Starting in 2021, the Spartan girls lacrosse program has seen plenty of growth. Head Coach and Athletic Director Taylor Tvedt has seen the program through since its inaugural season. The co-op team includes three schools: SPA, Nova, and St. Agnes.
Behind the team’s cohesiveness is the coaching. “Our coaching staff is all female, which is nice for a female sport, it allows them to relate to us more and focus on lifting us up and empowering us.” said captain Charlotte Goings.
In most sports, SPA has struggled with consistent coaching. In the past, SPA sports with more consistent coaching have had more success, such as girl’s soccer, boy’s soccer, and boy’s tennis. When sports coaching lacks consistency, the records suffer as a result. Having Taylor Tvedt as a consistent and committed coach to the program has allowed it to grow significantly in the past few years. Her experience with the sports industry and specific planning is exactly what the program needs to grow.
Defence Dia Chaney appreciates the coaching dynamic.
“It’s really fun and it’s lighthearted, but then they also tell us when we need to stay focused. We can joke around with them, It’s not a power dynamic. It feels like they’re really your friends. They’re like another player on the team, but they’re just also coaching you.”
— Dia Chaney
Captain Charlotte Goings has been making an effort to keep the team very close-knit because she believes that it helps with the performance of the team. “We have JV and varsity, but we all practice together usually. It’s really nice to form one big program and community. I think our coaches are doing amazing.”
JV and Varsity practice together for the first half of practice, and then split into their teams. This allows the teams to get to know each other and to improve their play, especially the girls who are younger or newer to the sport. The new co-op between SPA, Nova, and St. Agnes has allowed players to make new connections with others.
For Maddie Wright, a varsity swing, the team dynamic has been very helpful in her transition into the sport for the first time. She said, “My favorite part of the season so far has been just connecting with other girls on the team. We all come from other activities that we may have not known each other. The older girls on the team are really easy to talk to about anything.”
Many student-athletes believe in the importance of good coaching, as it allows players to continue to love the sport that they play. The lacrosse team is attempting to make their program as accepting and friendly to new players as possible, while also keeping their competition to a high level.
The team’s next home game is tonight, Friday, May 3rd against Apple Valley at SPA’s Lang Field.
