‘Lizard’ and ‘Kel’: A Compare and Contrast

Elisabeth Blackwell Commits to Division I Long Island University and Kelly Matthewman Commits to Division II Notre Dame College; Both Offered Scholarships

Naples and Parkland, Florida – Two members of Team Florida class of 2010 have committed to play scholarship collegiate lacrosse at northern programs. Defensive midfielder Elisabeth “Lizard” Blackwell and left handed attack specialist Kelly Matthewman are each second year LaxManiax members who earned positions on the Team Florida Girls 2010 Black teams this year after successful off-seasons of hard work. Blackwell was a member of the 2010 White teams just a year ago and helped the team earn a 6-2 record at the Fall Classic and Rivalry Tournaments. Her leadership and intensity caught the attention of LaxManiax coaches. She worked intensely on her skills and developed solid stick skills to go along with her field speed and determination. She was invited onto the TFG Black team as a result (a hint to all of you playing this Fall = you are always being evaluated by club coaches, directors and the colleges that are at your games). Lizard was recruited heavily by roughly a dozen DI and DII programs that she had interest in. A late push from LIU and a successful official visit and offer helped Lizard decide on her final choice.

Lizard Blackwell (back row, 3rd from left) has taken part in tons of tournaments and events. More importantly, she invested in her game more than any other member on her own time over the past year. Lizard is proof that talent and hard work combine to create opportunities.

“Elisabeth is a wonderful example of the great opportunities our students have in front of them if they work hard in the classroom and on the field. Three years ago Elisabeth had not heard of lacrosse. I could not be more proud of her. Through her dedication she is paving the way for other Collier County student athletes.” said LaxManiax Southwest Director Chris Claussen.

Lizard has matured tremendously from her first season in the club. She tightened up her mental, physical and emotional components to become an all-State caliber player. This has especially been noticeable on the draw control where she has developed a quick first step and stick protection skills that make her a real threat!

Lizard attends Barron Collier High School which is a 1st-year FHSAA program this year.

LIU is a Division I program which plays in the Northeast conference with: Central Connecticut, Monmouth, Mount Saint Marys, Quinnipiac, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, Saint Francis, and Wagner.

Kelly Matthewman has developed a rivalry with Lizard as a prep player. Her high school club team, coached by Ivy Warren at Parkland Douglas, has been competing in the state club finals for the past two years with Barron Collier. This past year she earned awards from the Florida Interscholastic club lacrosse league and over the past year she has participated in more than a dozen tournaments. Her turning point came last year at the All-In when she helped to spark an attack that outscored their opponents by more than 10-goals per game. She has also taken part in two other championship teams on various levels from attack to midfield.

Her game has developed tremendously. And it will only get better as she develops the work ethic of a collegiate lacrosse player.

Kelsey Harvey (left) and Kelly Matthewman (right) will continue their teammate relationship at NDC as freshmen next year. K-Mat has seen her game grow over the past year while she has been a part of several championship teams.

Her visit to Notre Dame was very strong and she showed at their practice that she was already a strong attacker at the Division II level. While she had other offers to attend college, she really like the relationship she built with Torre McGowan, the head coach at NDC, and also likes the fact that she knows a couple of the other recruits secured at NDC for her class, including Maniax teammate Kelsey Harvey, also a Douglas player.

Two great players who have done a lot over the past two years to become collegiate lacrosse players. And now they join the ranks of the other seven early commitments to NCAA colleges and universities nationwide!

Isn’t it great to have such awesome leaders setting the tone for the future recruitment of LaxManiax players for the next several years! Kudos to the class of 2010 White and Black players and thanks to all who have put forth the effort necessary to follow the recruiting program and play in the tournaments with our coaching staff! Florida lacrosse is very proud of you and the growth of women’s lacrosse in such a short amount of time.

