Looking to test the athletic water at Everest Academy, Athletic Director and Physical Education teacher Ann Lowney had decided to introduce the girls in her class to something new: lacrosse.
What resulted was not just a sport to stick between dodgeball and floor hockey, but the first sixth-eighth grade girls lacrosse team at Everest.
‘Everybody had a great time. They did well and adapted quickly,? Lowney said.
The girls played in the Michigan Youth Lacrosse Association and finished with a 7-2 record in their inaugural run.
The girls joined the boys at the school, who have an established lacrosse program.
Lowney, also new to the sport, sought guidance as the team’s coach.
She had also heard the similarities between basketball, which she has coached for 15 years, and lacrosse makes for an easy transition.
‘It was different enough that I enjoyed it. I’ve coached enough basketball, I needed a break,? she joked.
‘It was fun learning it with the girls.?
Lowney found ‘The Baffled Parent’s Guide to Coaching Lacrosse? helpful in explaining the rules.
She also got advice from a fellow coach, Betsy Criton of Flint Powers. Criton cited the parallels to roundball, such as man-to-man defense schemes and making short, crisp passes, to produce a winner.
‘It took us a few weeks (to learn the sport),? Lowney said.
‘You learn as you go.?
An eighth-grade member of the team, Brigid Wilson, 14, left the season with a new choice to make during springtime tryouts. Wilson will be a freshman next year at Bloomfield Hills Marian, which has a strong girls lacrosse program.
Wilson plans to tryout for lacrosse and for her usual spring sport, soccer.
‘It was fun and exciting to play a new sport,? Wilson said.
‘At first it was frustrating, but that’s what made me want to play on the team, (coach Lowney) made it exciting and fun.?
Wilson, who scored nine goals in her first season of lacrosse, said she liked seeing her team progress as the season went on.
‘You’re starting from scratch and the other teams have already played. It’s challenging, but we enjoyed it enough to keep working at it. We liked our coach and our team had good chemistry together,? she said.
Wilson has continued honing her lacrosse skills, playing with family members in her free time, and she is still planning on playing with her soccer travel team.