Sankofa Lacrosse Interviews Part 6

Fred Opie interviewing members of the SanKofa Lacrosse Team on October 25, 2013 on the campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. 

Sankofa Lacrosse Interviews: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=Sankofa+Lacrosse+Interviews

Coach How Is Your Home Team Doing?

Related Links Below

Coaching Series: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=coaching

Inside Out Coaching: How Sports Can Transform Lives by Joe Ehrmann, Gregory Jordan and Paula 

Ehrmann: [Watch 4 min 7 sec] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9qxV0pRaS0

Book: Inside Out Coaching: How Sports Can Transform Lives by Joe Ehrmann, Gregory Jordan and Paula Ehrmann http://books.simonandschuster.com/InSideOut-Coaching/Joe-Ehrmann/9781439182987

Playoff Time Injuries Part 2

Me my Sophomore year of high school . It seems like I always had a stick  in my hand 

During my freshmen year in high school I came home from football practice with a severe foot injury; Nick Padula served as the freshmen football Coach in the fall and the varsity lacrosse coach in the spring. Unknown to me, my father became enraged and went to the school where he accused the coach of negligence in caring for my injury. Shouting erupted between the two men and almost a physical altercation.  I believe the incident marked me as toxic in the coaches view thereafter.  Here's the back story learned after my playing career at Syracuse University had ended: In the 1950s, my father's youngest sibling Earl died from a head injury while playing high school football. I suspect my dad never got over the guilt and hurt that he felt because he had not been able help little brother. His pain came to the surface with my football injury. It's amazing how some injuries stay with us; the disappointment of not being brought up to varsity during playoffs as a sophomore remained with me a long time. My father died with out us talking about those injuries.

Parents and Athletic Series: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=Sports%2C+Psychology%2C+and+Parents

Coach You Have A lot Of Influence: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/2012/06/be-careful-what-you-say-to-people-you.html

Coaching Series: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=coach

Playoff Time Injuries Part 1

Adam West (left) and me on the right, The old Croton Point Dump field, 1980. Today it's a RV Park

I can remember a lacrosse related emotional hurt I experienced my sophomore year in high school in 1979. It was the end of my Junior Varsity (JV) season and tradition had it that the varsity coach would promote the best JV players if the varsity made into the post season sectional playoffs. You would practice with the varsity and dress for the playoff games. For me—and suppose any athlete passionate about his or her sport, this was a big deal! While coach Nick Padula, that’s right I am calling you out coach (smile)! I remember going to see Croton play at Yorktown in the playoffs and seeing my JV teammates John Purdy, Andy Morehouse, and Joe Vasta dressed in their varsity jerseys on the sideline. I was crushed. It seemed clear to me that I was one of the better JV players on that team or perhaps I was a really late bloomer.Years later I learned that my dad had a run in with the varsity coach and I became the victim of collateral damage. 

Croton Lacrosse Stories: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=Croton

Yorktown Lacrosse Stories: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=Yorktown