Core - Division & Ages
Tuesday, 29 January 2013
Monday, 28 January 2013
NS Coach Newsletter Vol 2(1) January, 2013
Volume: 2 Edition (1)
Posted: Monday, January 28th, 2013
“If we can make things better,
how cool is that!”
News: “Special! – Coaching with an
Edge”
You are invited to the 2013 Atlantic Coaches Conference to be held in
Halifax this April 26th-27th (Friday & Saturday). Leading
edge topics will include how to build a world class program, measuring
performance, mental imagery & visualization, coaching female athletes,
developing your coaching philosophy and much more. The full schedule of events
and registration can be found at the following link:
Early Bird rate is $135 per coach before March
8th, after which it`s $160. This is a very special event that`s
going to inspire you and provide networking opportunities to elite coaching
educators, which you can apply to all your coaching duties, lacrosse and
beyond.
News: “Get Rock’n with the Mellotones”
Don’t forget, the Founders Cup team has booked the World Trade Centre Grand Ballroom for a "Spring Break
Dance" with the Mellotones, Saturday, Feb. 16th (Age 19 +).
Tickets are printed and on sale for $25. The evening is being hosted by Tony Quinn,
and there are great door prizes, balloon pop, raffles, 50/50 draw, a fun photo
booth courtesy of Laugh It Up, and three hours of dancing with the fabulous
Mellotones from 9-12pm. Doors open at 8:00pm.
Tell as many people as you can to make
this a great success. If you want to book a table for 10, call Tony Quinn at 240-1284,
or email tonyquinnmusic@gmail.com to reserve it for your group. Tickets can be purchased at the Midtown
Tavern, Halifax, or the Ticket Atlantic/Superstore. Come out and have a great
time and show your support to these fine athletes.
News: “Box season is just around the
corner”
Metro Minor Lacrosse League Clubs are now
setting up their Free Try Lacrosse sessions for the up-coming box season. Do
get involved in your club`s event to either help with check-in, gearing up the
players, floor activities or the parent meeting. This is the BEST tool clubs
and programs have to build their player base and you can scout the new talent.
Check www.trylacrosse.ca (“Dates” link) for your club’s dates, or if it’s not set, get in
touch with you club/program President and offer to help out and get things
rolling.
Technical Director’s “My 2 Cents”
As a coach, it has been eye-opening going through the details within
Lacrosse For Life’s LTAD (Long Term Athlete Development) objectives. As a
result, I’ve created diagrams for all the minor age divisions (posted on LNSS’s
website) summarizing the key points with the hope that the diagrams can be used
to help plan practices and cover all key elements over the season (Feedback greatly
appreciated).
Lacrosse coaches should also take a look at baseball’s LTAD guidelines
and programs like “Rally Caps”. Rally Caps is a reward program for players achieving
specific skills and game knowledge. Anyone interested in developing a similar
rewards program for lacrosse, do get in touch. Such a program not only rewards
players for their efforts, but lets players and coaches know how they stand
across the province.
Another interesting point from baseball’s LTAD program is the relative
age of players on Provincial teams versus the pros. (See attached) Date of
birth (DOB) of a player can influence their chances of being selected to a
select/rep team or Provincial roster. Interesting though how within baseball,
DOB doesn’t influence professional rosters and I’ve attached a figure showing
2013 DOBs for 8 of 9 NLL teams. No data at this time for NS provincial lacrosse
teams, but would assume follow similar lines. Would be nice to see better
equity, any thoughts?
News: “Great First Steps!”
At this year’s US Lacrosse National
Conference, AIL (American Indoor Lacrosse Association) was promoting its First Steps program, which is targeted
at children ages 2-6. The program works on basic body movements like those set
out in LTAD’s FUNdamentals. Compared to mini-tyke programs now being offered by
MMLL clubs, the First Steps program
uses: mini goalie sticks, to help ease picking up balls; balls of several sizes
and materials; and, work-shop goggles. More information can be found at http://www.ailacrosse.net/page/show/538114-first-steps-early-childhood-physical-literacy-program , which includes a short slide show. Notice during the slide show
that sticks have two coloured pieces of tape (red and green) to help players
with hand positioning.
