Monthly Archives: November 2008

Cal Berkeley Women’s Lacrosse Signs 12 Players To National Letters Of Intent

calcoachtheresasherry“Every one of the 12 girls we are bringing in next year will add something right away to the Cal lacrosse program and the UC Berkeley campus,” Sherry said. “The student-athletes we are bringing in all have the mental toughness, inner drive, and talent to contribute our team’s quest for excellence both on and off the field.”

Ana Cyr, a northern California native, will be staying close to home as she joins the bears from Grenada High School. Cyr brings tremendous speed and determination to Cal’s line up. She will be a presence in the midfield as a ball-carrier in transition, and also in her dominance on the re-defend.

holslag_ginaGina Holslag comes to us from San Diego. She collected 78 goals and 19 assists during the 2007-08 season for Scripps Ranch HS. Her quickness and ability to finish will add a huge spark to the California attack.

Melissa Humphrey is also joining us from Coronado in the San Diego area. A product of perennial power Coronado High School, Humphrey earned academic All-American honors last year from U.S. Lacrosse. Her speed and ability to put the ball in the net will bring tremendous depth to Cal’s attacking midfield.

Kelly McCarthy, a goalkeeper from San Diego, will come in looking to challenge for the starting spot. A member of the Wildcat Elite program, McCarthy is a workhorse on and off the field. She is constantly looking for ways to improve her game.

http://laxmagazine.cstv.com/sports/w-lacros/spec-rel/112008aab.html 

BERKELEY – California signed 12 players to National Letters of Intent, Golden Bears head coach Theresa Sherry announced today. The large recruiting class includes England under-19 national team player Camilla Hayes, four players from the state of California, and Clemmy Little, the younger sister of current Cal senior midfielder Ghillie Little.

The Californians are Gina Holslag (attack), Melissa Humphrey (midfield) and Kelly McCarthy (goalkeeper), all from the San Diego area, and Ana Cyr (midfield), from nearby Livermore. Sherry also signed defender Sarah Milik; Molly Crawford, Carter Ellerman, Ali Ellickson, Megan Takacs, who will play in midfield; Little and Alexa Rozelle, who will play in the attack; and Hayes, who could play in midfield or in the attack.

Here is a look at all 12 signees:

Molly Crawford, a native of Leawood, Kan., will be joining the Bears from Notre Dame de Sion High School. She was a member of the X-Team Club program before joining the Skywalkers during her junior year. Crawford will add strength and power to the Bears’ midfield.

Ana Cyr, a northern California native, will be staying close to home as she joins the bears from Grenada High School. Cyr brings tremendous speed and determination to Cal’s line up. She will be a presence in the midfield as a ball-carrier in transition, and also in her dominance on the re-defend.

Carter Ellerman hails from one of the hotbeds of girls’ lacrosse: the Maryland/ Virginia/D.C. area. Currently a student-athlete at Holton Arms School in Bethesda, Md., Ellerman resides with her family in Arlington, Va. As a very well-rounded midfielder, Ellerman should make an immediate impact for the Bears at both ends of the field.

 

 

Ali Ellickson from Centennial, Colo., is joining the Bears from four-time state champion Cherry Creek High School. Ellickson’s strength, speed, and footwork will help deepen Cal’s defensive midfield.

Camilla Hayes, a native of Kent, England, will be Cal’s first international player in the history of the program. She has been involved with the national teams in England and participated on the U-19 team. Most recently, she competed for England in the Lacrosse European Championships last August in Finland. Hayes will boost the expectations of her teammates every time she steps on the field with her unmatched mental toughness and overall athleticism.

Gina Holslag comes to us from San Diego. She collected 78 goals and 19 assists during the 2007-08 season for Scripps Ranch HS. Her quickness and ability to finish will add a huge spark to the California attack.

Melissa Humphrey is also joining us from Coronado in the San Diego area. A product of perennial power Coronado High School, Humphrey earned academic All-American honors last year from U.S. Lacrosse. Her speed and ability to put the ball in the net will bring tremendous depth to Cal’s attacking midfield.

Clemmy Little, a native of Darien, Conn., comes to us from Darien High School, one of the premier programs in the state. Her speed, field awareness and playmaking ability will add a new dimension to the Cal attack. Little’s sister, Ghillie, is a senior captain for the Bears this year.

