Tag Archives: lacrosse

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A lacrosse kind of Friday…….

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I am posting tonight between lacrosse games. The Noblesville Lady Millers played at 5, and the Noblesville Men’s Squad that Scott plays on plays at 10:50. The women’s team has just one squad in the indoor league, whereas the men’s team has three. We were not all that successful at 5, but perhaps 10:50 may bring us a different story.

Needless to say, I feel as if I live in the world of sports some days. Tonight at least, when I am so very tired, I will be happy to not have to coach. The girls on our team could probably run on auto-pilot, but regardless, I am glad to not have to deal with it. I can hitch a ride there, watch, and hitch a ride back. Having kids that drive can be a real pleasure.

Anyway, I will tuck Ben into bed, and get ready to go. It has been a great day, and I have enjoyed it all to this point. Scott will play goalie tonight, so he may only be able to drive there! But it will be nice to get a diet soda, sit in the stands, and enjoy the game.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tom+

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The day is done….finally!

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I really thought tonight might not ever get here. It has been an extremely long day filled with a variety of work….Church work, construction work that I did on our house, and work in preparation for our upcoming Varsity lacrosse season. I ended the night at Scott’s indoor game, and it was a blast. Noblesville has three teams in the indoor league, and this week and next are us playing one of our other teams. I enjoy it, because the people are so nice, and they, as well as all the players are so respectful. It is a great program, and I am glad to be a part, not just as a parent, but as the girl’s Varsity and JV coach.

The construction work I did involved putting in some beams for the ceiling that were not part of the damage and repair estimate from the pre-Christmas water incident. I am glad I can do things like that because I am sure it would cost a fortune. Plus I like it. So much of my job is not tangible. It is great to do something I can see immediately.

And of course soon the regular lacrosse season will be upon us. I enjoy getting to see my son play, but soon I will be immersed in the girl’s program. We have tons of games and practices and they all begin late next month and go through mid-May. It is a lot, but well worth it. My only regret is that lacrosse wasn’t a sport when I was in high school. It would have been a great way to stay out of trouble!

Anyway, busy days lead to good night’s sleep…at least I hope. I hope your day has been full of God’s blessings!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless.

Fr. Tom+

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Go Lady Millers Go Go Go!!

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Tonight the Noblesville Lady Millers, of which I am the coach, took the field for the final game of the indoor season. Both our boys teams finished the season last night, and tonight was our turn. The stands were full, and I am happy to say that we did not disappoint….at all.

Before the game I told them that if we played “our game” there would be no beating us, and that’s exactly what they did. The girl’s played better than they ever have, just like they practice, and their flawless performance led to a remarkable victory. You see, this team beat us twice last year, and one of those times in the finals. In the indoor season we split, but the last time they beat us badly. It was very good for the girl’s to play so well.

Anyway, I am off to bed while the day is going so well! Congrats Lady Millers! I am so proud of you. We are on our way to a great season this year!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless. Thanks for checking in!

Tom+

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Go Millers Go!

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Tonight was the playoffs for the men’s indoor lacrosse league. There are two divisions, and Scott plays for the high school in one of them. They played great. They won their first game, knocked off the top seed in the second, but lost in the last two seconds of the championship. That was a heart-breaker, but they played great all night.

Tomorrow night is the finals for the girl’s team. We are in the championship game already, so I hope everyone is rested and ready…..particularly since I am the coach! All our high school teams have fared pretty well regardless.

We will be taking a few weeks off until Winter ball which begins in January, and then it all starts up again. It is a great sport, and I am glad Stephanie and Scott play it. We have lots of fun.

I want to think about just that tonight, in that I was by St. Patrick’s tonight and it is still not even painted. We need to take possession of it in no later than 48 hours because we have no other place to go! Please keep it in your prayers. But for now I am off to bed savoring a great lacrosse evening!

Goodnight and God Bless.

Tom+

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A comedy of errors….so it’s time for bed!

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Well today it finally happened. After a whole indoor season of great lacrosse from the Noblesville Lady Millers, we finally had a game where a few things went wrong….actually it was a game when everything went wrong. If there was one positive it was that our goalie got A LOT of practice today.

But, in the end, it was a great lesson for the girls. We could not even master the basic skills, we got behind, and then it went downhill from there. As a former athlete, I remember days like today well. They seemed torturous and way too long. They made me angry. But as I began to learn from them I realized that they could be teachable moments and in the end far more beneficial to my game than a big win. Anyone can win well, but it takes real character and determination to recover or to get better after you have been clocked. We talked about that after the game. I was smiling as I talked with them. Everyone has bad games. It was just unusual to have an entire team have it all at once!

Anyway, even I was glad to see it end. We play a combined scrimmage tomorrow with a couple of other high schools against Purdue at the end of an afternoon clinic the Boilermakers are putting on tomorrow in Westfield. It will be a great day and a great way to recover.

Everyday cannot be our best. That’s why we should be thankful to God for second chances and new opportunities. He certainly gives us a lot!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless.

Tom+

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A day of lacrosse and now rest…….

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Today has been a long day, the end of which we spent at Scotty’s lacrosse game. It is such a great time and my only regret is that lacrosse was not an available sport when I was a young man. I think I would have really enjoyed it. I am not sure if they have an “Over the Hill” league, but if they do, count me in!

Today also marked the end of voluntary fall practices for the girl’s high school team of which I am the coach. We offered the opportunity to practice, and enjoyed it. The girls and I were so amazed to have 70 degree weather in November. There should be SNOW! Anyway, it was good to be out and active. We play tomorrow at 4:20 in the indoor league in Carmel, and it will be a great way to kick off the weekend.

