Welcome Trojans!

Hey girls!

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS on a wonderful season! I think that we've had a successful year thus far and I am proud of all that we have accomplished.

To our seniors - thanks for getting this program going and taking us as far as you have. You all are wonderful girls and great lacrosse players. You will be sorely missed.

For the rest of you - your high school lacrosse experience is not over yet. We have much to do to prepare ourselves for next year; which means that we must start NOW! This summer and fall each of you have the responsibility of getting into the best shape possible. For most of you that means changing your lifestyle right now by eating healthy foods, drinking lots of water, getting plenty of sleep and of course EXERCISING!

Ask yourself this question - "Am I in the shape I need to be in to being playing Varsity Lacrosse?" Except for a very small number of you the answer is a resounding NO! Without a doubt we have to be stronger and faster next season. If you want to play on the JPT Lax team in 2009, you HAVE TO be able to RUN an entire mile. If you want Varsity playing time - your mile HAS TO be under 10 minutes, more along the lines of 7-8 minutes. This is not an unreasonable task; lacrosse is a running game and requires 50 minutes of endurance. If you follow my training guide and maintain this regimen throughout the Summer & Fall, you will have no problem running a 7 minute mile by January!

Along with cardio exercise, weight training is also important. Think about signing up for a gym membership or using a facility that you might already have access to. Or you could buy some small free weights for most of the exercises. Those textbooks may just come into handy over the summer after all!

Lastly, everyone needs to work on their STICK and FOOTWORK SKILLS! I hope all of you can attend one or two lax camps this summer. These are wonderful and should help improve your game immensely. But don't think that after three days at a camp that you are ready to play Varsity lacrosse. Take the new skills you learn at camp and develop them further by playing Wall Ball and getting into as many pick up games as possible.

Helpful hints:
· Train hard and train smart, and most importantly train on a regular basis.

· Get a training partner. It would be best if it's another lacrosse player, but that's not essential. Get somebody who is motivated and who will "push" you.

· Keep a log/journal. This way you'll be able to see your progress and have a "before and after picture" as well.

If you are regularly training for another sport - that's great! Keep it up! Soccer, flag football, softball or swimming; any organized sport will help you stay in shape. But if you are not playing another sport, the running and weight programs I have suggested should be "YOUR SPORT" until we all get together again.

Do Not Hope For Success. TRAIN For It!

Somewhere somebody is training, and when she meets you in head-to-head competition, she'll beat you; that is, if she's been training harder than you have.

Let's make 2009 the best season of Taravella Lacrosse Ever! And it starts right now in the summer of 2008.