Kelly McCarthy, a goalkeeper from San Diego, will come in looking to challenge for the starting spot. A member of the Wildcat Elite program, McCarthy is a workhorse on and off the field. She is constantly looking for ways to improve her game.

Sarah Milik from Hackettstown, N.J., will come to Cal after graduating from West Morris Central in New Jersey. Milik’s athleticism and defensive prowess will be another notch in the depth chart for the Bears.

Alexa Rozelle hails from Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School, in Sudbury, Mass. Scoring 104 goals and 27 assists in her junior season, Rozelle is a major threat in front of the cage. Her strength and power give her the ability to finish shots even at the toughest angles.

Megan Takacs from Chagrin Falls, Ohio, is a phenomenal athlete who will add tremendous depth all over the field. A true midfielder, Megan is able run with the best, take away the ball, and bury it in the attacking end.

Cal begins the 2009 season at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7, taking on the first-year Fresno State program in Fresno, Calif.

Virginia Men’s Lacrosse Video: “InsideLacrosseTV” Presents View Of A Dominant Program

University Of Denver Men’s Lacrosse Profile: Bob Wahler “A Lifetime of Inspiration”

 

denverwahler

The Story of Bob Wahler, father of DU junior Ben Wahler

 By Katy Looft, DU Media Relations

The early morning practices, the sore muscles, the bumps and bruises to tend to after a hard fought game of lacrosse; these are nothing in comparison with the struggles that Bob Wahler, father of junior lacrosse player Ben Wahler, faces everyday simply to live another day. 

 

Bob Wahler, who recently turned 57, was diagnosed with brain cancer 23 years ago when his son, Ben, was only six weeks old.  The doctors gave him six months to live, but he has surpassed all expectations, surviving numerous strokes, and even a brain hemorrhage that occurred two years ago. 

 

Although Mr. Wahler’s health requires him to live in an assisted living home in Evergreen, Colo., he has promised to attend every one of Denver’s home lacrosse games this season. 

 

Mr. Wahler shared his fight with brain cancer with Denver’s lacrosse team on Oct. 4, 2008.  He told the players, “Now I have another fight.  It is about staying alive and I fight everyday to have another day with my son, Ben.”

 

Coming to the games is no easy task for Mr. Wahler, as the assisted living home requires him to receive clearance from the nurses and the doctors and to have his feeding tube disconnected before leaving;  then follows the 30 minute drive from Evergreen to Denver, which his wife Judy makes with him. 

 

“The doctors leave it up to him to decide whether to come out or not,” said Ben.  “There’s nothing left for them to do really.  They’ve done every test, so they just want him to do things that will keep him happy for however long he’s going to be alive now.”

 

During Mr. Wahler’s visit with the Pioneers, he related his own athletic career and what it means to him to  be able to watch their games: “So guys, just know that you are my inspiration- this team. I am so looking forward to watching all of you play this year.”

 

Judy Wahler then read Ben’s college admissions essay, from which she quoted, “Now, when I am in a lacrosse or hockey game and I fight to control the ball or puck and put it in the net,  I see it as more than just playing to win.  I ask myself, did I play full out, did I play fair, did I make the team better?  All these traits I can say I honestly understand better from sharing my dad’s joy at even the smallest victory in his struggle.”

 

As Mr. Wahler inspires his son every day, so is he inspiring the rest of the men’s lacrosse team. 

 

“A lot of guys have said to me that meeting my father and listening to his words have made them take a step back and get a look at yourself, and the things you take for granted,” said Ben.  “Pretty much everyone just said to me how awesome it was to have my dad speak to them, and how much they love his commitment to come to each game.”

 

Ben also hopes that his father will motivate the team during the game. 

 

“I think that for guys to look up in the stands and see him here will remind everybody of how much work he has to put in everyday just to live and to watch us play, which he loves so much,” said Ben.  “I think it will make the guys seeing him in the stands just want to play harder for the game and for people that have issues in their family.” 

