Lax Goalie Rat Podcast
Lax Goalie Rat Podcast
LGR 241: Exploring the Goalie Mentality with Florida Goalie Elyse Finnelle
What if you could transform your sports career by embracing multiple roles on the field? Florida All-American goalie Elise Fennell shares her inspiring journey from field player to standout goalie, revealing how her father's advice to play both positions elevated her lacrosse IQ. Elise recounts her pivotal decision during a practice session with Maryland United, which solidified her commitment to the goalie position. She highlights the crucial role of leadership, confidence, and resilience in her development as a top-notch lacrosse goalie.
Transitioning from a field player to a goalie comes with unique physical and strategic demands, which Elise navigates masterfully. This episode covers how experiences in midfield and defense can enrich a goalie's perspective and leadership. Elise also underscores the value of effective communication with coaches during such transitions and the immeasurable impact of mentorship. Hear how a high school coach's straightforward yet powerful guidance shaped her both as an athlete and an individual.
Being a lacrosse goalie isn't just about physical prowess; it requires immense mental toughness. Elise discusses coping strategies like the "flush it down" mentality to move past mistakes quickly and maintain focus. She shares her experience of stepping up to the college level, where the game's speed and complexity intensify. Elise reflects on her successful season, emphasizing team camaraderie, mental resilience, and strategic approaches to high-pressure situations. Dive into this episode for an in-depth look at what it takes to excel as a lacrosse goalie and leader.
he just kind of instilled in me like, as a goalie like you are your voice, like a presence on the field, and you have to walk out of there with a sense of confidence. But you also have to walk out of there with, um, a chip on your shoulder too, because as goalies like we can always have something like come back and really mess with us, um. But he really just said that use your voice and just be a leader out on that field and really just guide people if they're asking for help.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the LAX Goalie Rat Podcast. Every single week we'll be talking shop with lacrosse goalies, coaches and special guests. This is the LAX Goalie Rat Podcast, the ultimate resource for lacrosse goalies coaches and the goalie moms and dads. Now your host, coach Damon Wilson.
Speaker 3:Aww yeah, ladies and gentlemen, goalies from around the world, welcome to the Lax Goalie Rat Podcast. And gentlemen, goalies from around the world, welcome to the Lax Goalie Rap Podcast. I'm your host, coach Damon, and this is a show 100% dedicated to the lacrosse goalie, and on this show I like to interview the best goalies in our sport and hear their stories, ask them how they got to the point they're at in their lacrosse goalie career and hopefully with each episode you can pull out a thing or two that you can apply to your own lacrosse goalie game. My guest on the show this week it's a great one All-American goalie last season for Florida, elise Fennell, coming out of Deal, maryland, the South of Maryland. We talk about her growing up and learning the sport of lacrosse and learning the position of goalie attending the University of Florida and the season that she had an all-American season Awesome, awesome young lady. I know you're going to enjoy this conversation, so please enjoy my chat with Elyse Fennell. Before we begin this episode, I want to read a word from our sponsor, and that is my own Lax Goalie Rat Academy.
Speaker 3:If you're looking to level up your youth's lacrosse goalie game with the best coaches in this sport, the best training tools and the best goalie community. That's what the Lax Goalie Rat Academy is all about. It's virtual training tools that's going to give your young goalie the confidence to be great so they can go out there, play well and make you that proud goalie mom or proud goalie dad. There's over 130 hours of content on different areas like drills, techniques, the mental game, lacrosse IQ, offense defense, how to play one-on-one defense. There are stringing tutorials and there's even sessions on how to coach goalies, along with physical training Everything you need to level up your youth lacrosse goalie game from the best coaches out there. Pll Athletes, unlimited coaches, myself, coach Damon Wilson put a ton of effort into this academy. I think it's an amazing training resource.
Speaker 3:You can join for just 40 bucks a month. Netflix models. You come in 40 bucks for your first month. Stay as long as you want, cancel any time. We also do live coaching sessions, or I should say I do live coaching sessions about once a month so you can join those, ask me questions or really just connect with any number of lacrosse goalie moms, dads or youth goalies out there. To join, go to laxgoalieratcom slash camp C-A-M-P laxgoalieratcom slash C-A-M-P camp and you can get started for just 40 bucks for your very first month. Laxgolyratcom slash camp. Hope to see you there. Take care. Awesome, well, pleasure to welcome to the podcast Florida all American goalie, elise Fennell. Elise, welcome to the show.
Speaker 1:Thank you. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 3:Yeah, thank you for coming on. Going to be a pleasure to chat goalie with you for the next hour or so. I'd love to hear the story about when you first jumped into goal. Do you remember that?
Speaker 1:Yeah. So I kind of jumped into goal probably when I was in like fourth or fifth grade, but my dad kind of like wanted me to still play field at the time. So I was kind of just playing like half goalie, half field and it was definitely like benefits me in the long run because you've learned different IQ and everything. But I remember I played originally. I played for Maryland United, um, and I remember one practice we we were at practice and our coach was like okay, everybody, we're gonna do a mile as our workout today. So we're running around this building and I looked over and I see all the goalies in like their own little section, like just messing around. I'm like I'm gonna go play with the goalies now. So come to find out, once you get to college you're doing just as much running as everybody else so but yeah, it's not just as much.