LaxManiax Black Middle School Outscores Opponents 102-30 to Claim Florida Draw Championship

Boynton Beach, Florida - In a showing that had most on hand wondering just how good the LaxManiax players will be someday, the LaxManiax Black team cruised through a middle school field, including two very tough Maniax middle school teams (White and Pink) and easily dominated both Stickbender teams to earn supremacy in the state of Florida’s middle school rankings for a second straight year. The tournament served to help prepare the team for their upcoming trip to Pennsylvania where they will represent Florida at the class of 2014-15 level at the USTC Fall Classic.

Coach Brad Pinneke (standing) has worked hard to develop a special unit that will now take the trip north to PA, further enhancing the skills of these great young players.

The team is the finest middle school group in the history of the state of Florida. No question. And a fun fact is this: their win over the LaxManiax White team coached by Rich Howard, avenged their second place finish at the Cradle for the Cure tournament two weekends ago. Meaning? That the LaxManiax has even more talent waiting in the wings and ready to blossom over the next four-five years.

Coached by LaxManiax MIddle School director and Rollins College defensive coordinator Brad Pinneke, the Maniax Black middle school team started with a bang against Stickbenders Green, coached by Shannon Dean winning 16-2. They held a shutout at half-time. The Black team made it two for two on Saturday with another win over the Stickbenders 17-7 before avenging their loss at C4C against the White team 21-8. In fairness, the White team lost their goalie due to injury for the game and utilized a field player between the pipes. But the Black team clearly was the better team at this tournament and they put so much pressure on the transition game that their opponents could barely keep their heads up. The Black team went on the easily win over SOFLA middle school.

“While there were some great individual efforts all weekend, I think what is most impressive to me is how we played as a team. Our passing, transition, team defense, movement and spacing on attack were the biggest reason we had such tremendous success.” said Coach Pinneke. “I have to submit the entire team as MVP because without the group effort put forward by every person on this team, we would be like a chain missing a link.”

Black kept the heat on Sunday in their beating of Martin County 21-7.

The team followed that win with a 17-2 victory over the Maniax Pink team, made up of primarily 2015-16-17 players (5-7th graders). The Pink team played very well for Coach Carol Dixon, a former standout Goal Keeper for Notre Dame University, but the experience of the Black was too much to handle for the fine youngsters. They made key passes and catches and excelled with their dodges for such a young team.

Tournament official presents the Maniax Black middle schoolers with their championship trophy. The team defeated Stickbender teams by a combined 50-14 at the Florida Draw to earn their 2nd consecutive title at the event.

The finals were a rematch between the Stickbenders White team who had gone down 17-7 in Pool Play to the Black team. This time, the decision was more decisive with the LaxManiax Black claiming a tremendous 17-5 victory.

It was the first match-up between the Stickbenders middle school program and the LaxManiax middle school programs since last Wishbone and 2008 Florida Draw with the LaxManiax Black team prevailing on all occasions. Ali Williams (2014 – Winter Park), Brenna Pinneke (2014 – Rock Lake), Ya Ferrucci (2015 – Collier), Libby Blakeman (2014 – Vero Beach), and many more contributed to the total team domination at the tournament. Goal keeper Jillian Lowry showed that she was the toughest of the tournament.

Thirteen players participated for the Black team and the White team (finished 3-2 overall, with one loss to the Black team, and victories over Stickbenders Green, Martin County and SOFLA). The Pink team had 10 players make the trip to the Draw and scored wins over Martin County and Stickbenders Green. Overall, the teams competed at a very high level and made some great skilled plays throughout the event while receiving coaching from three of the best coaches a middle schooler could have! The parents and families also made it fun for everyone by creating a cool campsite and providing positive support from the sidelines.

Combined the teams were 11-3 overall against all other competition outside of themselves! All of the young ladies deserve a pat on the back for a great tournament! When can we watch you guys play next!?

