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On the road again….as we pass through South Carolina I can’t help but think about all the growth in the south and how many people are now playing this game. One thing that true lacrosse community people believe is the power of the sport to change lives and to help people enjoy a great game. Lacrosse is a celebration of life, the Creator’s game. My ancestors on my mothers side were from various lineages, but one of them was Ojibwe Indian. The Ojibwe are credited with being amongst the earliest tribal nations playing lacrosse, or Bagataway (it’s not spelled anything like that, but it’s my best ‘white man’ translation. Ojibwe used the game to train for war and to settle disputes as well as a great way to celebrate their lives. The game was restricted to warriors and most warriors were men (there were some isolated occurrences of women).
Lacrosse and its growth have boomed all over the country and most especially in the south. A barometer of the growth is the number of traveling parties, or clubs, who participate in tournaments. The more mature and area, the more participants in traveling clubs. In the Baltimore metro area, a few thousand kids travel on the girl’s side alone. In the south, about 1,000 girls travel and about twice as many boys. This is inverse when compared to the northern travel teams where there are more girls participants. This could be due in part to the number of women’s collegiate spots vs. the men’s opportunities on the NCAA level. There are twice as many Division I programs for women. You don’t need to play travel lacrosse or recruiting caliber travel ball if you are planning on attending Florida State. They are a club. Ditto for Miami, South Florida, UCF, and UF. Their men’s programs are run by the students and dedicated coaches, many of which are volunteer or bankroll the programs themselves.
The Creator’s game is for all, regardless of if you are an NCAA’r or a clubber. And club ball can be competitive and fun. Every game a chance to enjoy the fastest game on two feet.
Driving through South Carolina for the third year in a row, I reflect on how much their state has grown. They are now a state sanctioned sport. Several colleges, including Converse College, have added programs at various levels. They have a couple of travel teams that have sprung up and begun playing different places, including the Wishbone and the SAT. Coaches like Limestone’s Scott Tucker, have created camps and clinics for new and experienced players to learn the sport and improve. The youth game is picking up in various pockets of the state. High school lacrosse is becoming gradually more competitive.
Same can be said for Florida. One area that is rapidly growing but is just a little over a year old is in North Florida. Gainesville is becoming a lacrosse boom-town for both boys and girls. While schools like PK Younge have had boy’s programs for a few years, the girls game was extinct if not for the courage of a couple named Millnoff. Ian and his wife Lynn have been pioneering lacrosse in North-Central Florida. For those of you unfamiliar with where this part of the state is, it is about an hour from Fleming Island and an hour and a half from Bartram Trail, two of the top programs in North Florida.
During Fall Ball, the Millinoffs bring two teams of athletes to compete and drive about 3-hours in a day. This year the Millinoffs have:
1) Successfully overseen the transition of a club program to an FHSAA varsity program. 2) Began Youth lacrosse programs in five middle schools in the Alachua County School District privately. 3) Developed youth and high school officials. 4) Connected with students at UF who are laxers, including several LaxManiax alums. 5) Took a team to JU team camp and attended numerous lacrosse clinics in an effort to get to know the game.
Ian Millinoff has the passion and the organization to build lacrosse anywhere!
Lynn is the 'general manager' of the lacrosse program and serves as a coach as well.Ian serves as head coach and is passionate about spreading the sport to both boys and girls.
When you think about it, they have really taken the game from infancy (thanks to those in Hogtown for getting it started) and catapulted the sport to the middle-ages! Their high school program was very competitive for a 1st year program with players with one or two years of experience. They played some challenging opponents and they played young programs as well. As a lacrosse person, I respect them perhaps more than anyone in the state for their dedication to building the game on so many levels. The impact was felt by nearly 500 new lacrosse players who picked up sticks for the first time. The Creator’s game rolls on and impacts more kids thanks to one couple seeking to make a difference. We hope they ‘stick’ with their programs long after their kids stop playing or move to college. What they have started is very special.
As we head to our third IWLCA Champions Cup (we are the ONLY Florida team to participate in the IWLCA Champions Cup Senior division in the history of the event), it is important to notice the strides that we have made as a state in the sport. Our first year we had a record of 2-2 and did not make the playoff bracket, but won our Sunday game to even our record. We had a very close loss to 180 lacrosse and were decisively beaten by Lady Roc, who went on to win the tournament. They were a great team loaded with DI talent. On our team, Chelsea Kent, Katie Carbiener, Mel Hicks, and Alyssa Greenert all moved on to division I programs and all received playing time as freshman. Kent was nominated for ‘Rookie of the Year’ in her conference and Hicks played every minute of every game with exception to her three yellow cards. Many other players on the 2008 IWLCA team went on to college programs as well. Still others started their own program: Bridget Abrams and Aubrey White started the Florida Gulf Coast club team this year and managed a full schedule and more than twenty girls in another hi growth area! Leaders they were. Leaders they are.