Speaker 3:Not just as much I mean you do, the team runs right, but there are a lot of drills and like things where, like you, you know, the middies are running up and down. Um, and that's a huge reason of why I switched to goalie, if I'm being honest, was that I could, like the running was brutal, like I was on the verge of if, if, not vomiting on the verge every practice and I'm like this is tough, this is tough yeah, I just I was not very fast.
Speaker 1:I I had the hands and like the speed with my hands and stuff and I could shoot, but the quickness just wasn't there to get up and down the field.
Speaker 3:So Well, that's smart, that you played a goalie and field starting out, and I highly recommend that to all goalies who are starting out, because I think you learn a tremendous amount about being a goalie by playing in the field, even if that's not where you end up being right. Like what kind of things would you say you learned?
Speaker 1:I definitely will say that I learned kind of how a shooter thinks. So, um, I know that, like even when I'm coaching now, like coaching like my little girls and everything like I can coach an attacking position because I understand, like I understand from playing that position, like if the and I see it from a different perspective too, like even just being in golf, like how they're angled and like what they like where they want to shoot with, how, how they are angled, like on the crease, or what their brain is thinking like as they're driving down the eight and everything. So it's helped me a lot, so and I definitely encourage it to all all younger goalies as well.
Speaker 3:Same here, yeah, and. And so you talked about sort of the offensive side, and then there's also like the defensive side too, where if you, as a goalie, know how to play defense, it really helps you be a leader out there, right, because you can, you can sort of be a second coach on the field.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, definitely I learned. I learned that in high school so it was definitely like I played a little defense too when I was playing field. I kind of just played all around, but definitely I'm able to like cause as a goalie, like you see the field in a different light and you see it as on like a bigger scale too. So you're really able to like if you've played that position as a defender, now when you jump in goal you can kind of understand of like okay, as a defender. Now when you jump in goal you can kind of understand of like okay, like um, the defense, like if I'm like whatever the defender's thinking on each side. So it definitely helps the leader and tell them like where to go and stuff like that.
Speaker 3:Right, what about um? You know what, if a club only has one goalie and someone's listening to this and they go, well, I say hey, Damon, and Elise say I should play in the field, how would you recommend they go about navigating that?
Speaker 1:I probably would. That's just a conversation to have with your coach.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I think so.
Speaker 1:I definitely communication is key with everything. And if you want to try something different especially just really depends on, like, what age and what your plans for the future are Like if you want to get recruited and if you want to get recruited and if you want to get recruited as a goalie like, or if you really just are trying to figure out. If you really want to play goalie like and you just want to be like, all right, let's try fields and see if kind of that that seals the deal or anything. But I think it's just a conversation to have with your coach.
Speaker 3:There you go. Easy enough, all right. So how then? How you jump into goal, that fourth or fifth grade level? How did you go about um, you know, learning how to make the saves? Did you have some good goalie coaches? Did you attend some camps, some clinics? Talk to me about that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, definitely. Um, I kind of give all my credits. Uh, my high school coach are back Marshall, so he pretty much has all my success and he was a phenomenal coach. He taught things in a very different way and I learned not just how to save the ball, but I learned how to be a leader on the field from him, and the way that he was able to teach me with the words that he used and just the sentences and it like sounds kind of like dumb in a sense, but it's just the way he was able to talk to me really clicked in my brain. So it was really helpful to have him as my coach and I'm very grateful. I always say I was very spoiled growing up because he loved five minutes from me and he was my high school coach, but he has done a tremendous job and I really, like I really envy him. So he's my mentor, so I really look up to him for all of that.
Speaker 3:I love that. Our back, yeah, our back, all right. Um so what? What specifically did he say to you that really resonated? What did you remember? Any of the lessons?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I, I mean, I still work with him to this day, like my summer, yeah, my summer like we stay in contact, like during the seasons and everything Um, he kind of is like a little life coach for me sometimes too. Just if I ever need like a pick, pick me up, like I kind of call him and he'll kind of call me down or settle me down or anything. Um, but I think when he was able to teach me, he used like he used very just, simple words and he was really able to be like okay, like if I'm coming to shoot down like on the left side, like just hold, that's all you got to do, just hold. And he was like just quick, quick rest.
Speaker 1:We talk about like our wrists a lot of just being our wrist and it was just very simple terms that he was able to. That just really clicked into my brain. So he didn't do a lot of talking, but it was just enough talking to be able to click in my brain.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's so interesting how different goalies respond to different things, right? I mean, sometimes, like you know, you just tell a goalie like just go save it Right and like like you know, that like. You know, that's simpleness of like. Like, stop overthinking it, you know, stop thinking I need to do this and do that and do this and do that and do this. Just go, just go, catch it Right, and then sometimes that works, but then other times goalies need that, that. They do need that detailed breakdown.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they do need that detailed breakdown. Yeah, no, I definitely. I definitely learned a lot, um, with the way that you coach a person from him and even seeing him work with other goalies, like he talks to other goalies in a different way because it clicks in their brain.
Speaker 1:So it's very and but I'm able to even learn, like from even watching him. So cause I can, if something works for somebody else, I'm like, hmm, maybe I could try that with me and I kind of just tried different things out. He like allows me to try different things out. So he kind of is very like I'm not going to tell you how to save the ball, all I'm going to do is tell you to how, or I'm going to teach you how to be as quick as possible to the ball.
