Why Do More?

Because it makes it personal.

Because the choice to do more brings passion to your life and it makes you more alive.

Because if you don’t, someone else will, and in an ever more competitive world, doing less means losing.

Because you care.

Because we’re watching.

Because you can.

Based on a post by Seth Godin

2013 First Practices

The first practices for the 2013 high school boys teams begin on Monday, March 11th. Freshmen and Sophomores are practicing at 8pm beginning in the All-City Gym Lobby. Juniors and Seniors are practicing at 3pm at Woodland Sports. The team calendars are available at these links: Varsity Boys and JV Boys.

Any students interested in joining the team, who are not listed below, are asked to contact Coach Sharp (coachsharp [at] grclax.com) prior to tryouts.

Seniors: Apol, Betts, DeKoster, Doezema, Hoeksema, Hughes, Marco, McClurg, Mellema, Mudde, Porter, Romero, Slotsma, Teitsma, Tellier, and Vanderkamp

Juniors: Baas, DeVos, DeWitt, Hayes, Heemstra, Hilbrands, Hoeksema, Konynenbelt, Minnema, Morgan-Floyd, Mulder, Paauwe, and Pindred

Sophomores: Damstra, Duthler, Geelhoed, Hess, Otte, and VanTuinen

Freshman: Bell, Bulkowski, Craker, DeVries, Gortsema, Israels, Kortenhoven, Reahm, Rietema, Sigler, Tilma, VanDenHeuvel, VanderStelt, VanLoo, VanVliet, Verwys, and Walldorff

Watch 2012 Syracuse vs Johns Hopkins Highlights

It Starts with You

Passing Skills with Paul Rabil

The online supply of lacrosse videos you can learn from is nearly endless out there, here is one of the best explaining his wall ball routine:

Coach Sharp wants you to note his behind the back technique . . . practicing to the point of being able to just rotate your shoulders to consistently aim this difficult pass as his target moved was lacrosse at another level.

You can see below what wall ball looks like in our All-City Gym Lobby in a video posted and viewed 23,000+ times with Coach Sharp:

Advice: How to Improve a Skill

The key to improvement is making small, smart changes, evaluating the results, discarding what doesn’t work, and further refining what does work. When you constantly modify and refine something you already do well, you can do it even better.

Say you want to improve a certain skill. Here are simple techniques:

1. Go a lot faster. Force yourself to go much faster than normal. You’ll screw up, and in the process you’ll adapt and find new improvements.

2. Go a lot slower. Force yourself to go slower and you’ll identify techniques or strategies that hold you back. Plus you can experiment with new techniques that aren’t apparent at normal speed.

3. Break a complex task into smaller parts. Almost every task includes a series of discrete steps. Pick one step, deconstruct it, master it… then put the whole task back together. Then choose another component part to deconstruct. Incrementally improve enough steps and the overall improvement can be huge.

4. Measure differently. Pick a different measurement than you normally use to analyze your performance. Measure speed instead of accuracy, for example. Or use video or audio for feedback. (Watching yourself isn’t particularly fun but you’ll quickly see you a number of things you never realized you could do differently.)

5. Practice perfectly. Focus on performing a task as well as you possibly can. When you try to do your best even the smallest mistakes are obvious. Then you can learn from those mistakes, adapting and modifying your techniques so you constantly, even if only incrementally, improve.

Don’t just push the envelope until it breaks… or until it breaks you. Tweak, refine, and reinvent a skill that you already perform well… with a little time and a lot of focus, you’ll perform incredibly well.

With Tryouts Coming Up on March 11th

Saw this posted elsewhere and thought I’d pass it along for those who wonder what a typical lacrosse coach is looking for:

1. Be On Time/Accountable – If tryouts start at 3:00 be there and ready to go at 2:50.  If you don’t have your ducks in a row before you’re even on the team (arguably the most important time of the season) why should I believe that you’ll be any different during the season?
2. Athletic Ability/Fitness/Hustle – This is something you can control. If someone is gassed before we even get to sprints at the end of tryouts on day 1, they’re already on the chopping block. On the reverse, if a kid is still busting it and finishing in the top group during sprints, he’s someone I’ll look to keeping regardless of skill level. I can teach any athlete to play lacrosse but I can’t teach a lacrosse player to be an athlete.
3. Defensive ability – Part of this is dictated by athletic ability/fitness but it’s also something you can easily work on by doing different footwork drills. Do ladders, work on stops/starts, get good at being able to change directions and shadowing someone. I preach to my players that if you can’t play defense, you can’t play in games. It doesn’t matter if you play attack or pole. My SSDM/man down guys are always guys that make up for what they lack in stick skills with their hard work, defensive ability, and overall fitness. Being good at playing defense is a good way to find yourself on a roster.
4. Being coachable/good attitude – While the primary focus of tryouts is for you to show me what you’ve got, I have no problem giving help and coaching players if they need it. If the coach tells you to do something, you do it. It’s not a big deal if you do something “wrong” the first time running a drill but after I correct you, you better take whatever advice I gave you to heart and run the drill right next time. Don’t be afraid to ask if you don’t understand something. Don’t talk when your coach is talking. Perhaps the thing that irritates me the most is when a player yells in anger or slams their stick on the ground if they mess up. Mistakes happen, learn from it and move on. No need to put on a show of how disappointed you are. Also, if I tell you to change levels on your shot or scoop with 2 hands, then do it even if you think I’m the biggest idiot in the world.
5. Communication – Lacrosse is 100% a team sport. If we’re running a drill and it involves verbal communication (especially if your coach tells you) then be sure to speak up. Don’t worry about how stupid you might sound shouting out things like “hot” or “force him left”. Listen to the defenses while watching college ball, those guys are always shouting things out. This is especially important with regards to defensive drills. Again, if you can’t play defense, you can’t play during games.
6. Stick Skills – I understand if you’re a new player and you don’t have skills yet but if you’ve been playing for years and it looks like you picked up a stick yesterday then we have a problem. Tryouts isn’t the time for you to knock off the rust from the off-season. Stick skills are important, no two ways about it. Don’t neglect working on your sticks now because you think you don’t have enough time before tryouts. Every half hour you spend on wall ball between now and then will make a difference.