LaxManiax Club Sweeps the Draw, Provide Glimpse of the Future

Boynton Beach, Florida – Any doubts as to what the LaxManiax program was all about were erased on Sunday as the club program that features players from across the state took four of six total team awards, including all three championships for the event. Most encouraging about the performance, nearly all of the Maniax players will be back next year too. Of the 46 LaxManiax high school players who participated, only six (6!) were 2010’s (that’s what this year’s seniors are called in club lax language). They also took champion and runner up in the ‘Champions bracket’ and took the championship in the ‘Collegiate bracket’.

The LaxManiax teams had lots of talent, with only six seniors and without the help of Team Florida 2011 stars Chelsea Pinneke, Kaliegh Henry, Tina Monohan, Jackie Shaefer (playing for Big Blue) and minus big guns like JU commitments Morgan Derner and Kaylee Quint, Cincinnati commitment Chanelle Coulon, and college commitments Kelly Matthewman, Kelsey Harvey, and Heather Gable the LaxManiax were on a mission to get to know the NEW generation of LaxManiax players.

It was a great chance for a NEW generation of Maniax to learn and grow together! The Next Generation of Team Florida Girls (TNG of TFG). Yet without many of the club’s most accomplished players and DI early commitments, the three teams managed to outscore their opponents by a margin of 128-54 in their first tournaments ever playing together on a full field. The competition was much more close between the Maniax teams themselves. In two head-to-head games, the teams were only three goals apart (15-13).

L to R: Sabrina Jennis, Jordyn Pelkey, Nikki Isdaner, and Spidey Shepardson, were key players for the championship Black team.

The LaxManiax could have used the missing players as an excuse for why they were not ‘as good’ as they were supposed to be, but when you focus on improvement and college recruiting first, there is no need to make any excuses. It is all about getting better and in the process winning too. And this group did both in a huge way!

The LaxManiax classes of 2011-2013’s are not looking back, they are flashing forward to the future tournaments. And the future is looking very bright for TFG and the LaxManiax.

“What I liked the most about the event was just how fast all of our teams played and how skilled most of our girls looked out there. They have made a lot of improvement since May and will continue to grow moving forward. I don’t think a whole lot of teams will want to battle the Maniax in the 2010 season, but let’s enjoy this weekend and the year so far in 2009. We did not have a lot of seniors, but the ones we had were great leaders for us.” said club director Sarah Gallion, a former all-American and Captain at Johns Hopkins.

LaxManiax White and Pink celebrate their victories at the Florida Draw!

Overall, the high school and middle school aged LaxManiax teams proved to be the most skilled and lax-smart teams at the tournament. Considering the club philosophy that echos what the top club programs nationwide follow, it was a true victory for lacrosse growth in the south.

“You could practice 100 times a year with the same team and coach. That is not what a young person needs to develop their games. Kids are all developing, regardless if they are being recruited by Maryland or they just picked up a stick.” said club co-founder Mindy McCord, newly named Director of Lacrosse at Jacksonville University. “They need role models, intense opportunities and learning more than a high school playbook. I think our Maniax day, taking part in the Cradle for the Cure tournament, and one local practice prior to the Florida Draw prepared our kids for play and allowed them to continue working with their high school fall ball programs without interference.”

“Some people don’t get it. Variety is the key in expanding the mind of a young or old person. It’s a very good thing.”

LaxManiax high school teams (three in all, named Black, White and Pink), performed very well, going undefeated against non-Maniax opponents. The only loss suffered by a Maniax high school aged team was to themselves. Overall the record of the teams was 11-0-1 against all opponents at the tournament and included the top finishes possible by any three teams (2 champions and 1 runner up in to divisions).

Someone had to be the runner up! It was a great showing.

Team Summaries

High School Division – Collegiate:

The team started slowly, but made tremendous gains throughout the tournament, culminating with a championship win over Big Blue (Lake Brantley), which featured some of the top LaxManaix players themselves. Game #1 vs. The Hurricanes (Winter Springs HS) was a contrast in halves. In the first half, the coach made little adjustments and called no timeouts as the Canes took a 7-3 half-time lead. To quote myself “I wanted to see how the girls would naturally work together and get to know each other and determine where everyone could fit to help the team.”