Speaker 3:So it really like we try and focus not being on like a perfectionist, but being as quick as we possibly can to get to that ball so, and then I think you mentioned, you know, not only did teach you the position, but he taught you leadership, right, what, um, how, what, what lessons come to mind for you in that, in that area?
Speaker 1:yeah, I think, um, I kind of I grew up with him, so it was he was old and him and my dad kind of worked together in our like rec league and our youth organization, so he was also my rec coach too. So he just kind of instilled in me like, as a goalie like you are, you're a voice, like a presence on the field and you have to walk out of there with a sense of confidence, but you also have to walk out of there with um a chip on your shoulder too, because as goalies like we can always have something like come back and really mess with us. Um, but he really just said that use your voice and just be a leader out on that field and really just guide people. If they're asking for help, like make sure you're there just to help guide them to whatever they need. So it was just he made it really seem like just about the presence you give off on that field. So and he just really instilled in me just to be humble about it as well.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's great advice, and we do give off a presence right.
Speaker 1:I mean.
Speaker 3:I think that's one thing you got to keep in mind as goalies. It's like a special position and, like you have, you have the spotlight on you and so you know you give off a presence and if that presence is like negative and and and, slamming your stick and slumping your shoulders, then that's what your team feels.
Speaker 1:And that's what your opponents fire, get fired up on Right, and so a lot of it, I think, is just being cognizant of that Right and then always carrying yourself yeah in a positive way yeah, no, I definitely think that's, um, something I kind of like really focus on, because, especially during practices like I will admit, practices suck for goalies like they suck because half the time you're just sitting there getting hit most of the time and everything um, so it's kind of really it's a mental challenge and that's one of the reasons, like everything. So it's kind of really it's a mental challenge and that's one of the reasons like I fell in love with the position was the mental challenge of it, because I'm very competitive, so it's kind of a competition I kind of have myself. I take it one practice at a time and I kind of focus on during practice like coming out there and making sure that, even though I'm frustrated, I don't want to give off that to my teammates, because as soon as I'm frustrated, they get frustrated.
Speaker 1:So I kind of just really focus on that, uh, one practice at a time, and then it really just translates towards games. So it helps a lot.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Great tips. So you're now heading in to your senior year. What? What are the conversations with our back look like these days?
Speaker 1:Um, he really, it's just doing the same thing, honestly we're it's really he doesn't really talk much about like my age or like what year we're going into or anything. It's whatever I need help with. He's really just there to help with me. Um, he really just kind of tells me again if there's.
Speaker 1:We kind of broke down like a little bit of like film like from previous games, like this season, and he's been helping me um kind of break down like shooters, like different shooters and everything during um for other teams and everything Um. So we're kind of looking at like what are the tendencies of like people that drive down the right side, like where do they mostly shoot 90 of the time, so we can kind of be ready for stuff like that. So we're kind of taking like a different approach to it this year, which is like really interesting in my head because you don't realize how much like it's our like, unlike the subconscious, like part of like being a shooter, like wherever your momentum is going, like that's where they're shooting and and pretty much all shooters do that 90% of the time. So it's kind of adjusting my playing to how they're shooting.
Speaker 3:Yeah, um. Well, the answer to that, if they're driving down the right side, is they like to pull it across right? Yep, 90% of the shooters they will shoot all the time.
Speaker 1:So that's kind of what I'm like. It's given me a new kind of path to kind of like look at whenever I'm like breaking down film and, um, just honestly, just watching games in general. So it really, and you don't. It's crazy to think about like shooters. Literally, if they're coming down the right side, they're just going to shoot backside every single time and I can almost call it before they shoot it that they're going to shoot back right so it's like I'm ready. If I'm ready for that, then I'm golden.
Speaker 3:So yeah, um, one thing I jotted down that I wanted to ask you was about that uh, humility, the. I think that was one of the things that he. He taught you. Or mentioned humbleness, right, um, how, what does that mean? You know, if there's a young goalie listening to this and they say I want to be humble, like what? How does that? What does that look like in practice?
Speaker 1:Yeah, in practice I probably would like. I I'm very quiet in a weird way during practice, like I don't talk bad, like some people really thrive off of like crap talking their teammates and like just trying to get under their skin and, um, cause that's their way of being competitive, right but, I just even my parents have instilled in me, um, growing up, just the quietest person in the room is the most dangerous.
Speaker 1:So I kind of thrive off that um with my humility and everything. So I kind of just I'm there just to do my job and as long as I do my job, that's all I care about, that's how I'm going to be successful. So definitely say to all the younger goalies just you're out there to do your job and you're just out there to have fun too. So you're out there to lead. But yeah, that's pretty much all the advice I get for that one.
Speaker 3:So every person is different. So, and and to add onto that, I think one thing is you know not, um, not sort of using your past successes like sort of like just sitting, like sitting on them, like you're an all American last year great season, Right. And you could say like, well, look at this, I'm an all American goalie, Right. Or you could sort of like put that aside and be like I need to work and do exactly all the things that got me there, Right, yeah, the work never stops and it's I just I always.
