As the chill of winter sets in, we're heating things up with Coach Clem, the tactical mastermind behind BSM Red Knights' D-line and a crowd favorite at the Down the Alley Summit. Get ready to unwrap this festive episode where we share hearty tales of sneaking Christmas gifts past inquisitive toddlers and the unexpected life lessons gleaned from family Uno showdowns. Coach Clem isn't just about the X's and O's; he’s here to remind us all of the joy and nostalgia that come from disconnecting and diving into a good old-fashioned board game during the holiday season.
Lacrosse enthusiasts, you're in for a treat as we reacquaint you with Coach Clem's journey and the incredible talent he's cultivated on the field. Picture the thrill of navigating the logistical mazes of coaching, as we did at Champlain Park, and the bonds forged through friendly rivalries with coaches like Rob Horn. We'll also dissect the artistry of lacrosse defense, shedding light on the unsung heroes off-ball and those indispensable goalkeepers. The episode is a playbook of insights on balancing innovative defensive schemes with the bedrock of fundamentals, all while navigating the evolving landscape of coaching networking and sharing strategies at summits like the IMLCA.
Don't miss our candid chat about the evolving dynamics of sportsmanship, including the hotly debated topic of sharing film in the lacrosse community. It's not just about having the film—it's about dissecting it to craft winning strategies. Join us as we reminisce about the growth and camaraderie that flourish within the lacrosse coaching network. And for those times when I hang up my coach's whistle, I'll share my transition to being the best spectator and dad on the sidelines, reveling in the pure delight of sports documentaries and books, and even dishing out a family movie pick and top-notch food spots for fellow lacrosse road warriors.
As the chill of winter sets in, we're heating things up with Coach Clem, the tactical mastermind behind BSM Red Knights' D-line and a crowd favorite at the Down the Alley Summit. Get ready to unwrap this festive episode where we share hearty tales of sneaking Christmas gifts past inquisitive toddlers and the unexpected life lessons gleaned from family Uno showdowns. Coach Clem isn't just about the X's and O's; he’s here to remind us all of the joy and nostalgia that come from disconnecting and diving into a good old-fashioned board game during the holiday season.
Lacrosse enthusiasts, you're in for a treat as we reacquaint you with Coach Clem's journey and the incredible talent he's cultivated on the field. Picture the thrill of navigating the logistical mazes of coaching, as we did at Champlain Park, and the bonds forged through friendly rivalries with coaches like Rob Horn. We'll also dissect the artistry of lacrosse defense, shedding light on the unsung heroes off-ball and those indispensable goalkeepers. The episode is a playbook of insights on balancing innovative defensive schemes with the bedrock of fundamentals, all while navigating the evolving landscape of coaching networking and sharing strategies at summits like the IMLCA.
Don't miss our candid chat about the evolving dynamics of sportsmanship, including the hotly debated topic of sharing film in the lacrosse community. It's not just about having the film—it's about dissecting it to craft winning strategies. Join us as we reminisce about the growth and camaraderie that flourish within the lacrosse coaching network. And for those times when I hang up my coach's whistle, I'll share my transition to being the best spectator and dad on the sidelines, reveling in the pure delight of sports documentaries and books, and even dishing out a family movie pick and top-notch food spots for fellow lacrosse road warriors.
And welcome to down the alley. This is P Mac and Ted T S Burides and If you're watching on YouTube you can see with us right off the hop this episode. Coach Clem, former D coordinator, right-hand man of Rob Horn of the BSM red nights, now retired. I know he's been at a yeah quote-quote. Hey, that was your quote, it's not my quotes. I Know he's been around a couple other places. I know he's done some other things, also a speaker at down the alley summit year one and just locked him in for year two on February 17th 2024. Be there or be square coach, welcome to down the alley.
Speaker 2:How are we doing? Happy holidays guys.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're bringing the Christmas spirit, are you? Are you? Are you in Santa's workshop right now, or where are you in the North Pole? Where are you coming in from?
Speaker 2:Yeah, a little bit. So we have a three and a half year old, so we have to keep all the presents like behind a locked door. So that's pretty much we have just the guest. That is a strewn with gifts for friends and family. So we're leaving for the in-laws tomorrow morning, just spreading holiday cheer.
Speaker 1:We were talking a little bit. What's, what's the big present? You know, maybe for the kid that you're hiding, are you hiding something in there for the old lady too? What's what's going on there? I?
Speaker 2:Will not disclose what the wife is getting in case she listens to the podcast, but with the little guy I have a feeling that a three and a half girls on listen to podcast. It's very dinosaur heavy this year. A lot of action figures for Jurassic Park, a lot of clothes with dinosaurs on them. Yeah, spinosaurus is like the hot topic right now in terms of, like it used to be, t-rex, he gets now been surpassed by the Spinosaurus, so I wouldn't be surprised if one was under the tree from from Santa this year.
Speaker 3:I have a um, I Like a cool dinosaur situation, right. So you know you were saying I like that three-year-old age group, it's just like all about dinosaurs. My kid, my girls are the same way like dinosaurs. So we're you know there's a thousand different streaming services, right and we're they're saying like, oh, pull up a dinosaur cartoon or dinosaur movie. So I just, I think one day I just spoke into the you know, the smart TV like dinosaur movie, amazon Prime, there was this dinosaur like. It was like a musical, like a cartoon musical, and the music was all like heavy metal and it was the. It was the best show hope, and like it wasn't like flagrant or anything, like it was kid-friendly, but instead of it being like like lullabies, it was like rock music and they were like sing about dinosaurs and it was awesome and I wish I had the name of it. I can't remember it, but I'm gonna find it, I'm gonna send it to you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, please text me after the pot if you find it, because we are in need for more dinosaur content, say the least.
Speaker 1:This is interesting. So I was doing some Christmas shopping and I got down to the list of of the of your girls, ted. So is our dinos, both for boys and girls, or the girls are in dinos too. Because I had no clue, I haven't bought them anything because I got to them, unless I'm like I have no clue what to get them.
Speaker 3:I'm not really sure. I know that my girls both, when they were in that like three-year-old Time frame, they, they like dinosaurs. I don't think they, they like them.
Speaker 1:They're not current, not in 2020 if they they're on the next phase.
Speaker 3:They're seven and five now, so got it Okay.
Speaker 1:Well then, like Just they've aged out of the dinos Like. So what, what should I? You know, when I go back to target for round two of shopping, what, what I'll? Should I go down and take a peek at here?
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know something that they like. That I know like warms my heart. It's kind of some nostalgia. Yeah, they think board games are fascinating and then I can do a board game in in digital world. It's like kind of like oh cool, like something that I remember you know, like yeah, right, so we got them a. You know a couple board games and they like puzzles too, so like it's not all iPad stuff Um it.
Speaker 1:I know where that is. I can. I can grab a couple things from that aisle, yeah, oh big fans of uno.
Speaker 3:I love, you know, yeah, and I think I think you got them into, no, but now there's like, there's like different versions of oh, yeah.
Speaker 1:Max, and like I'm, waiting for them to get a couple years older, because then we can do the different versions and we I can start yelling at them and get competitive with them. You know I didn't want to go down that road yet. You know I just the intro to regular uno.
