The Maniax hit the road again today, kicking off Lax U into high gear!

The day started at Villanova University, as we took a personal tour with Coach Jebb Chagan taking the team on a personal tour of the campus. We visited the stadium, workout facility, basketball gym, and several educational and student life buildings. It was a very beautiful campus, with a lot of Gothic architecture and old churches dotting the campus. 

Coach Chagan was very relaxed and a great host, answering all the player’s questions, and making some very candid statements about how he runs his program, and what he looks for and expects out of players. When asked about the state of Florida lacrosse right now, he said “The biggest drawback is that the majority of girls still do not use their right and left hands at an equally high level, and know when to use them. In Division I, there’s no option, my players regularly spend 1 hour on the wall, 3-4 days a week.” Jessica Rooney then asked Coach if he had ever cut a returning player, “Yes, I have, but it is rare. I’ve had a couple of players who have gotten into the wrong groups, and their game has suffered. Once, a player spent the Fall semester in Europe, and while I didn’t believe it was in her best interest, I supported her decision. Life is all about choices, and you can make the choices to do a lot or not as much, and it will affect you one way or another. When that player came back, she hadn’t kept her game up, was out of shape, so we had to cut her.” Coach Chagan then stated that the biggest gains in a player’s game can come from individual stickwork, and he’s seen average players take tremendous leaps in the offseason because they committed to their stick. As Dean Smith (Former UNC Basketball Coach) said, “The offseason is for the individual, the season is for the team.”

After the tour, we loaded back up and headed to the headwaters of the Brandywine River, where we had a lunch of Chik-fil-A nuggets (yum), and then put our tubes in their water for a Maniax Flotilla! The cool water was great for the girl’s legs as they recovered from the weekend, and will really help them bounce back quicker. The wildlife and greenery around the river fantastic and very relaxing, especially when the sun was shining. We spent about 2 hours getting down the river, and had to hustle down to the hotel to be ready for practice! 

Actually, we were late, but the 4 college coach’s in attendance were very patient and understanding, and the Manix responded with high energy levels! Coach Paul spoke about “pushing through” times that you might be tired or upset, and having a good performance on the field. It may be a rough bus ride with your teammates, a river trip you didn’t like very much or trouble with _________. Point is that you need to be able to put that aside, and when its game time, you’re locked in! 

The first training session of Lax U featured the coaches from Converse, Jacksonville, Western Maryland, and Clarkson. After a brief stick warmup, the girls broke into 4 groups and rotated among the coach’s drills. It was a great hour of work for the girls, and their energy level after the long day was great. 

After the training, the players sat down for a Q&A with the coaches, and they spoke about their programs, coaching philosophy, colleges, academics, student life, and more. It was a great opportunity for the girls to get an up close and personal talk with the coaches, and some were able to speak one-on-one with them afterwards.

We capped off the night with a tasty dinner of Grotto’s Pizza, the legendary pie itself! Coach Paul spent the majority of dinner waxing nostalgic about his days cruising the boardwalk and feasting on the original Grotto’s. It was delicious, and the girls were very content afterwards, bellies full of food and eyes tired for the night. 

Tomorrow starts at 8:00 am, a visit to Haverford and another training session is on the schedule, we’re looking forward to it!

Lax On, 

Matt