The Rockyview junior ladies Silvertips lacrosse team will be kicking off their third season in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League (RMLL) when their season starts on April 27 at home against the Okotoks Raiders.
Lady ‘Tips head coach Jordan Thomson said she’s been impressed with the team in the weeks leading up to their first game.
“This is probably the strongest start we’ve had as far as stick skills and general knowledge for lacrosse. We have a really smart and athletic team this year so that’s really great,” Thomson said.
“This has been a very strong start for our group. We already have our systems up and running so that’s a big improvement because in the previous two seasons, we’ve kind of scrambled to get our systems down pat … this year we’ve got a good handle on those things which has been really awesome.”
“It’s been a lot easier on myself as well as the team, just because we haven’t had to go over those basic stick skills or concepts. It means we can go into some higher-level systems and be able to comprehend it and have the stick skills to be able to execute those systems.”
“It’s been a lot easier this year as far as those things are concerned and the girls have come well conditioned as well, which is huge. It means we can keep hammering those systems without having to take huge breaks during practice. It’s been really strong and has made the transition into the first game a lot easier.”
The Silvertips finished fourth in the Junior Ladies division with an 8-7 record, which was good for 17 points, just one back of Okotoks for third place. The team’s goals for and against were on par with their record, as Rockyview scored 123 goals and gave up 128 against.
Thomson said the team has made huge strides in their first two seasons, but expectations are higher now that the Silvertips have established themselves as a staple in the league.
“I’d really like to be in the final game this year and I think we have a team that realistically is able to do that. That’s one of our goals, is just being in that final … even if it’s a little bit mismatched, just getting to the final would be huge just because we’re such a new program so that’s what we’re gunning for,” Thomson said.
“We’re also setting small practice-to-practice and game-to-game goals this year so I’ve kind of put that on some of our senior players and our more experienced players. Just asking them their goals for individual practices and the girls have been coming out with some good answers.”
“They have taken the lead on that which is great … it gives them some input and expectations on a day-to-day basis. One of the things we’ve been working on has been getting our transitions smooth and it looks really strong so they’ve executed on that so far in the first few practices.”
The team has come in with high expectations the last few years and while placing themselves in the final game has always been the goal, Thomson feels like the Silvertips have a realistic shot of achieving that this year.
“We have a lot more players and just looking at their stick skills and athletic ability. When I saw them in the first practice, I was really excited. You could see that the skill level was there.”
“It’s really awesome to see because we’re still a new program and to see the growth year-to-year has been tremendous.”
The 2018 season opener against the Raiders will be a rematch of last year’s provincial bronze medal game, a game that Okotoks won by a score of 7-6. Thomson said there’s a rivalry brewing between the two clubs and will be a great test for her team when they kick off their season later this month.
“The expectation is to set the bar high and let the Raiders know that we’re here for business and this is the year for our team,” Thomson said. We’ve already talked about that we wanted to set a precedent in that game and looking really strong in that first game is going to be pivotal to let other teams know that we have some skill and we’re here to win.”
