While planning the “2nd Annual Lenape Lacrosse Summer League All Star Game and Clinic” I had three versions of what I thought it might look like floating around in my head. The first was a rainy mess where ten volunteers showed up to help coach the six kids that braved the elements followed by a game with barely enough people to make a go of it. The second was the polar opposite where we have a ton of kids, a ton of coaches, and a lights out great game. The third vision was what I felt would be the reality, something in between the previous two scenarios. I never envisioned the fourth option… Thursday night was nothing short of perfect and it exceeded anything I dared think possible. The weather was absolutely beautiful, the Kid’s Clinic drew over 60 kids, we had close to 15 volunteer coaches who absolutely nailed it, the game was ridiculous, and we even finished with the perfect amount of water ice. It was a special event for everyone involved and I am proud to have been a part of it. The night started off a bit overwhelmingly with kid after kid signing in, tee shirts flying around, and people asking for direction; I’d lie if I said I wasn’t a bit flustered. After things calmed down a bit, I was able to set the coaching assignments. “Rutledge, Finer, Craig Hunsberger, you guys got the face-offs. Curtis, Reed, and McCabe, can you take the shooting Clinic? Mangin, Bowyer, and Scott Hunsberger I trust you with the dodging. Aquilino your in charge of the goalies, no cursing! As for the Defensive Clinic...” (That’s the sound of the record scratching) The defensive clinic, this is where it gets interesting. As a kid, do you remember that crazy uncle you had who kind of took it upon himself to teach you all the things your parents would prefer you just didn’t learn yet? Ya, that was the staff at Goal # 4 The Defensive Clinic. Zack Richter, Jason Jones, Josh Triton, Goalie Dan Keith, and their fearless leader “Uncle Chakey” put on a clinic that all future clinics will forever be compared too. Don’t get me wrong, it was a great, no, it was a phenomenal Clinic. The coaches were incredibly enthusiastic and the kids were really loud and very into it. These young players learned how to break down an offensive opponent, stick positioning, footwork, the fundamental poke check, and of course, the Staple Gun Check... Yes, I said the Staple Gun… As I’m running around taking care of things I look over and see Uncle Chakey showing the Ninja movements of an over head check. I walk over to the guy watching the clinic from a distance and ask him, “Is he really showing the kids how to throw an ice pick???”. He replied, “No, this is the staple gun, he taught them the ice pick earlier.” Good God, guys! What’s the matter was the kayak to safe for the kids? And you know, if you’re going to go this far you may as well show them the rusty gate. You know Uncle Chakey’s motto, “If you’re going to take a 3 minute non-releasable, you may as well look cool doing it.” I can’t wait for the phone call this spring from the youth coach blaming me for his defense suddenly being the most penalized team in the league. I guess I’ll deal with it. In all seriousness, all the clinics, including the defensive demo were exactly what I had hoped for. In my conversations with kids and parents following the presentations, everyone felt that kids walked away having learned a lot and asked that I forward their gratitude onto the coaches. On behalf of the parents and especially myself, Thank You guys. One note, I am positive that I forgot to mention a couple of the volunteers by name, I apologize for that, I’m just fanning on your names at the present time. As for the game. The Clinic helped achieve exactly what I was hoping for. I counted around 275 spectators for the beginning of the game and while some of the kids headed home after the first half, I feel the numbers remained quite nice. The game itself was very entertaining to watch and to try and pinpoint one highlight or one stand-out is nearly impossible. The game ended with the Orange Division taking the bragging rights with an 11-8 win. Once again, Thank you to everyone who helped set up, volunteered, and participated in Thursday Night’s activities. This was a very big movement for the growth of the game in this area…Wait until next year though!
Posted on: Sun, 27 Jul 2014 11:21:20 +0000
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