her Space // editorial
THERE’S STILL SOME SANITY
IWLCA survey indicates early recruiting concerns may be overblown
T
he acceleration of the women’s lacrosse recruiting cycle has become the topic of
conversation for players, parents and coaches. In August, Long Beach (N.Y.) High and Yellow Jackets club goalie Sarah Reznick became the first freshman to commit to a college program. She’ll play at Florida, starting in 2018-19. Too soon! Too fast!
I’m too late! There is no hope!
Such remarks
are made so convincingly that players have come
to adopt these drastic statements
as truth, giving up before
truly informing themselves on the process. Rare cases like Reznick’s only heighten the fear factor. But take a deep breath. There’s
still some sanity within this cycle. The IWLCA recently surveyed
211 college coaches about their recruiting focuses for the President’s Cup, an official IWLCA event Nov. 21-23 in Orlando, Fla. The results, according to IWLCA president and Grand Valley State coach Alicia Groveston, support a refreshing reality for high school juniors and seniors who feel like their time has passed. “There is a much larger majority
of Division I, II and III institutions who are still evaluating and finalizing both their 2015 and 2016 graduation classes,” Groveston said. “If you are a junior or even a senior in high school, you can still find a place to play lacrosse in college.”
SENIORS Forty-five percent of coaches said
they still are evaluating seniors. An additional 26 percent are
laxmagazine.com — Kate Hickman Director, Bay Area Lacrosse Club November 2014 » LACROSSE MAGAZINE 27
essentially done with 2015s, but will continue to look at a few players. While clubs generally do not hold
senior teams, look into tournaments that allow you to join a 2015 team as an independent, or contact college coaches about camp opportunities.
JUNIORS You are a 2016 and have heard
that Division I schools are completely finished with your class. You’re unsure if even the top Division II or III schools have space. You feel hopeless and disappointed. Be encouraged that you are the
primary focus of college coaches this fall. Just eight percent (24 percent in Division I) of those surveyed by the IWLCA have completed their 2016 class. Twenty-nine percent of Division I coaches planned to focus almost exclusively on 2016s. Let these stats enliven your motivation to come out ready to play.
SOPHOMORES Forty-eight percent of coaches
surveyed will evaluate your class this fall. Unsurprisingly, most coaches actively recruiting 2017s are from Division I, from which 88 percent of the respondents indicated they will recruit sophomores. For 64 percent of them, it will be their top priority. Reach out to schools of interest
before your tournament season and be prepared to handle that attention. “Recruiting timelines are important questions to ask the coach who is recruiting you,” Groveston said. “The answers can differ widely.”
If Earth’s population ever needs to inhabit a galaxy far, far away, one without the force of gravity, there will be some good news: Lacrosse works great in space. In 2002, Expedition Five’s three-person crew spent about six months on the International Space Station. Turns out a pair of lacrosse sticks, and a Hacky Sack ball used in place of the regulation rubber, were part of the payload and the agenda 250 miles above Earth. As part
of NASA’s
International Toys in Space program, U.S. astronaut Peggy Whitson and Russian cosmonauts Valery Korzun and Sergei Treshchev tested 16 items for how weightlessness affected them and compared to life down below. They played soccer, hockey and lacrosse.
Cindy McArthur, head of NASA’s Teaching from Space project, said the Creator’s Game was picked for its
North American roots and its practicality. The plastic sticks and soft ball passed safety, size and weight requirements to be launched on a space shuttle and used in the fragile environment.
In a NASA video
on YouTube, right- handers Korzun and Treshchev
pass back and forth, smiles on their faces. “Lacrosse is definitely a game that works in space. It may be the best for a space station,” Whitson narrates. The ball flies in a straight line because of the lack of gravity. A shooter’s paradise.
— Corey McLaughlin
WHO KNEW?
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