Last year’s ‘09 team was a great story. Going into the Maniax season I was very concerned that they would struggle competitively. They had some fine players, but the 2008 team had many horses and they were 2-2! I wondered how the small team that had experienced some lop-sided losses as sophomores would fare. The National Tournament team that year struggled as well as US Lacrosse teams. I wondered how our team would fare and put Brooke Magnuson, a former Maryland Player of the Year and current JU assistant coach in charge. She had been the most positive coach I had seen in high school ball all year. She took a hapless Stanton Prep program and turned them into winners and cheerleaders. I fgured, if we don’t fare well, at least we’ll have some great spirit cheers to keep our morale up!
The ‘09 team started our travel season at our own playday where they lost to the 2010 team and barely beat our 2011 team. I was right! They were going to struggle!! WRONG! The group pulled together under Brooke and Steve Garrison’s leadership and made the playoffs after the first day with a 1-1-1 record against some stiff competition. They ended up tied with another team but had the best goal differential. The playoff game was awesome. About 50 colleges lined the sidelines while we took it to PA Express, one of the top programs at the event. We had an 8-6 lead at half time! With 10 minutes left the colleges all got up and left, going to their next fields to watch games. Thank goodness because PA Express came back to defeat our 09 team, but for those who were there early, the LaxManiax had the game under control…but that is the way recruiting tournaments operate.
after a nice win at Capital Cup vs. Ultimate09, the 09 Maniax celebrate!
None of the college coaches goes to a game to see who wins. They attend to see the players who play. No one cares who is coaching the teams or what system they are running. They care about the players. And by the end of the summer our 09 team had proven that players we had! Two DI goal keepers and a third D2 scholarship keeper – all on the same team! Five other DI signees and numerous D2 and D3 players ended up moving on to the college ranks.
2008 was a great year for another reason: We added a second team in the Champions Cup bracket. The 09 ‘2nd team’ did not win a game. They were outmatched and they played hard, but their goals were different than the 1st team. Nearly all of the players on this team were 1st time tournament attendees. But they wanted a chance to move on and play in college. Many of them are thanks to the exposure they received from the IWLCA events. As a co-founder and co-director it was a proud moment. 41 girls working to be their best and potentially play in college. 20 more than the previous year.
This year both of our teams are coming more prepared than ever before and with improvements on all sides. More support from coaches and administrators, more recruiting assistance and organization, the best website in club sports anywhere. Personally, I am excited to get back into coaching after a year off to handle the administration of the club after my wife’s rapid move to head-coachendom. We had co-coached the 2008 team in the first-year of the IWLCA’s. Now it is just me and Jen Heup, a young coach fresh from the North-South all-star game. We get to coach one of the teams and Mary Hopkins and Chris Claussen will direct the other. As I said, both programs are so much more prepared than ever before. The more we go, the better we get.
And next year we will be even better! In part because of all we will learn and grow from this time around. You see, next year I will be writing about all the successes of the 2010 teamers! The Creator’s game continues to provide opportunities for new players in Gainesville and other areas of the south and pushes forward as our club teams play in tougher and tougher events, playing better and better lacrosse.
Thanks be to the Creator!
About the IWLCA Champion’s Cup: 96 teams and 1,500 athletes compete from Friday thru Sunday in the ‘Senior only’ bracket. More than 100 teams and 2,000 athletes compete in the ‘Open division’ and middle school brackets. More than 200 NCAA programs will attend to scout the field. An interesting stat: If the average college program takes in ‘8’ athletes each year and 200 programs are scouting the field at this event, there are more SPOTS open at schools than there are players available (1500 senior prospects and 1600 spots). Good thing we are going!
Kristina Coppolino warms up in style
A beautiful day here in Downingtown, PA! As I started to talk with the girls at halftime of our game against SEPA, I was struck by how lucky and blessed we all were to be at a beautiful place, playing lacrosse, and playing well. The 11-12 team had two great competitive games, playing PA Express (lost a tight game) and SEPA (good win). What we love the most about these girls is their attitude, happiness, and energy they play the game with. They’re so much fun to coach and watch. It’s also worth mentioning that these girls are competitive in every single game, no matter who steps on the field. Take a look at part of our day!
Blakeman drives to cage!
Once-Doce Team
Kenna Wick surveys the field
More info coming tomorrow (or very late tonight)
Coach Matt out!
Reporting live from the Original Lax RV, fresh from a pit stop in Kentucky Fried Chicken (wow is that an oxymoron), Coach Matt and I are pushing up the coast and enjoying the cooler temperatures as we conquer each strata of latitude northward. The club continues to grow in new and amazing ways.
Three years ago, Coach Mindy and I took a group of “Fightin’ Possums” into the great unknown. We were the first club from Florida or Georgia to venture to USTC and we made lots of rookie mistakes. Most of the girls had never played outside the state of Florida. Most had never played varsity lacrosse before. Some had never even been on a plane. It was a trip with enthusiasm, optimism and pessimism all in one trip.
