Getting ready for the girls lacrosse season, is new head coach, Tony Hicks. He’s been with the team for the last five years and has moved up the ranks to head coach. Now that it’s an official KHSAA sport, the season will range from February to mid May. The team this year is composed of eight seniors, ten juniors, four sophomores, and two eighth graders.
“This season we have a big senior class of girls who have been with the team for a very long time,” said Hicks. “Then we have a dynamic group of juniors coming up behind them that should make for a very balanced squad.”
Hicks has a unique style of training he uses while coaching, this includes coaching not only technical skills but also leadership, that the girls can use throughout their life.
“Our sport specific goals are to finish our season with a winning record and move on as far as we can get in the state tournament,” said Hicks. “Then our broader goals are to foster skills for young women to use the rest of their lives, including but not limited to leadership, confidence building, and just the ability to handle adversity.”
While Hicks is looking forward to winning games and moving forward in the state tournament, he is also excited to see the girls implement leadership and show true resilience.
“Lacrosse is a sport where you have to use a piece of equipment as a tool to be able to play the sport,” Hicks said.
Hicks claims lacrosse is difficult to master, because you need a tool to handle the ball unlike other sports where the ball meets your foot or hand directly.
“It is kind of a cross between basketball and a sport like soccer where you have both set plays and a transition,” said Hicks. “In basketball you have set plays meaning you bring the ball down the court and you slow down at the offensive end of the court, lacrosse has that, but much like soccer, it has a lot of simple movements and transitions [also played on a very wide, big field].”
Even though Hicks never played as a kid, lacrosse holds a special place in his heart. Hicks brings lots of experience to the team and will focus on teamwork and fostering a positive culture. He aims to lead the team to surpass all their goals.