During the second half, we adjusted the team and made mental-emotional adjustments to play much smarter and conceptually sound lacrosse. Our draw control and possession skills took hold and we won the half 8-4. This forced a tie in the game, 11-11. Some saw this as a let down, but I saw it as a great chance to make adjustments and help the girls understand the lesson that you have to play as a team and not play as an ‘all-star’ team. It was the first time our team had ever played together and we were hoping that this tournament would allow us ‘practice under pressure’ so we could prepare for recruiting tournaments this fall. The good news is, the team that was able to get put together for the Florida Draw made the most of their opportunities and came together very well.

Thanks to 2012 goal keeper Katie Kastner for stoning two late shots by the Canes to save the tie.

Melodie Adolphe (right) finishes her check on the unprotected stick of a SOFLA player (bottom). Maddy Blakeman (left) and Taylor McCord (center) provided help turning the ball to the perfect check without a foul. LaxManiax players earned 0 yellow cards in their first three games by using technique.

Game two was against a very physical SOFLA team. SOFLA is a team with some very skilled players. The game was pretty tight until the second half when SOFLA took too many major penalties and our team took advantage with possession time. Realizing there were as many as four games to play on Sunday, we stopped fast breaks and played a slow, patient attack, closing with a 9-5 win. Again, our young team started slowly falling behind to a 3-4 half time deficit. But the second half was a strong one, where we controlled the ball for nearly the entire half and forced some great turnovers.

Looking at the event, it was clear that each game we were coming together after ‘instructional’ timeouts and half-times and a better structure AND as they grew comfortable on the field together. We outscored SOFLA and the Canes 14-5 in the second half on Day one. This made the prep for Day 2 a little easier, but with the knowledge that we would have to play 4 games in one day to win the title, I knew we would have to play very smart with subs, midfield, and attack possessions or we would run out of gas in the hot south Florida sun.

We began the day at 8am (warm-up) and we finished the day at 5pm hoisting a trophy after four games, so the theory of managing fitness worked. We had to focus on fitness and endurance while keeping our midfield shifts on the field to controlled amounts in order to have a shot at the end of the day. We played a young Stickbenders team, much like ourselves. After stuffing three goals in within the first five minutes in transition, Stickbenders, coached by former Vero Beach high school player Megan Vatland, conceded the midfield, dropping immediately into their zones removing the fast break option we had enjoyed to start the game. After dictating the lead, the Black teams slowed down the pace of the game, conserved their energy and remained healthy for the next opponent.

Their zone broke down, despite rampant off-ball detaining, stick to body contact, 3-seconds, and fouls on the ball. It was clear that they would have rather forced a free position play than give up tons of goals. Their players were playing hard, and the fouls helped to control the score, but they could not get the ball out of their defensive zone consistently and struggled to manage an attack against the pressure slide defense the Maniax were utilizing.

Our mission was to make the game as short as possible and move on to the playoff round, and we were successful in the 9-4 win. Only one of the goals surrendered came on a shot from play, the other three were free position goals. All in all, a nice defensive game and a smart game considering there were very few subs and a long day ahead for the LaxManiax.

The playoffs started with a friendly game against Xtreme Green which was fun for all the girls. We maximized our substitutions and in the final 10-minutes we practiced for our upcoming semi-final game against the Canes, and we finally completed the game with a nice run and a 10-5 win. Spirits from both teams were very high.

In the semi-finals we faced many former Maniax players. Eight former Maniax players were on the Canes team (WInter Springs) and they were full of seniors with nine, so they had a lot of experience and they have practiced together dozens of times and played in several Lax-4-Life Fall League games, so they were quite familiar with each other and very prepared to face the Maniax.