I can still remember getting the scores back from day 1. Our senior team (2007), which had some good talent, was beated by St. Steven’s club team, Capital Blue, by 18 goals. The Long Island Yellowjackets top team beat us by 12. We all felt like we wanted to quit and take an early flight home – we were bummed out, but we sure were learning quickly! It was cold and rained most of the day. The junior team (2008) lost both of their games too, but they were tied a half of each game. The sophomore team (2009) got beat too. A girl was crying on the sideline because she did not start either game on the first day…there was a lack of team feel! I would have thought she could have at least sad “Hey, I didn’t start, so they got off to poor starts!” The freshman team (2010) was very competitive, but they too dropped their first two games. It seemed that nothing could go right.
Until we heard about the middle school team.
They WON their first game by 4 goals. Their second game, against the Long Island Yellow Jackets middle schoolers (a much more established club) came down to a controversial call at the end of the game and we lost by one goal. The Jackets were not happy about the ‘nobodies’ from Florida pushing them for a game.
Fortunately, Sunday came and all the teams adapted and learned how to play the game the way we had really been teaching it, but until exposure to the style of play up north, they had not quite put it together. Our 2008 team won a game against a team from Virginia and lost a close one. Our 2007’s played competitively. The middle schoolers (2011-12) split their final games. The 2009 team continued to get beat by double digits. Ellyn, Carly and the other 2009s tried hard, but they could not face the giants they were playing.
It was a rough beginning, but we did accomplish a few things. First, 13 girls from the 2007 team that did not win a game, got recruited and obtained valuable experience that they could never get in Florida. Nobody in the south was or is today that good. Second, the younger players were excited and we all learned that the ‘youth movement’ would be the key to success. Third, the 2008’s smacking around a team from Virginia in their final game proved that we had some great players, even though some had only played lacrosse for a few months. Finally, it also meant that we had to retool and spend more time on skills and findamental development with our club. Thee was a gap between the top players in the club and the bottom. Everyone needed better sticks and we all needed to play better defense.
Version 2.0 was a different story. With 4 teams at USTC, we began the event ‘in’ every game, winning 7 of 8 (not that we care about that – it’s all about playing well). The second day we went 4-4 as a club. Our 2008’s, in their final recruiting showcase went 3-1. More than 20 of their class went on the play NCAA lacrosse. It was a great sign of growth! The 2009’s still lagged behind and struggled to be competitive against the top-tiered teams. We worried about them. Little did we know what strong leadership this unit had and how well they would do in the summer of 2008 (amazing).
So now we are here at Version 3.0 and we are seeing some very good things happening in the club. Players are starting to separate from those who view lacrosse as a novelty and those who LOVE the game. I tell people all the time that there are TWO types of players our club is good for: Those who LOVE lacrosse and just want to play all the time and those who feel this way AND want to play in college. You don’t HAVE to be a DI college prospect to play in the club. PASSION for the game is first!
Version 3.0 has PASSION! From the class of 13-14 we have some of the most fun girls in the history of the sport. They LOVE to play the game and they look great doing it. Since they started playing, the only team to beat them is them. They are truly unmatched in the south and now they get a chance to play teams from the north. Their PASSION is what will make them special. There are even a couple of first-year players coming to play – so it will be interesting to see how they do! Fresh from their Florida Draw domination, we all hope they bring their FUN to the fields of Downingtown, PA!
The 11-12 team is in the same boat. The team that barnstormed the north over the summer going undefeated and playing well is now mixed with some new players. For them it’s about playing a great brand of lacrosse together and developing more chemistry. Next year they will be on separate national teams (2011 and 2012) so this is another opportunity for them to play and continue maturing. You can bet that they will be closely watched!
The Black and White teams took the greatest hit of the non-committed’s. They have each lost 4 players who pulled out for personal reasons and one to an injury (of course that is understood). The truly passionate are here and they will be coached by a couple of great ones in coach Sarah (Team Canada, eh!) and Mary (US Lacrosse Executive board member). For these girls it is all about preparation meeting opportunity. Dozens of coaches will be watching, looking for the next great Florida player. They will see some excellent ones!
There are 7 girls who have already signed who are not attending the tournament, so the teams have taken some hits. Now it is time to see who from this group is going to rise and replace the leadership and comradarie that is back home in Florida.
Version 3.0 has some great kids and coaches and a more seasoned director. I swell up with pride when I see our alums playing for their new college teams. There are 13 of our alums who are playing this weekend at USTC. They play a role in version 3.0 too!
I bet they will benefit from all their experiences as Maniax. It’s not like they haven’t been there before! Stay tuned for more news and info from Coach Matt and I as we catalog the growth of Florida girls/womens lacrosse!
Coach Paul – OUT = just 700 miles remaining! HONK! HONK!!
LEAVE NOTHING