Speaker 2:But yeah, I'm excited for that day. Yeah, I think. I think I scared a couple of nieces and nephews at the uno game at Thanksgiving because I got Way too competitive.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, no, I know, I know, I know I don't blame you. No, no judgment from from this side of the pod.
Speaker 3:It's on or off, uncle. Uncle Sean, it's on or off, either your point we're playing to win or not playing.
Speaker 1:That's fact, that's a fact, cool. So I guess to you know, maybe talk a little bit about lacrosse or something at least loosely lacrosse tonight. Would love to I know you've been on the pod before, it's been a couple years would love to, like, reintroduce you To down the alley nation, you know, maybe reintroduce you to low across world of Minnesota. I know you've been out of the game for a whole year, so you know, maybe people forgot who you are. I don't know, but you know would love to. Just, you know, quick background, you know, I know, you know most recently you were, you know, coach up and illed. But I think you've done some other things too. So, um, yeah, what would love to just kind of dive into. You know who you are as a lacrosse player, you know, not just dinosaurs in a no.
Speaker 2:Sounds good, uh. So yeah, I can just kind of take you back to the beginning, for like when I first picked up a stick. So grew up in Hastings, minnesota, just down the road here. I currently live in Burnsville, but I was a big baseball kid for most of, I would say, adolescents, if you will Until the summer before my freshman year in high school. I broke my wrist so I basically missed summer like travel baseball. So at that point you know the baseball career is over, I gotta find something else. And I had a good buddy of mine. His name is Jared Siebenauer. I don't know if he listens to the podcast, but he does shout out to Jared. His brother played lacrosse for the Hastings Raiders and at the time At Hastings since this is all club ball, so this was not sanctioned, this was the old MBS LA days. We could not call ourselves the Hastings Raiders, we had to call ourselves sting lacks, just because we they didn't want any affiliation with the program came up with sting.
Speaker 2:Who came up with stink? Yeah? I believe that was, I believe that was our, I believe those are a head coach, matt Thomas, a proud St Cloud State alum, but anyways, so played lacrosse for four years At Hastings, originally started as an attackman, then I transitioned to midfield and then I did that take.
Speaker 1:How long was that? Mine was like a three game transition. How long was your transition from a short stick to depot?
Speaker 2:I would say I was a JV attackman for probably a year and a half and then, due to injury, we needed some midfielders. So then at that point, you know, I played like a little bit of like defensive midfield. Like my sophomore year I Was again just as a defensive midfielder, this being like the MTC. At this point it's like the year 2002 in Minnesota. We just needed the defenseman. So I became a LSM. The coaching was basically just chase the guy with the ball and just try to take it away, so like Mariah and I can do that. And then from there it was, you know, just transition to close defense. And at that point, after graduate from high school, I stayed close to home, went to St Cloud States, played club ball up there on the MCLA, was an LSM and a close defenseman up there as well.
Speaker 2:After playing at St Cloud there was an opportunity to basically go back to coach at St Cloud, just because it was always like a player run program. So I just really enjoyed my time up there. I really didn't want to see it fall onto hard time. So I was the head coach of the St Cloud State lacrosse team for close to three years. During that time I also kind of dipped into the high school game.
Speaker 2:There is a program Down the road in in pro-growth heights, like Mendota Called the Trinity School at River Ridge. It was a very small private school, also playing in BSLA. At this point there was already the split between the MSHSL and the MBSLA, so it was kind of like two concurrent leagues. One was kind of more developmental, one was, you know, obviously the sanction. One Was the head coach there for two years. A good buddy of mine, eric Bohr, who was a teammate he was the best man in my wedding Became the head coach at Champlain Park and Hired me away from Trinity. So I was the defensive coordinator at Champlain Park for four years. I.
Speaker 1:Knew there was Champlain somewhere in there. I thought you were a Champlain alum, so I'm glad I didn't lead with that in the in the. You know, I just assumed that right.
Speaker 3:But no, yeah, go go ahead, ted. Sorry, questions Based on where we're at in the story here. What year did you graduate from Hastings, I?
Speaker 2:I graduated from Hastings in 2004.
Speaker 1:Okay, so you ain't good for a million. Say what now?
Speaker 2:I do not beg it for a million.
Speaker 3:So did you play with that guy named Eric Ward?
Speaker 2:Oh man, that sounds. Yeah, I did actually yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, so good friends. I have a my wife's, actually and when I first met him, like right when I started dating my wife, he was like, oh, you played lacrosse Like I played lacrosse in high school in Hastings. And I'm like, wow, we never played Hastings or whatever. But small world, I thought you were a little bit younger than me, but we're the same age. That's interesting. And then the second one was where were you living when you started coaching at Champlyn? That's kind of like that's not like super close to like anything like that's way up there, isn't it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is so when I was coaching at Champlyn. So it's kind of twofold. So my first stint at coaching actually was at the seventh and eighth grade level for what used to be called the Northwest Lacrosse Club but it's now CPYLA, and that was with Eric Bohr, which is how we became like coaching buddies and how we then later hired me down the road once we got the head coach out of high school. But when I was coaching at NWLC I was living at home in Hastings, so I was driving from Hastings to the Champlain Park, champlain To Champlain like five days a week for a seventh and eighth grade practice because I was sick in the head.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'll give a say yeah To all our listeners out there, especially those that are kids. Do you understand? Like the negative ROI for four years driving from Hastings to Champlain every single day for Well, so here's the thing, so here's the thing.
Speaker 2:So that was two summers.
Speaker 1:That's 50 miles, one way for approximately.
Speaker 2:So that was two summers Like. That was like when I was like still living at home. So I was a sophomore in college, so it was like sophomore junior year living at home, like during the summer, coaching up there for $500. So it clearly just burned out away in gas and oil changes, but just, I just really love coaching those kids. Coincidentally, one of the kids that we coach was named Nick Culpets, who is now currently the head coach at Queens University down to Charlotte, north Carolina. Yeah, so just some crazy small world there.
Speaker 3:Is he the first Minnesota-born Division I head coach.
Speaker 2:In terms of Division I? I believe he is yeah.
Speaker 3:I know a lot of guys have gone into coaching, maybe even been at Division I like assistance, but head coach I mean to head coach a Division I program from Minnesota like born and raised here.
Speaker 2:I do believe Nick is the first.
Speaker 3:There you go. So I mean so return on investment right there.
Speaker 2:There you go, there you go, totally worth the time of the car, totally worth it. But like so, when I was at Champlain Park High School I was living in St Louis Park slash Minneapolis there was kind of like a name between there. So I was living with a good bunny of mine, nick Flaschenrein. Then during that time I moved in with my now wife, michelle, but yeah, just living in the Minneapolis area, working in Eden Prairie but then driving to Champlain Park for practice. So that was for four years as a defensive coordinator. During what would have been like my 50-year as a deco-ordinator. Eric stepped away just due to family reasons.
