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FLG Girls Spotlights

Playoffs are right around the corner. Competing in a playoff game means you will  be faced with pressure packed situations. In the words of John Wooden, “Just be yourself.” When you are faced with a pressure packed situation, don’t try and do too much. Do what you do best. Just be yourself.

Below we would like to highlight some of our FLG girls studletes who have been stepping-up big for their teams all year!

Keener Sisters - Calhoun

Keener Sisters – Midfielders – Calhoun

Gigi Kapoosuzian - Calhoun

Gigi Kapoosuzian – Goalie – Calhoun

Kristen Decicco - Hewlett

Kristen Decicco – Center.Midfielder – Hewlett

Paige Lewis - Midfield - Calhoun

Paige Lewis – Midfield – Calhoun

Maggie Frankel OB

Maggie Frankel – Midfield – Oyster Bay

Margo Verschleiser - Midfield (Hewlett) vs. Maggie Bridges - Defense (Port)

Margo Verschleiser – Midfield (Hewlett) vs. Maggie Bridges – Defense (Port)

 
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Around the Yard: Stephen Jahelka

Stephen Jahelka Banner

Since November, it seems as if one of the most strenuous activities as a Harvard student involved neither academics nor athletics. Instead, the two had been replaced with the daily routine of checking the weather on your smart phone after waking up in the morning. The anxiety and tension normally felt on test and game days now seemed to arrive promptly every morning following the sound of my alarm. As I unlocked my iPhone, I would allow myself to hope for the off chance of a nice, warm day only to be confronted by the same reality that the Greater Boston Area felt for five months: snow. Snow followed by more snow followed by more snow. “I thought lacrosse was a spring sport!” commonly became the hospitable phrase I used around Kirkland and the athletic department before even saying hello. Then, all of a sudden in the midst of March, Christmas came again, as we had our first day above 50 degrees. After many months of snow days and Netflix marathons, I can happily report the weather has taken a turn for the better.

One of my favorite things to do on nice days is take a walk through Harvard Yard on my way to class. The trees are full with their leaves and everyone is out on the colorful chairs reading, relaxing and enjoying the nice weather. Each time I walk through the yard, I am reminded about how my time started here as a freshman; the friends I hadn’t met yet, the classes still to be taken, and the experience yet to be had. I remember on my first day of class, I walked out of class with one of my TFs. He thought it was a great thing that I was a student-athlete at Harvard because the life lessons I would learn in the classroom would carry over onto the lacrosse field and benefit my athletic career. While this has been true, when I walk through Harvard Yard each day, I am reminded that there is one lesson that has been instilled in me by my coaches and teammates on the other side of the river that has helped both my academic and athletic career here the most: the concept of family.

My family has always been and always will be the most important thing in my life. The constant and unwavering love they send every day to me from New York drives me to do my best in everything I do while I am four hours away from them. Coming into freshman year, I was nervous and questioned how, for eight months out of the year, I would ever be able to be away from the people who I loved the most. However, my fear and anxiety began to dissipate the second I stepped foot into the Harvard lacrosse locker room. In our first team meeting, Coach Wojcik said that this was the Harvard Lacrosse Family and that everything we did, win, lose, or tie, would be endured by everyone, together. I was comforted by the fact that I would have a family while away from my own, but I was unsure if I ever would be able to feel the same way about my ‘family’ in Boston as I did about my family back on Long Island.

Fast forward to this year and the lessons that Coach Wojcik spoke about on my first day in the locker room could not be more true to my life and to the 2015 Harvard men’s lacrosse team.  There is an incredible bond that forms with a group of individuals after you have put in countless hours of hard work together, each and every day. It is a bond that is hard to understand if you aren’t experiencing it for yourself, as I hadn’t yet on my first day of freshman year. The 6 AM fall work outs, the off field conditioning sessions with Coach Mullen, the agony of the run test, the thrill of beating No. 6 Cornell, the despair after losing close games, and so many others. All of these experiences wind together to create a unique sense of brotherhood, a sense of family, between you and your teammates who go through all those experiences with you. The happiest moments of my days are seeing my teammates in passing through the Yard, the occasional funny team email over our list or knowing some of them will be in my classes. The love we have for one another is what truly separates our team from any other team or group on campus. Almost opposite of what I was told freshman year, I firmly believe that it is the love and desire that I consistently give for my teammates has lead to my successes in the classroom and on the lacrosse field.