Column: “Across Nova Scotia”
This is going to be another busy spring with
lacrosse programs being planned right now for Middleton (coed field: after
school, 1-day/week, 8-week program, April-May), Tatamagouche-River John-Wallace area (box program similar to
Miners’ program), Truro-New Glasgow (summer Masters lacrosse), East Hants
(summer box program) and Cape Breton (early summer box program). Box programs,
Kentville, Valley Thunder and Miners lacrosse, are also gearing up again and
starting to plan their Try Lacrosse sessions. There is also the Junior and
Senior high school field lacrosse program scheduled for this spring between
Truro and Halifax. If you reside in any of these areas or know someone who
might want to get involved, do forward contact details to LNSS.
Column: “Tips from the Crease”
“Closing The Gap”
Johnny
Mouradian, GM and Head Coach of the Philadelphia Wings,
presented a great tip to attendees at this year’s US Lacrosse Nationals
Conference called, “Closing the Gap”. Closing the gaps will add power and
accuracy to a shot by closing the distance between the upper forearm and the
bottom hand. Johnny makes reference to Closing the Gap in this YouTube video, http://youtu.be/g7buky4O9hU
“Bonus MPH per Foot”
David Huntley, (U19 Team Canada) who also
presented at the US convention, raised a very interesting fact regarding adding
“effective” MPH to a shot by stepping towards the goalie. A shooter can add 3 miles
per hour (MPH) to their shot for every one-foot they step towards the goalie.
Stepping forward doesn’t actually increase shot speed, but in relation to
goalie reaction time, it effectively adds speed. So, if a player (typically in
field lacrosse) is running across the field and takes a shot at net on the run,
if he steps towards the goalie reducing the distance between himself and the
net by three feet, the shot appears to increase by 9 MPH –A very neat trick!
If you have any tips you’d like to share,
email them to lacrossetechdirector@sportnovascotia.ca
Column: “Alumni News”
Excitement is starting to grow as 40th
anniversary plans start ramping up for this year’s Lobster Trap tournament,
July long-weekend. A number of players of older vintage have already come out
of the woodwork, so do spread the word, as a display of articles, pictures and
other memorabilia is planned along with lobster tail-gate party and more.
News: “Next Month”
Keep track of up-coming events on LNSS’s
website newslider and calendar.
- Contact your club and see how you can help with up-coming Try Lacrosse sessions.
- More Exhibition Park, Halifax, lacrosse activity: Provincial ID Camps, Masters, Seniors and Privateers.
“Players should expect the best - We can
deliver”
* * *
Monday, 26 November 2012
NS Coach Newsletter Vol 1(11) November, 2012
Volume: 1 Edition (11)
Posted: Monday, November 26th, 2012
“If we can make things better,
how cool is that!”
News: “Face it Majors, it’s just about
here”
As posted on LNSS’s website, major lacrosse players (Junior and Senior),
must comply with the new facemask rules as of January 1st, 2013. A
reprieve was given to major players for 2012 sighting the possible lack of legal
facemasks available at retailers, but that will not wash starting January 1st.
Mike Hayes, LNSS’s President, reminded Club Presidents and
Regional Directors at the November 24th AGM that the new facemask
rule instituted last January 1st, 2012, across Canada, comes into
full effect this New Year. The Technical Bulletin describing what constitutes a
legal facemask for minor and major players can be found at LNSS’s website’s “Bulletins”
menu tab.
A suggestion made by Trege Wilson, the Commissioner of the Maritime
Senior Men’s Lacrosse League, is that a large order should be placed with a
local retailer to help reduce the cost per mask. For those interested, they
should contact Trege through the league’s Facebook site by the same name.
News: “Can’t Fight It!”
