// fall+winter re-cap

SURFSIDE CUP – SAN DIEGO, CA
FEBRUARY 7

Coach TOM on tournament:
What an ABSOLUTELY UNFORGETABLE WEEKEND at the SURFSIDE CUP in Rancho Bernardo. WE WON ALL 4 GAMES! It started with getting completely DRENCHED on Saturday night while watching Northwestern and UMass play an amazing game. I don't know about you all, but I learned SO MUCH watching these incredible women handle the ball smartly.

You ladies were amazing from one end of the day to the other. Do you realize that there were only 4 minutes of game time over four games where we weren't leading? These were the first two minutes of the first two games.

While it was nice to win ALL FOUR, what I'll take away from the weekend is more than our record:
- We worked toward developing some critical skills, and we showed real progress (thus our record)
- Our shared lunch between games was a loaf of raisin bread (thanks Ed and Mrs. Tulio)
- The ref stopping our third game two minutes in, because you were all in white, EXCEPT Marci. That was funny.
- Paige making amazing saves in Game Four to keep us in it to win by one goal.
- Incredible defense that caused the Scripps team to pull out and go to the perimter and X on almost every possesion.
- Ball handling around the crease accounting for a dozen "bang-bang" goals were the assist was as nice a the shot
- Looking over in Game Four to see the Freshman drinking Jamba Juice during the game. What!? :)
- During the drenching, hearing the debate over whether Underarmour is waterproof or not. Hint.....it's not!
- Seeing Shannon trying to change clothes hiding behind a light pole. Skinny but not that skinny!
- Hanna hugs Shea and apologizes for missing her on a pass
- the list goes on and on,......WRITE BACK WITH YOUR MEMORIES OF THIS WEEKEND.

Thanks to all of you for giving me your very best. Best of luck to all of you in your HS season and PLEASE come back to play again next summer.

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SANDSTORM– PALM SPRINGS, CA
JANUARY 16-17

We had an AHHHMAZING weekend in BEAUTIFUL Palm Springs, CA at the Sandstorm Tournament! With 7 full BOUNCE teams, a PHENOMENAL facility (Empire Polo Grounds) and the most GORGEOUS backdrop, TEAM OC had a FANTASTIC time - WAHOOOOOO!!

MANY THANKS
TO … all of the PARENTS & PLAYERS who traveled to Indio, CA
TO … the SYNAPSE SPORTS for putting on such an GREAT event
TO … all of our STAFF for flying and coaching their tails off
TO … SAM SCHWARTZ (XTEAM '09, Sweet Briar '13) for coaching XTEAM BLACK
TO … MARY-KATE GERATOWSKI (Connecticut College) and STEPHY SAMARAS (University of Richmond) for participating in the recruiting meeting!
TO … SETH BAKER + MELANIE WONG for taking TONS of GREAT pictures to share
TO … the HASTIE FAMILY for bringing the lax balls to practice!
TO … deBeer for your uniforms and our AWESOME new coaching shirts!

BOUNCE COACHES … ON THE WEEKEND

CRISTA
WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I was so impressed by the improvement of ALL teams from practice until the very last minute of the very last game. It’s amazing to watch all of you laughing, cheering, competing and working so hard to improve your skills and increase your level of experience by taking risks. I’m so psyched to see the way each of you represent BOUNCE and wear your uniform so proudly. Luuuuv ya! (For the full effect, read this paragraph again at full volume and with a lisp!)

CAITLIN YOUNG – XTEAM BLACK
The amazing weather and facility in Palm Springs seemed like nothing compared to the hard play and effort XTEAM Black brought to Cali this weekend. After a tie in our 1st game, it was off to the races winning the next 3. In the end we earned the top spot for our division making it into the playoffs! WHOOP WHOOP! The last game was certainly a doozy, fighting hard to the end defeating a very talented Team 180. It was such a blast coaching these girls. Being able to have a front row seat on the heart, will to get better, and determination to win XTEAM Black displayed this weekend was the bomb!!! For some of the 2010's this tournament was especially memorable, and marked the culmination of their XTeam playing days. Best of luck to them on the next step. We got spirit! YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH!

KARI MORRISON – XTEAM FIGHT
XTEAM Fight had a great weekend in Palm Springs!! Every player worked extremely hard all weekend to improve their games' and it paid off in our team's success! AWESOME LACROSSE, TRUE FRIENDS, GORGEOUS WEATHER, and much more combined to make the event amazing for all who attended. XTEAM Fight showed determination, resilience, and commitment throughout the entire weekend and I am looking forward to working with everyone again REAL soon!

CAITLIN YOUNG – XTEAM RISK
XTeam Risk also did an awesome awesome job this weekend!! The second game each day was our jam! The girls really started to connect and it was so fun to watch their progress and improvement throughout the weekend. We went 2-2 between Saturday and Sunday and had such a blast! They really started to put things together especially transitioning the ball all the way from a defensive clear to a sick nasty shot and goal to complete it! So proud. The last game certainly was the highpoint and direct result of all their hard work and progress as they played an outstanding game against L.A.X.itude, ending the weekend on an amazing note! XTEAM Risk is a superb bunch of girls and I am so pumped I got to coach them in sunny Palm Springs this weekend!

