Former player enjoys coaching lacrosse

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Men’s club lacrosse coach Mark Barrath knows all about organizing practices. He participated in them two years ago.

Barrath, St. Louis graduate student and second-year coach, was vice president of the University’s club lacrosse team when he was an undergraduate. He graduated in 2007 with a degree in political science and returned to the sport in fall 2008 in a different capacity.

Contributed photo

Mark Barrath

“I felt a strong desire to come back and continue working with the players,” Barrath said.

Barrath said one of the reasons he enjoyed coaching was because of the enthusiastic and dedicated club members. He said that members who joined typically wanted to play for the entire season because of the financial commitment. Dues for freshmen are $900 and dues for returning members are $700. Players must also pay for equipment and clothing.

Barrath admitted that his age sometimes put him in a difficult position when he tried to exercise his authority. He said he toed the line between peer and leader by ensuring that practices were fun but still challenging enough to push the players to reach their potential.

As a coach, Barrath is also responsible for teaching new and developing players the fundamentals of lacrosse. Two assistant coaches, Jay Vaglio and Jonathan Koopman, help coordinate conditioning and daily practices. The practices are designed to fatigue the players, but ultimately improve their fitness.

“We do quick transitions between drills to keep players on their feet. We want them to be in shape,” assistant coach Jay Vaglio said.

Barrath and his assistants are also open to critique and concerns. When the need arises, the coaches hold small meetings where players can offer feedback or comments on aspects of practice, games or the team in general. Barrath said this approach helped the two-hour practices run smoothly because the players kept their focus and left outside problems and issues at home.

George Ressler, St. Louis senior and club lacrosse president, said he had confidence in the coaching staff.

“Practices are well-mapped out,” Ressler said. “There is a sense of practicality to them.”

The fall season is generally used as preparation for the main spring season. Barrath said he hoped the club team would have a good showing in February when it played strong competition such as Baylor, Texas A&M and USC at a tournament in Texas.

— — Edited by Nick Gerik

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