ATLANTA, GA :: The ATL inaugurated a program in early 2010 that was looking to fill the void of teaching members of the community interested in learning the game of lacrosse. And by “members” of the community, most of the hunger for this knowledge comes from parents of kids that play. As Georgia is a booming hotbed, it is going through the growing pains of any non-traditional-yet-developing area for girl’s lacrosse: DEMAND FOR MORE!
As the number of lax playing girls grows quickly, the number of quality leaders to teach youth + even HS gets caught lagging behind. Last year, with the success of the first two ATL guides – Roy Reynolds + Patrick James – had such a blast in the program that both encouraged us to expand this category of coaches.
And, the community responded. The ATL featured 4 guides this summer, 1 of whom was picked up right from the sideline of an ATL practice by BOUNCE CEO Crista Samaras during one of her visits over the summer! According to Crista, here is how it went down: “I was on my way to the restroom + the mother of one of our members stopped me to say how great the practices had been for her daughter. She was staying during the practice to learn as much as she could as she would become her daughter’s coach! I said HEY – JOIN US! And, she did.”
That guide was Ines Haas and she coaches the River Ridge girls! Along with Ines, the ATL welcomed Melissa Scholar, Brian Neubert + Christine DeFrank, mother of ATL member Maddie DeFrank (Dodgen MS). “No doubt I learned some great new stick skills” exclaimed DeFrank.
From a learning/coaching perspective, the guide position lands a person with 2+ hours of BOUNCE training from Crista along with the 30+ hours of coaching + execution of practices throughout the summer. Guides experience learning the basics of the game, the most modern techniques in stickwork, practice planning + loads of drills. As with any BOUNCE program, they will experience the many kinds of motivation, support + encouragement styles by our managers.
As a guide, you get three sweet deals. One, you’re surrounded by the awe-inspiring players of the ATL. Two, you get to improve your own lax skills. And, three, you barter the membership fees of your daughter by donating your time! According to ATL Director Jillian DiFazio, “having the guides here this summer was definitely an asset to our program. I’m excited to see how they bring their skills back and apply them to their own teams!”
After the guide feels comfortable + builds a repertoire of coaching skills, the next step is becoming an Assistant Coach for the ATL. “I have a few parents and coaches that come from surrounding HS + Middle School teams who want to help out and learn from the game from more seasoned coaches,” says Jillian. “This is a great training program because our guides, along with their daughters, want to learn the game and build their knowledge.”
Samaras explains that from the drills she uses/created to the company she runs, this life cycle is a recurring theme. “I like to work with people that are invested. Certainly, I love when they want to get involved for their daughters. But, I LOOOOOVE when they stay involved because it also feeds them.”
Hungry anyone?
Contact Jillian DiFazio at jillian.difazio@gmail.com if you’re looking to rock out with this awesome club!