Maniax Black star (#9 in white) Maddy Blakeman pulls away from Hurricane defender Alley Rhinehart (#9 aqua) during the Maniax 15-3 semi-final victory. During the game, every attacker and midfielder scored.

Fortunately, the strength of diversity and variety of the Maniax program clicked and our kids jumped out to a 7-2 half-time lead. Finally, a strong start! In the second half the transition game clicked and nearly every player on attack scored 2 or more points overall for the game. Our defense was stifling on the well-practiced plays of the Canes, who had many skilled attackers. The substitution methods used all tournament helped us seem very fresh in the fifth game of the tournament and our skills and communication were excellent. We rolled on to a 15-3 victory. It was a great preview of our kids who will be showcasing this Fall in Annapolis in front of all the Division I coaches during the chill of November – many of them were participating on the Black and White teams this weekend.

The big win over the Canes set up a final between Big Blue, a team with fifteen current or former Maniax and some excellent seniors. I teased Maniax/Big Blue’s Caroline Lamere (2010) with the name ‘Lake Maniac’. All of the girls from each team were really excited to play the game. When you play against your friends, you always go a little harder, and the championship game was a great testimonial to the up and coming strength of the Lake Brantley program under Coaches Hopkins, Dunham and Casey and the strength of the young LaxManiax players whom they battled. We started out fast and gained a lead, but Big Blue fought back and the score was tied at the half! The second half once again proved to be the Black team’s half. Defense and speed-endurance were huge factors and the girls secured more ground balls and possessions to seal the 9-6 victory and the championship.

The themes of team work, clock management, and smart play paid off for the Black team which outscored their opponents in the second half 33-11. The only way a team can be that dominating in the second half is by being smart with their possessions and by being in great shape. Considering this was the very first time that these Maniax teams had ever played together (the team had not practiced ONCE as a unit), the power of the LaxManiax program was truly shown. Congrats to all the participants in the event for bringing out the best in the team.

Glo Kelly (Wellington), Lizard Blackwell (Barron Collier) and Mer Donaldson (St. Andrews) provided the team’s only senior leadership. There were also four rapidly emerging sophomores (2012) on the team and eight juniors (2011). The parents of the team were like assistant coaches with as much support as they provided! It was a great family feel.

LaxManiax members of Big Blue and the LaxManiax Black team pose for a picture before awards. Only LaxManiax Black defeated the previously undefeated Big Blue program who played a terrific tournament.

High School Division – Champions:

This division featured some dominating play by the LaxManiax White team (featuring ten 2012’s and three 2011’s and three 2010’s) and LaxManiax Pink (featuring sixteen 2013 players – all freshmen). Oddly enough, the two teams began the tournament facing each other. And after a strong start by the White team, coached by Club Director Sarah Gallion, the Pink team rallied in the second half and Coach Chris Claussen’s team forged the incredible come from behind 8-8 tie! What a way to start the event! Down 5-1 at the half, Coach Chris rallied his troops for seven second-half goals.

Led by 2011’s Jeselle Figureoa (Lake Howell) and Danie Solis (Baron Collier), and Bug Franklin (Palmer Trinity) the White team dominated play against Xtreme Blue opening up the scoring with a 12-3 win in the afternoon game. White then topped SOLFA B 10-5 in the final game of pool play and ironically drew a rematch against SOFLA B in the Champions Division Semi-Finals. This time the White team pounced to an 11-2 victory and brought on the rematch with the Pink team!

With nearly identical scores, the LaxManiax Pink team moved on to pool play and defeated SOFLA 11-4. The all-freshman unit then moved on to defeat Xtreme Blue 12-5 in the final game of pool play and drew the same team in a rematch for their semifinal contest. This game ended in the tournament’s only shutout, a 10-0 win going to the PInk’ees! The young guns earned an opportunity to face their arch nemesis, LaxManiax White, in the finals.

