Just as he expresses himself on the field through his play and his celebrations and the energy he provides to his teammates, Kitchen expresses himself artistically, too. He loves music. He played eight different instruments throughout his childhood, really loved when he could play the saxophone and is currently trying to learn guitar. He listens to Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin albums playing ping pong with his dad, sees The Dirty Heads every summer and loves listening to rap and dance music.
But the avenue of artistic expression that possibly explains Kitchen the best is also the Christmas gift from his brother that mortified his mother: his own tattoo gun.
“I’ve given myself five tattoos,” said Kitchen, who has upwards of 16 total tattoos. “I’ve always loved art; I used to draw a lot. So I was like, ‘OK, awesome. I can start doing my own tattoos.’ It’s a lot harder than you think, it’s like a vibrating pencil basically.”
He shows off a roman numeral “XI” that he did himself on his wrist in addition to other ink that was done professionally. A bird on his arm, a knife through a rose done in the American traditional style on his leg, and his most recent: the word “magnanimity” printed across his bicep.
“It’s our team motto,” Kitchen said. “It stands for the striving of the soul towards great things.”
The most noticeable tattoo when he’s playing, on the outside of his left forearm, is an old-school lacrosse stick. Because at the end of the day, Kitchen loves the game.
“He’s got a great passion for the game of lacrosse. He loves to play, he loves to watch film, he loves to talk about it,” DeLuca said. “A guy that just lives, breathes, sleeps, thinks about lacrosse all the time.”
While the goofy personality, the musical ambitions and the self-drawn tattoos are all part of what makes Kitchen the person he is, he’s still able to channel that energy into being a tireless worker. DeLuca credits his nation-leading goal streak to his preparation outside of games. Now in his senior season, he’s also channeling his spirit into being a leader for Delaware’s talented attack.
“I think he understands the urgency that comes with senior year, that this is his last opportunity to put on a Delaware jersey, and he wants to make it special. He wants to make sure that his class puts their stamp on the Blue Hens lacrosse tradition, and he’s done a really good job mentoring some younger players, too,” DeLuca said. “He’s a great ambassador for us off of the field and on the field. He’s definitely a leader of the attack unit.”