Speaker 1:I always kind of look at it as like a like an overnight sensation, kind of like online or something Like it's going to fade out eventually, Like there's always somebody new coming for you. So it's really just about like enjoy your success when you have it, but having that in the back of your head of like it's time to go back to work and how can I be even better than what I was? Cause now that's the expectation for everybody and now how can you exceed that, like those expectations? So it's just all about just keep getting better and better.
Speaker 3:So that's one of the things I talk about. Uh, with the young goalies that I coach, is this, this, this mindset of like, never satisfied. You know like, you can win a championship and can, you can be happy, right, and you can celebrate it and you absolutely should, right, but we're never satisfied. You always are like, like, and now I'm not satisfied, now I, now I need to set that, that goal, a little higher.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And that's that's a huge, a huge, huge mindset, huge mindset. Uh key, I think. Yeah, no, I agree. Um favorite part about being the lacrosse goalie at least.
Speaker 1:Um, I definitely will say like I really like the mental challenge that comes with it. Like that's very odd to say, but and it's a love relationship.
Speaker 1:But I really enjoy having that kind of mental challenge every practice because it keeps things interesting for me, because I get bored very easily.
Speaker 1:So if I'm able to really just have like a challenge and I'm able to like work for it and overcome it, I feel like I feel good. So I've really just that kind of satisfies me a little and I'm able to like work for it and overcome it, I feel like I feel good. So I've really just that kind of satisfies me a little bit just being able to overcome challenges, so whether that's just if I'm focusing on like one V ones during the day and I'm but like if I know that I always get scored on by one person, like my goal for that day is to save that person shots, because that's something I'm struggling with. So I really do enjoy just having that mental challenge of even like learning different defenses or like when we're in scout and everything during practice, kind of learning how to play, like for those shooters and everything. So I really enjoy that part of it. I think that's my definitely my favorite part.
Speaker 3:I love that answer. That's awesome. So what do you do then when you have a bad day right, and you and you sort of you sort of start getting in your head mentally, how do you personally, uh, overcome that?
Speaker 1:Yeah. So I think for me that was definitely something I really like figured out this season was, if I did have a bad day, being like it helped because our practices were in the morning, so like um, it sometimes it would affect me all day if I had one bad practice, if I had like one bad drill or something I really like there's. I know there's one day where I just had probably the worst practice in my entire life. I probably made two saves all practice but and I kind of let it affect my entire day and I saw that like I was kind of taking my frustration out on other people where I was like I can't be doing that, like it's not fun.
Speaker 1:So I kind of just have been like we call it like flush. We just kind of flush it down the drain and it just goes away, like it's just, it's two hours of your life in the morning and then you're like you're just hanging out with like your friends and you're going to class and you're doing different things throughout the rest of the day. So I really just try and just focus on all right, just throw it away. Tomorrow's a new day. So I just I try and not think about it a lot. The more thinking I do, the worse everything is for me, and I think it goes for all goalies, because we are. We are thrown like so much information, we're thrown like so much responsibility. The more we just overthink everything. It really just messes with your head.
Speaker 3:So very well said yeah, it's that next shot, mentality Right. And that's the beauty of sports and the beauty of lacrosse and the beauty of being a goalie is like you're going to have that next opportunity very soon, very soon.
Speaker 1:So right, flush it down and move on. Good advice, what about your least favorite part about being the goalie? But I always say, if it hits me, as long as it doesn't go in, I don't care. So I just don't want that ball going in the goal. And I think I get more mad than anything when it like skims the side of, like my leg or something, and goes in. That's when I just that's when it really starts to affect me. But other than that it's just the split second of pain that hurts and then it's all gone. But there's like I just enjoy the position.
Speaker 3:I don't think there's anything that's really like my least favorite part. So getting getting hits up there, that's gotta, that's gotta be number one. I remember the very first time I took a shot like directly off the shin bone and I still remember, I still remember like, so vividly, like the pain and be like what am I doing? What? What have I signed up for here?
Speaker 1:yeah. No, there are definitely some practices when it's just like straight 1v1s, pretty much half of the practice, and I'm sitting there I'm really contemplating like why am I in this goal? Why am I just?
Speaker 3:yeah, yeah yeah, but I saw that right, so I saw some goalie sent me some tape of like doing that and they're like essentially like the drill was the girls would kind of like run to the. And they're like essentially like the drill was the girls would kind of like run to the eight and then turn around and like kind of run in and shoot. Yeah, and I was sort of mixed on that because, like sometimes you know, I'm not a huge fan of just pranking on the goalie.
Speaker 3:Right, I don't think any goalie is I don't think any goalie parent is. But at the same time, like in the women's game, that's like a lot of times you see those unmarked shots, right, just because of the rules, right, you can't get in that shooting space, so like she's coming right at you and so what's your take on that Cause you kind of need to practice it, but at the same time like it sucks.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, it definitely sucks, but it's something kind of like that mental toughness in your head of just like it's something I hate to do and I hate to practice, but I have to. So and it's in order to get better, in order to be the best that you can, you just kind of have to suck it up, basically and just have mental toughness and I always say to like my coaches, like if there's something you feel like I need to work on, let's work on it, but I also don't want to get killed.
