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US Lacrosse Names Annual Youth Award Recipients
BALTIMORE US Lacrosse and its Youth Council will honor nine individuals from around the country for their service to youth lacrosse as part of its annual Youth Lacrosse Awards program. The group will be honored at the fifth annual US Lacrosse Youth Council Awards Breakfast during the US Lacrosse National Convention from Jan. 12-15, 2006 in Philadelphia.
Highlighting the award winners is Frank Rathke of Vero Beach, Fla., who is being honored with the Outstanding Contribution to the Game Award for his more than 40 years of service to the sport. Nominees for the awards were solicited from all over the country and the nine honorees represent seven different states.
Short biographies of this year's award recipients follow:
Outstanding Contribution to the Game
Frank Rathke Vero Beach, Fla.
For nearly five decades, Frank Rathke has played a leading role in helping lacrosse develop. In the late 1950s he helped bring lacrosse to the public schools in Scarsdale, N.Y., and he coached boys and girls lacrosse at all levels in the Hudson Valley. He helped start the first summer league in the Hudson Valley in 1972 and for more than 20 years he officiated and assigned games for all levels of play. He was inducted into the US Lacrosse Hudson Valley Chapter Hall of Fame in 1999. Since relocating to Florida in 1996, he has continued his efforts. He founded the South Florida Women's Lacrosse Umpire Association, has coached at several schools and has helped spur interest in several youth and school programs through his efforts. He was inducted into the US Lacrosse South Florida Chapter Hall of Fame in 2004.
Program Administrator of the Year
Paul Foreman Lutherville, Md.
Paul Foreman has served as the volunteer commissioner of the Lutherville-Timonium Recreation Council, the largest rec program in the Baltimore area, since 1999. During that time, the program has nearly doubled in size, growing to over 1,100 participants from age 6 to 14. More than growth, his success is shown by how well the organization adheres to the mission statement he helped develop: "To develop and maximize each boy and girl's ability, understanding and appreciation for the game of lacrosse. To encourage and promote their capacity to play with fairness, intensity, and respect for all other players, coaches, officials and themselves."
Exceptional Double-Goal Coach
Doug Wetzel Wilton, Conn.
Doug Wetzel has driven the incorporation of the Positive Coaching Alliance's "Double-Goal" philosophy into the framework of the Wilton Youth Lacrosse program. The PCA, a national partner of US Lacrosse, encourages coaches to seek success on the field while using sports to teach valuable life lessons as well. Wetzel, a coach and administrator with Wilton Youth Lacrosse for five years, developed and wrote the Wilton Lacrosse Coaching Honor Charter and led the required utilization of detailed PCA "Goal-centric Practice Plans" for the program. In additional he was responsible for writing the Wilton Youth Lacrosse coaches manual and has held various administrative roles within the league.
Exceptional BRIDGE Coach
Donnie Brown Baltimore, Md.
Donnie Brown has been one of the most integral figures in helping bring the US Lacrosse BRIDGE (Building Relationships to Initiate Diversity, Growth and Enrichment) initiative to life. His Baltimore-based Blax Lax program is one of the charter members of BRIDGE and Brown has been a member of the BRIDGE Executive Committee since its formation five years ago. In addition to his local work, Brown has consistently offered his talents, time and knowledge to other BRIDGE programs around the country. Most recently, he undertook all of the logistics for coordinating a national BRIDGE team, that participated the 2005 US Lacrosse Youth Festival in Binghamton, N.Y. A former Morgan State player who continues to play today, Brown has coached all age levels, has helped start numerous programs and has also officiated the game. He was twice selected as the Baltimore County Man of the Year by the US Lacrosse Men's Division Coaches Council.
Excellence in Growing the Game
George Pereira Danville, Calif.