EMILY MASON - XTEAM BLUE
This weekend was AMAZING! Perfect weather for lax! I had so much fun coaching X Team Blue. The weekend started off slow, but finished with a bang! Everyone came together and became a family and that is what X Team is about. We were able to be intense while still having a blast! I loved the XTEAM spirit. Y’all learned what it means to play for X Team! Good luck with your high school seasons! Great ready for a crazy summer of lax and don’t forget to sign up for the BIGGIE WEEKEND!

TOM MESSMER - TEAM OC ORANGE & HOT PINKTeam OC had a wonderful three days at Sandstorm in Palm Springs, bringing a huge group of nearly 60 players, for three teams, with girls ranging from 7th grade to HS seniors. Everyone had a great time both on and off the field. We agreed on Friday that we would think of the tournament games as 8 halves of lacrosse (instead of four games) and that we'd strive to improve a few specific individual and team skills every half. The girls did an OUTSTANDING job of accomplishing this, with each team improving dramatically over the weekend. Even our few losses didn't feel like losses, as we walked off the field as better teams, and better individual players, than we were before the game. I was particularly moved by the huge amount of "heart" shown by the players on all three teams, especially in the really tough games. Thank you for giving us your very best.

TEAM OC HOT PINK
As a coach, my favorite part of Team OC is seeing girls from different school programs gel as one unit, and the Sandstorm Tournament in Palm Springs was no different. We had girls from 10 different schools come together and embrace one another as teammates over the course of a three hour practice on Friday. We agreed that we'd treat four games as 8 "halves" of lacrosse, with the goal of improving specific skills each half. While we won games, it was a loss on Saturday afternoon that may have been the highlight of the tournament. We played so incredibly well that we had to ask the score at the end of the game.....that's how focused this team was on playing well as opposed to just winning. This team did everything I asked, every half, and brought a huge amount of "heart" to the field. It's very gratifying to coach players who are so willing to give their very best, regardless of the score, win or lose.

LINDSAY FEIG – XTEAM/OC POWER
What a fun weekend of lacrosse! Team OC Power was “young and fun” and consistently challenged throughout the tournament, but they never backed down and fought for every ball until the final whistle blew. It was a weekend of improvements from spreading it out on offense to working on our midfield transition and finding the open player. Also, our talking in all areas of the field was much improved over the course of the weekend. No matter the score everyone always had a positive attitude and was always having fun. Great jobs girls!

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OCTOBER 18: SANTA BARBARA PLAY DAY

Coach MERRI on tournament:
"GREAT JOB at the Santa Barbara Fall Playday this weekend girls!"

The Risers played competitively all day and improved over "6 halves"...our defense was MUCH better and we know what we're supposed to do on the field, now our stick skills just have to catch up! Fantastic hustle and heart from all the players! Shout out goes to Shea "The Flea" O'Donnell who was both the youngest AND fiercest player on the field!!

The Elite team made it clear that they are not "morning people"...however after the first game we really came together and improved. The second two games we continued the upward trend and really started to trust eachother on the field...defensive communication was great and we moved the ball well in transition! Shout out goes to Kylie Wong who played every position on the field and contributed everywhere!

Overall an awesome Sunday!!

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OCTOBER 4: PRACTICE

Coach MERRI on practice:
"We had a fun practice this week! We broke up into 2 main groups, those participating in the 7v7 tournament and others who were not. The tournament girls worked specifically on 7v7 strategy and talked about the differences from the full field game. The other girls focused on the fundamentals that were lacking in the scrimmages the week before!"

WHAT WE WORKED ON:
- 7v7 strategy
- Running a balanced attack- making good decisions
- Working together
-Ground balls, and accelerating out of the defensive end
- Full field transition

THINGS TO WORK ON:
- Quickly clearing the ball and switching gears from defense to offense
- Consistency
- Work ethic! Practices are only 2 hours long! We need you to be focused and engaged the entire time!

PLAYER SHOUT OUTS:
CLAIRE DUCHENE - MS goalie handling playing with the upperclassmen!!
TRACY PAULSON - WELCOME BACK- from a broken hip that has kept her out since May!
MADELINE ELIA - Great job being a FORCE on defense!

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SEPTEMBER 27: PRACTICE

Coach MERRI on practice:
"Team OC hosted the San Diego U-13, U-15, and U-17 teams this weekend!
The 3 scrimmages were great and gave us a good idea of what we need to work on heading into our fall tournaments!"

WHAT WE WORKED ON:
- Scrimmaging
- Full Field game situations

THINGS TO WORK ON:
- Whoa! Ground Balls were a struggle!!
- Transition from defense to attack.
- Making good decisions on attack! Take the 1v1 when it’s there; recognize WHEN TO SETTLE.
- Supporting the ball carrier when she’s under pressure.

PLAYER SHOUT OUTS:
SHEA O’DONNELL
- Fast and furious in the midfield in the MS game, really stood out!!
MOLLY MAHONY
- dominated in the U-15 game from a new position of Low D!
AMIYA MORETTA
- defensive enforcer and great job directing traffic in the U-17 game!