Speaker 1:So and my coaches are very like I know, like. Nicole Levy is very I don't know the word, she's just very understanding of it and she's like we're going to practice these shots on you but that's why we have multiple goalies just to keep rotating through. So it's like you're really able to, mentally, you're able to focus on. Ok, I have like three or four of these crappy shots that I have to take, but then I get a break and then I get to do it again.
Speaker 3:So I kind of I think it's just kind of that mental toughness of that whole part, and there's nothing wrong with getting padded up. I don't know, do you wear any extra leg pads or no?
Speaker 1:I do not personally know crap out of me, so I kind of just am like I suck it up and my trainer's very nice. So, yeah, john, john's really there for me. And he's there when I come in and complain and then he's like, why don't you put shingars? I'm like, no, I'm never doing that because I just don't want to. I've never worn them growing up, so yeah, I hear you.
Speaker 3:I found these, um, these, uh like compre, these compression sleeve. I don't have a pair with me here, but they're kind of like for compression sleeve that have like shin and knee pads and they feel really good.
Speaker 3:And then and then I found the same thing with thighs as well, and it's kind of like really thin, so like it might even still leave a mark, but like not those horrific orange and yellow and green bruises that you and I know so well. Anyway, thigh pro is the thigh thing, and then um, pro slide is the is the shins gotcha they, they, they send me a bunch.
Speaker 3:And then, um, if you, if you're listening to this, you can use coupon code lgr and they give you like a discount, perfect, yeah. And then also you got these softballs like the squishy balls, the champion squishy balls, which are pretty cool because they have like a decent size weight to them but, like you know, they're not solid rubber yeah, cool. So talk to me about your recruiting experience. I would love to, uh, I'd love to hear that, like where does it start. When did you first realize? Uh, you wanted to play division one lacrosse.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So I will definitely say my recruiting journey was very different than most. Um, I kind of got caught before the rule passed. I was in sixth grade and I was. My dad was like right, if you want to go play in college, we got to start this recruiting process now. So I really started that recruiting process in sixth grade, Um, kind of just talking to coaches because we were allowed to at the time kind of building relationships with different coaches, Um, and then I played for M and D for the rest of my club career in about seventh grade and my assistant coach, his daughter, played at Florida, so he was able to get us in contact with Florida around when I was seventh, eighth grade. And then, once I was in eighth grade, the rule passed.
Speaker 1:So all these relationships that I kind of built up with all these coaches I kind of had to put to a halt relationships that I kind of built up with all these coaches I kind of had to put to a halt, which definitely was the best decision I've ever made or has ever been made for me, basically.
Speaker 1:And so after that it was like, I think, two years of just no contact which really opened up my eyes, because I was dead set on. I was really only looking at two schools at the time and it was Penn State and Florida, and I didn't really think about anything else. So the two years that I was able to kind of just relax about the entire process really opened up my eyes to what schools did I really want? Did I want a big school, a small school, a midsize school? Did I want it South? Did I want it North? And once it came to September 1st, I really took my time and just like was able to analyze all the schools that, um, fortunately, came in contact with me. And then I just realized that I had a deep love for Florida and there was no place like that place. And I always say if you get butterflies coming onto that campus and you can see yourself at that school without playing a sport, that's your home.
Speaker 1:So that was kind of my recruiting process.
Speaker 3:Awesome. Um, and yeah, I mean it's, it's uh.
Speaker 1:I've never been on the campus, but I've been to Florida a few times and it's beautiful down there. Yeah, no, palm trees everywhere. Um, yeah I, you're tan. All the time I will say I will say when we're not playing lacrosse, we're pretty much sitting by the pool. So it's awesome, football's awesome. That's another big reason I went.
Speaker 3:There was oh yeah, yeah, I went to Cal and we had we had a good football team when I was there and those those game days were really some of my favorite memories, so they're just so much fun.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, definitely Very looking. I'm looking forward to that going back, so our teammates are all talking about it already. So definitely a lot of fun.
Speaker 3:You know who I know really well is Sarah Resnick.
Speaker 1:Yes, I love Sarah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Sarah is awesome. Talk to me about playing with her and kind of what you learned from her as a goalie and a leader.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, sarah was. I will say she was a lot of help coming into college. She was a great person to look up to, she was a great role model to play with, and me and her have had lots of conversations and I still have conversations to like to this day with her, even her being out and graduated and everything Um, she really kind of understands sometimes when I get frustrated. She knows where I'm coming from, so it's a familiar, uh like voice to listen to, and playing with her was just amazing. She really taught me how to just stay positive in the goal to when kind of crap arises, and she was able to just, um, if anything bad happens, she knew how to turn it around to be something positive and kind of look at it in a different way, which I really envy from her, and that's, I think, the biggest thing I learned from her.
Speaker 1:So, and then we really just we fed off of each other in practice and we were very competitive with each other, but in a really healthy way. So if she made a save, I'm like, all right, I'm going to make a save, and we kind of just played games with each other which just kept practice interesting. So I will say that's the biggest, like me and Georgia Hoy. Now too, we do the same thing as well. So the dynamic that we have like within our little goalie world at school is just it's amazing, and I couldn't ask for a better just like unit to have with all of them.
