Saturday, January 30, 2016

Coach Gould @ MPA/Colby Clinic in Yarmouth




And Again TODAY Coach Gould is working to strengthen our MidMaine Lacrosse program. She is attending the MPA Woman's Game Clinic. Colby College Coaches are presenting at Yarmouth High School at this clinic sponsored by the Maine Principals Association. Thank you Coach Gould. Thank you very much




Friday, January 29, 2016

Connections

MidMaine Lacrosse CONNECTIONS

1.                  www.midmainelacrosse.com


                          Important Features include

A.    Blog (The website opens to the blog. It is just below the photo’s shown above.)
B.     Master Calendar

At the bottom of the opening page (as above) click on the following

For quick access to the most up to date information and postings regarding our program, visit the Blog & News Feed page and the Master Calendar page.



C.   Important Webpage Left Sided Menu Choices

1.      Complete Email Sign Up
2.      See Teams for your Team and Event Calendar
3.      See Forms & Documents to print registration/Scholarship forms

2.                 
            2.      Make sure your email does NOT send our email messages to your JUNK TRASH or SPAM.

3.    If you use Google Calendar already you can sign up for automatic updates.
Go to your Team page and click on the bottom + sign. Also Go to Event Calendar and click on the bottom + sign.
You might need to sign up for more than one team if you have more than one child. Please sign up for Events and your child’s team.



If you do not use Google you will have to look at www.midmainelacrosse.com.

If you do not have consistent access to the internet please SELF appoint a friend to be your informant.  Some coaches will call but some cannot.

4.               One VERY IMPORTANT housekeeping note.
Coaches and Volunteer Parents do an incredible job at giving kids rides to practice and games. Incredible. They are very willing to help and grow the game.

We request 48 hours notice (at least 24) if your child needs a ride. It is your responsibility to call a friend or a coach to arrange the ride. So many are willing to help but we need YOU to initiate the request.

Calendar News

Calendar News

All Team Calendars have been updated.

If you are currently signed up @ Google Calendar for automatic updates you need to repeat the sign up.

If you use Goggle Calendar and have not signed up please go to www.midmainelacrosse.com. Go to Teams. Please hit the + button of the bottom of the Google Calendar for your child's (children's Teams.)  Please also add the Events & TrashCan Calendars.

If you do not use Google Calendar please familiarize yourself with the calendar displays on www.midmainelacrosse.com. Pay attention to the Master Calendar which appears on the bottom of the opening page of www.midmainelacrosse.com. Pay attention to Teams on the left hand side bar menu. Locate any teams your child participates on. Plesse note the Events & TrashCan Calendar.




Thursday, January 28, 2016

Whoppie Pie Sale Starts TODAY 1/28




A HUGE SHOUT OUT & Thank You to Steve's Snacks for their generous support!

Sales Representatives (Lacrosse Players) can pick up pies 3/25 and then deliver to people that you sold to.


Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Happenings (just this week alone......)


Wheels are turning....So much is Happening


1. Just last weekend Coaches returned from the US Lacrosse Convention in Baltimore Maryland. These coaches had attended an additional conference at Bates College the week previous. 
Coach or Coaches will attend the MPA Lacrosse conference this weekend about Girls Game Lacrosse. 
Soon they will attend the MPA Boys Game Conference (February). 
AND many will upgrade their US Lacrosse Certification in April.

THANK YOU COACHES!!!

2. WebMaster Robert Michaud worked with current President Gretchen Gehrke to update www.midmainelacrosse.com and MidMaine Google Calendar. There is a bit more work to do but we brought much of our information into 2016. Especially..... you can begin to use the Master Calendar, Google Calendar and Forms & Documents. Please explore www.mdmainelacrosse.com

THANK YOU BOB!!!

3. Fundraising Team Members worked on our proposed three Sale Items
    A. Whoopie Pie February and March Sales for a near St. Patrick's Day delivery.
    B. Our Month of Gift Card Calendar Raffle Sale. Sell during April for May drawings.
    C. Opt in or not Discount Cards to be sold during May. Earn your dollars for our annual Boston             Cannon Game Trip and share support with MidMaine Lacrosse.

THANK YOU FUND RAISING LEADERS!!!

4. VP/Registrar Karen Boreham, President-Elect/Secretary Mary Alice Gould and President Gretchen Gehrke worked on stream lining SPRING REGISTRATION. We updated registration forms. We updated Scholarship forms (Thanks Kelly Godsoe, our computer liaison) We created handouts for MML members to Get Connected.

