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March 20, 2008
 OFF THE FIELD WITH
TREVOR YEALY
On a team loaded with young talent, standing out as a freshman is no
simple task. In his first year as a Wolverine, attackman Trevor
Yealy (Pittsburgh, Penn./Upper St. Claire) has had no trouble
distinguishing himself. With a team-high 14 goals and 16 total points,
few thought Yealy would have the impact he's having this quickly.
After starting slowly in the fall Yealy found his stride in the new
year, and has settled in with his teammates and the college game. In
this Off the Field, the first-year player discusses the process of
becoming a Wolverine, acclimating himself to the higher level of play,
and his passion for flight.
Growing up in the state of Pennsylvania, what was your knowledge about
the University of Michigan before you began the college search process?
Were you a Michigan fan at all during childhood?
"I was actually very familiar with the university well before the
college search progress. From about first grade on I played ice hockey,
and I spent many of those years on the Pittsburgh Hornets travel team.
Throughout those years the Detroit/Ann Arbor area became like a second
home as we would come out to play the Detroit area hockey teams. One of
my teammates' father was an alum, so at a young age we were exposed to
Michigan ice hockey games and the campus. I always really liked
coming out here, and it was definitely a consideration early on."
What was it like getting a chance to don the Maize and Blue, and the
Winged Helmet, for the first time?
"It is a pretty cool feeling wearing the Maize and Blue. I remember
coming on a visit last year for the Kenyon game and thought that the
uniforms looked really sharp. I was excited to hope to be a part of that
tradition and to wear the Winged helmet."
Discuss the recruiting process, and what appealed to you about the
University and playing lacrosse for Michigan.
"The recruiting process was a little different in my situation. I had
always wanted to play in college, and come late fall of my senior year I
only had a few looks from some very small schools and was not satisfied.
One night, leaving a practice, my coach, who used to coach at the
University of Pittsburgh, said "have you ever thought about the
University of Michigan?" He told me I should e-mail Coach Paul and see
what his response was and that he would help out. I got my application
in the last week before the deadline, and in February I came for the
Kenyon game to visit. I had always known that the U-M was a great school
academically, but had really no idea how the lacrosse was. I left the
Kenyon game pretty impressed and with a big desire to come and play
here."
Discuss the transition of playing at the high school level rather than
the collegiate level. How did the team's preseason schedule, which
included four Division I varsity opponents, help prepare you for the
regular season?
"The transition in the fall was pretty tough. I was incredibly timid and
nervous about making any kind of mistake, which definitely showed in my
play. I played "X" at attack in high school and came here not really
knowing where I would fit in, if I would fit in, at all. Our Division I
games definitely helped to ease that tension as I saw that we really
could play and compete, and that even the Division I players were making
mistakes."
When did things start to click during fall ball? How important is the
concept of finally just playing, rather than thinking and being afraid
to make a mistake?
"The concept of just playing really didn't "click" until after winter
break. Coming back from break I was not pleased at all with how I had
played in the fall and was even a little angry at myself, which turned
out to work. I just went out and did what I could in practice and if I
made a mistake, just shrugged it off and forgot about it. I really think
that being able to just play and not worry about making mistakes is one
of the most important aspects of the game."
Discuss the added confidence that you have knowing that we have a deep
offensive team, and that if you aren't having your best game, there's a
high probability someone else will pick up the slack. You weren't
forced to come in and immediately contribute; how'd that affect your
learning curve?
"It really amazes me how deep we are at every position on the field, and
that is a big confidence boost. At attack we have 8 guys, all of whom
can contribute when someone or a few people aren't. It really eases any
nerves going into a game knowing that we can win even if people are
having an off night. Not being forced to come in and contribute
immediately helped the learning curve immensely. Without the pressure
and expectations of immediately contributing I felt like I could go out
there and play our game and contribute as much as I could offer."
As a freshman, you had no previous experience or emotional ties to
early-season opponents like ASU and BYU. How did the upper-classmen
help impart the importance of the Spring Break trip and the history of
the opponents involved?
"The upper-classmen did a nice job of getting everyone on the team
prepared emotionally for the early-season opponents like ASU and BYU.
All of the returning players from last year made it a point to talk
about getting revenge on ASU for beating them at home last year, and
that definitely rubbed off as I wanted to crush the Sun Devils. The
seniors also made it a point to let the team know that they had never
beaten BYU in Provo, and that this was the year we were going to do it,
which set the tempo before the game even started."
As an aviation enthusiast, is there anything you can take from some of
the necessary traits that both a competent pilot and a successful
athlete share, such as practice, focus, and endurance?
"I think that the most dominant traits that each share is first, the
ability to stay focused and poised, and second, teamwork and
communication. A lot can go wrong thousands of feet above the ground, so
you have to be mentally focused at all times in the air, much like you
have to be focused at all times on the field. When things do go wrong,
you also have to be able to keep your composure and work through any
obstacle or challenge, much like on the field where if you make a
mistake, you have to be able to battle through it and keep playing. As
for teamwork/communication, in the air you are constantly working with
others to ensure the safety of a flight. Be it working with air traffic
control to get from point A to point B safely and efficiently, or
working with an instructor or another pilot to handle an aircraft,
teamwork is of the utmost importance. A big part of that teamwork is
communication, to make sure that all parties are aware of what's going
on around them. The same is true on the lacrosse field, where you have
to work with your teammates to get the ball from one end of the field to
the other, and communicating with your teammates so that everyone knows
what plays are being run and where to be. I wouldn't quite call myself a
competent pilot though, as I still, and always will, have a lot of
learning to do."
Besides having an easily accessible knowledge base of older teammates,
how has being a member of the team helped you adjust to all of the other
aspects of college life?
"Being a member of the team has made the college transition much, much
easier. Ranging from having people to always hang out with, to knowing
you can get help from one of your teammates in just about any class, had
made the first year here a much more enjoyable and easy process."
There is still a long time to go, but are there any initial
post-collegiate plans?
"I'd like to someday be a pilot for a fortune 500 corporation or for a
freight airline like UPS or FedEx, however I also want to use an
Aerospace Engineering degree to someday work with the National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) doing aviation accident
investigation."
Contact: Joe Hennessy (734) 276-8493, jjhennes@umich.edu
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