If you鈥檝e ever started a business, you can identify with Ann Elliott. Her startup is lacrosse at the University of Colorado, and it鈥檚 been just under two years in the making.
In the making is not completely accurate, because CU lax remains a work in progress and won鈥檛 grow out of that definition for at least a couple of years. But 鈥淎nnie鈥� Elliott is a patient business woman and her 鈥渋nvestors鈥� say they鈥檙e in it for the long run.
Elliott officially opened the doors of her business on Thursday, Feb. 13 in DeLand, Fla., with her young Buffs winning the school鈥檚 inaugural lacrosse venture 12-4 over Stetson. Since then, games have been lost at Jacksonville (20-13) and at No. 18 University of Denver (15-4). CU鈥檚 historic grand opening 鈥� the first home game 鈥� is Saturday at noon against Regis.
A little over a week ago, Elliott told me when she was named head coach on March 26, 2012, her first season/first game seemed an eternity away. But from there to eternity arrived in the blink of an eye.
鈥淚 remember thinking that February 2014 was such a long, long time away,鈥� Elliott said. 鈥淭hen, all of a sudden, it was here.鈥�
Rest assured, while Elliott waited she wasn鈥檛 on hold. There was s-o-o-o much to do. A three-time national champion as a player at Northwestern, she looked to her alma mater for her staff, hiring Colleen Magarity and Hannah Nielsen. To stock their roster, the Northwestern Three looked east, west and everywhere above and in between.
CU鈥檚 first-ever lax roster is comprised of 21 freshmen and two sophomores. The geographic breakdown: four players from New Jersey, four from Massachusetts, four from Colorado, three from California, three from Maryland, two from New York and one each from Indiana, Illinois and Georgia.
In time, as her sport takes an even firmer hold in-state, Elliott wants to 鈥渟eal the borders鈥� and lure the best Colorado players to Boulder. But that doesn鈥檛 mean she wants to skimp on the travel portion of her recruiting budget.
鈥淵ou want to get kids out of Colorado every year and we want the best kids that fit our style of play to stay here,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t can be a challenge; some people want to leave, but a lot want to come back once they leave 鈥� and I can understand why. But we want Colorado to be a big part of our program, we want to prove that out here it doesn鈥檛 matter where you鈥檙e from, you can compete and win championships.鈥�
I ASKED HER, WITH CU COMPETING听in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), if the Buffs would be more likely to go west rather than east to recruit. She said that won鈥檛 become a tendency: 鈥淔or us it鈥檚 about getting the right kid and the right fit. We鈥檒l go wherever we need to go . . . our sport attracts people from all over. We don鈥檛 have to stick to one state; we can go out to the different connections we have. I鈥檝e got one assistant (Magarity) from Pennsylvania, so we鈥檝e got East Coast connections. We鈥檒l go where we have to find kids.鈥�
The kids on this roster are just that 鈥� kids. Elliott, Magarity and Nielsen aren鈥檛 exactly running a day-care center, but think about it like this: at this time last year, 98 percent of her roster hadn鈥檛 been sized for caps and gowns for high school graduation.
Still, Elliott says don鈥檛 be fooled by the Buffs鈥� youth. Experience might be the missing ingredient, but young or not, they are hyper eager and accustomed to playing hard and competing.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very exciting,鈥� Elliott said. 鈥淎 lot of people talk about the youth here and yeah, we鈥檙e a young team on paper but our freshmen are getting a lot of experience in every game. They keep it exciting; they have the energy and the belief in themselves. Every game we go into, they go in knowing they can compete and now it鈥檚 being able to focus on the little things that make a difference.鈥�
I wondered if coaching such a young team required more patience from her and her staff. Her answer: 鈥淢aybe a little (but) we have to be able to put ourselves back into when we were freshmen. We鈥檝e had so many more years of experience at some things that come natural to us now. They鈥檙e not natural to our kids and we can鈥檛 expect them to be natural yet. That鈥檚 on us to kind of break it down and start reinforcing these basic things and help them learn. A little patience maybe, but I think it鈥檚 about being more able to step back and realize how you break things down so that our young kids can understand when they鈥檝e never been put in these situations before.鈥�
That goes both ways; Elliott, Magarity and Nielson were superior players but are doing it by the numbers as upper division college coaches. At this point 鈥� three games into her sport鈥檚 debut season 鈥� the 鈥榃鈥檚 and 鈥楲鈥檚 aren鈥檛 as critical as laying the foundation. It鈥檚 a get-it-right then get-it-done process that can鈥檛 be rushed.