I am not sure when it happened throughout this year but, at some point along the way, the line separating the eight people in New York whom I love more than anything and the forty teammates I have up on campus vanished completely, as they became more than my family at school, but a group of guys I view as my literal family. Through the ups and downs of this year, through the adversity of a season ending injury, wins and losses, the one constant throughout this whole experience has been our family, something Coach Wojcik has told us since Day One of our time here.

Currently, our team is in Princeton, New Jersey set to take on the Tigers tonight under the lights on national television (ESPNU). It is essentially playoff time for our team, as we most likely need to win our next two games to make the Ivy League Tournament. However, even under the circumstances of ‘pressure’, I find myself smiling as I write this blog. Pressure, adversity, opportunity, whatever you want to call it, I wouldn’t pick anyone else but the group of guys in our locker room to go to battle with tonight as the game begins at 6 PM. No matter what their role, every member of our team will give their best effort for sixty minutes, not because of their desire to have the most goals or caused turnovers or ground balls, but because that is what you do when you love your teammates more than yourself – you don’t let a minute go by in your life where you don’t give your very best for them. That has been the greatest lesson instilled in me by the Harvard Lacrosse family and is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

#RollCrim

 
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How To Be Selfless

5 Ways to Show Acts of Selflessness

For today’s Whiteboard Wednesday, we have 5 ways to show acts of selflessness as an athlete:

1. Make the extra pass. If you have a teammate that’s open with a better opportunity to get the ball upfield, get off a higher percentage shot, or who can help your team, then get them the ball!

2. Communicate! Communication is one of the most important parts of the game. Is your teammate about to get crushed? Let them know! Is it your teammates turn to slide? Let them know! Communication can help you become a more selfless player on the field and better person off the field. Communicate how you feel to your boyfriend or girlfriend. Communicate with your parents or guardians about where you are and if you’re safe. Communicate with your coaches if your frustrated. Never stop communicating!

3. Highlight your teammates. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of being interviewed after a big team win, make sure to shift the attention away from yourself and towards your teammates. Lacrosse is a team sport. Don’t forgot those who helped contribute to your personal or teams success.

4. Grunt work as an upperclassman. Helping a freshman carry water bottles out to practice shows selflessness and compassion. It’s important to make underclassman feel comfortable on a team. Especially when you have freshman playing with 16 and 17 year olds.  Never forget, you were once there.

5. Pick your teammate up when they’re down. This can be physically or mentally. Sports are filled with tough times and frustrating moments. If your teammate isn’t mentally into a practice or game, show empathy by asking what’s wrong. Then, do what you can to pick them up. Did one of your teammate suffer a serious injury that has put them on the sidelines? If so, don’t forget about them because they are injured. Keep them involved in the team and make them feel like their presence can help you win!

#FLG #Studletes #FLGLAX #WhiteboardWednesday

 
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Be Humble. Be Confident.

4-27-15

Happy Motivational Monday

Just because you have confidence in your abilities, doesn’t mean you have to talk about them. Being humble will reward you in the long run. Having a humble attitude will allow one to develop on a daily basis. Humility will help one to learn from each and every person they meet. Remember, you don’t always learn what you’re supposed to do from those you meet. On some occassions, those you meet can teach you what not to do.

Stay humble, remain confident, and you will be on the right path to competitive greatness!

#MotivationalMonday #BeHumble #BeConfident

 
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Alumni Spotlight: Evan Bloom

Evan Bloom Collage

After graduating from Sachem North High School, Evan Bloom played both lacrosse and football at Dartmouth. He was voted the lacrosse teams Blue Collar Award in 2012 and 2014, as well as the Inaugural Class of 1980 award in 2014.

During his playing days, Evan led the football team in tackles his junior year as a reserve defensive back. On the lacrosse field, he was an impact player for the Big Green.

Upon graduating Dartmouth in 2014 – Evan commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. Evan is currently assigned to Naval Air Station Pensacola where he is training as a student naval aviator. We could not be more proud of Evan!

A big thanks to Evan’s dad, David Bloom, for sharing all of Evan’s accomplishments!

#FLG #STUDLETE #Alumni doing great things

 
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Happy Earth Day!

4-22-15 Earth Day

Happy #WhiteBoardWednesday and #HAPPYEARTHDAY!