A Note from Will

Will’s #15 Gear for 2013

A quick note from Will:

Hi everyone,

Today is my season opener game for Savanah College of Art & Design against Flagler college. Today we will be wearing our Black Harrow jerseys, Custom STX Assault Gloves, Cascade Pro 7 helmets, Warrior Burn 6.0 cleats, and Max Flow socks. I really hope this equipment motivates all you to strive and play college lacrosse. Hope your guys have a killer season.

Your former attackmen,

Will Greeley

We’ll be rooting for you this year Will!

Woodland Sports League Schedules

Eagles 1 (Black)

Eagles 2 (White)

Study These Moves

Multi-Sport Athletes Honored

We are very supportive of all the activities, sports and otherwise, that our lacrosse players are active in when not playing.  This week several of these athletes were recognized for their efforts in fall sports, as Trent Hoeksema, Tyler Romero, Chad Teitsma were honored as OK White all-conference soccer players.

Senior football player Ryan Betts was chosen as the Burger King Athlete of the Week.  The athletes chosen during the year are in the running for a $1,000 scholarship.  In the championship football game on Saturday, Ryan played as a fullback – a position that doesn’t receive much attention, but is critical to the success of the team.  Coach Fellows described Ryan as a “character athlete” because Ryan’s work ethic, positive attitude, and commitment to excellence in all areas is evident.  If you would like to hear the WBBL announcement that highlights Ryan’s success in football, hockey, lacrosse, academics, orchestra, and chorus, click here.  Once at the website, click on Ryan’s name to listen to the announcement.  Congratulations, Ryan!

Another state-champion football player was honored with OK White all-conference recognition.  Alex Korhorn, a O/D lineman, has also earned other awards.

In Case You Wondered What DI Pre-Season Is Like

Don’t Be A “Lax Bro”

Change what it means to be a lacrosse player and have pride in the type of team you help shape.

What to do in the Off-Season

Rob, can you give the LaxAllStars.com readers FIVE concrete pieces of advice on what you do to better your skills as a lacrosse player? For example, what can a young lacrosse player do in the off season to take his or her game to the next level?

Rob Pannell:

1) Work on your off hand: I tirelessly work on my left hand so that it is as good as my right in everything that I do. I have been doing this since 7th grade, when I decided to put the stick in my off hand for an entire indoor season.

2) Push yourself to a level where you become uncomfortable: Whether it be in practice or in the weight room, pushing yourself to that extra level, and being uncomfortable, allows you to increase your tolerance for pain and take your game to the next level both with your skills and your physical ability.

3) Watch the top players at your position and mimic what they do: I did this with many players, such as Connor Gill, when I was growing up and always admired the way he played and how he fed the ball.

4) Footwork and agility training: Working on your lacrosse skills is great but footwork and agility training can really help take your game to the next level.

5) Never be satisfied: Even today, with everything I have accomplished so far, I continue to find things in my game which I need to work on and am most critical of myself. It is those who become satisfied with the player they have become that will be passed by the player who continues to tirelessly work on his game.

Fall Ball Opportunities

Below are two outside opportunities to improve this fall:

True Lacrosse League at EGR Middle/High
Lasts 8 Weeks – September 16th to November 4th
Cost: $150
Each session will include 30 minutes of clinic followed by a 60 minute game. We’re going to be designating a progression of drills throughout the session and we’re also going to hand out prizes each week for fastest shot, ground balls, toughness, effort etc…. We’re looking at having several different divisions; Varsity, JV, 7/8, 5/6. The league also wraps up with a tournament at the beginning of November.
Info Flyer – Registration

Heat Lacrosse Clinics at MVP Sports Spot of Kentwood
will be running a cumulative series of lacrosse clinics for players at the U15, U13 and U11 levels. Players will receive instruction and high repetitions on position-specific drills, as well as game action. Space for the clinics will be limited to ensure a low player-to-coach ratio, and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Further information on the youth clinic is below:
When: Sundays in September (23rd and 30th) and October (7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th)
Who: U11 1:00-2:30 p.m.     U13 2:45-4:15 p.m.     U15 4:30-6:00 p.m.
Where: MVP Sports Spot – 3701 32nd Street
Cost: $150
Registration: Online at www.heatlacrosse.com

The 2012 Lax Campers

Another great boys lacrosse camp was held at Eagles Stadium from Monday, August 6th until Thursday, August 9th.

Campers from the Grand Rapids Christian 2012 Lacrosse Camp

Sound Advice from MLL Players & Coaches

Why Poke Checks Work

A quick lesson for why your coaches want you to poke check more . . .

The WHY:

The HOW:

1st Ever Boys Alumni Game

Plans are in the works to host the first of what we hope will become an annual event, The GRCLAX Alumni Game.

2007 GRCHS Team (come on out!)

Plans are for the game to be held on Tuesday, 5/22 following the girls’ 6pm playoff game with our game starting at 8pm at Eagles Stadium.

There is a Facebook event page at https://www.facebook.com/events/222540274516381/ to help recruit players and keep all informed.

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