yea my coaches may have been tough but I was ready and willing to learn from them.”
Pilewski’s coaches may have been tough but there was one coach that stood out the most, that being Coach Brothers. Mentors are a big thing for athletes and Pilewski was lucky to find his perfect mentor.
“Coach Brothers was a man of wisdom and heart, he loved the game as much as I and always pushed me to be the best that I could be,” said Pilewski. “He not only taught me the fundamentals of the game but he also showed me the path of being a good person in general, for that I am forever grateful.
Being healthy and in tip top shape is something that Pilewski preaches. Taking care of your body and working out and staying in shape when you are in the offseason is what Pilewski stays true to.
Competition is a great way that athletes such as Pilewski get better. Going against someone who is the same level or even better than you can most certainly allow you to up your game. Iron sharpens Iron and Pilewski knows that to be true.
“We stay healthy by going to the gym and making sure that we all are in good shape,” said Pilewski. “Since we only have around 10 matches per season, we have to make sure that we are ready for anything that comes our way.”
Mental health in athletes is a big thing for Pilewski. Keeping his mind stable and not allowing things to stray away from him is one of the most important things that he has had to deal with.
“I believe the hardest thing to overcome as an athlete is keeping your mental health healthy and having good time management,” said Pilewski. Without those important attributes, you are simply not going to survive.”
Pilewski’s diet is and will always be essential to him, even if he is not playing lacrosse at the moment, meaning in the offseason, he still understands how diet is important. He has alway made sure that what he puts into his body is good for him.
“My daily routine is fairly simple. I wake up, go to the gym, then I would have a meal, after I finish that I would go straight to class, after that I get to unwind and relax,” said Pilewski. “I also always make sure to track my macros, just so I know how much I am putting into my body.”
Your team is your family and you must treat them as such. Pilewski makes sure that his team knows that and everyone on his team must be held accountable for their actions whether they do good or bad.
“We built a family this semester and there is nothing I would trade it for,” said Pilewski. “I love these guys and would do anything for them, we truly are all one.”
Reactions from the Seniors that are leaving:
Three seniors that have given their all to the club lacrosse team are Gunner, Ricky, and Alex. These men have become great leaders that took the club by storm and now are leaving the club better than they found it.
The future of the club rests in the hands of the juniors and sophomores that plan to lead their team hopefully to a championship. These seniors have created a plan to keep the upcoming leaders of the team on track.
“Moving forward with the club we try to prepare the people behind us to become leaders,” said Gunner. “Making sure that they are confident is something that will make the future of the club that much brighter, you must leave the club better than how you found it.”
Ricky had a great way of explaining how throughout his experiences, the most important qualities for a successful club lacrosse team is that you must be confident.
“Make sure that you are confident throughout your time in the club,” said Ricky. “You also have to make sure that the group of guys that come in truly care about this program and want to see it thrive.”
Throughout Alex’s time being in the club his way of maintaining a positive team culture is most certainly through practice and creating those relationships in the club.
“We must have everyone at practice, making sure everyone is together and participating,” said Alex. “We had to make sure that, whether it be on or off campus, people were attending.”
As a leader of the team Gunner had to make some important decisions regarding if they are going to play. Why is this? This is because some games, such as the one they had in Albany and Rochester, may be snowed out so making on the fly decisions such as those are important for leaders like Gunner to make.
“I can actually give you two different times we had to make on the go decisions, that being when we had to decide on whether or not to play our game in Albany and Rochester because of the snow,” said Gunner. “We didn’t know how much snow we were going to get, if it was going to be one inch then we are going to play but if the inches get to 4 or 5 then we would sadly not be able to play.”
“The Team would be traveling 2 or 2.5 hours,” said Gunner. “It is especially troubling because there are no coaches around, you need to learn how to step up and make those difficult decisions, sometimes it’s a choice between bad and worse.”
Club lacrosse has evolved and changed over the years on campus. With numbers reaching 85 players that truly love the game and love being there. With times changing they have run into some hiccups along the way.
“When there is no accountability on the team many people do not take it seriously, when having tryouts it’s supposed to mean something,” said Ricky. “It’s a privilege to be able to do these sorts of things and it’s amazing that the culture has changed to where it is something I get to do rather than something I have to do.”
“When we have a full team and everyone is at full strength we are absolutely unstoppable,” said Gunner. “When we played Syracuse with our whole team, we beat them 11 to 4 and those guys are ranked number 20 in the country, so when we have everyone and everyone is available there’s no limit to what we can achieve.”