Here are the Top 5 Foods for Athletes that are grown in the Earth:

1- Bananas

2- Pineapples

3- Avocados

4- Nuts

5- Beans

Now get outside and enjoy #EarthDay!

#WhiteboardWednesday #FLG #FLGLAX #FLGlacrosse

 
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Long Island Top 100

Each Year, Newsday comes out with a list of the Top 100 lacrosse players on all of Long Island. FLG is proud to say that 18 out of the 100 players went through the FLG Lacrosse Program!

Below is the list of those 18 players and where they are playing in school next year.

Keep up the great work! #Studletes #FLG #FLGLAX #FLGlacrosse

Thomas Wright (#39 LSM on the right) is a senior at Garden City High School. Thomas will be going on to play collegiate lacrosse at Penn State next year

Thomas Wright (#39 LSM on the right) is a senior at Garden City High School. Thomas will be going on to play collegiate lacrosse at Penn State next year

Matt Borges – Garden City ’15 – Ohio State – ‘19

*Ryan Bray – SWR ’15 – Cornell ‘19

Jack Brennan – Chaminade ’15 – Colgate ‘19

Alex Concannon – Syosset ’15 – Johns Hopkins ‘19

Nicky Ferrero – Port Washington ’16 – Committed to UMASS ‘20

*Jack Fowler – Chaminade ’15 – Duke ‘15

Brendan Kearns – Chaminade ’15 –Colgate ‘19

*Kevin Kelly – Chaminade ’15 –Villanova ‘19

Brian Lang – Hicksville ‘15 –Ohio State ‘19

Michael Laviano – St Anthonys ’15 – Boston University ‘19

*Joseph Licciardi – St Anthonys ’15 – Penn ‘19

Brogan Mahon – Chaminade ’15 – Amhearst ‘19

*Nick Spillane – Carey ’15 – Penn State ‘19

James Sullivan – Garden City ’15 – Harvard ‘19

Jack Tigh – Chaminade ’15 – Yale ‘19

Jared Warner- Baldwin ‘15 – Penn ‘19

Ryan Winkoff – Cold Spring Harbor ’15 – Binghamton ‘19

Thomas Wright – Garden City ’15 – Penn State ‘19

*Played on the FLG Committed Team only

 
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Definition of Success

Happy Motivational Monday

4-20-15

 

 
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Failure Is Not Fatal

Happy Motivational Monday everybody! #Success #Failure #CourageToContinue #FLG #FLGLAX #Motivational Monday

4-13-15

 
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Leading From The Sidelines

As an athlete, you learn that injuries are a part of sports. Learning how to bounce back from an injury is crucial for your athletic career and the team you play for. FLG Alumni, Stephen Jahelka, is a great example of an athlete who knows how to deal with adversity. From the moment Stephen tore his Achilles a few weeks ago, Stephen has been improving individually and has been helping his team get better from the sidelines. Stephen was kind enough to share with us his list of the Top 5 Ways an injured athlete can #LeadFromTheSidelines

  • Get Healthy!: The best way to help your team is to focus all your effort on getting healthy. The faster you get fully healthy, the faster you get back onto the field. So crush your rehab with the same effort and intensity you would put into a game. The training room is your field under the lights!!
  • Keep everyone on the sideline enthusiastic and into a game: A fired up and rowdy bench can energize guys on the field.
  • Communicate what you see during the game and practice: Having a different perspective and angle from the sidelines may allow you to see things that players on the field aren’t (open looks, how other team’s plays develop, etc.)
  • Keep getting better: However you can, keep getting better. Whether its core, lunges, extra cardio with your trainer, show your teammates you are getting after it by working around your injury and going just as hard as they are in practice on top of your own rehab. This is also a great time to watch some film and identify some areas of your own game you plan to work on when you get back, if you are too physically limited to work on them right now. 
  • Don’t let your injury change who you are: Despite being sidelined, you are still a part of the team! Act and lead as if you were still playing, whether its getting on guys at practice, making pregame speeches or reacting with emotion after big plays.

FLG would like to thank Stephen for sharing his Top 5 ways injured players can #LeadFromTheSidelines

In Stephen’s first game back on the sideline’s for Harvard, they upset the Cornell Big Red in a thrilling 1 goal game! Video highlights of the game and Stephen leading from the Harvard sideline can be seen below!

#Studlete #FLG #FLGLAX #FLGlacrosse #LeadFromTheSidelines

Steve LEading From The Sideline

 
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