Speaker 3:Yeah, well, that's a great relationship to have, um, you know, with within the Goldie room. Is that you know, you guys? Are super competitive, but you're also supportive, right. So you're pushing each other and, like you want to outperform the other, but at the same time, it's not coming from this malicious way Like you want you. It's coming from, uh, um, you know, from from teamwork.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, I agree, cause want you, it's coming from, uh, um, you know, from, from teamwork. Yeah, no, I agree, cause, ultimately, too, it's. We're not making the decisions on who gets to start, who gets to play or anything. That's a coach's decision to make, and that's the one thing that we always tell each other. We're like it's a coach's decision at the end of the day, whether we agree with it or not, but that we're here to be one unit, one team, and we have to support each other, no matter what.
Speaker 3:So awesome. So when you get to Florida, would you say that your goalie game changed? Do you start doing things a little?
Speaker 1:differently. Talk to me about that. Oh yeah, definitely. Once you get into college it's definitely as a whole new game that you kind of have to adjust to and it definitely takes a little bit longer. Probably different for every person, but I know for me it definitely took a little bit longer and I think once you just start playing like it's a very fast, faster game.
Speaker 1:Once you get to college and the rules are different, like in a sense too, because everything's just fast and it's just go, go, go. But I think once you get the hang of it, once you're in there and you're getting the repetition, and you're just really able to develop like that reaction time or just the like understanding of everything that's happening. So I definitely say well, it has definitely elevated. Coming just from a little small town to in Maryland, where lacrosse is not the best down here too, so you're going up against the best of the best once you get to college. So your game has to elevate, whether you like it or not, if you want to be good.
Speaker 3:So yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And you think that comes with with just with reps, or or is there something else involved there? Cause a lot of times the goalies will ask me you know when they're making that um leap in progression, whether it be, you know, from like junior high to high school. That's probably the most common question. How do I? How do I, how do I?
Speaker 1:how do I prepare myself? What you know? What do you say to those goalies? I will say just, I think for me, when I went from like middle school to high school, I think I really just focused on getting game experience, because practice you can only see so much like you're practicing to prep for games, but the real experience comes from the games. So I know like when I was in middle school and high school, I played just a lot of like pickup games and I was able to like if a team ever needed like a goalie for like one game, I was able just to go like hop in with them. So I think it's really just getting all of that like live experience that's going to really help you and it's going to give you a better IQ of like what's to expect, because everything is really unexpected during this game. So I think just kind of getting that repetition and getting those live experiences like really help.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and you might have to seek it out too. I mean, you know like, go, maybe go to another club and ask for their best shooter, right, and get those, get those high quality reps, so that you know when you, when you then go into the high school level, you've you've seen that type of shot before.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, definitely I will. You definitely have to do a lot of work yourself, just kind of putting yourself in uncomfortable situations to become comfortable and when it comes to kind of talking to different people, like joining like different pickup teams, joining like another team, if you like have to, or anything, just really about being comfortable in the uncomfortable.
Speaker 3:I will say yeah, yeah, yeah Right. Or like pushing yourself outside of that comfort zone so that, like it then becomes comfortable and then keep, keep, keep doing that and that's how you kind of expand
Speaker 1:as a goalie.
Speaker 3:Say again it's all about that mental toughness in that aspect as a goalie, say again, it's all about that mental toughness in that aspect. Yeah, yeah, love it. Um, I was a little surprised to look at your roster and see only two goalies on there. Um, yeah, it seems like most teams have more than that. What do you know why there's only two goalies?
Speaker 1:I personally do not know Um, we I guess that's just how our coaching staff wanted it Um so, and we we roll with it. So me and Georgia have a great time and we love it Um, cause, I mean, we're very good friends too. So we have a grand old time and I know that my freshman year Sarah was there and then Julie was there too. So I've been in the rotation with three and um it works perfectly.
Speaker 1:But I think um, our coaching staff really just wanted to have two, and I know, towards like once we, once we're in like pre-season and everything, um, like this year we were, we needed like one more goalie just to kind of take reps off a little bit for me in Georgia, just because our practice was so intense that we needed a third goalie. So we kind of brought in the boys like the club lacks boys goalie and he came like once or twice a week just for like our more like intense practices, so to kind of just relieve us from like the one B ones and stuff like that. But other than that, I think having two goalies is perfect.
Speaker 3:How did that goalie do?
Speaker 1:He did very well. I will say we joke around and say that he was the reason we got so far in the final four, because it was a different goalie and goal. So it made our shooters really think and really focus on different places to shoot, because he played a different way.
Speaker 3:So it was a lot of fun, so we loved it. It wasn't, uh, matthew Corazon, was it?
Speaker 1:no, no, Kyle, okay, um anyway, I had.
Speaker 3:I had Matthew uh, florida club goalie on the podcast a long time ago so I was just curious but, um, there was a couple uh games where Georgia started and then you came in, and I think there was a couple games where Georgia started and then you came in, and I think there was a couple games vice versa, right when, where you know you started and then, and then she, she kind of relieved you. What, when she gets the start for you personally. What is your? You know, talk to me about sort of your mindset as the backup.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, I think I think just for me, like I saw it as another opportunity just to keep working. I knew that I it was another opportunity that I needed to prove that I wanted that starting position and I, fortunately enough, was able to like have that towards the end of the season. But I also know that it was a time that I had to support. I had to. It was kind of a teaching moment for me. It's not a negative thing, it's just there was stuff that I needed to work on that she was better at and she ended up getting that job in certain times and, fortunately enough, I was able to work for it and I got it towards the end of the season. But I think also to just supporting her. I really needed to learn how to support her and not have a bad attitude and it taught me. It taught me very well. So my mindset is completely different, um, from the beginning of the season towards the end.