Speaker 2:So I kind of became like the interim head coach for year five and obviously just with the responsibility of being a head coach, going to Booster Club meetings along with balancing like a career in Eden Prairie and driving to practice. Because the thing with Champlain and again this has now changed, thank God is that there weren't any lights on the practice field, so we had to practice pretty early. So it was basically practicing start, or I should say practice started at four o'clock for JV, 5.30 for varsity, but at the same time you had to get stuff in and with our staff they weren't always there for the bus to make it to the JV game, like they would certainly meet us there, but I would have to leave work early at like 2.30, get to the school, ride the bus up, run through warm-ups, the JV staff arrives, I then step away, do the varsity gig and then it was just a ton. So I just had to step away because I was getting married the following fall and I just needed like a little bit of a break.
Speaker 2:Now, coincidentally, during that summer off, rob Horn got the head coach job at Benelzei Margarits and he shot me a text slash, called me and said hey, I would love to have you on staff. It's an assistant gig, obviously, like the responsibility was like a little bit less, but we're really looking to just like awaken the sleeping giant and just kind of would love to have you with me. And I said yes and spent seven years at the SM and that was a great time of my life.
Speaker 1:Would love to hear how these Duluth guys. It's really hard for these Duluth guys to branch out, and I feel like it could be even harder for a Duluth guy to call a St Claude guy. Maybe I'm making assumptions, but how did that bridge get connected and built there? Just the shooter shot. I know this is probably pre-DMs, so how did he shoot a shot with you?
Speaker 2:So Rob and I, I've always respected Rob and I'm not just saying that just because I used to work for the man and he's a good friend, but just like from a distance, when he was the head coach at Blake and when we were at Champlain Park. Side note thank God the Northwest Suburban Conference finally split in terms of like hey guys, you can actually schedule more than one out of conference game, but back when we were coaching, like Eric and I at Champlain, we can only do one out of conference game. So we had to make a count and Rob actually answered the email. There's a gap. Come on down.
Speaker 2:And that's like when Blake was basically at the high layer of powers, we got our butts kicked but at the same time, like I just had a ton of respect for the guy. We also had some mutual friends Ian Gallagher, chris Garland, you know, kind of working through like homegrown at one point in time. But yeah, when he was at Wizedeta we would exchange film in terms of like Champlain and Wizedeta just kind of helping each other out. Coincidentally, during the state tournament one year we did meet each other in the first round of the four of Sohaite Seed. We lost five to three, not bitter about that at all, but yeah, that was kind of it. So we were like we were competitors and then we just kind of became like fast friends, and that's pretty much how it was.
Speaker 1:Ted, did you have something?
Speaker 3:No, no, I think it's pretty crazy, just like all the different places you've been, because I think most people would probably just associate you with Benilt Cause that's like their most recent stop. You were there for a long time, had a lot of success there, but you know, even some of that stuff I didn't even know about you Not that we're like long lost friends by any means, but like I didn't know some of those spots that you had and some of those pre kind of pre high school things that you did. And you know not to like take away from your story, but you've coached a ton of people, just like in general, just for as long as you've done it. I'm curious this is like the number one question I wanted to ask you tonight who's the best defenseman you've ever coached and or maybe the best player, I assume defenseman? I have a couple in my head that I think you're gonna say.
Speaker 3:But yeah, I want to hear from you, all right that's an extreme question, you know, you'll probably say there was a lot of good players and I love them all, so that made your top couple.
Speaker 2:If you can't pick just one, yeah, okay, I can't pick just one, I'm just gonna give you like a handful. I'm just gonna kind of start just with. I'll go Champlin as well as Benilt, because I spent the most time there At Champlin Park. One of them was actually not a defenseman, it was an attackman named Ryan McNeil. He was extremely good, very talented, good team leader. I can't remember if he was in all America at one point I believe he was all state but he's currently the offensive coordinator at the University of St Thomas. That was a really good one.
Speaker 2:In terms of the defenseman at Champlin Park, I'd be remiss to not basically name four of them. One was Cody Schmidt, another was Cole Grubner, matt Steenerson and Evan Shrout. Cole played at Mount Olive, matt Steenerson played at NDSU, evan Shrout played at NDSU and Cody Schmidt played at Adrian Mountain, michigan. Those guys, in terms of like, when I kind of came into my own as a coach like I don't want to call them getting things, but like I threw a ton of stuff at those guys and they were extremely receptive, they were extremely hardworking, they wanted to be pushed and with you know that core, we were able to make to the state tournament for two years when we're at champion. We finished third one year, but we ended up like in the consolation bracket, like the following year, after losing to YZETA and Rob Horn was the one he was an assistant there, but those were fantastic guys.
Speaker 2:Benild, we've been extremely blessed with a lot of great goalies Buzz Williams, jack Keller, justin Dallam, axel Esco, all those guys. It just kind of it starts from the back and building up. I'd be remiss to say Seamus Foley wasn't one of the best defensemen that I've ever coached. He's currently at Georgetown right now. He was just so fundamental in everything that he did. He wasn't like super flashing and throw a ton of takeaway checks, but he just didn't make mistakes. Mason Wattleman the COVID year kind of took away, you know, one of the opportunities that I could coach for him, like in 2020, but in 2021, he was fantastic. And then again, like I apologize to everybody that I'm not naming I love you all equally, but again and I'm still quite pissed about this, kyle Stevens should have been Mr Cross this year. Like Kyle Stevens was a really, really good and talented player as well.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I didn't want to put you necessarily on the spot to like miss guys. I think it's just amazing Some of like the players that you have been able to coach over there and like that you've had a hand in developing. Of course, they're naturally talented. They've done a lot of work too, but like you had a hand in a lot of their development.
Speaker 3:You know, I remember Grebner a little bit and then specifically Seamus. I had an opportunity to coach him. You're absolutely right where it's like like just you could just see things process. Like he like had this like nonverbal of like, like you're talking to him, you're giving him something and like it was all happening in his head and he was like three steps ahead of everybody on the field and, yeah, that run of goalies you guys have had. And Kyle I agree with you, absolute game changer, just like just the energy that he brought to his teammates and just made the big play when he needed to, when the team needed a play. So, no, those are all pretty big names in the Minnesota lacrosse scene, I would say.
Speaker 1:You mentioned, you were able to throw, you know, a lot at these guys and you dropping some of the names. You know I recognize some of the names, some of them I don't. But you know I've seen the teams you know, year after year that you've been a part of, always a stout defense. You know I would love to hear. You know I'm sure you know our listeners would love to hear too. You know what are you, what are you doing behind the scenes? You know I've seen a little bit. You know from afar. I got to hear you speak a little bit last year, really looking forward to hearing you speak here in a couple of months. You know, on film study, you know what types of things were you able to do with some of those teams and groups that you had and players that were, you know, at that high level, dedicated and you know, students of the game. Clearly.
Speaker 2:So much just comes down to just like meeting them where they are, getting them involved in the process as well and giving them a voice. Now they know that you know I can veto what they say, but at the same time, like giving them the opportunity, like, hey, you know, if they're seeing something on the field or if they want to make a change of practice, yeah, bring it to me. I mean like we'll see if it works. If it doesn't work, you kind of have egg on your face and I told you so, but at the same time it kind of gives them some added value in there.