Petaluma School Board Denies Lacrosse Becoming CIF-Sanctioned Sport, Leaving School Lacrosse Teams In Peril

“…In the three years since lacrosse was introduced as a club sport in Petaluma, four teams have grown to 16 and 70 players now number 325. With no guarantees, lacrosse fundraisers have raised $36,000. In money-tough times, $36,000 is an impressive return on a barbecue chicken dinner and equally impressive deposit on an unpromised future…”

“…150 people in front of the Petaluma City School Board pleading for lacrosse to be elevated to a CIF-sanctioned sport at Petaluma and Casa Grande high schools. Their request was denied…”

petalumalax

“There are 2,079 high schools in the state of California,” Scheele said, “and 150 of them have lacrosse teams. That’s less than 10 percent (7.2 actually). Fifteen colleges in California play lacrosse and none offer scholarships.”

 

 

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20081119/NEWS/811190194?Title=Area_lacrosse_continues_uphill_fight 

For some people, a lacrosse player looks like a beekeeper trying to catch a butterfly in a net. Of course, that’s not the game. It takes skill, intelligence, stamina and hand-eye coordination. If a sport’s worth can be so cogently defined, lacrosse satisfies all the necessary requirements to be respected and widespread. It should not need promoting or pleading. It should not have needed Tuesday night.

Yet, there they were, 150 people in front of the Petaluma City School Board pleading for lacrosse to be elevated to a CIF-sanctioned sport at Petaluma and Casa Grande high schools. Their request was denied. It couldn’t have been an easy a decision for the two school principals and seven board members.

In the three years since lacrosse was introduced as a club sport in Petaluma, four teams have grown to 16 and 70 players now number 325. With no guarantees, lacrosse fundraisers have raised $36,000. In money-tough times, $36,000 is an impressive return on a barbecue chicken dinner and equally impressive deposit on an unpromised future.

So there was an elephant in the room Tuesday night. Problem was, it was a small elephant, not a big one. Lacrosse really needs to gain some weight. Lacrosse in Sonoma County needs to become so large, it’s the elephant no one can ignore. Currently CIF-lacrosse is played only at Cardinal Newman and Sonoma Academy. No public high school around here offers it.

“No one else is doing it,” said Linda Scheele, principal at Casa Grande. “When we had a meeting with SCL principals this spring, none of them said they were even talking about it.”

The lacrosse fervor at the meeting was palpable. They are in love. No question. They were not a lunatic fringe. They were responsible and articulate adults, like Todd Samet, their spokesman, a high school science teacher. There is no doubting their zest and commitment.

“There are 2,079 high schools in the state of California,” Scheele said, “and 150 of them have lacrosse teams. That’s less than 10 percent (7.2 actually). Fifteen colleges in California play lacrosse and none offer scholarships.”

As opposed to the East Coast, lacrosse here is in its infancy. Samet said he has heard club teams are being organized in Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park. All to the good. All the better.

“I just feel we are being strung along,” said Samet, the frustration obvious in a man who has met four times with the School Board in the last 16 months. Not now, they have said. Samet said the Petaluma Youth Lacrosse League (PYLL) promises to fund CIF lacrosse. If it can’t, Samet said, the PYLL will quietly disband. Scheele squirmed.

“I found out Davis High School ran out of (lacrosse) funds in its second year,” Scheele said. “You saw how upset they (PYLL) were when they were turned down last night? Imagine two years from now, if there are no more funds, the next set of parents doesn’t want to pay and we have to shut the program down. How upset would they be then?”

As in most conversations these days, money rears its green head. The School Board said they may have between $2.25-$2.5 million slashed from its school budget. The economy is in a nosedive. People are risk-averse and stewards of a public school system flinch, getting flogged by dollar bills.

“In terms of financing,” Scheele said, “most of us have never seen anything like this before.”

So what do the lacrosse lovers do? Keep feeding the elephant. Get him bigger. Some people want to rent a billboard. Others want to walk down Petaluma streets with placards. Others want to sell T-shirts on campus. Others should invite friends who live elsewhere in Sonoma County to see a club match.

Take the beekeeper and the butterfly out of lacrosse and replace it with the elephant growing bigger by the day. Keep feeding the elephant so that he can’t be ignored. It is the only chance.

“We aren’t going away,” Samet said.

After all, they do have the $36,000. That should buy a lot of elephant food.