Hannah Bolt (Oviedo), and Sarah Dibble (Lake Mary) paced play for the 2013’s throughout the tournament. Hannah, whose sister was a member of the championship Black team and was a member of the 2011-12 TFG Black program this summer showed a high level of understanding of the high level game and was excellent on ground balls and movement in space. Her fitness levels also allowed her to stay on the field for long periods of time. Dibs’ play showed a quickly evolving left-handed style of play that demonstrates a lot of control and discipline.

Goal keeper Gabi Cohen (Jupiter) anchored a smothering defense that averaged only surrendering 3 goals per game to non-Maniax opponent while holding the White team to 4-goals fewer per game than their average against non-Maniax opponents. What does this mean? It means that she and her defense were critical in the Pink’s run to the finals.

In the final game, LaxManiax Pink started with an early two-goal lead with a lot of intensity riding in the game. Both teams played very good defense and neither team could get a consistent offense thanks to the defensive pressure. Finally the White team forced some turnovers and did not allow the Pink team to settle the ball. They outlasted the Pink team and finished the championship game as 7-4 winners. Both teams represented the club as was expected and the coaches worked well with their teams, providing lots of feedback and critical help to the players on the field. A hallmark of LaxManiax teams is transformative FEEDBACK all the time!

White Out: The Maniax White team (ironically in Black) hoist the championship trophy after a come from behind victory against the Maniax Pink team at the Florida Draw. Just three goals separated the two teams in their two games and leads were exchanged often in each game.

Coach Gallion felt like her team played very well at times and was spurred on by the inner-club rivalry games against the PInk team. “I felt like all of our teams were really good at the tournament. We knew we would be in a dog fight, if we played the Black team or the Pink team, Maniax teams know how to compete but at the end of the game we are all part of Maniax-nation!”

“The LaxManiax Pink team was a great mixture of Maniax from around the state. They were able to come together as a team and improved in every aspect of their game. They were competitive, fast, aggressive, smart, and they got into the flow of the game together.” commented Coach Claussen. “They have a bright future in store for them. It will be fun to watch them develop and if I were playing the 2013’s I would not underestimate them. I really enjoyed working with the 2013’s.”

The tournament, which is run by the parents organization at Park Vista High School (known as SOFLA), was storm free this year and included an added division of play which allowed for more competitive play. The SOFLA organization deserves a lot of credit for creating a solid organization for the event. They consistently made adjustments to keep the event running on track and provided so many volunteers to help that they seemed like they were not even there – a sure sign of a well run event.

The

Why Every Good ‘Lax-4-Life’r Needs LaxManiax

Winter Park, Florida – When I was a high school student athlete I had a great coach. He had coached on the college level and was very well organized. I still treasure him to this day and I don’t remember the many times I was yelled at or corrected, just the times our team was successful and great memories preserved on video and photographs. He could teach fundamentals and techniques and he was excellent at working us out in the weight room. Each year I spent a Fall season and summer training season with the man, and while I loved him to death, spending any more time with him would have led to burnout and left a bad taste in my mouth without a doubt. We were a high school team and we/he wanted to win. The more we worked on it, the better we became to a point.

But we needed a break to avoid hating each other and killing each other.

Athletic burnout is a huge problem in sports with adolescents, particularly high among female athletes. Protecting against burnout should be a priority for coaches.

So my high school coach was wise enough to recommend that we take time in the off-season and learn from other coaches without him being around. He knew there was only so much we could learn running the same system of play. He knew there was a big world of learning that we had to make away from him. And he was a two time NCAA coach of the year (maybe that is why). He sent me to camps (there were no club programs run by college guru’s at the time).

He knew when we came back we would be able to add our skills, knowledge and intensity level, as well as our fresh attitudes, to his system. He knew we would have renewed passion and interest in him as our coach. Of course, even when I was being taught by legends, I always compared them to my high school coach. Never in a negative way, just with a keen interest in how/why the systems were different.

