Celebrate International Women's Day With Top Threat Tournaments
March 8th is International Women's Day and Top Threat Tournaments is highlighting impactful women in lacrosse. We are so grateful for all that these college coaches, club directors, and tournament organizers do to uplift the women and girls in our community.
Dorrien Van Dyke- Johns Hopkins Women's Lacrosse Assistant Coach
How do you empower yourself and the girls/women in the lacrosse community?
Having confidence in myself and do my best to spread that energy to the young women that I coach and interact with daily
Is there a challenge you overcame on your way to the leadership role you currently have that you would like to share with others?
I think just always being an advocate for yourself and the people around you, knowing you did the work to get where you are.
What advice would you give to girls and women who want to be impactful in the girl's/women's lacrosse community?
Be grateful and love the game. This game has given me so many opportunities, friendship, and endless amounts of fun.
Krista Crittenden- Owner & Recruiting Coordinator for Florida Shine Elite
How do you empower yourself and the girls/women in the lacrosse community?
Being mindful of the bigger picture and taking every opportunity with your team or coaches to learn. Directing a club and HS team gives you so much exposure to young female athletes and their parents. It’s so important to remember why we are all doing this. Sports teach so much more than the actual skill set needed to play the game. Each failure is an opportunity to overcome adversity and become stronger. Each success motivates you to work harder. Sometimes a simple one-on-one interaction with an athlete can change their life or yours. We all do so much more than coach a sport.
What advice would you give to girls and women who want to be impactful in the girl's/women's lacrosse community?
Think my earlier rant might have answered this already. But… Remember that you are gaining so much more than a sport skill. You will learn time management, problem solving skills, hard work over complacency, interpersonal skills dealing with teammates and coaches, the pain of failure, and the delight of success, and when it all comes down to it if you’ve responded with grit and put in the hard work and made decisions for the betterment of the people around you and yourself, you can accomplish your goals.
Kateri Linville- James Madison University Assistant Women's Lacrosse Coach
How do you empower yourself and the girls/women in the lacrosse community?
Make my/our work rate match our want rate. Luck favors the prepared.
Is there a challenge you overcame on your way to the leadership role you currently have that you would like to share with others?
Leadership is a challenge and an opportunity every day. Embrace the process on the daily.
What advice would you give to girls and women who want to be impactful in the girl's/women's lacrosse community?
Sports are a metaphor for life. Recognize you have a leadership platform every day, every way. Show up with and for your people. As a team/program always play for something bigger - a mission, a cause, a person, a reason, a purpose. Lift others up. Help everyone find a voice. Share the stories!!!
Megan Clark- Owner TNLAX
How do you empower yourself and the girls/women in the lacrosse community?
Celebrate their accomplishments on and off the field
What advice would you give to girls and women who want to be impactful in the girl's/women's lacrosse community?
Take the time to get to know your players and make a positive impact on their life. I think it’s important for players to enjoy every chapter of their playing career! Each one should leave a mark on their lives!!
Jazmin Cachimbo- Fairleigh Dickenson University - Florham Assistant Women's Lacrosse Coach
How do you empower yourself and the girls/women in the lacrosse community?
What a phenomenal question. I empower myself by self positive talk. If it’s looking in the mirror and giving myself positive affirmations or if speaking out loud “you got this”. I empower my community by giving back to young children that don’t have the opportunity to play sports every day.
Is there a challenge you overcame on your way to the leadership role you currently have that you would like to share with others?
A challenge that I had to overcome was it’s okay to put yourself first even if it makes others or loved ones upset.
What advice would you give to girls and women who want to be impactful in the girl's/women's lacrosse community?
Before helping other. Help yourself. Find who you are. Understand yourself and know what makes you happy. Once you have a sense of who you are. You are able to help and impact others. Because you will be confident in what you’re preaching to others.
Kat Holley- General Manager Triple Threat Elite & Top Threat Tournaments
What advice would you give to girls and women who want to be impactful in the girl's/women's lacrosse community?
Develop your own leadership style. Find a way to inspire, support and motivate others.
Setting Realistic and Measurable Goals Before The Girls Lacrosse Season
January is a time for goal-setting and planning for the year ahead. Whether you are looking to make your high school varsity girls lacrosse team for the first time or looking to add speed to your shot or your sprint, it is important that you make your goals realistic and measurable. Anything is possible as long as you follow a few general guidelines for achieving success.
The first step is to define your goals. Have you ever heard of a SMART goal? This is a way to clearly state what it is that you’d like to achieve. Make it Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Putting your goals in writing makes them more tangible and easier to track. Make sure to keep your written goals in a place where you can see them daily to remind you of your goal. Share your goals with friends, family, or a mentor. They can provide support, encouragement, and accountability.
Top Threat Tournaments is here for you! Write out your On-Field and Off-Field SMART goals using our story templates and share them with us at @topthreattournaments, your club, and your friends on Instagram to hold yourself accountable.
Before you set your goal in stone, it is important to evaluate how realistic it is. You want to make sure you are challenging yourself, but not setting your sights too high. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither are All-Americans!
Now let's break your goal down into smaller, more manageable steps. This will make it easier to focus on one task at a time and measure progress. Work backward from your achievement goal date and lay out what steps you should be taking each month in order to make it a reality, including smaller goals and milestones along the way. If your goal is to be fluid with both hands before tryouts, you should lay out a wall ball routine and practice plan that will get you there.
Make sure to track your progress, evaluating and celebrating along the way. There may be setbacks or you may realize you need to make adjustments as you progress, and that is ok! Remember to celebrate your successes. Recognize your hard work and effort and use it as motivation to reach the next goal.
By following these steps, you will be able to set realistic and measurable goals for yourself that will help you achieve success. Remember, setting and achieving goals takes time and effort, but with persistence and dedication, you can reach your desired outcome.
About Top Threat Tournaments: Providing a platform for the nation's girls lacrosse players and teams, Top Threat Tournaments hosts premiere girls lacrosse tournaments and showcases predominantly located in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and beyond. With a staff who has been in the industry for over 15 years, Top Threat Tournaments sources marquee facilities to best serve the lacrosse community. Each event is unique including options for full field play with top-level college recruiting opportunities, small-sided competitions, and showcases to learn and grow as an athlete. Our focus is on building a quality player experience to help athletes reach their full potential.