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IMLCA Convention Day 3

PIETRAMALA
Coach Petro headlined Day 3

Editor’s note: The following was written by Kevin Flynn, a founder of Missoula Elite Lacrosse and friend of Lax All Stars. Kevin traveled to Baltimore to attend the Intercollegiate Men’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IMLCA) convention and was gracious enough to cover the event for us. Read coverage from Day 1 and Day 2.

After a long day of clinics yesterday, we had a fun night hanging out in the hotel with some of our friends from across the country. Great to catch up with Agent Ogden from MCLA:The Lax Mag and also nice to meet some of the new MCLA board members. As always, great talk with Dr. Stockton… overall a fun night following the HUGE Grizzlies win!

imlcday3This morning, James and I woke up (kind of) and were really excited for the day’s presentations. The IMLCA guys definitely saved the best for last and I felt a little sorry for all the coaches who left early. This morning’s lineup kicked off with a presentation by Trevor Tierney, who in my opinion is the best goalie to have ever played. His session was titled “Evolution in Goaltending: A New Perspective on Goalie Fundamentals and Techniques” and it blew me away. After all I learned yesterday about goaltending, Trevor really brought the position to another level. He really simplified the position and stayed away from some of the “standards” of teaching the position. Some of the major differences in his technique were that he does not use an arc step pattern and does not step to the ball… two tactics that have been hammered into goalies’ heads for over 30 years. Needless to say, I was both impressed and converted to his system. You just can’t argue with his successes.

Following Trevor’s presentation, face off specialist Anthony Kelly treated us to an hour of his techniques and drills. He had a few new face off drills that I liked a lot and a phrase that really hit home; “it’s not always who moves first, it’s who moves second, first.” To me, this is really the key to facing off. You don’t always have to win the clamp, you have to have the best reaction when the plan you have in your head doesn’t work. Also, nice to meet Anthony on a personal level, since we helped introduce his cousin Justin Roberts to the game last year in Missoula.

The last presenter for the convention was my favorite player of all time, Dave Pietramala. Coach P speaks with confidence, clarity, and knowledge and I felt very fortunate to hear him present. His clinic was very free flowing and focused on a Q & A with the audience on the topic of defense. The Hopkins staff showed some video of individual and team drills that they like to work on and it was interesting to see how much time they spend on fundamentals, even at such a high level of lacrosse. Overall, the crowd generated lots of good questions and they were all answered well. Great way to wrap up the event.

So that’s gonna do it for our coverage of the 2009 IMLCA Convention in Baltimore. We’ve got to pack up quick and head to the airport for another long stretch of travel… gonna need some sleep tonight! James also took a few more photos that we should be posting soon. Thanks to everybody who’s been following and we’ll get back at you soon.

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About the Author
: Kevin Flynn was a two time All-Conference selection in high school before moving to Missoula to play collegiately for the Griz. At Montana, Flynn was named Team President and Team Captain for 3 seasons. He was a two time All-Conference defender in college and helped lead the Griz to the 2007 MCLA D2 National Championship. Coach Flynn also spent two years on the sidelines coaching for Montana, compiling a 22-6 overall record and one conference championship. Flynn was named the PNCLL’s Coach of the Year in 2005. He graduated from The University of Montana with a degree in Native American Studies. Coach Flynn is a founder and coach for Northstars Selects Lacrosse, which exposes high school players in non-traditional lacrosse areas to the college recruitment process. He has been serving the Missoula lacrosse community for 7 years and is one of the founders of Missoula Elite Lacrosse. This will be his second year on the sidelines of the Men’s Varsity team.