Today will also mark the first time I am heading to bed before 9:30!!! I have been up too late and too early too many days, so it will be nice to get some rest. Ben has been up the last few nights, so going to bed early may be helpful to be sharp at 3 am when he wants to talk!

So it is off to bed for me. I apologize for the lack of depth tonight, but we all know how it is when we are tired! I hope you have had a blessed day.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless.

Tom+

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Standing in the line of fire……….

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Tonight I watched proudly as my son Scott took his turn in the net as goalie for his lacrosse team. Each player takes a turn, but I do not think they all enjoy it. Scott survived it, and he has the war-wounds to prove it. But I am certain he is not anxious to get in there again anytime soon. The team they were playing tonight was pretty good.

Sometimes it’s hard to just sit back and watch your kids do things without interjecting yourself. You just love them and you want to protect them. I remember the first time I left him at school, the first time I put him on the school bus, the first sleep-over, the first time away. All of them produced anxiety, yet somehow, someway, he managed to survive without me.

Tonight his knees are a bit torn up, his body is a bit achy, and he is bruised in a couple of places pretty good……but there is nothing wrong with his self-esteem. He looks at it more as a right of passage I think, and in looking back to my own life, I guess that is how I’d see it as well. It was a battle, and he was in it, taking his turn, being part of the team. I am sure he will always remember it too. I know I will.

Scott’s a pretty great kid, with a heart of gold. I am proud to be his dad. I don’t take it for granted…..I know that I am truly blessed!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless.

Tom+

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The Good Stuff…….

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It’s been a busy 24 hours. Last night I had my second sleep study in 10 months and I was happy to get it behind me. The doctors are collecting a lot of different pieces of information about me in order to set what we need to do from this point. So far no news….but stay tuned!

And tonight, after a busy day, Amanda and I went to see Scott play in his very first lacrosse game! Scott plays right now for one of the high school’s indoor teams, getting ready for the regular lacrosse season in the Spring. It was a great time, even though we lost. Scott got a real education, in that he was no longer out in the yard with a long retired hockey player knocking him around, he was out with some pretty large high school athletes with sticks, pads, and attitudes! He did score, which was awesome, but even as a good-sized athlete, I know he was surprised by the opponents size, speed, and aggression. It was so much fun to see him so excited about continuing to play! Steph plays tomorrow night, and as the women’s coach, we are excited about that too!

Anyway, not a lot of religion tonight, but the ramblings of a proud dad. All the busy-ness was well worth the wait. It is great to be dad….I always can see God’s blessings when I spend time with my kids!

Good night my friends and God Bless!

Tom+

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Of the joys and pains of fatherhood……..

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Tonight Scotty and I practiced lacrosse in our backyard. Scotty is going to follow in his sister’s footsteps and play for the high school this year, and I thought it would be great fun to get out there with him in the yard and mix it up a bit. After all, I am a former long-time ice hockey player, and certainly know and enjoy how to dish it out. I thought it would be good exercise for us both, and a great lesson for him to work to get by me.

So we got out there and went at it…..Scott in full lacrosse gear, and me in an old facemask-free hockey helmet. Scott 15 and determined, and me, 47 and a legend, apparently only in my mind.

I really shouldn’t be that hard on myself. He acknowledged that I gave him a real battle, particularly when he said I “fouled.” Apparently driving him into the fence and/or the bushes is considered “illegal” in men’s lacrosse. What a whiner! In neighborhood hockey all was fair….no penalties. But what went around came around!

Of course his 31 year advantage came to light quite a few times over the course of our practice, particularly when he launched me with a check that I would be envious of at any point in my life. My helmet (though unstrapped) stayed on, but I was in the air and came down hard! How I LOVE this game! I only wish it were around when I was younger! We are going to practice again tomorrow too! I will take some Advil prophylacticly however.

It is always a blast though. I coach my daughter and the women’s high school team, but I know very little about men’s lacrosse. I am however, trying to learn. I do know quite a bit about ice hockey though, and so I try to fake it when I mix it up with Scott. I may need some x-rays, but I believe it is all worth it. Ben best beware, by the point he is ready for me, I probably will be pretty wicked with my walker!

I love being a dad more than anything else in the world! What a blessing!

Goodnight my friends and God bless!

Tom+

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The return of the 10………

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Today the ten players we dropped off at Northwestern for the Best of the Best Lacrosse Camp returned, and it was easy to see their transformation. Last year the two who went, my Assistant Coach’s daughter Maddi and my daughter Stephanie, came back much better players, yet they said they felt like fish out of water there because everyone was so much better. What a difference a year makes! This year, the ten shared that they were “deeply disappointed” that they lost by one goal in the championship game of the camp session (how did they develop that much???) and our goalie who also went to the camp, Jessica (we call her a Rock Star in goal) was named the top goalie of the whole camp! We are seeing some amazing transformation right before our eyes and now they want to get out and practice SOON even though our regular season begins in March of 2009!

It’s so cool! In a day and age that we see so much confusion and angst among teens, it is refreshing to see such positive focus. I am relatively new to the sport of lacrosse only having been an Assistant Coach one year and a Head Coach this past year. But in all my years of coaching (which there have been many in other sports) I have not seen such quality athletes or such enthusiasm. If I could just get them to stop singing loudly in the van when we travel I would say they would be just about perfect. But if they keep playing well and getting better, I may just wear earplugs and count my blessings.

Anyway, that’s about it for my post today……I just wanted to give a plug as a proud father and coach. Tomorrow is the day we are celebrating Ben’s first birthday, so I have a bit of work to do. (His actual birthday is Monday) But I wanted to post before my wife put me to work as pre-party labor.

Goodnight….and God Bless.

Tom+