5. Coach Mary Alice Gould and Gretchen Gehrke scheduled some SPRING games. They planned 'Play Days' with EMYL. They worked on the Tegenhondi Tournament. Thanks Kelly Rowell for agreeing to attend the 7/8 scheduling meeting with MA and TS (depending on inventory.)

6. Coach John Szarowski received bylaws to review. Coach also worked on recruiting Coach Volunteers and policy.

7. We are diligently working on PreSeason and Season gym/field sharing issues.

8. We have been busy asking GUEST Coaches to join us in March and April.

9. We are planning a SPRING CONFERENCE for area Town Managers, SelectPersons, Recreation and Athletic Directors late in March. 

10. Gretchen met with the Superintendent of RSU #19. We need to meet with Mr. Tardy of MSAD #53 regarding club opportunities.

11. We began work with US Lacrosse and others regarding helmet re certification.

12. Much else was accomplished and there is more work to do.......There is a Parent/Board Meeting Thursday 2/4 at 7pm @ PCC.

I wonder what I have forgotten....


PLEASE Join Us. (Agenda to be posted soon....)

TRASHCAN THURSDAY 1/28.

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Thank You


More than HATS OFF to the Gould & Simpson..... Extended Family, Immediate Family, Spouses and Coaches for their support and trip to Baltimore, during historic blizzard conditions to attend the National US Lacrosse Convention. The classes and the Connections and the Caring Commitment. 
We can't wait to learn about ALL you learned. 
THANK YOU to the Goulds and Simpsons as well as their family networks.

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Great Article about Players/Parents and Coaching

My son is 9.  His name is Nate.  He LOVES sports.
In football this year, he led the team in touchdowns . . . . and tackles.  In baseball, he was the starting short stop, and hit the ball further than anyone in the whole league.   In soccer, nobody on his team scored more goals last Spring.  He’s an athletic kid.  
2 years old. Loved sports from the get go!
Nate has played 4 seasons of basketball, 1 season of baseball, 1 season of soccer, and 3 seasons of flag football.  And because he’s the biggest kid on the team (every single season, not one teammate has been taller on any of those 9 teams), he’s usually been one of the best kids.
From 2015, love his intensity.
It doesn’t hurt that he was at a high school football game the fifth day he was alive; I was a Head Football Coach at the high school level at the time, 2006.  He’s grown up around the fields and gyms as I’ve been a high school Athletic Director for 6 of his 9 years.
They’ve had two basketball practices this year, today was their first game.  I’ve been to both practices.  I told my wife after the first one, “well this is going to be an interesting season for Nate.  He’s not the best player on the team this year.”  I’ve got a very realistic view of my kid’s talent.  I know that most of his success so far has been because of his size.
The first year he played basketball, his team would win 14-4 or 18-12, and Nate would score 10 or 14 points.  The coach LOVED him.  But look how easy it was for him to score! He was a giant!!
The biggest kids are usually going to score the most points! I get that. Guess which one is Nate?! This was his first year playing basketball. 2013
The next year, his coach told him to shoot a whole lot more than I thought he should.  I would tell him to pass the ball more, so other kids would have a chance, and he would say “Dad, my coach told me not to, cause the other kids can’t make them like me.”  
So I was worried about how he would react to the first time he wasn’t “the man” on this team, the first time he wasn’t a starter.  I wondered when that would be. 
For the first time ever my son didn’t start today.  
Today when I watched the coach sit the whole team down on the bench, and then call out 5 of the 9 and 10 year olds to take the court, my son wasn’t picked.  Nate was one of the three left on the bench.  My heart kind of sunk.  For my kid.
IMG_0915
Nate is sitting on the bench as the starters are selected. The one with the old school high socks!
I was worried about this day, when he wasn’t the best kid, or at least one of the top ones on the team.  I was worried  for my kid.  How would he react?  I’ve been working with unrealistic parents for 15 years as a high school football coach.  I definitely DO NOT want to be THAT dad!  So, I wasn’t worried about me, I was worried about my son.
And you know what?  
He NEVER even mentioned not being a starter, not one time today did he even hint at it.  I even tried to get him to.  “What was your favorite part of the game?”   “What was your least favorite?”  “What was the best thing?”  “What was the worst thing?”
His favorite part: “We won!”
Least favorite: “The one basket I missed.”  (He did score 2 points)
The best thing: “We won!”
Worst thing: “That the game was over.”
Parents: your kids will be fine if they don’t start!  As long as you’re fine!!!
If you’re teaching your kids all along the way that the TEAM > i, then when he doesn’t start, it won’t be a big deal.
If you’re teaching your kid to shake the coach’s hand, and say thank you after every single practice and game, he will have a healthy respect for his coach; it won’t matter when he doesn’t start.
If you teach your kid that every single person has a role to play on a team, starting at a young age, then it won’t be a big deal when he doesn’t start.
If you teach your kid to “just play hard and have fun,” then it won’t be a big deal when he doesn’t start.
If you use teachable moments while watching the NFL to teach your child that you don’t always get what you want, it won’t be a big deal when he doesn’t start.
I was more proud of my son today then I ever have been.  He was the only one on the bench standing and cheering for his teammates.
IMG_0922
Nate standing to support his teammates.