Speaker 3:So what, um? What would you say you're working on in your game right now?
Speaker 1:I think in my game right now it's just kind of relaxing.
Speaker 1:Um, my coaches say it's me all the time Like I get very tense because I just think so much and I think if it's it's the end of the world if I can't make a save sometimes. So I think right now, like even with me and our back, we're really just working on just kind of relaxing. And he always tells me he's like just smile through it and just kind of laugh like make it fun. So cause if I make it fun, obviously it's more enjoyable. So I think that's what I'm really really just working on right now is just really having fun with it and just just laughing through it. Basically because lacrosse is only like a short part of our life and we only have so much that we can play. Um, even like getting older, hopefully, like with it being in the Olympics, like it definitely will carry on longer, but right now it's just a short part of our life that we're really like you're given this opportunity that now many people are given, and just kind of really being grateful and just enjoying it.
Speaker 3:So great perspective. Great perspective yeah, I talk about that quite a bit Awesome. Well, and then you guys had a phenomenal season. I mean, you started out like one and two or you know, lost the first couple of games and, on a tremendous run all the way to the semifinals, right Winning, you know, winning the conference title on the way. I mean, talk to me about you know, what was your favorite moment of the season? Was it winning that conference championship or something else?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think the entire season it was just an amazing season. I've never been a part of a team as fun and just enjoyable and competitive as I have this past team. And I think my probably my favorite part was definitely winning that conference championship. Because we knew that we played JMU like in the past and it's easy to beat a team once but it's even harder to beat a team twice. So we really knew that like they were coming guns, a blazing and we didn't want to put up with it. So I think just kind of stomping on their throats a little bit um really made us like it.
Speaker 1:It really made us a lot like very happy. So, and I think that really fed into when we had that first game against UNC and I think that that game was definitely my favorite game of the entire season, I will say just because we also knew that we got our butts whooped in the beginning of the season by them and we had something to prove. So playing them and just killing them as much as we did, it was definitely like a very good feeling for us and I think that even carried all the way to the final four because we just needed something to prove. So had a lot of fun this year.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, 14 saves on eight goals against. For you, that game Not. Not too shabby. Not too shabby Cool. Well, good luck in the upcoming season. It's going to be fun to watch, let's see. I wanted to ask you more about the mental game. We touched on it a little bit, but you know what other mental toughness lessons come to mind for you. Do you guys have a sports psychologist there that you work with at Florida, or no?
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, we kind of like once a month we meet with our sports psychologist and we kind of just go through things.
Speaker 1:We make it more team aspect, not just, and we kind of break. Go through things, um, we make it more team aspect, not just and we kind of break up into like different positions, but we also really make it important to really understand each unit. So like we work to get like defenders and attackers will split in half and we'll work together as defenders and attackers to kind of understand each other's mentality, um, because you never know, uh, what they're thinking. So I think it's very beneficial for us to kind of just be have that open line of communication with everybody, especially with a roster full of 45 girls. Like you're not going to know every single little detail about every girl, but having somebody that can kind of lead us through that really helps a lot.
Speaker 3:Awesome. So getting to know sort of getting to know the other units and I don't know, developing that relationship with them sort of helps you in the, in your, in your mental game as well. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, definitely I know that I'm probably my one of my best friends is is Maggie Hall. So Maggie Hall is our like, was our big attacker and she, me and her had a great relationship because we were able to talk through different things even while we were on the field and she was able to help me. Like when she would come and do her crease roll, she was able to help me tell me kind of where I am in the goal and how it could, how, what she's seeing, and then I would tell her what I'm seeing from her perspective. So definitely, kind of becoming best friends with different units really just helps enhance your IQ of the game.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, I remember I would do that too. You know, with attackers on our team is just kind of give them. Give them little tips, right, Like you know, when you're coming around the crease, like don't, don't shoot it right here, Take two more steps, Then like I have to move across and I'm not going to be able to get there. So yeah, I mean just kind of giving them tips and that I think that helps your team.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, definitely better. So, yeah, who's got the hardest shot on your team? Is it Maggie? Probably either Matt or Maggie's more of like a finesse shooter, so she's very good at just dumping it over here. But I think Emily Heller was had the hardest shot, and because she would just shoot to shoot most of the time. Because how? Because of how hard it was, so definitely always afraid, because she would just shoot whether she had one defender in front of her at four. So it was shot that was always coming from her stick, just because she was. She was so driven just to get that goal.
Speaker 3:So yeah, so she's the type of player like when she gets a eight meter free position, she just she lets it fly right, right from the eight meter.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, she's got a great windup shot, so she's been working on it, so she she was very good, definitely somebody that was very hard to read while she shot.
Speaker 3:Does she?
Speaker 1:do that Like Charlotte North windup, uh deal, no, no, no, she just kind of sits there, she takes like two, two or three steps and she shoots, but she's got a very good shot.
