Senior Goodbye: Zach Klitzman | A balancing act with my leading ladies at Penn

The line from Wedding Crashers might be “Crab cakes and football. That’s what Maryland does!” But any true Marylander such as myself will tell you that it should really be “Crab cakes and lacrosse.”

While jousting is technically the state sport, nearly all Marylanders pick up a lax stick at some point. But except for one summer at camp (in Maine of all places), I never really got into lacrosse — which makes it weird that my years on the DP were highlighted by four years on the women’s lacrosse beat.

I actually lucked into covering the team. I was originally assigned softball as my spring beat freshman year but was moved to women’s lacrosse before the season started.

Sure, I’ve enjoyed covering 16 other Penn sports teams, attending the NCAA Wrestling Championship in St. Louis, interviewing Dr. Jack Ramsay and writing 22 columns. (Fun fact: Penn teams are 42-20 in games which I’ve covered.)

Yet, I’ve been truly privileged to cover the best team at Penn for the last four springs. From my first clueless interview in Feb. 2007 to attending the NCAA Tournament selection show with the team last Sunday, I’ve been there for the highs (making three straight Final Fours) and the lows (four losses to Northwestern).

This year, the team got a low seed in the Tournament and will likely need to upset No. 1 Maryland to reach a fourth straight Final Four. Though that’s definitely a tall task, I know Ali DeLuca and company have what it takes to do it, especially with Karin Brower at the helm (sorry Coach, you’ll always be Karin Brower to me).

So best of luck, guys. I hope to see you at Towson on May 28.

Yes, that’s right. I said I hope the team makes the Final Four. Now, I’m not supposed to root for teams as an objective journalist. And I really do try to be balanced in my game coverage.

But come on. How is a student-journalist not supposed to root for the student-athletes that are his peers? I’m proud when my University is represented well, so how could I not want Penn teams to succeed?

Sure, there’s a difference between actively rooting for a team and internally wanting them to win. And I have never overtly cheered for a team while in the press box. But “accidents” happen, like when I was visibly excited when the lax team came back to win a 2008 NCAA semifinal in OT.

Whoops.

But considering that my other big activity at school was the Penn Band, perhaps I’m the poster child for conflicts of interest. In fact, since the Band is partially funded by Athletics, I was invited to the senior-athlete banquet. When was the last time a DP writer got to do that?

There are a lot of people I have to thank for letting me be an interest-conflicted writer. To Band Director Greer Cheeseman: thanks for putting up with me. I feel like just one leak to the DP isn’t too bad, right?

To all of the sports editors I’ve worked with, especially Matt Conrad, David Gurian-Peck, Brandon Moyse, Noah Rosenstein and Michael Gold: thanks for your guidance and putting up with my dependent clauses and parentheticals.

To the members of the 125, especially the “It’s Never NCIS” seniors: thanks so much for making me enjoy a year of editing. I was somewhat hesitant to become an editor at first, but I’m very glad I did. (I think the “beer” on my face the last night of editing is proof of that.)

I also have to give a special thank you to one 125 editor. Lara: never in a million years would I have guessed I’d get an amazing girlfriend out of the DP. Yet, somehow that’s exactly what happened. Thank you.

Lastly, thanks Mom and Dad. Even if I wrote a bad story I always knew you’d read it (eventually, at least).

I’d end this column by saying “goodbye,” but as I said before, hopefully I’ll cover my fourth women’s lacrosse Final Four. So goodbye —until The Summer Pennsylvanian.

ZACH KLITZMAN is a 2010 College graduate from Bethesda, Md., and a former Sports Editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian. He can be contacted at klitzman@sas.upenn.edu. He plans to pursue a career in historical preservation.

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