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March 27, 2007
OFF THE FIELD WITH PETER KRAUSS
Growing up
on the west side of Michigan in Grand Rapids, Peter Krauss has always
bled Maize and Blue. A Michigan fan from birth with a family history of
Michigan athletes, there was a good chance he'd end up in Ann Arbor when
the time came to make the decision. The opportunity to continue his
athletic career for a school he had followed his entire life was a
chance he couldn't pass up. Considering the experiences he's enjoyed
over the past three years, it appears pretty obvious; the decision was a
good one.
After a
very successful freshman year that featured Michigan's deepest play-off
push ever, the attackman felt some turbulence his sophomore season when
injuries limited his play. Back to 100% and off to a strong start in
'07, Krauss discusses his time at Forest Hills Central, the importance
of upper-classmen his freshman year, and the lessons learned from his
time with his University of Tokyo counterparts.
On
his high-school lacrosse experience...
"We had
some great teams while I was at Forest Hills. Coming up into varsity I
had a chance to play with my older brother, whose class had some major
talent. To tell you the truth we never broke into the highes.JPG) t tier of
Michigan teams, but beating EGR a few times was good enough. I'll never
forget beating them on their turf before the Michigan/Michigan State
game. Their tears were sugary sweet."
On
how his program grew...
"When I
started at Forest Hills there was one middle school team for both
Northern and Central. I think we won two games all year. The high school
had combined teams as well. It's incredible how much the program grew
while I was there. When I left we had three high school teams and a
great youth program. Because of guys like Doug and Andy Sharp and the
incredible support from parents, West Michigan lacrosse has really taken
off."
On
his decision to attend Michigan...
"My family
has pretty deep roots at Michigan. I've been coming to football games
since I was a little kid. We all love the school, but it was never
forced upon me. I felt out a few other schools through the application
process, and then ultimately the decision was made for me because I
didn't get in anywhere else. Being here with my older brother Joel and
younger sister Casey has been a great experience, and I don't think my
parents would complain about us all being at Michigan."
On
knowing whether or not he'd try out for the Michigan squad...
"Actually I
had no idea. I was never recruited by any school to come play; I sort of
missed out on that whole process because of a summer camp I went to. I
exchanged a couple emails with Coach Paul the summer before my freshman
year, but that was pretty much it. Mike Shearman and I became really
good friends before tryouts, and he kind of solidified my decision to
give it a shot."
On
getting a chance to play for the Maize and Blue...
"We bleed
maize and blue at my house. If you don't believe me ask my grandma what
she thinks about OSU and Notre Dame. Growing up I always said I'd play
football here, so getting the Winged Helmet was sort of a fulfillment of
that dream. I remember freshman year guys like Silv and Webber would
make fun of me after games because I got really into singing The
Victors. I'm very proud to play for the school."
On
the importance of the upper-classmen his freshman year...
"That year
was ten times easier than it could have been because of the attitude of
the older guys. I had twenty mentors on that team. I remember I asked
Kozel to guard me in practice, because I knew going against him would be
harder than pretty much anyone else in our league. I guess it was
important for me to do well because I had a hard time comparing myself
to top players in high school. Knowing that I could play with the best
teams in our league meant a lot to me."
On
experiencing sudden success...
"Beating
Oregon in the quarterfinals my freshman year was something I'll never
forget. I never really won anything before I got to Michigan. All of a
sudden we were winning conference championships and going to the
national semifinals. I'll also never forget the UCSB game. I personally
played awful. I've lost sleep over that game. I will leave here with a
ring, that's all there is to it."
On
dealing with his injuries last season...
"There's
nothing worse for me than sitting on the sidelines. I was more nervous
watching the games than I've ever been playing. I just felt useless.
And then to come back for the State game, that was tough. Michigan
State was a huge blunder for us last year. Not only was it embarrassing,
but we lost our number one seed in the national tournament. I can't wait
to play them this year."
On
his time spent with the University of Tokyo players and the lessons
learned...
"I had Hide
and Masa stay with me for three weeks last year. It was great to be able
to return the favor, because the Tokyo team was so nice to me when I
visited them. The relationship with the Blue Bullets is one of the more
special things about our program. I admire the Japanese player's passion
for the game. After you've played for a long time, it can be easy to
forget why we do it in the first place. Those guys are a great reminder
for me."
On
his post-collegiate plans...
"This
summer I'm going to try my hand at business consulting in Chicago. We'll
see how it goes, but right now I don't want to set anything in stone. I
want to enjoy being young for a while."
Contact: Joe Hennessy (734) 276-8493, jjhennes@umich.edu
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