Lady Titan Family,

As we approach the postseason starting next week, I wanted to express how proud I am of the hard work and passion displayed by players on both the JV and Varsity teams as well as our coaching staff throughout this 2017 season. I would also like to thank our group of volunteers that helped us every game throughout the season. You truly made my life easier through the season, without a doubt. Although it’s easy to take a step back and bask in our success this regular season, I have to remember that our regular season only determined our path through the tournament, and that we still have a lot of work in front of us. Please help the coaching staff in keeping each other focused for one more week, and to keep our eyes on the prize. The worst thing we can do now is work so hard through the regular season to “trip at the finish line.” we have to win 3 more games (2 for varsity, 1 for JV) to call ourselves champions….3 more. We can do this!

Now let’s get to the details…thanks to our win last night vs Blue Valley, we have secured the #2 seed in the KC Metro in the Varsity division…this is the best finish our Varsity team has ever had in the 7 seasons our team has played. I am extremely proud of this accomplishment. And as we all know, our JV rolled over every other JV team in the metro to secure the #1 seed and will be playing the JV Championship game on 11 MAY at 5:30pm vs Shawnee Mission. I suggested to all the JV players to get on HUDL and watch the game film to prepare. If you don’t have access, send me a text with a working email address and I’ll send you an invitation to join the page. Our Varsity team will have a 1st round bye on Monday, so we will practice to get ready for our semi-final game on Tuesday at 5:30pm vs the winner of the SME vs Park game.

Below is some important info about the upcoming week:
Schedule: Home (higher seed) wears light colors / Away (lower seed) wears dark colors:

Monday, May 8
5:30 G1 #4. LS North v #5. Sion
7:30 G2 #3. Shawnee Mission v #6. Park

Tuesday, May 9
5:30 #2. LS West v winner G2
7:30 #1. STA v winner G1

Thursday, May 11
5:30 JV Championship (#1. LS West v #2. Shawnee Mission)
- All-Metro team announced between games
7:30 Varsity Championship (teams TBD)

Other reminders:

Location for all tournament games:
Rockhurst University, Bourke Field (turf), 1100 Rockhurst Road, Kansas City, MO 64110

Sponsors:
Sponsorship opportunities to support growth of lacrosse in our region. If your company would be interested in participating as a sponsor, benefits include: banners in the stadium (provided by sponsor), table or booth inside the stadium (provided by sponsor), ability to share promotional item with all teams (water bottle, t-shirt, key chain, etc), announcements over PA during each game, welcome announcement over PA by sponsor’s rep before each game, visibility on KCMGLA’s website and social media. Suggested donation level $500. Please contact Brian Cox at 816-536-1994 or briancox2468@gmail.com with questions.

Weather:
As we experienced last year, the games will be played in rain. 30 minute delay for lightning. Due to field scheduling and MSHSAA state playoffs, all efforts will be made to play the games as scheduled. As a last resort, organizers may move game times and days as required by weather or unforeseen circumstances.
The schedule was developed with an eye toward avoiding major schedule conflicts for teams. However, if a team is unable to play a scheduled game, the losing team from its previous game will advance in the bracket. For instance, if Team A defeats Team B in round one, but Team A is unable to field a team for round two, Team B will advance to round two. If one of the top 6 seeds is unable to play its first game, the seventh place team in the standings will be invited to play in the tournament.

Gate fee:
$5 for each adult per night … college coaches, high school students and children are free. The gate fee is to help offset the cost of field rental. Please let your parents know to expect the gate fee.

Spectators:
All spectators will be required to be in the stands on the East side of the field. No non-participants are allowed in or around the driveway area on the West side of the field. Last year, we had a challenge with spectators sitting behind the benches. The west side of the stadium is for players and coaches only.
If a team’s fans are sitting on the West side, the coach will be asked to request they move to to spectator seating.
Each team is responsible for the behavior of its spectators. Verbal abuse of officials, players or coaches will not be allowed. Remember that good sportsmanship is required.

Concession stand:
No concession stand is planned. Outside food is allowed into the stadium.

Scorer’s table:
Each team is responsible for keeping its own scorebook. The highest seeds’ scorebook will be considered the official scorebook. Disputes will be settled by the league-provided field manager or ranking board member.
Each team can have two people at the scorer’s table (one to keep the book and one to spot). No coaching from the scorer’s table please.

Trainer:
A trainer will be provided by the league at no cost to the participating teams.

Volunteer opportunities … free admission for volunteers if they are scheduled in advance:
Admission gate … need 2-3 people per night to work the gate to collect gate fees. League to provide table, but bring your own chairs.
P.A. announcer … need someone to announce the games for any or all of the three nights. Starting line-ups, goals scored, sponsorship announcements, etc.
National Anthem singers … a great opportunity for players, students or parents to open each of the three nights with the national anthem.

If you want to volunteer, please send you name, what you want to volunteer for, email addresses, and available days to briancox2468@gmail.com. The goal is to have volunteers work for at least one night (two games) instead of game-by-game if possible.

That’s it for now…let’s finish strong!

~Coach Jay