Speaker 2:When we're at Champlain, you know we were talented but we didn't have the most talent. I will say when we're going against you know some like the larger, I'll say like premier or like blue blood programs. So we had to get creative. So we were running like some pretty like funky stuff in terms of you know we were sending two slides from. You know like we played a little bit of zone, like at Champlain when I was up there, just because, again, you know we didn't have like the sheer amount of athletes. So just challenging them with that it's like all right, guys. Like I know we were like a man to man team for all of last year. Well, we have completely new personnel and we're going to run zone for the first, like three games. So we have about two weeks to install it. We'll see how it goes.
Speaker 2:And again, guys, just being receptive and wanting to know, I think every single defensive coach out there coaches like ground balls, coaches approaches like you have to, just because it's kind of over, like we're measured by mistakes. I mean like when we make a mistake, the other team scores and it doesn't look good for us. But I have always really, really, really, really hammered off ball play just in terms of like being in a spot when someone gets beat, because it doesn't matter if you're like the fifth pole that's coming in because of like injuries or if you're a first team all-American, at some point in time you're going to get beat and when you're beat you better have help in place to like button that up, have a first slide, have a second slide, have a third and ultimately, like the most important slide is the recovery slide, just when you get back to six, be six within about two to three passes and then everything's going to be fine. I'll say, like one of the other big things in terms of like. I'll just say like my overarching philosophy is that I've never really been like matchup oriented, and this is kind of like more of like a like a Jerry Byrne thing. And sign out there, just like growing up in Minnesota at the high school level, like the only lacrosse that we could see at one point in time was on ESPN2 on final four weekend and it was like you only saw four teams and you're just taping them on VHS and you're wearing that thing like just dry. But now we have so many opportunities on YouTube, coaching clinics like you guys are hosting, just taking in as much as you can.
Speaker 2:So when that was happening, when like YouTube and when Jerry Byrne was still at Notre Dame, they were putting together like little, like defensive, like coaches clinics, defensive drills of the week, and I ate that stuff up and I just remember him talking about like listen, like we're matchup agnostic and that stuck with me the entire time, like we don't care who's covering who.
Speaker 2:Like yes, at the beginning of the whistle off an end line. Yeah, let's get back to your original matchups. But during a slide in recovery, whatever happens happens. If we get a short stick on an attackman. We can adjust to that. We'll just slide a little bit faster. So just knowing that, I think, has helped a lot as well, just in terms of, like we don't care, like we can figure it out, We'll thrive in the great. Because again, like not everything is black and white, you're gonna have to tell these guys you know, like you're gonna have to make some decisions for yourself on the field Because again, like I can't pull the strings all the time. So again, just kind of giving them those tools and giving them the opportunity to solve those problems.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like you, I'm soaking up what you're saying right now. I'm taking notes, so I love listening to other people speak. You know, one thing you said was, you know, throwing something funky at the guys or throwing in something funky into a set, maybe based on who you're playing, and Ted and I just talked about this I think it was last night. You know, are you well one? My question is what's the? What's the funkiest thing that maybe you tried? Did it work? Did it not work? Or maybe what was the funkiest thing that you did that did work and you know overall. Your second question is just overall. Are you, are you a coach that likes to just stick to basics? You know, true, who do you? You know who your team is, or you know who you are most of the time, or do you like tweaking things and getting funky and getting weird? You know, week to week, game to game, you know, whatever it might be, I think that's kind of changed over like the course of my career.
Speaker 2:I think early on I was like let's just have 15 different defenses and just like keep guys guessing. But at the same time, you know, when you have that much stuff and you're teaching a 14 to 18-year-old kid, it's a lot of stuff to retain. So you know, as I kind of progressed, we kind of like prepared things down and again like not that there wasn't any like complexities there, but we pretty much ran three defenses when I was at Benild, maybe four, and like game to game or week to week we'd make like a little like tweak here or there, but it wasn't anything like game changing or like oh my God, this is a fundamental shift in what we're doing, just knowing like hey, we're gonna slide a little bit faster this guy, and just as compared to like you know, we normally just sit on that matchup. So there's those kinds of things.
Speaker 2:Regarding the funkiest thing, I cannot take red for it, but Ian Gallagher, when he was at the University of St Thomas, had this defense called Jekyll and Hyde, which I then learned from him and then took it took to Champlain because again, we need to be creative and it's you're basically splitting the field in half one half of the people zone and one half of the people is man. So, depending on if it's on let's just say it's in the left alley, everybody's gonna be flying zone. If it's in the right alley, everybody's gonna be flying man and it's great for, like after time out plays, because it really screws everybody up in terms of like, oh, like, the kids think it's zone, the coach is yelling man, the kids and the coaches are yelling at each other and like we're just like bottling them up so that worked.
Speaker 2:And now it's yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, a kid that you coach, I think or had some experience with, and the one that I coach, jack McNeil, a Blake player. He has talked about that. That is the most talked about like lacrosse memory that he has was the Jekyll and Hyde defense Blake against Eden Prairie to beat them in the state final when they when Eden Prairie had Jake Woodring and he was unstoppable and they ran that and like I don't know if they got lucky, I don't know if it just worked for other reasons and any other like reason, but that is like an infamous like Minnesota lacrosse defense that at Ian put in that must have been what 2012, 11, 10, something like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was like the early 2010s. I wanna say I'm gonna get back to confirm that with him, but it's my understanding that he lifted that from CW post because at that point in time a guy was out here by the name of Joey Blount who played at CW post. He's worked for Homegrown and CW post ran a matchup zone, except their matchup zone was more let's just like all right, if Ted has the ball, we're running zone, if anybody else has the ball, we're gonna run man. So then Ian like heard that tweeted like well, let's just, instead of going off of players, let's just go off of like location. So you can either go East West, you can go above GLE, below GLE, just kind of mix it up there. But I was like you can do that, oh my God. So, yeah, that was definitely a light ball moment.
Speaker 3:I know we talked a little bit with Midbow when he was on last a few months ago about like innovating and being a coach that you know. There is that fine line right Between. Just like you said, I have 15 defenses and I'm throwing all this stuff and nobody knows anything because I don't even know what I'm talking about half the time, versus like the other side of like this is how I learned it 30 years ago and this is how I'm gonna run it, and because this is the only thing I'm willing to like, dive into and not like I'm not willing to take risks. So there's like, okay, where do you find a happy medium between innovation and like fundamentals and what works? And I was appreciated that about you.
Speaker 3:Obviously, really, you know fundamentally sound players and defenses that you've coached, but I don't know if it was last year or two years ago. I asked you about some man down stuff and you sent me something and I was like whoa, like I have never seen it coached like that or taught like that, and I just kind of handed that off to our defensive coaches to use how they want them. Like hey, I got this from a guy that I know, that I like, that I respect, you know I would say put it in, but you know I'm the offensive coach so I'm not gonna. I'll leave it at that. But no, I do appreciate some of the things that you've done and willing to like. I think last time you were on it was like junk defenses at practice, like hey, we're just gonna throw something out there. See if we can piss the offense off today. If it works, maybe it gets in the playbook. If it doesn't, then whatever. No love loss, we move on.
Speaker 2:I mean, that's just it. We treat practice like a sandbox. It's like where's it built up? It doesn't work. Check it over, try again.
