TEAMFIRST!
Coaching Philosophy
TEAMFIRST is the LSL coaching philosophy that makes players better by making them better team players first! Early in camp we teach the individual skills necessary to make the team system work, and then we go on to build cohesive offensive and defensive strategies in unsettled and all even situations, including a half field motion offense and a crease sliding defense.
CORE ON FIELD VALUES include off ball awareness, communication, unselfishness, movement, and a positive attitude. Campers will become more confident in their understanding of how the pieces fit together, resulting in better anticipation, faster decision making, and improved overall play in both all even and unsettled situations.
CAMPIONSHIP FORMAT
To help each camper maximize their potential and have the most fun possible, we have developed a unique format which includes a tournament within the camp that we call simply, the CAMPIONSHIP. Teams can earn points for wins in drills and games that accumulate during the week, building up to the final Campionship Morning games on the last day.
With FIVE INSTRUCTIONAL sessions and SIX GAME sessions, we mix the tournament competition with the skill development of instructional camps to create our own patented formula to give you and your team the best camp experience possible! Instructional sessions focus on a specific situation – 3v3, 3v2, 4v3, 5v4, 6v6 – with a drill for Campionship points to compete in every situation. Players learn by playing, with coaches watching closely for opportunities to pull players aside with individual tips. It is experiential learning augmented by personalized coaching, organized into a building block framework of skills, drills, and games. The Campionship games each evening bring fun, competition, and a chance to show improvement during the week. Add in contests, prototype demo sessions, raffles, prizes, stick stringing tutorials, dorm hangs, pool and beach chill time, and the talent show, and you start to get a feel for the LSL camp experience!
OFF FIELD GROWTH
Lots of time is spent off field at an overnight camp, and at LSL we use this opportunity to reinforce what we believe it means to be a good person and a member of our lacrosse community. We ask campers and teams to support each other and bring a positive enthusiasm to everything they do, on field and off, in order to fully maximize the potential of the team and to make sure everyone gets the most out of their LSLexperience. Our CODE OF CONDUCT outlines our core values of HONOR, INTEGRITY, RESPECT, HUMILITY, and EXCELLENCE and defines the expectations for campers while at camp and beyond.
Every night and at the end of camp, we give out awards to recognize a few players for exemplifying our on field and off field values. These players are coachable, work hard but have fun doing it, are not afraid to try new things, are positive, and lift up everyone around them! These are the teammates we make at LSL!
COACHES
People make the camp! Without the LSL coaching staff and their positive enthusiasm for the game and teaching it, the camp would fall flat! Knowing the importance of good coaches, Lorne takes a hands on approach to choosing his coaches, for they are the ones who will work most closely with the campers, coaching their teams, and guiding them to improvement. Coaches are chosen for their lacrosse experience and for their ability to motivate, inspire, and have fun with the campers. They are current and former college players, high school and college coaches. Many coaches come back year after year, and many were campers themselves!
Each summer there is a core group of coaches who work all camps that have been with LSL for a number of years, including LSL Assistant Director Trevor Tesar. As a staff, we utilize positive enthusiasm to coach and guide campers to reach the potential that we identify early in the camp, on both an individual and team level!