Many years later I became a coach. I had played for eight different coaches who coached at the college or pro levels. My mind was a treasure trove of Mouse Davis’ Run and Shoot, Brian Billick’s West Coast, Barry Switzers Multi-I, Tubby Raymond’s Wing-T, Tom Lapinski’s Wing-T (it was different than Tubby’s), The Carpenter Brother’s multiple-I, Tim Keating’s Spread attack, and Dale Sprague’s Power-eye attack. To this day, there is little about offense that I don’t grasp. Some systems I liked better than others, but I learned tremendously from every system I played in. As a coach, I was able to take a team, regardless of what we are ‘good’ at, and shape an offense that drew from my experience and translated into offensive success for the team. Likewise for defense and special teams. Not only that, but I learned as a player all of these systems and can run them, even at 38 years of age (thanks Brett Farve for not making me totally irrelevant, keep playing please).

The empty set of 'Pivot' play in a Run-n-Shoot offense is a lot of fun and is easier to run with knowledge of other offensive systems.

A far different philosophy and set, the Wing-T 'Belly Waggle' play requires timing and utilizes angles to attack the flank with numbers.

I have done the same thing with lacrosse. So has Mindy. So have nearly all of the coaches in our program, even though we have the best teachers of the sport in the south in my opinion. They never stop learning, growing and adapting.

The bottom line, the more systems and top-level coaching you are exposed to, the higher your Lax-IQ and the better you will be as a college player someday. If all you ever learn is the system you run in high school, regardless of how good your high school program is, the more limited you will be in college. Even if you are not playing NCAA lacrosse, but are playing club ball at UCF; You are more limited if you have not learned from others. No matter how many titles you win, or district championships.

You become a linear decision maker. You know the system.

This is why I could care less if my teams win or not. Not that I enjoy losing (I have a nice collection of championships…been there, done that), but when dealing with developing players, which EVERYONE in Florida is, you do a disservice to concern yourself with winning at the expense of the development of the players. Let’s be honest, Florida lacrosse. If I wanted my teams to just win baby, I would practice each day the same old crap until my kids could just run my trademark offense and defense. And we would smash everyone. But who cares. The players would learn how to run my plays. I want them to be better players.

Some coaches are more concerned with their high school win-loss records and less with the future success of the players in their programs. When you are going out to practice in college someday, that coach is gone and you are no good to him/her anymore because you can’t help their team win. All that remains is the wisdom and knowledge of the game that was imparted to you…or that you learned from other sources. Other sources you say!?

There is nothing wrong with wanting to win at the high school level. Go for it! There are factors that you do not control, like how many of your teammates played youth lax or moved to your town from Maryland. If your neighborhood has better feeder systems and grass roots programs, you will be the most successful. I have yet to see a program in the state final-4 that does not have kids who grew up in a rec-league somewhere or a private school program. St. Edwards school has done a great job of educating lacrosse players for a very long time. St. Andrews on the boys side. No secret to why those geographical areas have such a strong players every year.

But it does not mean that these teams have the best coaches. A great coach can take his team and beat you, then turn around and take your team and beat you playing against his own team.

All hairy high school talk aside, people benefit from learning through different coaches. What is the point of a camp? Do you go to camp to be coached by your high school coach only? Let’s hope you are smarter than that! You should be learning from a variety of different, qualified experts in the game. Not just the person you are coached by for 12 weeks in the Spring and 12 weeks in the Fall.

Are we getting cabin fever yet? Kids in the south are too nice to say ‘no’ until it is too late and instead of moving on to play college lax, they become ‘party girls’ somewhere.

Avoiding burnout is another key to why any good ‘Lax-4-Life’r who wants to be a great lacrosse player and is dedicated should be playing summer and fall travel tournaments with LaxManiax Elite. Rather than a camp, which can be a good experience but is over in an instant, LaxManiax is a year-round program that includes practices, competitions, and travel tournaments that offer more playing options locally and nationally. It is progressive in nature. And there is a simple guarantee:

If you attend every practice, you will be an improved player.

