Grow the Game®

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on reddit
Share on whatsapp

Rhino Lacrosse Camp: Bend, Day 4

The last day of the last Rhino Lacrosse Camp of the summer has finished, and in great form too! Coach Gaebel and the gang planned out a great day of drills and fun for the campers to get them moving, competing and learning.

In the morning session, we put the campers through the Route B 22 Drills before sending them through stations with the coaches. Coach Silverstein was on gb’s, Coach Fritts on defense, I had face-offs and Coach Heim had Accuracy shooting. He made quite the creative target selection for the campers to shoot at.

Coach Heim’s Accuracy Shooting.

After a short break, we put them right into the Rhino Drill and then a long scrimmage to end the day. Oh wait, I almost forgot! We also held the world famous Rhino Bucket Competition one last time for the campers and for the first time all summer, we had not one, but two guys make the bucket and win some sweet Rhino and LAS swag prizes.

The World Famous Rhino Lacrosse Bucket Challenge.

In the afternoon session, we got the players through warm-ups and Route B 22 before setting them into an afternoon of competition with the Numbers Drill, Rhino Drill, Endless Fast-break drill and then a scrimmage to cap off the final day.

Today though, we also did the Fast-break demo for the campers, breaking down the responsibilities of each position as the fast-break is set-up and executed. We did this for the campers at each camp, and there was always a great improvement in performance and understanding when got back into fast-break drills.

Coach Fritts on fast-break offense.
Coach Gaebel on fast-break defense.

The best part about today was seeing all of our hard work throughout the week come into fruition as the campers showcased everything they learned in the scrimmage. It wasn’t without some constructive criticism from the coaches though. Throughout the scrimmage, you could look around and see all of the coaches pulling individual campers aside and talking with them while they weren’t in play, giving tips and helping them with their game.

Earlier this summer, I interviewed Coach Nate Fritts, someone who has been with Rhino since its beginnings. Today, I was able to interview the other two coaches that I’ve been coaching with all summer long, Blake Heim and Sean Silverstein. Both of these gentlemen played for Rhino Lacrosse and are now coaching while finishing up their college careers at Towson and Oregon, respectively.

Coach Heim is the youngest of the coaches, but is as every bit as knowledgeable about the game as every other coach at camp. He loves to push the campers hard and get them going at the start of each day. He was definitely the go-to guy for handing out a few push-ups for the campers who didn’t feel like going 100%.

Coach Silverstein is one of the loudest and most intense coaches when it comes to communication and groundballs at camp. He loves to hear campers get loud and excited throughout the drills – even if he himself sometimes gets mistaken for a camper. Sorry Sean, I had to!

All joking aside, the coaches that Rhino Lacrosse has selected for its camps are some of the best the game has to offer. Each coach is smart, passionate, full of energy and ready to give campers every bit of advice they need to reach the next level. I would not be the least bit surprised if Rhino Lacrosse Academies started popping up more and more throughout the U.S. These are quality learning experiences for laxers everywhere that should definitely be taken advantage of by players of all experience levels.

I don’t say these things because I have to; I say them because they are true. Rhino Lacrosse Camps are top notch.

I want to give a HUGE thank you to Ryan Powell and the gang at Rhino Lacrosse for giving me such a warm welcome and making me feel like a part of the family. It’s been an amazing summer of lacrosse camps, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to be a part of it all.