Originally I was considering putting up a post previewing the Valley team. I thought about going into detail about returning players and their stats from last year, but I figured you could get that off of the Valley website. Maybe highlighting some new players and how the team has come together. But that might be providing too much info to our opponents. I will say this though, Valley will be a force to contend with this season.Although our games and even outdoor practices have been affected by the snow, this group of players is itching to get the season going. With one more week of indoor practices before Spring Break hits us on March 13, we will be stressing game situations and the importance of putting in stick work between practices.
Our post Spring Break plan is to hit the ground running. Based on the current forecast and the hope that the weather continues as is, the snow should be off the fields so we can practice. Since West Des Moines is resurfacing both Valley Stadium and the Southwoods practice field, we will be using Indian Hills for both games and outdoor practices this season. Had the weather cooperated, we would be using the Stadium for both through Spring Break...
With five straight days of practice heading into our *new* opening weekend (March 27), our boys should be more than ready despite their vacation. With games at home on Saturday and at Burke in Omaha on Sunday, we will have a full plate. But the hard work put in all spring will pay off when we begin practice on Monday with a 4-0 record.
The roster is very strong. A couple of players relocated to Iowa from strong lax communities over the summer and we are returning 12 players from last year, including both goalies. The bulk of our d-poles return, as do two of last year's leading scorers at midfield. Only a handful of the returning players are seniors, which means our future looks equally bright.
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Some other stuff:
- It was finally warm enough to break out my brand new Harrow team jacket. Pics will be posted at some point.
- My new gloves are scheduled to be delivered today. Plan to break them in starting tomorrow. Pics and review to follow.
- Interest in local lax keeps growing; a couple of new people contacted me this week. At least one has some experience and wants to get back into lax. Could be a great summer with adult, high school, and middle school players all going on Thursday nights. Expect a poll for the official christening of our designated lax league this summer towards the end of the month.