For more on North Bay high school sports go to Bob Padecky’s blog at padecky.pressdemocrat.com. You can reach Staff Columnist Bob Padecky at 521-5490 or bob.padecky@press

“Warrior Lacrosse Ads”: Behind Scenes Video Of Filming Of Hilarious Lacrosse TV Advertisements

University of Denver Names Women’s Lacrosse Captains

 

Denver- The University of Denver women’s lacrosse team has named seniors Natasha Davies (Annapolis, Md.), Steph Coyne (Baltimore, Md.), Dani Espinosa (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Jenn Moore (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) as team captains for the 2009 season, third-year head coach Liza Kelly announced today. 

 

“I think the team has selected four passionate and capable captains,” Kelly said. “Each brings a different style of leadership that will complement and challenge the others. I am excited to watch them further develop as players and team captains.”

 

Davies, who served as co-captain last season, started the first 11 games in 2008 before season-ending knee surgery. Prior to the injury, Davies recorded three points on one goal and two assists, collected 30 groundballs and caused 26 turnovers. An anchor of the Pioneer defense, Davies led the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation with 2.36 caused turnovers per game and second with 2.73 groundballs per game. 

 

Coyne was named to the IWLCA Division I All-Regional Second Team for the West/Midwest last season after finishing fourth in the NCAA with 2.79 assists per game and 10th with 86 points. Coyne set DU’s career assists record with 102 and single-season record with 53 assists last season, and the two-time All-MPSF attacker currently sits fourth on the team’s all-time career points list with 187.

 

Espinosa played 12 games at attack for the Pioneers last season and scored five goals, increasing her career total to nine.  Espinosa placed 12 of 14 shots on goal for a .857 shots on goal percentage. Additionally, Espinosa is the president of DU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which works to enhance the total student-athlete experience for all 17 NCAA Division I sports at Denver.

 

Moore played in all 19 games with 18 starts in 2008, recording an assist against UC-Davis. The defender was 31st in the NCAA with 1.53 caused turnovers per game, while adding 21 groundballs and 10 draw controls.

 

The Pioneers, who ended last season ranked No. 19, lost only three starters from a team that went 13-6 overall and 5-0 in the MPSF last season, and returns the team’s top 10 leaders in goals and assists. Denver opens the 2009 season in a neutral site game in San Diego against four-time defending national champion Northwestern on Jan. 23.

 

www.DenverPioneers.com

 

“90210″ Lacrosse Update: New Episodes Coming…

 90210-tristan21

So we’ve been pushing the new 90210 recently, not only because our boy Scott Hochstadt (see above) is the main man producing the lax scenes for the new CW show, but also because it’s the only place right now that you can watch lacrosse in TV or film (and Samuel L. Jackson’s new movie does NOT cut it). Oh, and the scenes are very realistic and pretty slick.

We got the word that there’s going to be some new lax storylines on 90210this week’s episode (No. 11 on the season, if you’re counting), featuring Tristan Wilds‘ character Dixon (see above shot), so head over to the CW on Tuesday night at 8 pm to check it out.

An update (11/17 — 5:55 PM): Got in touch with Adrenaline’s Justin Smith, who’s informed me that all the players in the upcoming episode will be wearing the iconic Adrenaline socks. They hope to get more equipment in the show in the future….

Check back for more on Wednesday morning…

http://blogs.insidelacrosse.com/2008/11/17/90210-update-more-lacrosse/

Lacrosse Team Reaches Out To Community: Columbia University Women’s Lacrosse Team Visits City Elementary School

 ”Seeing the genuine excitement and happiness in the faces of those kids at P.S. 76 reminded us of how important it is to do something for the community to which we belong. It is especially valuable for student-athletes like ourselves to get involved with younger kids because we can serve as influential figures in shaping their future aspirations.”

columbiawomen

 

“…the Columbia University women’s lacrosse team spent the afternoon playing with children at P.S. 76 A. Phillip Randolph Elementary School as part of an after-school program called America Reads…”

 http://www.gocolumbialions.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9600&ATCLID=1627103

NEW YORK – On Friday, November 14, the Columbia University women’s lacrosse team spent the afternoon playing with children at P.S. 76 A. Phillip Randolph Elementary School as part of an after-school program called America Reads.

The team traveled to 121st Street between St. Nicholas and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard to spend the afternoon with 15 kids.  The students, who were all in the second grade, ranged in age from 7-8 years old.  Each member of the lacrosse team was paired up with one of the students. 