Speaker 3:Yeah, for sure I love that and that's gotta be like. That's gotta be fun to play for. You Like to play for a coach that mixes it up a little bit. It's not stale every day, but it's also like we're gonna mess around, we're gonna see what happens and maybe we find a gold nugget and it's exciting, or maybe, like you said, we kick it over. All right, it's back to basics. I think it's a win-win for a coach because if it doesn't work, you can be like see fundamentals, like you know, like it's all about fundamentals. If it does, you can just be like yeah, dude, I stayed up all night thinking of this and I think you're the greatest right, so you just kind of play it however you wanna play it.
Speaker 1:Well, these types of conversations are happening at the coaches summit. That's why that's kind of why we started this podcast was to have these types of conversations. I know you were just at another coaches summit type of event. That was kind of one of the main topics we wanna talk to you about today. You know the IMCLA that's probably the gold standard among coaches type summit events in La Crosse. I've heard a lot about it. It's been on my bucket list, I guess, to go to Ted and I talk about. Every year we say we're gonna go and we haven't made it yet. So maybe 2024 will be the year that we go. We would love to hear your experience at that event and any. I know there's been a couple kind of storylines that came out of it. Maybe we can dive into those. Maybe there's other storylines that didn't make the headlines that we could dive into. Again, kind of open-ended conversation here. Just wanted to kind of break that out how was the event and we can kind of go from there.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I'll kind of go into the IMLCLA and the nutshell. So it stands for the Intercollegiate Men's La Crosse Coaches Association. Essentially, if you're an NCAA coach Division one, two or three you are a member of that. So we I should say I had originally heard of it from Chris Garland when I was at Champlain Park, because at the time when we were at Eric myself, nick, well, nick and Nick when we were at Champlain we were just again trying to find an edge because again, we had some talent but we didn't have a ton of talent. So we're like we gotta, we can't be stale. We got to find fresh ideas. And he's like have you heard of this IMLCLA? And he's like say what now? Ilmka, ilmka, something like I have no idea what that is. It's like no, like you have to go.
Speaker 2:So originally it was in Baltimore, so it was over the weekend, because basically a Thursday through Sunday. So everybody flies in on Thursday Coaches have like their league meetings so they can talk about rule committees, they can talk about pre-season All-Americans, but the big draw was clinics and that was basically Friday night, saturday, like all day Saturday, and then Sunday morning it was coaches of all levels talking and it could be about culture, it could be about drills, it could be about schemes, it could be about anything and as like a fresh face, like mid-20s at Champlain Park where, like, oh my God, lars Tiffany is gonna talk about man down defense this is the best thing ever and he's just taking copious notes and coming back home and again, this is what I was kind of talking about. When we're at Champlain, like we threw everything at them, it's like guys, I just took like 17 pages of notes and we're gonna install all 17 pages of these notes at practice today. But over the years it's kind of like ebden flowed and it got to a point where a lot of coaches didn't really want to present. They've now actually moved it from Baltimore in December to Florida in December, which is far sunnier, far nicer, and now the clinic itself takes place on Thursday and Friday, and then they tack on a recruiting tournament, so that's Saturday and Sunday. So I was down there with a true national program coaching their 2025 team with Chris Garland, who spoke at IMLCA, and he gave a really, really good presentation on Rondos, and Rondos are based like stickwork drills, but they're lifted from soccer, like footwork drills, like footwork passing drills and how we use those type of drills within his practices. But again, it's the same kind of thing. You can either attend it in person or there are like virtual registrations that you can have so you can have access to all the videos. Highly recommend doing that. Just because they were talking about anything from like defensive development drills to pick play below GLE to face offs and wing play. It just runs again. If you wanna know something about something, someone's likely gonna speak about it.
Speaker 2:And the other thing that's great about IMLCA is networking, because after everybody gives a presentation, everyone's saying in the same hotel, which means they're all in the hotel lobby, they're all at the hotel lobby bar and they're just chit chatting, talking about like hey, coach, really loved your presentation about X. And it's like, yeah, thanks. I mean I remember not the name drop here or anything, so I apologize, but I remember like going up to Charlie Toomey and this was right after Loyola had won the national championship and shaking his hands. I, like coach, really loved your talk about like culture.
Speaker 2:Is there a chance I can get like a copy of the PowerPoint? I was like, yeah, of course, just shoot me an email. I was like, oh my God, charlie Toomey just gave me the time of day, so sure enough, like that night, I shot him an email. Hey spoke in the lobby bar and it's like hey, coach, not a problem, send me the PowerPoint. And it was like this is freaking great, but if you have the opportunity to go to Anosia, I highly recommend it. Regarding, the hot topic that came out of the discussions was the possibility and again, this is not like a for sure set in stone, but they seem to want to change the face off rule like every year, and it's really annoying Every other year, every other year they want to tweak the face off and my phone is blown up.
Speaker 1:I'm not a popular guy, my phone doesn't blow up, but my phone is blown up. Twice in the last month the Linninwood news, I had missed calls and a hundred text messages and then this face off deal. People are blowing my phone up asking me about this face off situation. So what did you? What can you tell the people that what was being discussed about the clamp, the no clamp, the face off? There's a lot of anti face off people, anti clampers. I'm going to start calling them in DTA Nation.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm aware I follow the Discord. See them on Twitter. They were made nameless but yeah, I know who they are. Anyways, the big thing that's coming out of the face off is like potentially banning the clamp.
Speaker 2:Now, my question is what is a clamp? Because, at the same time, like it's a slippery slope, in my opinion, because, all right, what they and again this is just kind of what they're thinking is that instead of clamping the ball and popping it out, players would just kind of swipe at it almost like a razor. So, thinking of it almost like a girl's draw, how they're standing and pushing it up. It's basically, again, you're standing, ball is on the ground and you're swiping at it like you would. I don't like that at all because, again, it's just, I don't want to say it removes skill. But if you're just swiping willy-nilly and just hoping for the best out of a ground ball scrum, then why are we even talking about this?
Speaker 2:The other thing and again, not that necessarily trickles down to the high school level would be that shorting the face-off clock, or I should say shorting the shot clock after a face-off, so similar to the PLL, so right now it's an 82nd shot clock. What they want is after a face-off when it will only be 60 seconds. So again, we're kind of shortening that up Again. Within the PLL last year it's like a 53-second shot clock, but during the face-off I can't remember what it was, it was like 30-ish seconds. I want to say so. I believe the water dogs just started conceiting face-offs, like hey, we'll just play defense for 30 seconds and then we'll just have a full shot clock to go.
Speaker 1:That's what Pyrrhalic does too.
Speaker 2:That's fine, We'll just play defense, We'll figure it out. But yeah, the big thing was basically just about hey, if the clamping's not involved, and we were just going to swipe. That also trickled down to the recruiting tournament literally that weekend. In terms of college coaches that are looking to finalize roster spots for the 2025s, looking at 2026s, they're kind of hesitant about picking up another face-off guy, just because, well, we don't know what this rule is going to look like in one year. So I think those kids are kind of out on an island, just weird, like no man's land. As of right now, things are going to be status quo, but the face-off's going to be the face-off. But the fact that they keep bringing these new rules up every other year, it's getting really annoying.
Speaker 1:So what's going to happen in two years or two years after they changed the rule, and there's going to be a group of face-off guys that get really good at not clamping the ball and they win 75% not clamping. What are they going to do then?