Speaker 3:So okay, um, I always ask the female goalies for their you know when, when there is an eight meter free position, uh, play. How do you? How do you handle that? Do you have sort of routine, that routine that you go through?
Speaker 1:um, I do not personally know, because I just am focused on that little yellow ball and I literally as soon as that amy nurse called I, just I set up. I don't need to get in my ready position just yet, because sometimes if I'm holding it too long, like then, I just become unfocused yeah so I kind of I just relax a little bit.
Speaker 1:I I'd like kind of just I just watch what everybody's doing, how everybody's setting up, and then my eyes are just on that little yellow ball. So I really I don't have much of a routine and I just want to save that little yellow ball. So that's what I'm watching.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's funny. You mentioned that because, um, a goalie sent me some tape to like look at the eight meter shot, and that was like one of my feedback points is like she's just sitting there in this stand in her stance, like waiting and waiting, and waiting and waiting and then the whistle blows and then the shot comes and it's like you don't need to do that because the more I mean, ideally you can hold your stance, but like being in that you know sort of I don't know like squat, a little bit of a, like a athletic position like it gets tired right and you get tense.
Speaker 1:Yeah, very tense, very tense. So you don't, you don't want to be tensed up and the longer you're holding that little ready position, the more tense you're going to get and you're not going to be able to be as quick as you possibly can to that ball, because your body's tired.
Speaker 3:Right. So it's right, before the whistle you get in your stance and then and then go right.
Speaker 1:I yeah, I kind of like I kind of know the timing now when it comes to like whistleblowns. Every like once I see girls set up, that's when I kind of get into my stance. I don't really look at the ref much, I really just focus on that little yellow ball, but I kind of I have like a little like timing that I know. So it's just one of those like internal things. I don't even know how to explain it Like.
Speaker 3:I just know, right, I know what you mean. Yeah, cause it's kind of like, um, like I wrestled in high school. That was like my main sport, right, and so like in wrestling they would like get, you'd get the two wrestlers set and then he would sort of back away, but there was always like a time, you know, where you could kind of like sense like whistles coming right now and then bam, and then beat the other guy off the whistle. So I know what you know what you're talking about. Yeah, um, okay, cool. Um, well, elise, thank you so much for coming on the show. Um, wish you tons of uh luck in the upcoming season. And, um, oh, how about the gear? What kind of what kind of stick are you using these days?
Speaker 1:yeah, I use the stx eclipse and I just have, like I'm very plain and simple, plain jane, I got three, three lines across and that's all I need.
Speaker 3:So I kind of two or the three, or the original the three.
Speaker 1:You got the three, okay cool so I kind of I like to feel the ball come off. So when I like to feel it hit the lip a little bit but not nothing fancy, I'm a very I'm a creature of habit, so I don't really like to change it up. And my coach knows at school that we just got all the Lisa sticks. Nothing's ever changing.
Speaker 3:So yeah, um, I saw a picture of you and you had some tape and said special Olympics. Could you tell me about that? I think that was yeah. Yeah, I think I have.
Speaker 1:I have one that said I think I have one that says Morgan's message and then I changed it to like Jada strong.
Speaker 1:So Jada strong, she was our like little friend that we had like on the team. She was diagnosed with cancer, really battling that. So we kind of we play for her every single game and she comes when she can. She comes to Gainesville a lot. So I really just try and focus on um playing for something bigger and that's one of the reasons why I do love Morgan's message as well as just playing for something bigger than the sport of lacrosse. So yeah, Awesome, Elise.
Speaker 3:thank you so much If you had to leave the goalies out there. With a final piece of advice, what would that be?
Speaker 1:Probably just to have fun. I really just I'm really big into just having fun, enjoy it and just really develop like a mental toughness aspect to it and just keep working hard. So never be satisfied and just keep working hard. So never be satisfied and just keep working hard.
Speaker 3:So there you have it. Hope you enjoyed that chat with Elise. Hope you learned some things that you can apply to your own lacrosse goalie game. Going to be awesome to watch her battle it out again in her senior year. Senior year coming up, she's got two more years left as she redshirted her freshman year, but this will be her senior year, so hopefully she can repeat that success and take Florida all the way back. They made it to the semis. Hopefully they can make it to the national championship this time around. That was my conversation with Elise Fennell.
Speaker 3:If you're looking for some lacrosse goalie coaching or training yourself, I want to invite you to enjoy to join the Lax Goalie Rat Academy. It's my private vault of training videos and there are thousands of videos, hundreds of hours of content and it's going to teach you everything that you need to know to be an elite goalie. To end up where Elise is at, you've got the technical training, the mental training, the physical training. You've got drills. You've got how to string sticks. You've got lacrosse IQ training. Watching plays and breaking down saves Awesome stuff. It's just $40 a month. Get in there, consume as much content as you can for just $40. Go to laxgoalieratcom slash camp laxgoldiratcom slash camp. Laxgoldiratcom slash camp. To learn all about that. Hope to see you on the inside. That'll do it for this week. We'll be back next week with another episode. In the meantime, do well and be well. I'm Coach Damon, take care.
Speaker 2:You've been listening to the Lax Goldirat Podcast With your host, Coach Damon.