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SEPTEMBER 20: PRACTICE

Coach MERRI on practice:
"Team OC had another GREAT practice today!! Special thanks to Chapman Head Coach Brian Eisenberg and the college players that came to practice and helped us out!! All the girls worked hard and we got a lot accomplished, we’re all getting ready and focused for the California 7v7 and Santa Barbara Play day! Our skills are improving tremendously and we’re all starting to look like a cohesive unit!"

WHAT WE WORKED ON:
- Individual Stickwork
- Offensive Man-up situations, defensive man-down situations
- 7v7 basics: balance, clearing through, defensive communication
- 7v6 Full Field continuous scrimmage

THINGS TO WORK ON:
- Consistency with stickwork, the more you practice the better you get! Work those lefts!
- Always verbally communicating on defense, leaving the farthest girl from ball open, movement and protection of the ball on offense.
- Making good decisions on attack! Take the 1v1 when it’s there; recognize when it’s not and when to settle.
- Finding the open girl in man-up situations, always creating space for one another.

PLAYER SHOUT OUTS:
LIZZIE MOORE - a noticeable improvement every week, really starting to dominate!!
KATELYN RAMOS - great job on defense as always, but now starting to look AMAZING on attack!
HALEY POHL - fantastic job playing with the 2012’s and not just hanging in there, but being an IMPACT player!

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SEPTEMBER 13: PRACTICE

Coach MERRI on practice:
"Team OC had a GREAT practice today!! Everyone did a fantastic job, and we moved through the drills at a MUCH faster pace than most were used to. Lots of whistles and a variety of different game situations made the time FLY by! We finished up with some mini field 7v7 to get us ready for the tournament in a few weeks!"

WHAT WE WORKED ON:
- Individual Stickwork
- Defensive Strategy, doubling and communication
- Clearing the ball through traffic

THINGS TO WORK ON:
- Consistency with stickwork, the more you practice the better you get! Work on your OWN!
- Being LOUD and Specific with directions on defense, working together.
-Don’t hesitate on clears, if it’s there TAKE IT. If not, make a good decision and protect possession of the ball!

PLAYER SHOUT OUTS:
MARCY LEVATINO - great job barreling through the pressure and protecting your stick!
HANNA LEONARD - always SUPER consistent and a hustler!
MELISSA HASTIE - rocked it out on defense AND attack!

Awesome job everyone! See you next Sunday at Tesoro for a college practice!

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AUGUST 30: PRACTICE

Coach MERRI on practice:
We had an awesome practice on Sunday! Lindsay Feig from the University of Redlands joined Natasha and Merri for the day to help us out! Thanks Linds!
First we started warming up our sticks with partner passing and incorporated in dodge podge…we quickly moved on to plyo shuttles with footwork and accelerations as well.

From there, it was a few basic, but crucial drills in 4 man-2 ball with 2 attackers which progressed to 4 man-2 ball with defense. Things got pretty intense and everyone was working hard!

We then broke up into 3 teams and ran through some different drills. Merri worked 2v2 competitive groundballs to goal which we named the “Notre Dame” drill…Natasha talked about and demonstrated midfield defense, focusing on NOT escorting your girl down the field but slowing her down and forcing her to change direction- ZIG-ZAG down the field. Lindsay worked with the goalies and did some 1v1 drills with feeds coming from different positions around the arc.

After a quick water break we resumed play and did 4v3’s and 3v2’s to goal, starting with goalie clears…we also worked some different possession drills…and last but not least a fun-super-fast-paced shooting drill!! Great job everyone working hard throughout ALL the drills!!!

We finished off the day with some small sided scrimmaging 7v7 - 6 teams competing at 3 goals and fighting for the title of Queen of the Hill! There was some fierce competition and all the teams were evenly matched through all of the games. Congratulations to the winners!!

Overall - a GREAT practice, with AMAZING effort by all the players, working hard, despite the HOT weather! Can’t wait to see you all on September 13th when we come back and start our 2 hour practices! See you then!!

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AUGUST 23: OPENING DAY PRACTICE

Coach MERRI on practice:
WOOHOO!! Thank you all for attending TEAM OC'S OPENING DAY for the 2009-2010 SEASON!!

We started off with a review of basic stickwork- focus was on catching and throwing in between our shoulders...1-sided shuttles progressed into 2-sided shuttles and we picked up the pace as we went on!

2-sided shuttles turned into the check-from-behind drill to emphasize the importance of stick protection on attack and restraint (waiting for the attacker to give back with the ball) on defense...GREAT JOB everyone!!

After the stickwork warm-up, we split up into 4 groups and ran stations! Natasha and Bini focused on possession drills in a confined area...Marissa worked 1v1's...Merri did offensive movement and shooting...and Tom worked with the goalies and taught about breakout clears!

Finally - we split up even farther into 6 teams and played 7v7 Queen of the Hill. Congratulations to the winning team which was the only team who had players from EVERY age group!!!

Practice ended with the Q & A session for players and parents!! Overall it was a FANTASTIC practice and opening day...we can't wait to see you next week!!