Don’t really need that guarantee, but it is there as a signal that being involved with this organization will make you a better lacrosse player. And getting better is what it is all about. Take this case study:

Angela – Freshman Midfielder – Junior Varsity =
Angela was a good athlete as a freshman and was a decent lacrosse player. While she is not on the varsity last Fall, she was a top freshman on JV in the Lax-for-Life league. She wanted to be a varsity player and she thought that playing lacrosse was her favorite past time. She chose to tryout for LaxManiax last December and was given a bid to play. She took the bid.

Angela has attended nearly all the LaxManiax practices and she also attended the SAT, Heatwave and Cradle-for-the-Cure. She is headed north this Fall for the first time and also plans on playing with the 2012 Showcase team at Wishbone and Ancient City.

This Fall Ball she is one of the top players on her high school team in the Lax-4-Life Fall Ball League! She is just about unstoppable. She has been nominated for the deBeer Lacrosse ‘Hot Prospects’ list. There is little doubt that she will become a great NCAA player in a few year’s time. She has played for three different coaches in the Maniax, including Coach Goey (Cornell, Team Canada), Coach G (Hopkins, Team USA Invitee), and Coach Paul (Western Maryland, Jax Predators), and benefitted from their different styles and areas of expertise.

What do you think the chances of her helping her varsity team this year? Pretty good? Yeah, I don’t think there is much doubt about that one.

Her high school coach is thrilled! Why wouldn’t he be? (good question to ask!)

Betsy – Senior Defender – Varsity =
Betsy was thinking about doing LaxManiax going into her junior year, but she could not get her Mom on board. She didn’t push the issue, but she had many of her high school teammates urge her to try it her senior year. Other kids at her high school had gone to college after playing LaxManiax, but Betsy did not view herself in the same light as those girls who just seemed more talented.

Betsy was surprised when she earned a spot on Team Florida’s 2010 Black team. She did not think she was that good. But after all the practices and the summer tournaments, she now knows differently. While other programs would not even entertain her as a player in their ‘elite team’, she has leap-frogged kids in other programs and now has offers to play Division I lacrosse, like the other girls she had heard about from her area.

Best of all, Betsy utilized the free recruiting program and the help of the club recruiting coordinator and was not deterred by a few schools who said ‘no’, because she had many other options waiting in the wings. And now she is prepared to commit to play college lacrosse.

Her high school coach is ecstatic. Why wouldn’t she be?

Maddy Blakeman '12 (left) and Chelsea Pinneke '11 (right) both compete for high school programs with outstanding histories. The two will join forces this Fall in Lax-4-Life and LaxManiax, attending the Rivalry Showcase in Annapolis among others. Both are major college prospects.

Most everyone in the Lax-4-Life League falls (no pun intended) somewhere in between those two case scenarios of players who are actually in the LaxManiax Club right now! So why aren’t you? How much better can you get? In just a few months?

Good high school coaches recognize the benefits of playing for a variety of superior coaches. Even playing for different personalities pays dividends. And the LaxManiax are pretty good…our 2014-15 team (7th and 8th graders) is truly unmatched at the junior varsity level of Lax-4-Life. Why? Look at how much they have done with the different coaches in the program! They have to play their best to even be the top 2014 team in the LaxManiax club (there are three of them). All of the young players are phenomenal!

They also play much better competition within the club and at the club tournaments and they are taught from a tremendous amount of experiences. College alumni players with coaching experience, former and current college coaches, and the best role model coaches at the high school level you can find.

And this is why if you play in the Lax-4-Life League and you are:
1) Dedicated, 2) Passionate for the Game, 3) A good athlete
you need to play in the LaxManiax Elite program!

You only get ONE CHANCE to be great! Choose wisely!

New Member Tryouts for LaxManiax are December 5th-6th!

Team Florida Tryouts (for those who want to play NCAA lacrosse) are December 13th!