The 2015 Lancer Men’s Lacrosse season came to a close last night with a heart-breaking loss in overtime. But all the kids on the team actually win in the long run, and I will tell you why…

They have Coach Dave as their coach!

I’ve spent a good portion of my evenings since February sitting in the stands of Lancer Stadium and other local high schools watching Dave do what he loves, and what he’s so good at. The photos you will see are a collection of iPhone pictures and SnapChats that went out to many of you throughout the season. They are all taken from the same perspective: from where I sit.

It’s been awhile since I’ve immersed myself in high school sports, and I certainly forgot how exciting they are! I would just take my little seat behind the Lancers bench, drink my coffee (yes I drink coffee at night… probably shouldn’t… but I do!) and watch the sunset! Amazing way to spend my Tuesday and Friday nights! I know you East-Coasters won’t believe this, but it does get cold here at night… so there was many a game that I was bundled up in Dave’s Carlsbad sweatshirt, a blanket and scarf!

I was so excited to finally get to see these games *in person*! I spent last season watching the games from my iPad! You may not know this, but Carlsbad High School has an award-winning broadcasting team called CHS TV who live streams most of the season games with commentary! They’re awesome. OK let’s be honest… with the 3-hour time difference, I could only stay up to watch the first quarter… and then would kinda listen to the rest 🙂 sorry Dave!

Even though I’m from the East Coast where lacrosse is a popular sport, I’m a newbie… still learning the ropes! So I would watch every play and call intently trying to figure things out. Lacrosse is still fairly “new” here (my hairdresser did not even know what lacrosse was… I had to Google image it for her!) But by the end of the season, I definitely had learned so much about the game! To the point where I could actually hold a somewhat meaningful conversation with Dave about lacrosse (he may say differently 🙂 )

And because I’m a creep, I also watched the interactions that were happening on the field. Coach to player, player to player, coach to ref, etc. You can just see the respect that these guys have for Coach Dave. No matter if his team does something great, or if one of his players gets a penalty, he is always going over to them and taking the opportunity to teach.

The love that the team has for Coach Dave was evident on Senior Night, when many of the seniors chose to quote Coach Dave as their “favorite quote”. Some of the memorable ones were “No practice on Saturday!” or “When you go bald, you’re going to have to sunscreen your head!”

So as much as Dave is a leader and a great coach, he can also have a good time and a sense of humor with the team as well!

 

So as I spent all this time expanding my lacrosse knowledge, I also got to see first-hand just how great of a coach this guy really is. I can’t tell you how many times I spoke to parents about how much they love Dave as a coach, and how their sons have grown so much as players and people since working with him. And I couldn’t help but break into the biggest smile every time I heard that… because I know how much hard work and time Dave puts in to being a coach.

It may not have been the most winning season (like last year!) but I still think that Dave is the most amazing coach ever. He puts so much heart and effort into coaching… and it shows. He has a great deal of passion and knowledge of the game, and any kid who plays on a team for Dave is #winning!

So congrats to the 2015 Carlsbad Men’s Lacrosse Team on a great season! From where I sit, you guys are awesome!