In Drummey they trust
Coach has long bond with Walpole team
Walpole's Jackie Kelliher (in white at left) kept Norwood's Jess El Bach from gaining position, and teammate Brooke Waite (in white at right) advanced the ball in front of Kathleen O'Day in Monday's 15-8 triumph, which moved the Rebels to 5-0 on the young season. (Photos by Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff)Their trust, and faith, in Tim Drummey has been built over time, dating to their grade school days when they picked up a lacrosse stick for the first time.
 | Discuss |
| COMMENTS (0) |
So when Drummey asked his Walpole High players to run a defensive drill last week, a bit unique in nature, there was no questioning his motive.
"He made the girls on offense pretend to cradle the ball in their stick and had the defense put their sticks down and pretended they had their sticks up," said Walpole High captain Molly Haswell. "We held our arms up like we were holding the stick but we really didn't have it. I'm sure the track kids [practicing nearby] were all laughing at us."
"So even in practice when the drills sound a little crazy, everyone goes along with it because we know they have some point to it."
They trust Drummey because, in essence, he taught them to play the game.
Eight years ago, he founded a girls' youth lacrosse program in town, believing that it was unfair that his stepdaughter, Alexandra Guisti, and her friends had to travel to Westwood to play while boys in town had their own league.
"I said, 'This is crazy' and sat down and talked with coaches from the boys' program and they told me how they did it," said Drummey, a 42-year-old Norwood native who didn't play the sport until he was in college at Curry.
Others were consulted, too, including Leslie Frank, coach of the highly successful girls' program at Westwood High, about launching a youth program. And from that strong foundation, Walpole has developed into a winner at the varsity level.
Drummey was a volunteer assistant on last year's 11-9-1 squad, which knocked off top-seeded Hopkinton, 14-13, in the first round of the Division 2 South tournament and this season has taken over as head coach. He replaces twin sisters Anna and Aubrey Cochrane, who left to pursue graduate degrees.
When the Rebels beat Hopkinton, "We were the first ones they called," said Frank, who guided Westwood to the Division 1 state title last year.
"It's just cool to get that call because my team openly cheers for them. At some point we'll have to stop cheering for them because at some point it's possible they will be our opponent in years to come. But right now we like to support each other."
This year's 5-0 squad includes 10 players who were a part of that inaugural youth season: sophomore attack Sarah Buckley; junior midfield Michaela Brady; junior defenders Sarah Fassett and the Tosone twins, Alicia and Julia; and senior captains Haswell, Emily Painten, Kellie Sullivan, senior Kim Gambon, along with Drummey's other stepdaughter, Shelby Guisti.
"They were the youngest group that came up and came through," said Drummey. "We're proud of that group that came up and came through."
Shelby Guisti (9 goals, 20 assists) and Buckley (21 goals, 8 assists) pace the team in scoring.
All of their parents helped coach as well, taking notes on the sidelines rather than socializing, Frank recalls observing.
"They went to the websites we told them to go to and took home copies of the [instructional] CD we gave them," Frank said. "They weren't going to let it rest on a four-hour clinic. They were going back and doing research and putting in homework, if you will, to take to the next level."
There were no doubt growing pains along the way, but Sullivan said while it took time for the players to learn passing, catching and fielding ground balls, it helped that most of the parents were also new to the sport.
"They made us feel like it was OK because we were just starting out, like 'We're gonna get better,' " Sullivan said. "They gave us the confidence we needed to play. The hardest part was a lot of other towns already started programs. We lost a lot of games so it was tough always being the underdog."
But the work has paid off.
And it goes without saying that the transition with their coach has gone smoothly, given that all the players already knew Drummey, who still is coaching his youngest daughter in the youth league along with Sullivan's younger sister, Casey, a third-grader.
"He still coaches youth lacrosse, that's so great of him," Sullivan said of her coach. "Those kids by the time they get to high school they are already going to be familiar with him and the way he coaches. I feel like the next couple years will be pretty good."
No comments:
Post a Comment