signifi cant margins. Vero Beach alumna Courtney Swan earned All-ACC honors as a sophomore midfi elder at Virginia in 2013, fi nishing third in the league with 4.05 draw controls per game. Dean has turned his experiences at the convention into recruiting. He convinced Bob Windsor, girls’ coach at Martin County (Fla.) High, to go for the fi rst time in 2013. Vero Beach assistant Megan Vatland was among the fi rst fi ve people to register for the 2014 convention.
than seeing fi lm, X’s and O’s on a white board, or even a PowerPoint. “It’s a more inclusive event now, with instructional classes now going down to the youth level. Any coach could fi nd worthwhile things to go to all day.” The convention schedule borders
on manic. More than 200 speakers populated the lineup in 2013. Windsor recalled feeling a bit overwhelmed at times. That’s not uncommon. Veteran attendees like Dean take days to comb
COACH LIKE A CHAMPION
Defending NCAA Division I champion coaches John Danowski of Duke and Jenny Levy of North Carolina highlight the lineup of speakers for the 2014 US Lacrosse National Convention, presented by Champion. Those luminaries will be joined on the
“I’ll never not go again. If it moves to Alaska, I’m going.”
— Bob Windsor, girls’ lacrosse coach, Martin County (Fla.) High “It was way better than what he told
me,” Windsor said. “It’s the best thing I’ve ever done to learn the game. I’ll never not go again. If it moves to Alaska, I’m going.” Windsor’s Tigers will play their fi fth
season next spring, but the convention’s diverse schedule of clinics offers something for coaches at all levels. Veteran high school boys’ coach Mike
Jolly, who received the 2012 Gerald J. Carroll Jr. Exemplary Coaching Award for a lifetime’s work of developing young men at De La Salle Collegiate (Mich.) High, estimated he has been to two- thirds of the conventions since helping to start the Pilots’ program in 1984. He has seen it evolve from a men’s coaching clinic operated by the former United States Lacrosse Coaches Association to a weekend full of educational and networking opportunities for coaches, offi cials and administrators at all levels in the men’s and women’s games, operated by the sport’s national governing body. Though Jolly now coaches the JV
team, he hasn’t stopped learning, either. “The on-fi eld demonstrations, where coaches can bring in players and demonstrate, are really valuable,” Jolly said. “The fi rst one I saw was Tim Puls (current assistant men’s coach at Stevenson) — to be able to see him position his players was so much better
Vero Beach (Fla.) coach Shannon Dean (above left) is a regular at the US Lacrosse Convention, which last year included Team USA’s Kyle Harrison as a speaker.
A Publication of US Lacrosse
through notes upon returning home. Windsor quickly found reassurance in The Vault, which gives attendees free access to all presentations. “That online library was great to see
what I missed, but it also reinforced what I learned,” Windsor said. “I looked at it several times before the season, and at least once a month after.” Windsor believes he’s found in the convention his source for coaching. “Coaching is a competitive world,” he
said. “You have to learn new ways to keep challenging players.” LM
men’s side by the likes of Dave Pietramala (Johns Hopkins, U.S. men’s team assistant), Kevin Corrigan (Notre Dame) and Lars Tiffany (Brown), and on the women’s side by Missy Doherty (Penn State), Lindsey Munday (USC) and Bonnie Rosen (Temple), among others. U.S. women’s team coach Ricky Fried (Georgetown) returns, as does Stevenson men’s coach and faceoff expert Paul Cantabene.
“That was the greatest revelation at my
fi rst convention — how open and inclusive the college coaches were to the high school coaches,” De La Salle Collegiate (Mich.) boys’ coach Mike Jolly said. “I still see that today.” Jolly, who has coached football since 1975, said he noticed more of a caste system at professional development events in that sport. The US Lacrosse convention atmosphere allows for networking before and after formal sessions, where scholastic coaches can pick the brains of their collegiate counterparts, or talk up their prospects that might have potential to play in college.
“It helps once you’ve put a player to the next level, but it is another venue where you put a face with your name,” Vero Beach (Fla.) girls’ coach Shannon Dean said.
— P.K.
If You Go
What: US Lacrosse National Convention, presented by Champion
Where: Philadelphia, Pa. When: Jan. 10-12, 2014 Who: Coaches, offi cials, administrators, players, industry
Web:
uslacrosse.org/convention
Tickets: $95 through Nov. 30, $115 Dec. 1-Jan. 2, $160 walkup
Jenny Levy November 2013 >> LACROSSE MAGAZINE 57
©JOHN STROHSACKER
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