John Robbins wants to "Shine Under The Lights"

Penn-Trafford alumnus John Robbins (20) runs with a lacrosse ball in his stick during a Penn-Trafford lacrosse game in his sophomore year against Greater Latrobe in the Spring of 2018.

John Robbins was born, raised, and taught to be a Thiel Tomcat.

In the past couple of weeks, the current Thiel freshman just finished in his first semester of college and he has been thinking about what he needs to do be better. Better at what? you may ask.

John is currently a lacrosse player for Thiel Men's lacrosse team and is majoring in Media/Journalism while also minoring in Public Relations. What he is definitely thinking about is how he can become a better lacrosse player and how he can achieve his dream goals of being a sports broadcaster.

Robbins, who graduated from Penn-Trafford in the Spring, was one of those high school athletes that got screwed in not having a Spring Sports season last school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was very excited about playing his senior year lacrosse for the school as the Warriors could have gotten better from the year before. The event of his senior year of lacrosse being canceled is something that he still thinks about but he knows he had to move on.

"I wouldn't say I got through it [John's senior year of lacrosse getting canceled]. I was more or less forced too," Robbins said. "I just put my head down and worked day in and day out. All I had was my stick. I couldn't go out. I couldn't see my friends. So, my best friend became my lacrosse stick. I was pissed at the circumstances but what could I do? Be sad? So was everyone else. I just got closer to the game. I became even more in love with it than I did before. I became, as clique as it may sound, one with my stick and one with the game."

Luckily for Robbins, Thiel College opened up for the 2020 Fall Semester, and he was able to stay on campus, meet some of his new lacrosse teammates, and start working out with some of his new teammates here and there. This past semester, the fact that he had the opportunity to sit in a classroom again and interact with others in his college classes was something that he missed and enjoyed experiencing again. He likes to stay busy and wants to succeed in everything that he does. He simply has the drive and willingness to work and that is something that a lot of people can admire. Thiel College was the perfect fit for him to strive for his goals as he wanted to be a student-athlete at Thiel throughout his whole life.

"My dad, Michael Robbins, played basketball at Thiel after setting the record for most three-pointers made in a season at roughly 114, and at one point, he had the career scoring record at Chartiers Valley. Both records were TJ McConnell [current NBA player]," he said. "My mom also went to Thiel, but wasn't an athlete. She showed me all the doors being at the institution can open to me off the field. So, when I really looked into Thiel from an academic and social aspect it was the best option, beyond just the lacrosse side of things."

Robbins had also applied and got accepted to Slippery Rock and Waynesburg, but Thiel was home to him. With Robbins really wanting to play college lacrosse, he knew that Slippery Rock and Waynesburg could not provide him with his desire to continue his athletic career since both schools don't have Men's Lacrosse teams. Some people might wonder if Robbins ever visited Thiel, and he certainly did. When he visited the school during his senior year of high school in the 2019-20 school year, he knew right away he was where he belonged.

"The community feel of Thiel was and is the best thing about the school. I went on a visit during a Men's lacrosse alumni scrimmage, and I was instantly just a part of the guys. I never felt so connected with a group of people that I just met. That type of connection is throughout the campus. You can text anyone on campus even if you don't talk to them in person and they will be there for you," he said.

When you hear stories about athletes going on to play at the collegiate level, you might hear the athletes say that they have been playing their respected sport game since they were like four years old or really young and they grew up playing with the sport. For Robbins, his story of how he started playing the sport that he plays in college, which is lacrosse, has a story and to some people, it could seem really interesting.

"Well, the background of me getting into lacrosse is not glorious. I was cut from the seventh and ninth grade basketball teams. Those two times getting cut put an end to my dreams of being a varsity athlete, for the time being. Luckily just a few years prior [of Robbins being cut from the ninth-grade team], I had watched Cazenovia beat Penn Yan Academy in the New York state semifinals for lacrosse. Cazenovia went on to win the state title and I got hooked on following lacrosse, from there on out. When I was cut for the second time, I decided to pick up a stick. It became something I liked to do at first. To an absolute obsession, I was essentially eating, sleeping, drinking, and breathing lacrosse. I was going to play lacrosse after high school no matter what, I just did not know if it was going to be playing in a men's league or in college," Robbins said.

