What I Saw This Summer: Why Our Coaches Are the Program

by Javier Silva (LtN Executive Director)

I spent this summer split between Nicaragua and Colombia, and I came home beaming with pride for our coaches. The way they engage our students. How passionate they are about their work. The dedication they pour into our programs every single day. It's quite remarkable.

Coach Alexis in Medellín is a great example of what I mean. He has the ability to make every student he coaches feel seen, understood, and cared for. He's not the only one. All our coaches, in both countries, show up as far more than instructors. They're mentors, role models, and sometimes the most consistent adult presence a kid has.

Here's what stayed with me: our coaches are extraordinary already. However, they're doing it without much of the training and tools that would make them even more effective. With our volunteers this summer, they were like sponges soaking up all the lacrosse knowledge the visiting coaches and players brought. All our coaches mentioned, in one way or another, that learning more lacrosse drills, techniques, and tactics is something they are craving.

In the coming months and into the new year, we'll be making a focused effort to give our coaches the training and resources they deserve. Because every dollar that supports Lacrosse the Nations isn't just funding a program. It's investing in the people delivering it, day after day, for kids who need them.

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