鈥淥ur biggest focus is on getting better every day,鈥� Elliott said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not too concerned with winning and losing 鈥� just the effort our kids put in every day in practice and games. We look at film, discuss are we doing the little things that it鈥檚 going to take down the road to win championships? We鈥檙e making sure they鈥檙e putting in that effort every day. If you build confidence and understand that matters and that you have to compete, we鈥檒l get to where we want to go.鈥�
On-field communication, said Elliott, is among the early issues that are being addressed. Handling defensive pressure when an opponent presses at midfield or beyond is another, she said. 鈥淐an our kids handle that, having that poise to make smart decisions? But those things are easy to tighten up.鈥�
鈥淰eteran鈥� leadership on a basically freshman team is non-existent, but the roster鈥檚 lone Georgian 鈥� Johnna Fusco from Marietta 鈥� said leaders are emerging. Forging team chemistry 鈥渉as taken us a while, but we鈥檝e come a long way,鈥� said Fusco, who earned the MPSF Rookie of The Week award after CU鈥檚 weekend split in Florida. 鈥淚 definitely feel chemistry on offense now . . . we still have a little bit to go.鈥�
FUSCO, A MIDFIELDER, IS AMONG听a number of Buffs who cited the historical aspect of being on the ground floor of building a program among the reasons they chose CU. 鈥淏uilding a program and setting a lot of traditions was something I really wanted to do,鈥� she said. 鈥淜nowing that everyone (in future classes) would come behind this team was a big factor for me.鈥�
Ditto for Cali Castagnola, one of the trio of Californians (she鈥檚 from Alamo) on the CU roster. 鈥淵eah, coming in with a whole new program, starting from nothing . . . I thought that was pretty cool,鈥� said Castagnola, whose six goals are tied with Katie Macleay, Marie Moore and Fusco for team highs.
Castagnola and Fusco have been anticipating Saturday鈥檚 home opener, and both believe there鈥檚 an eagerness (and maybe a bit of curiosity) on campus about their sport. Promoting has been done in dorms, by word of mouth, and on fliers posted around campus.
鈥淚 see some of my teammates鈥� faces on posters . . . that鈥檚 cool to see,鈥� Castagnola said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a pretty big deal for CU in general and for us,鈥� added Fusco. 鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping we get a really good crowd . . . we watched (on Tuesday) while they were setting up the field at Folsom. We鈥檙e getting pretty excited for Saturday.鈥�
From near dawn to well after dusk, the whole campus should be abuzz. ESPN鈥檚 College GameDay makes its first basketball stop in Boulder, previewing that night鈥檚 CU vs. No. 4 Arizona game at the Coors Events Center and giving the campus and community a rosy dose of national exposure. The CEC doors open at 6 a.m. for GameDay鈥檚 morning telecast, with tipoff Saturday night at 7:05 p.m.
By then, Elliott鈥檚 team will have introduced lacrosse to Buffs fans on campus. It鈥檚 a big enough deal for Ralphie to make a rare off-season appearance, leading Elliott and her young team onto Folsom Field. Admission and parking (lots 168, 169, 396) are free, with the first 500 fans receiving a lacrosse ball to commemorate the home debut of CU鈥檚 newest sport.
鈥淥ur student athletes been walking around telling everyone that we have a game on Feb. 22 in Folsom and I think that energy is exciting and the student response is exciting as well,鈥� Elliott said. 鈥淚t could be a fun-filled day.鈥�
Could be, should be fun 鈥撎齜ut definitely a day of CU firsts.
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This article appears courtesy of听听B.G. Brooks, contributing editor, .
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