Stew Begg, CLA’s VP of International
Competition, gave a presentation to attendees of this year’s LNSS AGM: Fighting
is being taken out of lacrosse, primarily due to the negative publicity it
perpetuates on media like YouTube. Passed at this year’s CLA AGM in BC, the
following is an excerpt of the rule change regarding Fighting (Rule 45):
“(a) A major penalty and game misconduct penalty shall be assessed to any
player/goalkeeper who fights. A goalkeeper penalty shall be served by a player
who was on the floor at the time of the infraction. The
major penalty must be served in its duration.
(b) If there is an instigator or clear
aggressor in a fight, a major penalty
and a game misconduct plus any other penalties shall be assessed to the
offending player(s). Where an instigator
or clear aggressor penalty is assessed the non-offending player shall not
receive a game misconduct under 45 (a).
(c) An
additional game misconduct penalty shall be assessed to a player/goalkeeper who
restarts a fight after once being separated.
NOTE: This does not apply to a
player/goalkeeper defending himself/herself.
(d) A match penalty shall be assessed to any player/goalkeeper involved
in fighting off the playing surface.
(e) Should a fight start on the floor, those
players not involved will immediately move to their respective benches. Should
a fight start near the players’ bench(s), those players not involved will move
to their respective goal creases. Should a fight break out near the goal
crease, the goalkeeper will also move to his/her players’ bench. Failure to do
so may result in the offending player(s)/goalkeeper(s) being assessed game
misconduct penalties.
NOTE: This includes between periods and the
end of the game.”
The rule change also defines issues like “instigator”
and “aggressor” and lists several situations and their consequences. Details
will be up soon on LNSS’s website.
News: “The Straight DOPE!
Scrutiny is not reserved just for elite athletes like Lance Armstrong
when it comes to sports doping, all competitive athletes and coaches need to be
aware of the consequences. Stew Begg, CLA’s VP of Internationals Competition provided
an overview of CLA’s stand and participation in the Canadian Anti-Doping
Program at LNSS’s AGM.
Quoting LNSS’s President Mike Hayes, “all of our athletes participating
in National Championships are subject to testing, (In fact, this applies to all
of our athletes, whether in competition, or not). The CLA office will have some
good materials (PPT, pamphlets, reference cards and website links) that you can
request. The important thing is that the CLA and LNSS work towards general
awareness amongst our members such that no one ever says, “I didn’t know””.
The CLA released the following statement, “The Canadian Lacrosse Association and all
Member Associations (MAs) are committed to building drug-free sport and are
unequivocally opposed, on ethical, medical, and legal grounds, to the practice
of doping in sport. The CLA and MAs
fully support the position of Sport Canada and the Canadian Centre for Ethics
in Sport (CCES) against the use of banned substances and methods.
The CCES is the custodian of the
Canadian Anti-Doping Program (CADP); the set of rules that govern anti-doping
in Canada. The CADP consists of several components such as in- and
out-of-competition testing, education, medical exemptions, and the consequences
of doping violations. The CADP is compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code and
all international standards.
The Canadian Lacrosse Association
endorses and has
adopted the CADP which means lacrosse is part of a world-class
anti-doping program that is designed to protect athletes’ rights and ensure a
level playing field. The CLA's
anti-doping policy reflects and supports the CADP in that no athlete, official,
coach or volunteer shall take prohibited substances, nor should any team official or parent
recommend or condone the use of prohibited
substances. The CLA expects all members of
the lacrosse community to abide by CADP to preserve the integrity of sport.
Any sanction by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES)
shall be enforced by the CLA.” More details regarding CADP can be found at http://www.cces.ca/en/antidoping/cadp.
News: “Big Winners!”
Lacrosse Nova Scotia honoured this year’s top
coach and team at its annual AGM Awards ceremony. Head Coach of the Year
honours went to Glenn Dunbar, who as Mike Hayes, LNSS’s President said, “Glenn
won the Tripple Crown”: His South West Jr. A team won the ECJLL Championship,
his Founders Cup team won Tier B Gold (and was only two goals short of the Tier
A playoffs) and his Dalhousie Tigers field lacrosse team won the MUFLL
championships.