The Lions began the afternoon by reading children’s stories and teaching the children about lacrosse.  The highlight of the afternoon came when the elementary school students were able to decorate a variety of cookies.

“I think that sometimes the demands of academics and athletics can distract students from the bigger picture,” explains senior Lauren Olsen.  “Seeing the genuine excitement and happiness in the faces of those kids at P.S. 76 reminded us of how important it is to do something for the community to which we belong. It is especially valuable for student-athletes like ourselves to get involved with younger kids because we can serve as influential figures in shaping their future aspirations.”

The Lions will begin their 2009 season when they host Monmouth on Robert K. Kraft Field at Wien Stadium on February 27 at 3 p.m.

Starz Cup Championship Series In Southern California Begins

 Starz Cup Championship Series

Starz Cup Series We are off to a great start with the first weekend of games wrapped up.  Results are still being collected but in talking to coaches and field directors from San Diego to the Valley, the level of play was high and competition was strong.  This will likely prove to be the tightest race for the Cup in Starz history.  Make sure you check the Starz Schedule website for your game times and location.  Don’t miss a minute of action because every game counts in your chase for the Starz Cup Championship. 

http://www.starzlax.com/

For Schedules:     http://www.eteamz.com/starzschedule/schedules/index.cfm?subsite=4500026

Lacrosse In The “Inner-City”: “Give Kids A Lacrosse Stick And The Chance To Play Their Way To A Better Education…”

FROM A “TIME MAGAZINE ARTICLE”….

harlem_lacrosse_1114

 

“…Nevermind that they’d never seen a lacrosse game, much less played in one; Anderson believes in giving students a lacrosse stick and the chance to play their way to a better education…”

“…With the backdrop of classic Harlem brownstones behind them, the students split into lines and learned basic skills, such as passing and scooping the ball, while Turco called out instructions. “I never see them listen to anyone like this,” said Anderson from the sidelines. “This is really something.”

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1859448,00.html 

“…It should come as no surprise, then, that the 24 children in Korn’s class had never seen a lacrosse stick before she introduced one. The predominantly white sport popular at Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic universities requires two things New York City public schools don’t have: money and fields. But given the election, it was, after all, a week of firsts. “All of our students were excited about the election,” said Anderson. “For us educators, Obama’s victory means that when we tell these students that they can do anything, it’s not hyperbole.” And so, on an unseasonably warm Friday afternoon, 35 middle-school students showed up to learn how to play lacrosse.

Nevermind that they’d never seen a lacrosse game, much less played in one; Anderson believes in giving students a lacrosse stick and the chance to play their way to a better education. “Ideally, I want to see about 60 percent of the kids who started with us at go on to boarding schools or private schools,” says Anderson. Enter Korn’s father, Rick, a former player who helped coach his own son to the Division-I level; Bob Turco, a Harlem-born lacrosse coaching legend who played his way to Washington and Lee University in the ’70s; and Ross Turco, Bob’s son and former high school All-America and D-I player who now coaches at Peddie, an elite boarding school in Hightstown, New Jersey. The well-connected trio, along with the school’s director of advancement, Michael Pages, have volunteered to hold practices twice a week, using donated equipment.

“This is about your will,” Bob Turco said to rookie players as they gathered around him on the school’s small turf playground. “Your will to accomplish something you don’t understand and just say, ‘I’m going to prove I can do this.’ ” With the backdrop of classic Harlem brownstones behind them, the students split into lines and learned basic skills, such as passing and scooping the ball, while Turco called out instructions. “I never see them listen to anyone like this,” said Anderson from the sidelines. “This is really something.”

As the school director’s vision unfolded in front of him, the line between the impossible and the inevitable seemed to fade for the second time in a week. Many of the students had come to school Wednesday after going to the voting booths with their parents, while others had stayed out late to listen to Obama’s victory speech broadcast over loudspeakers near 125th Street. That same day they wrote letters to the president-elect. “I want to change things, too”, wrote Fortune Nbumbo, 7. Tatiana Jones, 9, told Obama, “You open the door not just for me, but for everybody.” For the students at FLI, the definition of leadership is clearer than it’s ever been, and the playing field, even if it’s a patch of turf between two brick walls, is slowly leveling out.