Five years ago, the Diablo Scorpion lacrosse program began with just 13 players, one team and some borrowed equipment in an area where hardly anyone had even heard of lacrosse. Now there are more than 450 youth players and three high school programs with more than 100 players at each. George Pereira has been the force behind that growth, as both a coach and administrator. In addition to making a lasting impact on the players he has coached, he has worked with the schools to introduce the game to new players, with the town to secure field space, recruited former players to help coach and share their knowledge and passion for the game. He has also worked with the nearby San Jose Stealth, professional team to provide free player clinics. He continues to take on more roles to help spread the sport, including becoming the president of the local league the Northern California Junior Lacrosse Association.
Boys Youth Coach of the Year
James (Jim) Condon Great Falls, Va.
Involved with the sport for virtually his entire life, Jim Condon has coached at various levels in the Great Falls Lacrosse Association since 1998. Condon has worked closely to develop not only his own players, but other coaches within the Great Falls organization. Sometimes its working one-on-one to teach an experienced player how to relate to youth players as a coach and sometimes its gathering high-level players together for a clinic. One parent wrote on behalf of his nomination, "(my son) now lives his dream of playing lacrosse for an NCAA Division I team." Another wrote, "For Jim, I think lacrosse is a means to grow these kids into men and to teach them life lessons. He certainly developed more than just their lacrosse skills."
Girls' Youth Coach of the Year
Cheryl Webb Glen Head, N.Y.
Cheryl Webb is the girls athletic director at the Green Vale School in New York and since 1963 has coached field hockey and lacrosse at the school which has students from pre-k to ninth grade. She has encouraged and touched the lives of hundreds of players through her involvement at Green Vale, but her reach goes beyond the school. She started the Glen Cove P.A.L. program for players in third through sixth grade and has been instrumental in expanding playing opportunities for players through travel leagues, camps and tournaments at the school. Foremost among those is the Kelly Amonte Lacrosse Camp, which has been held at the school for the last five years. She was inducted into the US Lacrosse Long Island Chapter Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Glen Cove Hall of Fame in 2000. In 2003, she was named the Nassau County Athletic Director of the Year.
Most Innovative Youth Coach
Chuck Jaffe Cohasset, Mass.
Chuck Jaffe started Cohasset Youth Lacrosse in 1996 with a 28-player boys' team. Today the program has 11 teams with 250-plus kids participating in a town with just under 8,000 residents. Jaffe now coaches all four girls teams in the program. Jaffe uses games like "musical balls," "fireball," "Lacrosse Land," "target practice," "tackle," "fetch," "monster ball" and "fruit salad" to keep players excited and energized. He preaches a concept of "dominant moments," teaching players especially those with lesser skills that they do not need to take over the whole game, but they must have the skills necessary to control the game for a few seconds at a time. Jaffe makes his players take responsibility for their actions on and off the field, and gives handouts that teach lessons which go far beyond lacrosse. It all adds up to a great experience for each of his players. In 10 years of coaching, only eight players eligible to return to Jaffes teams for the following year opted not to come back.
One for All Award
Adam Nabewaniec Hadley, Mass.
Adam Nabewaniec is the first recipient of this award, which honors individuals that volunteer at the youth lacrosse level while attending school. Nabewaniec has served as an assistant and head coach with the Amherst Youth Lacrosse Program for four years. He began his service while attending graduate school at the University of Massachusetts and has continued his volunteer work since moving into the work force. Despite having no children of his own in the program, Nabewaniec has remained committed to providing a positive role model to the children he coaches.
The following individuals will also be recognized for their years of service to youth lacrosse:
40 Years
Cheryl Webb Glen Head, N.Y.
20 Years
Stephen ODonnell Smithfield, R.I.
Frank Rathke Vero Beach, Fla.
15 Years
Troy Kemp Chattanooga, Tenn.
10 Years
Chuck Jaffe Cohasset, Mass.
Ray Maturo Dexter, Mich.
Bruce Nolley Dallas, Texas
Tucker White Long Valley, N.J.
US Lacrosse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the national governing body for men's and women's lacrosse.
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