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Unconventional Daredevil
By Leora Tanjuatco
Steve Giannone’s between-the-legs goal against Vermont earlier this season demonstrated an interesting characteristic of Virginia’s senior midfielder—he doesn’t do commonplace things.
A downhill mountain biker racer until he was 14, Giannone’s greatest fear is being stuck indoors, with a couch and a television. He doesn’t describe himself as an adrenaline junkie, but he could sure pass for one.
“Dropping from a cliff, whether it’s on a bike or on skis or anything other than your legs—I just enjoy the thrill of it—it’s fun, it’s a rush,” he said.
Growing up in Wilton, Conn., Giannone had the utopian male experience of enjoying life with his neighbors as his best friends and the Weir Farm National Historic Site as their backyard. Unless he was planning on rollerblading, he headed for the woods rather than the pavement.
“I used to go bouldering, which is like rock climbing without the harness or anything, with my brother when we lived in Connecticut,” Giannone explains. “When I got about 25 feet off the ground, my brother was standing at the bottom saying, ‘I got you.’ I remember thinking, ‘What could you possibly do if I fell right now? I know you’re just going to sidestep me and let me tumble!’”
Giannone laughs while remembering these times, but he hasn’t forgotten the element of fear that is present when he’s climbing.
“You’re scared when you’re standing on the top of a cliff or standing at the top of a rock, because you could fall and really hurt yourself. But when you get down safely and your heart is pounding, you’re like, ‘Let’s do it again. That was sweet, let’s find another one.’”
Speaking of potential injuries, Giannone uses a combination of luck and restraint to avoid any mishaps that would affect his lacrosse career.
“I was talking to some guys on the team about it, and they were telling me, ‘How can you go skiing? Coach Starsia says that we’re not allowed to,’” Giannone admitted.
“Coach Starsia wants everyone to check in before we leave for Christmas break. And every time, I go to him and say, ‘I’m going out west to go skiing,’ and he says, ‘Okay, be safe.’ He’s never once told me that I couldn’t do it.”
And, despite his daredevil ways, Giannone possesses an awareness of the significance of this year and the importance of the season.
“Especially going into my senior year, with the role that I’ve gained on the team, I knew that if I got hurt I would regret it. Every day, before I hit the slopes, I just crossed my fingers and said, ‘Please don’t let me get hurt.’ I tried to limit any crazy things like jumps because that’s when people seem to get the most injured,” Giannone said.
While Giannone exercises caution when he straps on his skis, he is always game for trying something crazy on the field.
“During practice, we simulate the other team’s man up plays. The point of the exercise is to make our defense react to things that are uncommon just so that they get used to it,” Giannone explained. “When I’m down there, I mess around with different shots and passes, but never seriously. Coach Starsia watches my shots and always says, ‘Not going to happen! That’ll never work.’”
But the head coach didn’t have much to say after his unconventional (to say the least) shot against Vermont. With his back to the goal, Giannone shot the ball between his legs and put it past the goalie, Justin Lubas.
“I’m surprised that Coach Starsia didn’t say anything. I kind of gave him a look as I went off the field. It was one of those situations where, if it goes in, you’re okay, but if it doesn’t, you’re going to get reamed out. I was lucky it worked out,” Giannone said with a smile.
Even off the field, the midfielder does his part to bolster the team’s luck.
“I grew out my beard when I went out to Utah this past winter to go skiing with my family. I started growing it right when exams ended last semester, and I thought, ‘You know what? I’m going out west. There’s no reason I have to shave,’” Giannone recalled.
“Then I came back to school and I started to get compliments on it and I thought I might keep it for a little longer. When we started winning, I definitely couldn’t cut it. You can’t change anything that works. I think everyone’s done cutting their hair for the rest of the season,” Giannone quipped.
All jokes aside, he is the first to admit that the team’s success is a result of trust, hard practices, and an intense focus.
“If you can trust that your other teammates are going to play their role correctly, you can focus more on your own role. And if everyone does his role, you come together as a team and you play well,” Giannone said. “Each day we have a goal and we try to accomplish that and not look too far forward, and not look too far back. You can’t dwell on things you can’t change and there’s not much you can do except your best in the next game.”
And while the seven overtime thriller against Maryland wasn’t exactly the most comfortable experience of his life, Gianonne brings the same attitude that he does about rock climbing and skiing to the lacrosse field—“Let’s do it again. That was sweet, let’s find another one.”