It can be seen that Robbins has done a good job in achieving his goal in playing college lacrosse, but another goal he has in mind, that was brought up earlier was his goal of wanting to be become a sports broadcaster.

"I want to be a sports broadcaster," he said. My dream job growing up was to be the next Bill Hillgrove, but now I just want to do play-by-play on a big stage. That can be on CBS calling an Army-Navy football game or calling play-by-play on ESPN calling Monday Night Football. I just want to be where the lights shine brightest."

Robbins has met a decent number of announcers in the sports media industry that he has been able to have conversations with and has learned a couple of tips from those professionals. There is an even announcer that he really admires as well that he considers his favorite.

"I have been able to meet my childhood idol Bill Hillgrove, along with former Pittsburgh Pirates play-by-play announcer Lanny Frattare, AT&T SportsNet broadcaster for the Pittsburgh Penguins Steve Mears, and the Steigerwald brothers [John and Bob]. All of those personalities have shown me that you don't have to be some "God" to be successful. You just have to put in the time, effort, and be willing to listen to others. That sounds easy but the ones that succeed are the ones who actually do it. My favorite announcer is Gus Johnson. He could make anything exciting, amd he uses his emotion correctly."

An idea that can be noticed is that Robbins has had to deal with adversity in his life involving dealing with the trauma of not having a Spring sports season in his senior year of high school, getting cut from school basketball teams, and he has come across people with negative attitudes that judged him on his life goals. However, all of that was nothing to him compared to one of the biggest obstacles that he had ever dealt with in his life.

"When my grandpa passed away. I took that pretty hard, but I also have listened to a lot of negative voices and people in my life. In short, people who did not have my best interest. That adversity taught me to be stronger and better. I took the adversity and ran with it and have tried to just outwork everyone because I know what it is like to take steps back. I have learned that I thrive off of adversity and doubt from people," he said. "I don't stop moving and striving for absolute perfection, even if it drives me insane. I was nominated and won several awards for video projects in high school. I just never stopped at trying to be the best at everything I did. I have an odd obsession at not just being the best but being the best by a mile."

Right now, Robbins is trying to achieve his goals of being a sports broadcaster, and so far, he has done things on and off campus to make him a better broadcaster and journalist. He has even found some activities and clubs to be a part of in his freshman year of college.

"I am working with the school newspaper The Thielensian as I am writing sports articles. I joined Sigma Phi Epsilon, which is a fraternity at Thiel, and was named the vice president of recruiting as a first semester freshman. Along with playing lacrosse, I kept myself constantly busy, so I never had time to think about failing or taking a step back. It seemed to work with my grade point average ending up the highest it has been since before high school and I ended up on Dean's list," Robbins said. "I have been able to do play-by-play with various outlets like Westmoreland Sports Network and Friday Night PA. I have even written articles for PA Football News for high school football games around the WPIAL and PIAA District 10. These opportunities have gotten my name out there to where my local idols have recognized my work. I just have to keep that momentum going to get more opportunities."

John's love of sports and his desire to wanting to be a sports announcer is what helps him wake up in the morning every day and he knows that if he gets a job in the sports media field, he will never work a day in his life.

As it is close to Christmas, Robbins is enjoying time with his friends and family as he is continuing to practice and get better at lacrosse.

"During this break, I am improving and fine tuning my stick skills, getting stronger, and getting in shape before I head back to campus in January. I needed a mental and physical break, but I can't sit here for too long and stew. I have to work because someone else out there is. I want to win and play in the spring. Not sit around and lose," he said.

With the lacrosse practices, and the teammates that he has had become more familiar with in his first semester of college, the lacrosse season could not come soon enough for him and his Tomcats as he is excited to continue to work and see what him and his teammates can accomplish.

"I am more than excited. The guys that I have met in the matter of a couple months are already my brothers. I love each and every one of those guys and I cannot wait to go to war with them this spring. In the practices that I have had individually and as a team, we have a lot to improve on. We are young. We need to gain experience and improve technique, skill, and IQ but I like the fact we have room to grow. The sky is the limit because we can all grow together, and we are all willing to put in the work. That is a rare thing in sports to have and it is exciting to see."

Brentaro Yamane: bkyamane@gmail.com and Twitter/Instagram @BYHilton13