Speaker 2:I don't know. That's what you said. I mean, it's always at that point, just to be like, and we're not going to play sixes, we're just going to eliminate the face-off entirely and we're just going to do like. I mean, honestly, I don't know what people want, which is the hard thing because, again, like I like the sixes format, I don't love the sixes format. I think there's a time and a place for it. It's put it that way.
Speaker 1:The option.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there you go, the Olympics off-season. I like Field Across. The way that it is Not to like. You know, stick my foot in the ground and you know just sound like an old man, but like Field Across is 10 on 10. I really like Field Across. I mean like I don't want to bring sideline horns back. That was archaic at one point in time, but we have a good game. Like I thought last year for the NCAA tournament. It was perfect. It was absolutely perfect in terms of like there was just enough scoring, there was just enough defense. The shot clock is great. We don't need a two-point line. It was awesome, but it's just replay. Yes, we do need an instrument, replay, it is coming.
Speaker 2:Yeah yeah, so that was like. So that was the other thing. There was like discussion around like hey, like when can we use instant replay? And it was really just like you know, the big one being like you know if a ball enters the cage, you know when time expires, or if a ball enters a cage like if someone is in the crease, like those ones that like screwed Penn State last year or the year before, so that is coming. But yeah, ultimately, when it comes to the faceoff, just don't touch it, guys.
Speaker 3:I kind of agree. I agree with both of you guys on that of like, if you're changing the rule but still having the faceoff, then the people that are going to do it are going to get really good at whatever the new rule is, and then we're just back at square one. So it's like either have it or you don't have it. And you know, I think there's like this argument of faceoff guys being like if they're dominant, it's like too much impact on the game, which is a I don't know if I agree with that take. But one thing is like I also think if you're going to like have that stance, you have to like have the other side too of how many times has a lacrosse game become more exciting because the losing team had a faceoff guy and they weren't completely out of it.
Speaker 3:You know, there's a few minutes left in the fourth quarter. Down by three, four goals they score, their faceoff guy gets hot, they get the ball back. Now we have a game. So like, if you're going to take it on the one side, you have to kind of accept the good and the bad right. And I think that's what I love about the faceoff situation in lacrosse is that you're never really truly out of a game if you can win, if you can win faceoffs and it's just. It makes the game exciting. As opposed to like other sports, it's a lot harder to come back and win. If you're just like, if you're down by four or five scores, you're kind of done. I know basketball is one where you can kind of make a run and like make it a game even if you're down big. So I do, I do like that about the faceoff in lacrosse.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean I would completely agree.
Speaker 2:And just in terms of just again, just like those people that complain about like oh, we don't, like I understand, like not having good faceoff guy, like I know we've been very blessed with good faceoff guys, I understand that but at the same time, like the resources out there, like the IMLCA convention or various YouTube videos that talk about wing play, to help negate really good faceoff guys, like it's not a one on one battle, you can position your guys accordingly.
Speaker 2:You can double. Now it's all kind of about ratios in terms of like all right, it's a one on one at the X, it's a one on one on you know, on one or string line, it's a one on one on the other string line. If you double the faceoff guy, you're basically in like a negative ratio because now someone is open but at the same time you have to take those risks to get that ball back. I mean, I mean I mean prior, like in vanilla again, for four straight years I would say we had a faceoff advantage but at the same time you guys fought tooth and nail and made us work for it every single time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, to speak on that. You know, again we're getting kind of nitty gritty in like game plan and scouting and whatever, which is fine I think. I think a good portion of our people will like this. Yeah, you got a Fogo who typically can't handle the ball. You got an LSM unless you got the Nils guy last year, you might not want the ball on his stick. And if they throw a D mid on the wing, you got three people on the field potentially who aren't the best ball handlers. You can go triple the Fogo potentially and get the ball back, or just get in and play defense and get to six on six and just prevent a fast break, like.
Speaker 1:I don't know you can play it multiple different ways.
Speaker 3:And it's funny. It's funny because, like we're like we're getting like nitty gritty and game planning, but even just taking a step back and saying you could maybe discuss this at practice and have a plan for not having a good Fogo period is like oh, oh folks like we need some practice time to be like we got Quinn power today, Like shit, like we're going to have a situation on our hands.
Speaker 1:Oh, we're not going to win one unless he breaks his stick on the Fogo on the face off. That's the only time you're going to get the ball on the face off.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so it is funny. It's just like okay, like like maybe block some time right To talk yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean, yeah, I mean to your point. I mean, if you're preparing for Quinn power in pregame warm-ups, you've already lost, you know. I mean, that's just the way it is.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no doubt, yeah, no, I think. Hopefully they don't, hopefully they don't mess with it too much. But you never know. I feel like I don't even know the rules from 2012, let alone the current face off rules, because they change it all the time.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, I'm interested to see how big the box is this year. One rule that or one rule change that's been brought up. I'm interested to see if it was spoken about. I think in sixes if you miss, the net goes off the end line, it's the other team's ball. I think that would be one interesting rule change. You know, maybe at the younger levels, if you don't have a shot clock, maybe that could be implemented. Was that discussed at all? I think that'd be one. That's one rule change that is interesting to me right now.
Speaker 2:So at IMLCA it was really just like NCAA and just the NCAA product. So like sixes was kind of like its own thing over here. But to your point, ted, I mean again, I think sixes at the youth level is fantastic, just in terms of like you may not have a strong face off guy. You should be shortening the fields anyways. If a U6 or a U8 player is playing on a 110 yard field, that's a hell of a lot of running. So, yeah, shorten up the boxes, play sixes and again, like I think in the PLL last year during like their championship run or whatever it was their sixes tournament, if you will, I believe, like when it was a missed shot it was a technically a good turnover. I went to the other team just to kind of keep the game going and obviously generating more shots. Goleys get turned to Berger is the downside, but I mean I don't mind it. Again, it's great in spurts, it's great for development. Yeah, it's a mixed bag, it always is. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Anything else on the IMC LA topic. We did a lot there. I like where the directions have went, but any questions we should be asking any other things to note.
Speaker 2:The only thing I would notice, like if you have the opportunity to go, whether it is in person, which I would recommend just in terms of, like it's a networking opportunity as well.
Speaker 2:Like wear your school gear, like they can put a name to a face. But even if you don't go in person, like shell out the money. I mean, I'm sure your club could put up the 175 or 200 bucks or whatever it is, for the year long, basically, window that you can have access to the recordings and just watch them. And again, like don't think that you're too smart in terms like, oh, I already know the man down. It's like, yeah, you might know man down, but at the same time, like there could be a term that they're using that would just it opens up something like in your head that like, oh my God, just that term alone makes teaching this one skill that much easier. As compared to me using seven words to say it, I can use two. Oh yeah, I'm totally gonna use that and it's worth the 40 minutes that you watch that video for. So again, just don't be the smartest guy in the room is essentially what I'm saying.
