April 4, 2008
By Mike "Mex" Carey
Sports Information Director
His is a story of perseverance.
It is the story of a young man who came from across the country not knowing what to expect when he arrived on campus.
It is the story of a lacrosse player at Georgetown who was cut the first time he tried out, but now finds himself starting at one of most the important positions in the game on a team that is ranked among the top-five teams in the country.
It is the story of a student-athlete, determined to make an impact in his final year, who made a make-shift weight room from logs and rocks while serving as a ranger on a forest during his final summer before graduation. Welcome to what Hoya senior midfielder Dan Vinson calls "an epic journey."
Vinson came to Georgetown four years ago with little to no expectations. He was thrilled to have been accepted into one of the best academic institutions in the country, but he had other goals in mind.
He tried out for the men's lacrosse team when he arrived on campus in 2004, but was cut. Head Coach Dave Urick and his staff encouraged him to keep working and try out again the following year.
Vinson did just that and he was added to the team as a walk-on. During his first two years on the team, he did not see much game action.
And entering this year, the senior knew he would have a chance to fight for a spot at the X, the position that handles the all-important face-offs in lacrosse, but he also knew that the Hoyas had a freshman, Brian Tabb, who was considered the best scholastic in the country at that position. 
The hard work has paid off, as Vinson went from hoping to contribute to handling nearly every face-off in the last five games for Georgetown. Those five games have also coincided with five-straight wins for the Hoyas, including an 11-7 win over previously unbeaten and then No. 1-ranked Duke. During that time, Vinson has won 55.4 percent of his face-offs and been a major factor in the GU win streak.
The evolution of how Vinson, a self-described "grizzly man" who enjoys the outdoors and the wilderness, got to where he is now has been a long and winding road.
"The process of walking on has been an epic journey," Vinson said after practice this week. "I remember the first day of tryouts, it was early in the morning and I did not know anyone out there.
"It was extremely intimidating (especially facing off against Andy Corno for the first time). It was a totally different game than what I had played before."
Growing up in Pleasant Hill, Calif., just an hour south of San Francisco, Vinson played hockey as a youngster. Lacrosse is chiefly an Eastern sport, but it has grown over the last 10 years and Vinson picked up the sport in high school.
His coach at De La Salle High School, Bob O'Meara, introduced Vinson to the sport. De La Salle carried only a club junior varsity team, but when he first started playing, Vinson fell in love with it.
"I had played ice hockey since I was in the fifth grade and I think those skills transferred well over to lacrosse," Vinson said. "My freshman year of high school was the first year we ever had a team and it was fun playing this new sport that no one really understood, myself included."
As he played more, he learned more. It was during a trip to D.C. with his club lacrosse team as a junior in high school that he discovered Georgetown.
"I would not have applied to Georgetown had Bob O'Meara not encouraged me to do so," Vinson said. "I liked the school, but did not think I would be able to get in. A few weeks before the application was due, Bob told me I should apply and I did. Georgetown was the first school I was accepted to and when I got that letter I was more than excited"
And that's where the story of Dan Vinson grew even more.
He came to Georgetown after earning All-American in the sport, but he did not arrive with the status of having played at one of the elite high schools that carried the sport. When he came to try out, he found himself squaring off against Corno, a two-time All-American who is considered the best face-off man in program history.
"You are out there, this little freshman playing against guys that are full grown men," Vinson said. "It was a little lonely too, kind of like you versus everyone else. No one really expects much from you and you definitely have to earn your respect on the field. You are trying to give a reason for the coaches to keep you around. It's easy to cut you, you have to force them to keep you around." And on his first try, he was cut. It was an experience that has carried him through to today.
"It was late September/early October and I had been trying out for a while," Vinson recalled. "It was hard to relax because at any moment, I could be cut and I was constantly evaluating each practice. Finally, I was put out of my misery."
After lifting with the team one day, he was called into the coaches offices. He knew what was coming and had braced himself for the conversation.
"I remember them saying something to the effect of, 'We think you can help us out. We want you to keep lifting with the team and then try out again next year'" Vinson said. "I walked out of that office more motivated than I had ever been. I would get as strong as I could over the next year and be in great shape when tryouts came next fall." Vinson did just that. He lifted with the team through the Fall and in the spring, he introduced himself to Georgetown Strength and Conditioning Coach Augie Maurelli. Throughout that time, he followed the schedule set for him and was determined to come back the following year with the same drive.
Still, the wait for that tryout was taxing. Besides school, it was all that was on his mind.
"I was extremely antsy to get back on the field and try out," Vinson said. "Tryouts finally came and I was ready. I thought I was playing pretty well, but as the weeks rolled by, I still had not heard to as whether I had made the team. I was in this state of limbo that was pretty stressful because I knew if I did not make the team this year it was over for me. The day finally came and when I saw my name on the roster it was both a huge relief as well as elation."
There haven't been tense moments in the last two years as Vinson has been on the active roster during that time. His playing time, however, was limited.
"When I was trying out, my main goal was never to play, I just wanted to be on the team," Vinson said. "I've been on some sort of team since I was five and it seemed natural to continue that trend. It was definitely a bummer at times standing on the sidelines, but in retrospect, that was only a small fraction of the time commitment." In addition to two hours of practice every day, Vinson and his teammates spent time in the weight room, then had to take care of school work and even jobs during the season.
Last summer, Vinson worked as a Backcountry Ranger in Sequoia National Forest in California, a position he secured through the Student Conservation Association. He, along with another ranger, would hike out to different parts of the wilderness on Friday mornings and come out the following Monday. While "on duty," they would maintain trails, cut out logs, make public contacts with campers and hike all over the wilderness to check things out. Vinson estimates that they averaged close to 10 miles per day while hiking.
One day, a 16-year-old boy ran into his camp and told them that his mother was having a heart attack. While his partner radioed in for help, Vinson ran with the boy to his mother. "I have never felt a shot of adrenaline like that before or since in my life," he explained. The woman ended up being okay, but Vinson ran four miles to their camp and ended up having to have the woman evacuated by a helicopter.
So while many lacrosse players throughout the country were practicing or working out, Vinson spent the majority of his time cutting logs. It was work that, in some ways, helped him stay in condition.
Using his knowledge of the outdoors, Vinson created a makeshift weight room so he could continue to work out. He constructed it from logs and rocks at the meadow where they were most often on patrol. Among the items were a squat rack built from logs, a pull-up bar using a straight stick and rope, a dip rack and he gathered various rocks to use as dumbbells.
"Every time I lifted in the wind, I would think about lacrosse and how this was going to make me better," Vinson said. I guess now when I play, I know that the guy I am going against did not squat logs and whatever advantage this give me, I'll accept."
The strength to fight through and find a role with the Georgetown lacrosse team has shown this year. Even though he and Tabb will share face-offs, he has found a role.
"Brian is, and is going to be, a dominant face-off specialist," he said. "His hands are very quick and he a smart player. I think we have both made each other better this year. It's an interesting position because we go against each other every day at practice."
Whatever the rest of the year holds for him, Vinson is happy that he has made a contribution. The time he spent in the forest, like the time he spends facing off against an opponent from another school, can be lonely, where you feel like you are out on an island alone, but those are the experiences that have made him stronger.
"I spent a very primitive three months in the forest, but it was also the best time of my life," Vinson said. "The life was way simpler than what I have now. All I know is that I walked out of the mountains in the best shape of my life, with a ton of memories and a new confidence in myself."
