By Elizabeth Gainer, Assistant Coach, University of Tampa, @TampaWLax In 2021, neglect was the top reason that children were removed from their families. Currently, there are 391,000 children in the foster care system. I was grossly unaware of these statistics before starting the foster care parent process. As women, we are continually pressured and asked when we might decide to start our families. For many, it is not a possibility; for others, it is a very challenging road to parenthood. I never thought this would be my path, but it has been rewarding, challenging, motivating, and eye-opening ..read more

By Kelly Brown, Owner and Clinical Social Worker, Fostering Fortitude (Brighton High School Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach) I started playing lacrosse because I wanted my brother to watch me do something better than him. To say my family is competitive would be an understatement. We are headstrong, passionate, and determined in the things we deem important to us. While I had high aspirations to play guys’ lacrosse, our community luckily started a youth program for girls’ lacrosse when I hit middle school. While my competitive spirit was one driver into the sport of lacrosse, what kept me in it w ..read more

By Kate Leavell, Head Coach, New College of Florida @ncfbanyans_wlax “How did you do this year?” is the central question as you wrap up, conduct exit interviews, chat with your peers, family, the athletic department, and answer this question many times over. If only one team ends their season with a win, is that the true measure of success? Does that make every other team a failure? How do you answer? Are we operating on a pass/fail system or some predetermined universal rubric? We compete to win at the highest level, but is there more to it than that? Photo courtesy of Kate Leavell. If achiev ..read more

By Lindsey Grundfast, Head Coach, Muskingum University @muskingum_wlax As we wrap up the 2023-2024 school year, I wanted to reflect on my first year as a coach and a parent. I have had a lot of people in my life who have supported and guided me over the past academic year. My wife has been incredible about the weekends, long days, recruiting trips, and overnights. She never shies away from a Cricut project for the team or from making the team dinner, even while juggling a full-time job and motherhood. She’s really the one keeping the ship sailing. My assistant, Ashli, took on more responsib ..read more

By Kelsey Howard, Assistant Coach, @StanfordWLax [Editor’s Note: From time to time, we will feature a short Q&A with an IWLCA member coach. The format will be three random questions relating to mentorship, bucket list travels, and how to make the collegiate experience the best it can be, with a little added bonus in the end!] Photo courtesy of Stanford Athletics. 1. If you could have any celebrity be your best friend, which celebrity would you pick and why? There are so many people that I think I would want to meet or have mentor me in some capacity, but right now, I think that the celebri ..read more

By Adanya Moyer, James Madison University ’25, @jmulacrosse Opportunity is a game-changer. As a Division I student-athlete, I want to share how the opportunity to participate in a free youth lacrosse clinic changed my life. I want to leverage my experience to expose youth from all backgrounds, demographics, socioeconomics, cultures, and races to sports on a college campus. I want to be a leader in the game of lacrosse and challenge all colleges and universities to be game-changers by hosting a free youth clinic on your campus before the end of the 2025 academic year. Photo courtesy of Adanya M ..read more

By Alyeska Yee-Jenkins, Freshman, James Madison University @JMULacrosse Imagine receiving a call that your teammate and best friend had been killed at the hands of a loved one. For former Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach at the University of Virginia, Julie Myers, and her team, that was their reality. One of her players, Yeardley Love, was killed by her boyfriend after an argument. Thus, the One Love Foundation was born to teach the signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships and help teammates understand how to support each other and prevent family or friends from life-threatening situations. One ..read more

As 2023 comes to an end, some of our member coaches and staff wanted to take an opportunity to reflect upon the lessons learned this past year and what they are most excited about in the year, 2024. Read on to see what they had to say, and please feel free to share any lessons you have learned this past year and what you are most thrilled about heading into the New Year by leaving a reply at the bottom of this post. “I’m looking forward to getting back on the lacrosse field! Taking a year off is hard when you absolutely love what you do!” – Rob Harris, Head Coach, Youngstown State University ..read more

By Jenny Pawlowski, Head Coach, Gannon University @gannon_wlax Photo collage courtesy of Jenny Pawlowski. It was a summer of sharing music with family and friends, disconnecting with time at the beach, and of course… LACROSSE! I attended several concerts this summer including Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, P!nk, Jimmy Eat World/Manchester Orchestra, and the Jonas Brothers! It was incredible to be able to share so much love of music with people I love and so many others that love those artists too! We went on a beach vacation with the family at the end of June to Ocean City, NJ and spent so much qua ..read more

By Samantha Ekstrand, IWLCA Legal Counsel @sjekstrand5 Pictured: Sam Ekstrand and daughter Eliza at Half Moon Bay, California. When my kids were really little, I felt like we hardly ever left the house. Now, with five teenagers, I felt like my kids were hardly home. This was a summer of travel and adventures. A friend reminded me that, “memories don’t make themselves.” Summer seems to be the best time for us to make some really special memories. Sports have provided a way for our family to travel and see different parts of the country. The Ekstrand boys played and watched a lot of baseball ..read more