Speaker 3:And remember too that these guys go they don't go to an office and do a day job and then go coach lacrosse. They show up and lacrosse is their day job. They eight hours a day. They're thinking about man down defense, so they probably know something and they get paid to do it. So yeah, I've always found that interesting too of somebody like already know a bunch of stuff about this and I'm like, oh okay, I'm like I just wanna know, like I'm almost happy, like if I it's like again a no lose situation. You can like download the video, you might learn something, you probably will learn something, that's a win. And if you already know everything they're talking about a division one coach or division two coach right now you feel great about yourself, like I'm awesome, like I can go to my team with confidence. So it's a no lose situation to go and get yourself exposed to lacrosse education.
Speaker 1:And on February 17th we're gonna try to emulate, we're gonna do the Minnesota version of that. The Minnesota high school boys, girls, youth coaches, all invited. I have some refs speak on any things of notes on their side of things. Like we said, coach Sean here is gonna be speaking on, I believe, film review. Any sneak preview on what you're gonna talk about for them, For people who are attending.
Speaker 2:Yeah, sure, so in February. So thanks again for the invitation. I was kind of scratching my brain as term in terms of like what to talk about, because I genuinely enjoyed speaking last year and just meeting several coaches, developing friendships that I didn't think I would develop. I can get to that momentarily, but in terms of just what I'm gonna be speaking about in February is already kind of go up on a weird little rant and word vomit there. Film breakdown.
Speaker 2:I'm not gonna teach you like the only way to break down film. I'm gonna teach you essentially what I did during my time at Champlain and Vanille as to how I broke down film. It's a lot about like pattern recognition, matchups, you know, defending the knowns if you will, and just kind of going through. All right, how can I take basically a two hour game, boil it down to 15 minutes, eclipse, make it digestible for a 14, 18 year old so they can take it away like in a scout or in a film session before a practice going.
Speaker 2:All right, I feel confident that I'm gonna, that not only can I match up against this guy extremely well, because I know you know a handful of his moves, but at the same time I know that in man up, if their best shooter is at X, he's probably not gonna stay at X for very long. He's probably gonna roll up above Gileon to a shooting spot and just again like recognizing those patterns, so they know that, hey, if he's back there, he's not back there for long. Give it two passes, he'll pop up again, just kind of know where we are. That's this sort of kind of came about with the. Got like a week ago the whole Twitter thing regarding like film and do you wanna share film and should it be shared with everyone?
Speaker 1:Oh, we have had that discussion privately. I think that conversation somehow got leaked. I'm not sure how that started, but we've had. I know Ted and I have had those conversations. If you wanna talk about that, feel free to give us your opinions.
Speaker 3:I think it was P-Mac, I think you were traveling for work, and then we're sick during this the Fargo flow the.
Speaker 3:Fargo flow. During this episode of Twitter situation again, a person who, well, a former co-host, interim co-host that we had a couple of weeks ago on our podcast said something about sharing film, cause I originally had like quote tweeted someone saying like we should have all film up on an exchange and I just quote tweeted and said like yeah, that's how college works, like everybody's like required to put their games on this shared drive. Goltz made a comment, lauren jumped in, sean jumped in and then I don't think like shots were really fired. I think it was just discussion, heated discussion, and then we just ended at I think that Sean and Rob watched a lot of film at Benild. And then we're just like yes, like no doubt you did, like success obviously proved it and that was the end of it. But that was kind of funny, but I think in it spawned this topic of film breakdown. I'm like all right, what a better, no better guy to do this at the summit than you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like we sort of came over the top. Like Rob and I were like how dare you like want to like give away film, Like we should gatekeep that. This is a competitive advantage. This is the chip that we can use in exchange for other things.
Speaker 1:So I'm gonna fire back on you on that. I'm gonna fire back on you on that. The competitive advantage is you actually opening your laptop and clicking play on the film, because nine out of 10 coaches, I think, in the state of Minnesota, don't do that, even if it was on a shared YouTube, whatever. So I think I think the competitive advantage is actually clicking play on the film and actually watching it.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, I mean like to kind of like piggyback on that. The analogy is basically that's like I can buy a treadmill and hope I lose weight, but until I actually get on that treadmill I'm not losing anything. So it's the same thing with film, like, yeah, I can have 17 games with an opponent, but again to your point P match, if I don't watch any that well, I go to it so. But I mean, to that point though, I mean we were, I mean this is just a part of like Rob warned. So I thought I was a pretty good and competitive coach and then, when Rob hired me, it's like, oh crap, I got to step on my game here, I got to keep up with Rob. Just because I remember getting texted like one 30 in the morning. It's like, hey, did you see like how they clear? It was like what the whole at that point is like yeah, I guess this is, this is, this is Bonilla. So this is what we got to do. So just staying up, you know, watching film again, just preparing those kids as best as you can. Because, again, like when people ask me, like what I miss about? Like coaching, don't worry, I miss games.
Speaker 2:Winning it's fun, but it's practice, it's the implementing of a game plan, it's the relationships that you make and it's the teaching of these kids, because we sure as hell don't do this for the money. And if I can give them some kind of edge or some kind of confidence, like that fourth poll, that man of specialist like, hey, if you get this, look like it's open all day, you just got to hit it. And when that happens during a game and their face lights up and they look at you, it's the best feeling in the world. So it's, I mean, I hate to, it's a drug. I mean it's a drug. It's a great feeling. You just want to keep doing it. So, at the same time, it's like all right. Well, that clearly happened because we were able to find this like one little thing in film. So, again, I'm going to continue to do that as much as I can Now. Am I going to lose sleep? Yes. Am I going to be stressed about it? Probably yes, but at the same time, it's just worth it.
Speaker 1:So yeah, if you want to hear him dive more into this topic I know I do I'll be sitting in the classroom with my notebook taking notes February 17th, speaking on networking. I feel like when you're having your word jumble situation there at the beginning of this topic, networking is also something we're adding to this event. This was for year one. It was kind of the whole kind of original idea hanging out, talking a little bit all across, eating some barbecue kind of networking was kind of part of that. I think we thought it was going to happen more naturally. I think it did happen naturally, but it's going to be more of a focus going into year two, going to be something we try to slot into the schedule for everybody. We'd love to hear your experience Sounds like you met a couple of people last year maybe, and I also just wanted to note that's something we're also trying to add into the event going into year two.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm sure so. Last year Coach Beach, former head coach at Centennial, like when I was a champ and he was still at Centennial. So I knew I had known him in the past but it was just good to get in a room with him, shoot the breeze, talk about it across. But I would say one of the most surprising was Coach Kepner. Just because the Banilde prior lake, privately, he's like I did not like that man. I had no reason to not like him just because I had never really spoken with him. He's like he's prior lake I'm a Nilde it's like oil and water. But at the same time again, just getting in room having conversations, like getting up on the whiteboard together talking through man down clears, it's like it was really, really good and like he's a really good guy.
Speaker 2:I kind of feel bad for like hating him for roughly like five years but at the same time like it's it's like expanding your horizons, networking opportunities, of course, but it's just like meeting people. That level across as much as you love across is repression. Just because for the longest time again, growing up in Hastings, starting playing lacrosse in the year 2000,. Lacrosse community has always been a small one and like yet we kind of know of people, but we don't know them, and the fact that you can like shake their hand, have a conversation, chitchat about, like whatever it doesn't even necessarily have to be lacrosse, but the fact that like lacrosse is bringing you all together for like a shared purpose was a really great. I don't even want to call it like a side goal or whatever, but at the same time it was. That was probably the highlight of the DTA summer last year, in my opinion. The barbecue was great too, but I had clip.
