After the Boise, Idaho Rhino Academy finished up, the road crew and I hit the road towards our next stop in Bozeman, Montana.
We were all lucky to be able to visit some of the best national parks in the world, including the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. If you haven’t been to either of these sights, I highly recommend it.
After this short break from lacrosse, we were all extremely eager to get our sticks back into our hands and start the Bozeman Academy.
Before the first day of camp actually started, it was easy to tell that the people of Montana were all pretty polite. I had players shaking my hand and thanking me for coming out before I had even taught them anything!
This made me truly excited and have a sense of obligation to really make this week special for these kids.
Before this camp, I didn’t really have a sense of the skill level of the lacrosse players in Montana, so I admit that I assumed it was pretty low. After the first day of camp, I was pleasantly surprised that I was way off.
The Bozeman Academy was full of a bunch of athletes that mostly had above average stick skills. These kids really had pride in their game and had the drive to make themselves better.
Even though these kids had some great stick skills and were all pretty athletic, they weren’t perfect and they were at the camp for a reason.
What we really focused on teaching these kids, besides the obvious fundamentals and stick skills, were all of the small details that they were missing.
We weren’t hesitant to drill these kids on which hand their stick should be in, where their placement should be on the field during different situations, and how to communicate effectively in a team setting.
Near the end of the week, all of the coaches could see the serious improvement in every camper.
Even though some of these kids were playing together for the very first time, they learned how to flow better as a unit on the field.
Being able to see what you teach a player translate effectively onto the field is the best thing for a coach at any level of any sport.
The Rhino Lacrosse coaching staff and I were grateful enough to have this amazing experience in the beautiful city of Bozeman, Montana.
I don’t know if it’s just my love for the game growing, but these camps just seem to keep getting better and better!
After wrapping up an amazing week in Bozeman, I am ready to head back to my home state to help Grow The Game in Bend, Oregon.
I would also like to give a LaxAllStars shoutout to TommyBoy, our stick trick contest winner of Bozeman, Montana.
Until next time! #ChargeOn