July 6, 2011

Sticks for Soldiers Website

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - After spending two seasons with the men's lacrosse program in 1978 and 1979, Mike Voucas continued his passion for the game by developing not only an extremely successful youth program, but also aiding in the charity tournament Sticks for Soldiers.

Recently, Voucas was named Connecticut High School Lacrosse Man of the Year for his 15-plus years of dedication to the growth and enrichment of the game of lacrosse. Voucas is the latest former student-athlete to be profiled in the UMTerps' summer series "Where are they now?"

Q: Talk a little bit about your time at the University of Maryland and what brought you to College Park?

Voucas: I had a great experience both on the lacrosse field and off the field. To this day a number of my closest friends in life are former teammates. We have remained very close. All in all, it was a great experience for a kid from Long Island to attend College Park and to have the opportunity to play and represent the University of Maryland. The proximity to Washington D.C., Annapolis and Baltimore were an added bonus. Everything about my time at Maryland was great!

Q: What was it like to play lacrosse at Maryland?

Voucas: As a high school player, I had always had the goal of playing for a big-time program. From the town of Plainview, we had a former Terp Artie Seakamp play for Maryland. I recall while in high school, speaking with Artie and making it a goal of mine to hopefully someday play for Maryland. I was fortunate to graduate from high school, attend a local junior college, play well and subsequently be given the opportunity to play at Maryland for Coach Beardmore. Playing for Maryland was a huge thrill. Maryland was the pinnacle of college lacrosse. The battles with Hopkins, Navy, and Virginia are memories I will never forget. We had an incredibly talented team. It was a blast to step on the field with the likes of Bob Ott, Pete Worsetll, Ed Pray, Terry Kimball, Bob Bonniello - you just knew there was no way we were not going to win.

Q: Do you have a favorite memory of your time with the Terps?

Voucas: Too many to count but probably the best memories were the annual spring trips to Florida, not the 18 hour bus rides! But the bonding that took place over the course of the week while practicing and playing in South Florida were great memories!

Q: After graduating from Maryland, what did you go on to do professionally?

Voucas: I was fortunate to get an opportunity with a media company and get into advertising sales where I have been for the past 32 years. I have been fortunate, very fortunate, to have had the opportunity to live and work in a few locations around the U.S., including Maryland. I am currently the vice president of sales responsible for a sales force of 400 from New England down to Northern Virginia.

Q: How are those experiences molded by your time as a Terrapin student-athlete?

Voucas: Very simple - what you put in, whether it's on the field or in the class room, you will eventually get out. There is no substitute for hard work in anything and this holds true from my days as a student-athlete to this day in business and the business of managing a family. It never ends. It sounds like a cliché, but nothing in life comes easy.

Q: Congrats on recently being named Connecticut HS Lax Man of the Year. What was it like to get that kind of honor?

Voucas: Unexpected. It was quite an honor to be recognized by the CT HS lacrosse coaches. The award is recognition for my years of involvement at the youth level, then high school, and most recently as the chairman of the Sticks for Soldiers initiative where, through an annual lacrosse tournament for high school players, we have raised money for soldiers wounded in conflicts overseas. At the youth level, I have been involved with the program in our town of Fairfield, the Wakeman Boys and Girls Club. The program has grown from about 150 boys and girls to well over 1,100 this past year.

Q: How well do you keep up with the Terps now?

Voucas: Coach Tillman is doing an outstanding job reconnecting with the alumni. My former teammate Dave Saunders has been instrumental in driving this initiative. Prior to this year, aside from staying close with a small group of former teammates (Ed Pray, Wilson Phipps, Bob Holland ,John Lamon, Mark Burdett to name a few), the opportunity to see and hear from other former Terps has not been there and in particular here in the New York metropolitan area. I am excited about the future opportunities that I envision happening. I would love to see the Terps play a game up here in Connecticut in the future.

The Voucas family: Wife, Lisa (also a MD grad `80), Stephanie 25 - recently received her masters from Loyola of MD; Son Alex is a junior at Northeastern University and youngest, George, will be attending Ithaca College and playing lacrosse for the Bombers next spring.

Current residence: Southport, Conn.