Other important winners included Team of the
Year honours to the Eastern Shore Breaker’s Jr. B team with its 18-0-2 record and
Manager of the Year honours to Bill Banks of the Women’s Provincial Midget Box
team. This year’s Volunteer of the Year went to coach Brendon Smithson who: was
the head coach of the Millbrook Warriors, the Provincial U16 men’s field team
and the IAS Showcase road team; helped organize the high school field lacrosse
program; and, single handedly created the Miners Youth Lacrosse program, which
included two age divisions with three teams each and about 130 brand new
lacrosse players.
A full list of all winners will be posted
shortly on LNSS’s website.
Column: “Tips from the Crease”
“Education with your lacrosse”
Over the past
month two travel teams headed down to New Hampshire to participate in the annual
Girl’s and Boy’s IAS Showcases. Located in the heart of New England, the girl’s
and men’s IAS lacrosse field showcases are popular events for US college
coaches looking for players about to graduate from high school, or private
academy coaches looking for students to bolster their schools’ rosters.
For coaches
heading up these travel teams, as Danica Cooley (First Women’s team) and
Brendon Smithson (Fourth Men’s team in six years) did this year, the great
reward is giving their players the best opportunity to showcase their athletic,
lacrosse and academic abilities. And our players ARE attracting interest and
being offered opportunities at colleges looking for talent to fill specific
team niches or shaping exceptional players into their programs.
Depending on
the college, some D1 college coaches can offer “full rides” which means a
player could have all their academic financial needs met, but typically, D2 and
D3 coaches can offer much reduced tuitions fees by waiving things like
International and States fees. Several years ago, Husson University was taking
Canadian dollars at par, which at the time made tuition and boarding fees similar
to the cost of going to Acadia University, as coach Mike Hayes discovered.
With the
addition of Glenn Dunbar to LNSS’s executive, as VP Technical Development, Glenn
offers great insight into the US and Canadian recruiting process with two sons
who have both played Canadian and US college lacrosse.
If you have any tips you’d like to share,
email them to lacrossetechdirector@sportnovascotia.ca
Column: “Provincial News”
The Head Coaches for all of the Province’s box
teams were announced at LNSS’s Awards Ceremony:
Women’s Bantam Box – Craig Moore
Women’s Midget Box – Julie Finck and Wayne
Finck
Men’s Pee Wee Box – Mike Smeltzer
Men’s Bantam Box – Tyler James
Men’s Midget Box – Ross Mackay
Founders Cup Team – Glenn Dunbar
Column: NCCP News
Very pleased to announce that newly certified
MLF/ME David Kehoe conducted his first men’s field lacrosse In-person evaluation
with Brendon Smithson and the two passed with flying colours.
Column: “Alumni News”
A very special ceremony capped off LNSS’s AGM
meeting this year. Stew Begg, CLA’s VP of International Competition, present
Steve Brown and Wayne Finck with Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medals. The
Medal is given to those individuals who have made a significant contribution to
Canada or to a particular province, territory, region or community within
Canada. Steve and Wayne’s families were in attendance and shared in the
celebration. Photos will be up soon on LNSS’s website.
News: “Next Month”
Keep track of up-coming events on LNSS’s
website newslider and calendar.
- The quiet before the storm. Look for gym or winter lacrosse sessions at local MMLL clubs.
- Come January, box lacrosse will be offered again at Exhibition Park, Halifax.
“Players should expect the best - We can
deliver”
* * *
Monday, 22 October 2012
NS Coach Newsletter Vol 1(10) October, 2012
Volume:
1 Edition (10)
Posted:
Monday, October 22nd, 2012
“Players should expect the best - We can
deliver”
News: “Milk`n
It!”
When
can you milk a cow and play lacrosse? At the Milk Sport Fair of course, which hosted
thousands of grade school and junior high students to a wide variety of sports,
including lacrosse, between October 17th and 19th. OK,
Bessie wasn’t a live cow, if that was her name at all, but you could milk a
full sized model cow at the sport fair, which seemed very appropriate considering
the venue, Halifax’s Exhibition Park.
