With the regular season more than half gone, the Lacoka Locos Novice 1 squad remain steadfast on getting better each time they hit the floor.
The club was up against a mountain this past weekend, playing at home May 5 then playing two — home and away — the next day. And while the club fell 7-1 Saturday to Didsbury, then on Sunday lost 12-1 in Blackfalds and 12-3 at home to Sylvan Lake, the Locos have stayed positive and are still having fun.
“I am lucky to have such a great group of players and parents. All of our players have shown improvement in their skill level and the camaraderie on the team has grown immensely,” said head coach Ray Scott.
“They have such big hearts and never-give-up attitudes, that it is a pleasure to coach them. They are all willing to try new things without hesitation.”
Scott, who is coaching box lacrosse for the first time, added his two assistant coaches — Graeme Rice and Koman Busat — bring much of their knowledge to the table.
“I am also lucky to have (bantam player) Colin Heisler, who comes to every practice to mentor my goalies and the association has also been a great support to me.”
Scott took on the job partly because he wanted to be out with his kids, plus the reward of seeing the look of pride the players have when they accomplish a skill they’ve been taught. On that subject, this squad is getting a lot of instruction as nine of the 13 players on the roster are first year novice.
“Novice is that in-between level, where the players are learning how to apply the skills they learned in tyke to play more as a team,” he explained, noting they also have to get used to some changes in the rules too.
“For example, there is now a shot clock, shifting on the fly, more physical aspect of the game and they no longer have the fall back rule.
“So my primary focus is for my players to have fun and enjoy the sport, whether it be in a game or practice. I believe this has helped my players become more supportive to their teammates.”
He added the coaches are also working hard to help the players fine tune their fundamentals such as shooting, passing and teamwork.
