As both Gretna high schools grow in population and spirit, students are getting the chance to participate in a variety of different sports. The most recent example of this is the new addition of a boy’s lacrosse team. While the team is young, Head Coach Tyson Svodoba, Assistant Coach Joe Burbach and the players’ families behind the new team have big plans for the first official season.
The first practices of the off-season start next week at Aspen Creek Middle School. The first few will give players an opportunity to meet with their coaches and learn the expectations of the season.
“There are a few Gretna kids and there were a few parents that were behind it that wanted to grow something into eventually having Gretna their own team,” Coach Svodoba said. “They were just short on numbers and resources, so they brought me on board to get around the kids and be around the program.”
Although GHS was split into two separate high schools this school year, GHS and GEHS will share a combined lacrosse team. To prepare for the coming season, the coaches plan to arrange strength training and winter conditioning before the actual spring season starts.
“We really like to hard prep in the summers,” Coach Svodoba said. “Like, what is our fall season going to look like, what is winter lifting going to look like? Whatever we can do to be the most proactive as possible has always been kind of a huge goal of mine.”
Joining lacrosse can also give athletes the opportunity to stay in shape during the off-season of other sports. Coach Svoboda said he wanted to emphasize that this is a great chance to start a new sport or perfect things like hand-eye coordination and different movements.
However, having new players may have an impact on the team’s initial performance. The coaches expect to take extra time going over the fundamentals with them.
“I anticipate there being some skill struggles just because the team is so young, not a lot of guys have been playing for too long,” Coach Burbach said. “I think experience will be the biggest hurdle, but I don’t think we will have a hard time overcoming it.”
One of the most important aspects of a team sport to Coach Svodoba is the culture and environment that the players are able to produce for their teammates. He said he believes that the best teams are made of players that want to be there, which is what he plans on pushing for his team.
“I truly believe that your team only goes as far as your locker room,” Coach Svodoba said. “Those teams that really kind of exceed and go to that next level, I really do think that comes from a locker room mentality and how the players vibe together.”
The team plans on going head-first into the season, learning and mastering new skills and developing strong team culture.
