Shanks lead team together in final season

Photos courtesy web

Adam Shank (left) and Joel Shank (right) are co-captains and four-year starters for the EMU men's soccer team this season.

Adam and Joel Shank have been playing soccer since they were kids in recreational leagues. Now, as seniors and four-year starters on the EMU men's soccer team, they are an invaluable presence on and off the field.

The two are co-captains, and each leads the team in their own way. Roger Mast is in his fifteenth year as head coach of the EMU men's soccer team and has worked with both Adam and Joel through all of their four years in the men's soccer program. He sees Adam, a Justice, Peace, and Conflict Studies and Spanish major from Harrisonburg, Va., as a quieter, "finesse" player who leads by example. Joel, a Business Administration major from Harrisonburg, Va., is seen by Mast as extroverted and a little more outgoing, the "enforcer" presence on the field. This balance is something that Mast said captures a larger group of players.

Sophomore Ben Yoder, from Lederach, Pa., agreed. He has played with Adam and Joel for two years and sees both as good, strong leaders. He views Joel as playing the "vocal leader" and Adam as a "leader through play."

Both Shanks play the position of center midfielder on the team. They believe that they have an impact on the younger players in their roles as captains. Joel said that he hopes he shows them that "you have to work hard for things to come to you." Said Adam, "It can be hard at first when you're a freshman to prepare yourself for every game at the college level." This, he said, is especially true at EMU, where almost every game is decided by a goal or less. Joel also said he wants the younger players to see the importance of leaving everything out on the field and "playing through it all."

Their strong influence on the team is evidenced in Yoder. "They are my role models on the team," he said, and their impact was a part of the reason he kept playing this year. He said the younger players "definitely look up to" Adam and Joel. Mast echoed this sentiment by saying that the younger players respect the decisions that the two make off the field, as well as their talents as soccer players. Their positive lifestyle choices "serve as a good example to the newer players," he said.

Joel and Adam play key roles on and off the field, said Yoder. They are approachable captains and team players who are not just looking out for themselves, but for the good of the team. Joel sees his role as being to "educate and to bring the younger players along to understand everything they need to do." He said that he and Adam are laid back until they see something that needs to be addressed, and then they will "step in and facilitate." One thing that they started this year, due to the fact that half of the team members are freshmen, was to partner each freshman with an upperclassman. The upperclassmen act as mentors for the freshmen, and check in to see how the freshmen are doing.

Adam and Joel work together with the other seniors, Michael Stauffer and Tim Koehn, to provide leadership for the team.

The four played together in high school and are continuing to work together. They organize team meetings together. Joel said they have held a few meetings in which the whole team has been present (minus the coaches) and in which they have given everyone a chance to say what they need to say. Then they go to the coaches as four seniors, rather than just Joel and Adam.

"All of our seniors are capable of leading the team. They all have the ability and can play off each other. The captains aren't the only ones pumping us up," said Yoder.

The two Shanks credit their coaches with some of their success. Joel said that the style of coaching he's gotten has been helpful: his coaches have stepped in to provide leadership but have also allowed him free rein in certain things, something he feels a lot of coaches should do. Adam has appreciated the help his coaches have given as far as providing scouting reports for each game, making sure that the team members are in shape physically, and the interest they have taken in the players' success on and off the field.

Mast said he has seen both Adam and Joel develop as players over the past four years. He said that Adam has gotten stronger physically as well as more confident. He believes that Adam's interest in and passion for the sport has developed, as well as his independence, which he thinks to be a result of Adam's cross-cultural experience. Adam feels that he has "become more of a leader" during his time at EMU, and that his soccer skills have improved as well.

As for Joel, Mast said that he came in as a player that showed leadership skills early on and had a work ethic that has continued to be strong. One way he has seen Joel change is that he has become more caring towards his teammates. Joel doesn't feel that he has changed too much physically over the years, but has seen the way he plays and the way he controls his temper change for the better. He said that the biggest thing for him is that he "still [has] a passion for the game."

The Shanks are drawn to the game by similar things: Adam enjoys playing and enjoys the relationships that can be made through playing, and Joel said he enjoys the camaraderie of team members and how players go through things together because of that. This season, Joel said, has "just been about the whole aspect of being on a team--it's not just because of the 90 minutes on the field," but also because of the off-field experience with the team.

Although the two are alike in experience, position, and love of the game, they have different plans after graduation. Joel is planning on the spring season being his last because he wants to get into a career right away, so he will only have time for soccer if he makes it. Adam, however, will try to find a job working with the Hispanic community, either here or wherever he ends up, and hopes to stay involved with soccer, whether it be in an area league or perhaps coaching or assistant coaching.

The team will be different once the Shanks are gone. As Mast says, "It's always hard when you've had someone who's played in the same roles for four years. Others will have to establish themselves for the work ethic." He hopes their "legacy will be left" through the impact on the younger players, in how they demonstrate what they've learned on and off the field. Yoder said he will definitely miss playing with the Shanks next year. Mast hopes that as the season comes to a close, the two will be rewarded for their efforts; he'd like to see a strong showing in the ODAC tournament, because "they've earned it."

Adam and Joel both want their teammates to realize how fast the time passes. Adam hopes that the younger players will "make the most of every practice and game, because four years go by a lot quicker than you think."