IMG_0919
I think my son will be a coach one day!
And this afternoon, while there was a commercial break during the NFL game, I asked him why he likes to cheer so much for his team when he isn’t in the game.  This little 9 year old looked up at me and said “Dad, I like to treat others the way I want to be treated.”
For the first time my son didn’t start today, and I couldn’t have been more proud!
IMG_0923

 Author Chris Fore is a veteran football coach and athletic director from Southern California.  He has a Masters degree in Athletic Administration, is a Certified Athletic Administrator, and is on the California Coaches Association Board.  Eight Laces Consulting, his business, provides dynamite resources for coaches.  He is the author of An Insider’s Guide To Scoring Your Next Coaching JobBuilding Championship Caliber Football Programs,and the Outside The Lines Manual for Football Coaches.

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Thank You Tree Festival Fans




                                              Tuesday, January 12 2016    








Dear Sponsor or Decorator Volunteer,

Your contribution, sponsorship or raffle ticket purchase helps
to support MidMaine Lacrosse as well as a “Tree Decorating” local community organization. Thank you very much.

Our Third Annual Tsothohrha Tree Festival was a great success. The festival was a grand community event. It allowed thirty-two raffle winners to bring home holiday trees.
Lacrosse players and their parents worked with dedication and commitment to invest in the success of their own organization. Your contribution ‘primed the pump.’

Your business was posted on our “Wall of Significant Support.” It will be displayed on a banner at home lacrosse contests. It will be included in a slide show on our website. Thank you very much.
With your recent contribution and the profits your gift generated, MidMaine Lacrosse might purchase paint to paint fields, purchase uniforms, pay referees or subsidize a young athlete’s participation in our area lacrosse program. 
MidMaine Lacrosse attempts to make it possible for every interested child to play lacrosse.  Our numbers continue to grow as we expect more than 100 area children to play lacrosse this spring.

Thank you very much for your generous support and participation December of 2015.

Our 4th Tsothohrha Tree Festival is on the calendar for Sunday, December 4th, 2016. Please keep us in mind and consider donating or decorating a tree next year.

Sincerely,

Gretchen Gehrke
President MidMaine Lacrosse
www.midmainelacrosse.com
                

 

























WALL OF SIGNIFICANT SUPPORT

Town of Palmyra
Getchell Construction
Lakewood Theater
Getchell Construction
Bowman Constructor's
Sebasticook Family Doctors
Dalhou Farms
4 Seasons Floral & Gift
Dexter Brass
Newport Family Practice
Anonymous
Technology Solutions
Pat's Propane
MCI Alumni
H2O Water Well Drilling
GS Troop 1300

Bangor Savings Bank
Bangor Saving Bank

Bangor Savings Bank.
Friends of RSU #19 Field Hockey

Gilman's Electric
Friends of RSU #19 Football 

Sebasticook Valley Federal Credit Union 
Anonymous

Chris & Carla Littlefield
Troop #404 Boy Scouts

Chris & Carla Littlefield
Balance Yoga & Ballet 

Balance Yoga & Dance
Etna/Dixmont Eagles

Moosehead Veterinary Hospital
RSU #19 Show Chorus

Shop N Save (Newport)
RSU #19 Music Boosters

Katahdin Trail Saddlery
Friends of MML Lacrosse

Cookson's Collison Center
Friends of RSU #19 Soccer

Crosby & Neal Funeral Home
RSU #19 Latin Club

Somatex
Friends of MSAD #53 Soccer

Somatex
Mom’s of MCI Football 

Finyl Vinyl
Nokomis National Honor Society 

Sebasticook Valley Hospital
Friends of HS Recreation Boys Lacrosse

ECOLAB
MML Girls Lacrosse

MML MS Boys Lacrosse
MML Elementary Lacrosse

MML Grades 3/4 Boys Lacrosse
MML Girls 3/4 Lacrosse


  
Thank you to our many
Sponsors & Contributors, from

                         MidMaine Lacrosse