For
Lacrosse Nova Scotia, this was the second Milk Sport Fair of the year and just
as successful as the spring Truro event. Since its inception back in 2002, the sport
fair has hosted more than 44,000 students, teachers and parents. A great big
Thank You goes out to coaches Tim Muise, Sara-Lynn Knockwood, Joe Swann, Gary Drohan
and his son, Peter and Greg Knight, who ran the booth. An estimated 3549
students attended the October event from 34 schools ranging from Tantallon to Hants
to Musquodoboit.
After
talking to numerous students, teachers and parents, lacrosse has touched many
families, directly and indirectly across the metro area. Many of the female
students who visited the booth had or play lacrosse and many more students have
friends that play. An interesting comment from one teacher was that there are
not enough sports for Junior High School students.
In
one example, sixty students tried out for a school volleyball team. Those students
who did not make the roster were left without any sport avenue. This example
makes a strong case for box and field coaches to help develop strong club
(MMLL) ties to schools and the development of spring field lacrosse, which could
follow the Metro Interlax program.
In
2013, the Milk Sport Fair will be held May 1st-3rd at Berwick’s
Apple Dome within the King’s Mutual Century Centre and again at Exhibition Park
in the fall. Do become involved and help promote lacrosse. Photos of the
milking cow and the Truro event can be found at http://www.sportnovascotia.ca/Events/MilkSportFairSpring/EventHistory/tabid/1254/Default.aspx
News: “Coaches”
It
is hard to believe, the start of the MMLL and ECJLL seasons are only six months
away and the deadline for workbooks is only five months away. Avoid the rush
and get them completed.
Don`t
forget, you can always go to ``55 Links`` to check the minimum certification
required for the discipline and age group you wish to coach at http://cla.pointstreaksites.com/view/cla/coaching-3/certification (Club,
Provincial & National).
Column: “Tips
from the Crease”
“Write from
the Author’s mouth”
The timing could not be better to host author
and coach Jim Hinkson next April before the MMLL season gets under way. If you
are a box coach and have not read Jim’s classics, Lacrosse Fundamentals and Lacrosse
Team Strategies, as well as Lacrosse
for Dummies, you will get a chance to meet him in person with his latest
revisions of his classics.
It was a great surprise to get an email
last month from Jim Hinkson, who is making a book-slash-coaching tour next
spring across Canada. At this time, LNSS is working on a weekend program that
would allow box coaches the opportunity to learn skills and team strategies
from the master. Complete details are being worked out, but do check LNSS’s
website and newsletters for updates.
If
you have any tips you’d like to share, email them to lacrossetechdirector@sportnovascotia.ca
Column: “Provincial
News”
A
little behind schedule, but Provincial Head Coach Applications (box and field) were
sent out October 11th and are due November 1st. The successful
candidates will be announced at the LNSS 2012 AGM Saturday, November 24th.
Head Coaches should check ``55 Links`` to view minimum certifications required for
coaching staff http://cla.pointstreaksites.com/view/cla/coaching-3/certification.
Note:
The Exhibition Park arena will be used again for ID/Development purposes
starting in January. At this time four dates have been booked between January and
March, and LNSS is waiting to hear back on two more dates. Updates will be
posted on LNSS’s website calendar and within this newsletter.
Column: “Alumni
News”
What
better opportunity for Nova Scotia’s lacrosse community to celebrate the last
big hurrah of the season, then at the MUFLL playoff weekend November 2nd-4th.
Check LNSS’s and MUFLL’s website site for details and do not forget the special
Women’s Field Game at noon, November 4th. The playoff weekend will
be hosted by Saint Mary’s University.
News: “Next
Month”
Keep
track of up-coming events on LNSS’s website newslider and calendar.
- Deadline for Provincial coach applications, November 1st
- MUFLL Playoffs, November 2nd-4th, SMU Stadium
- Women’s Field Lacrosse Showcase Game, November 4th, SMU Stadium
- LNSS AGM, November 24th
* * *
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