Skidmore’s Thomas Kelly shining as two-sport athlete
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (BVM) – Thomas Kelly is a junior starting defenseman for the Skidmore men’s lacrosse team who has been a member of the program for the last three years. The Thoroughbreds have started off the season with a 1-1 record while approaching a big stretch of games in April.
Prior to this season, Kelly had been looking for a way to dive into his passion for Irish culture through the only way he knew how, sports. Kelly had played Gaelic at the U16 and U18 level but had not been fully immersed in the culture which surrounded the sport. As an athlete, Kelly had the skills to play the sport but did not fully understand the culture which came with it.
Gaelic football is predominantly played in Ireland and the culture around the sport is very rich. As a lifelong Irishman, Kelly knew how important Irish culture was in Gaelic Football. Being that Kelly had always taken pride in his descendants who were from County Mayo, Ireland, it was obvious that his favorite player was Colm Boyle.
Boyle is a starting half back for the Mayo senior county team in Ireland. The part of Irish culture which Boyle displays in Gaelic is his heart and workhorse mentality. Unlike other sports, the qualities which make up a good Gaelic player are heart and loyalty. As a sport which requires athleticism and knowledge, Kelly knew that he had to get his brain into the sport because his athleticism was already there.
Kelly began playing Gaelic football on the U16 Westput Setanta Gaelic Football Club before joining his local Gaelic squad, the New York Ranger U21 Gaelic Football team. Kelly has excelled at the sport of Gaelic over the last few years and his team won the U21 title in 2019 and finished second in U21 Junior A and B finals in 2020.
Transitioning from Gaelic to lacrosse may seem like a long process, however, the athleticism needed is very similar. Kelly feels as though the Gaelic runs in the summer prepare him for the long rigorous spring lacrosse season in the Liberty League.
“[Gaelic] helps me stay in shape throughout the summer in order to help me come into fall ball already in great shape,” Kelly said.
Kelly’s stamina coming into the Division III season has been a big part of the Skidmore Men’s lacrosse team’s success. With that being said, lacrosse is also a big part of the preparation for Gaelic. The average Gaelic player runs around four miles per game and in order to do this Kelly must be running frequently in the spring, in preparation for the summer.
Kelly plans on increasing some of his Gaelic skills in preparation for the upcoming 2021 season. He has been on the record stating that the thing he looks to improve most this summer will be his scoring. As a defensive player in lacrosse, Kelly would like to showcase his offensive ability in his other passion.
“In Gaelic football I play midfield which requires a bit of both (offense and defense),” Kelly said. “I am lucky to have been brought up playing defense because I can use it in almost every sport there is, especially Gaelic. When I’m playing offense on the other hand, it does tend to be different and a little difficult. I tend to be the guy that has the ball in the transition getting the ball from the backs to the forwards and when I do get the opportunity to stay on the offensive side, I don’t fully feel comfortable because I’m always so cautious of getting back and not giving up fast breaks.”
This idea that Kelly needs to become more offensive oriented is highlighted in his pursuit of scoring more goals in this upcoming season. As for lacrosse, Kelly and the Skidmore men’s lacrosse team look to bounce back from a tough loss to nationally ranked St. Lawrence University (10) as they face another nationally ranked program in Union College (15) this coming Wednesday.