Speaker 1:Sorry, I've cut you off. I'm going to go first and then you can go. We need to clip that because I think some people might not like me and have never met me, so clip that, I think, as long as you meet me at down the alley event or somewhere and then you don't like me, fine. But yeah, I think, come out and meet each other, talk some lacrosse, eat some barbecue. I think it'll be. I also had similar experiences meeting other coaches around the state. So, ty, what do you have?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think I'm glad you touched on that, I'm glad you felt that. I think when we were planning the event last year, we didn't really know what was going to happen. It was kind of like, man, it'd be cool to like. I feel like I'm having this lacrosse conversation. I got a text chain with Rob and Sean, I got one with P-MAC, I got one with my coaches. I got I got 12 conversations going about lacrosse.
Speaker 3:I might, I might like phone, like why don't we just have an event? We can all just like talk about this and like actually be like in the same room and like. But I do agree with you that feeling of like being around 50 other people that love the game and like I know the three on this call and a bunch of others. We could have sat there all day and like been in the school overnight probably talking about lacrosse schemes and like finally we just had to get up and leave and like, okay, the event is over now, like we can go home, kind of thing. So I agree with you, it was, the content was fantastic, but just like getting to see people and, you know, not having it be on the sideline before a huge game, where it's like okay, like hey, man, like you know it's, it's like all right, we can like kind of talk to each other. So I think that was a really cool experience last year and it is a small community but it's a really like really tight knit one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and like and like, speaking for myself, last year it was like my first spring away from the game and my wife doesn't want to hear me talk about lacrosse, so I mean, the fact that I had like that, I had an outlet with like a whole bunch of like like-minded people, was fantastic, which, again, is what I'm looking forward to February 17th here.
Speaker 1:Awesome, sean. Last question I feel like I haven't really been asking you questions. I've been less of an interview, more of just shooting the breeze. What's your alley? I would love to just you know kind of one last thing about you. You know what's your thing? To kind of wrap this up, we ask you know every guest, as you know, because you listen every Friday morning, because I get a text from you by 8am on Fridays, so I kind of I have to ask you here what's your alley, what's your thing? You know the question.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think I'm not saying that it's my alley, but like I think lacrosse is always going to kind of be like a thing just in terms of you know, like the saying, like if you stay ready, you don't have to get ready. So, even though I'm on my sabbatical, my like retirement quote, unquote if you will I'm still like trying to learn as much as I can for my inevitable John Wick like return. What I will say, though, is that, as of right now, just being the best dad that I can we kind of touched on it earlier, I just having a three and a half year old phone personality just doing dad stuff. I mean, today we watched the Paw Patrol Mighty movie, just because you know we're taking basically, it was today was our Friday, so we had like a pizza picnic in the living room. We watched the Paw Patrol movie. It's entertaining, I'll say. I'll put it that way, it's not winning any warrants, but, again, just doing dad stuff is awesome.
Speaker 2:The other thing, though, is again just like continuing this education, not just like lacrosse wise, but I am a sucker for any kind of like behind the scenes, practice, game, sports, documentary thing. So if you have like I think it's called Max it's like it used to be HBO Max or whatever. They have an in season hard knocks with the Miami Dolphins and that is so fascinating because Mike McDaniel, their head coach, is the least football looking head coach and in terms like just the way that he speaks, the way that he thinks about the game, but the way he can interact with players, the way that he connects with his team, the way that he teaches, it's super fascinating. So just anything along those lines, whether it's books, whether it's, you know, youtube videos, again the docu series, whatever. I'm a sucker for all those.
Speaker 1:I've seen a lot of side content on the, the, the dolphins this year, so I might have to check that out. Ted, what do you got?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I got two things. I know that's usually our last question, but I. The first one is you know, talk about like being a dad going to see kids movies. You got to go see trolls band together. Okay, new trolls movie brought my daughters and it's like all throwback to like boy band pop music from like the late, like late, early to early, to like late 90s and like it was. It was well done and I was like All right, I can get on board with like some cool music and like they had some of the whole thing. So that's a good recommendation.
Speaker 3:The mighty movie, like you said, not going to win any awards, but that was a big one that we had to go to a couple funny moments. The last thing you know, we talked a lot about food on this podcast and barbecue and restaurants and I you mentioned you jump back into the club black scene with true national. So you travel a little bit for lacrosse. You've in the past you were a club coach. What's the best play, best food you've had on a club lacrosse trip, like any, any year doesn't have to be a recent, could be from years ago Best or best food.
Speaker 2:Um, that's tough. I am a sucker for, like any like Long Island Delhi, to be honest with you, like any kind of Delhi I will always drive out of the way for. In Baltimore, though, like everybody goes, like for crab cakes, I like pit beef. Like you have to go get pit beef in Baltimore, like if you don't know what pit beef is. It's basically like a roast beef sandwich with like horseradish and like and like onion, but it's like charred a little bit, but it's so damn good. So I would I would probably say to be yeah, so did you go to Chaps then?
Speaker 2:Yep, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:I have not been there. I've had a pit beef before, but I haven't had it from Chaps. They're unbelievable. I would agree with you there. Yeah, no, that's a good, that's a good call, and I think a lot of people listening to this will probably be in that area at some point in their club travel career. That's one year or another, or one team or another. I think Chaps is in kind of not the nicest part of town, so you know, be yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:We're not telling you like, do some like research, but yeah, get a pit beef, baltimore pit beef. I think that's a great call.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, just yeah to your point. Just be mindful, but but yeah, it is well worth it Awesome.
Speaker 1:Well, thanks for coming down the alley. Appreciate your time. You know, obviously have a great holiday and if I, if we don't talk beforehand, we'll see a February 17th and for another day of talking lacrosse probably pretty similar to this Sounds good. Appreciate the time, guys. Thanks John.
Speaker 1:That's it and thank you to Coach Clem for coming down the alley with us this evening. That interview is brought to you by Old Southern Barbecue, our sponsor for 2024. They will also be at the coaches summit on February 17th. Big supporter of down the alley, they're a local family owned business. They're a lacrosse family. They support other lacrosse organizations. I've been seeing them sponsor. I think you dine a lacrosse, maybe a couple others. So you know, big supporter of youth sports, big supporters of you know the local community being a local family owned operation, you know thank you to them and we look forward to having them at the coaches summit and you know we thank them for their support. So again, thanks for Coach Clem for coming down the alley with us. We will be back, you know and.
Speaker 1:I think we've been going every other week so we'll be back the following week with another interview and pretty soon here we'll be doing the section, the section dives. Ted, I'm looking forward to diving into each section. I know on downtheallypodcom you and the source have been doing some deep dives, some blogs, kind of doing the preliminary. You know deep dives on the website. You know I haven't really been part of that so I'm looking forward to, you know, hearing from you and, you know, diving into each section here.
Speaker 3:For sure. Yeah, that's a good start to feel it. The seasons around the corner when we start talking about sections, so I'm looking forward to that.
Speaker 1:And yeah, you said on training, our last training session. You know, after the holiday here it's real preseason Preseason. So We'll be back here soon and thanks for tuning in.