Gvozden stays relaxed on and off the field

By: Mary Doman

Posted: 4/24/08

Sophomore lacrosse goalie Mike Gvozden loves defending only one thing more than the lacrosse goal: his heritage. Did you know that our star defender is also half Brazilian?

Unlike other athletes of the week, when writing about a lacrosse goalie, there's really no need to describe in detail an unfamiliar sport or position. There's no reason to recap the season or inform the student body that the team actually exists at Hopkins. For once, it's almost safe to say that Hopkins students actually might already know about this athlete of the week, his accomplishments, maybe even his record! So this time, let's stay away from the statistics, the numbers, and the lacrosse gibber that already surrounds this campus and focus instead on the delicate, distinctive characters that make Mike Gvozden more than just a statistic.

First and foremost, Gvozden is half Brazilian.

Personally, Gvozden has kept his distance from the records and numbers for quite some time. "You have to ignore what everyone else says and just relax," he said. He attributes this laid-back attitude directly to his Brazilian lineage.

Though his body may be in Baltimore, Gvozden's heart is in Brazil. "They just have a different way of living there, and different beliefs about things. They're a lot more laid-back," he says. He's even proven his loyalty to his South American homeland by joining the Brazilian army. Not that he thinks the friendly Brazilian people are headed towards war anytime soon. And if they are? "Well ... then we're going to have issues," he said.

A citizen of two countries, a soon-to-be Hopkins graduate, and a lacrosse national champion? Gvozden's got quite a lot of titles to uphold. However, the pressure doesn't get to him. Just like in a game, he tries to stay relaxed while everyone else does the talking. Not that he's not alert, though. Gvozden's eyes and ears are constantly open. Even though he's not able to interact in the game like the rest of the team, Gvozden stays on his toes the whole time. "I try to focus on the ball and make sure that I'm doing a good job of getting my defense in the right slide package," he said.

Before the game, Gvozden gets himself in that Brazilian laid-back mode through a number of relaxing rituals. The night before a match, he throws away all his scouting notes and films about the opposing team and goes to Rita's Italian Ice on York Road with some friends. But Italian ice isn't Brazilian, you say! Staying true to his roots, Gvozden always orders mango. The day of the game, he keeps the cool from Rita's by listening to plenty of easy tunes. These include Jordan Sparks, Natasha Bedingfield, Michelle Branch and Avril Lavigne, to name a few. "The heavy stuff just doesn't work for me," he admits. Again, not-so-Brazilian. After the game, though, Gvozden finally embraces his heritage by heading to Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian steakhouse at the Inner Harbor.

The rituals may contradict his easy-going style a bit, but no Hopkins student could survive without a little paranoia, right? "Since I've gotten here, I've definitely become more superstitious," he admits. Still, when it comes to lacrosse, Gvozden knows the outcome of the game actually lies in his own hands. "Being the goalie, you're either the champ or the chump," he said.

In only his first year as a starter, Gvozden's became familiar with both titles in the Jays' challenging season. During the team's recent five-game losing streak, Gvozden had to really work in order to tune out some discouraging voices. During the small rough patch, he claimed he "really realized who [his] true friends and fans were."

At the end of the day, though, Gvozden really just wants to spend time with three of his favorite things: friends, family, and Brazilian heritage. Next summer, he's eager to mix all of these as some of his teammates and his family will travel to Brazil. He plans on bringing his lacrosse gear along for the vacation, too, of course. "If I could give anything to Brazil, it'd be the sport of lacrosse," he said.

This might be a hefty task for one person, but Gvozden's in no rush. He's just taking life easy for now, rocking along to the beats of Michelle Branch while the statistics, numbers and rankings melt away with each spoonful of Italian ice. "For now we're just taking it one game at a time," he said, "and trying to get better every game."

And that's the side of Mike Gvozden that makes him more than just a lacrosse player - half Brazilian, mostly laid-back, and completely one-of-a-kind.