More lacrosse players should start coaching – Brentlinger
Published:Wednesday | January 6, 2021 | 12:07 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
National lacrosse women’s head coach, Karli Brentlinger, says that she hopes to see more players taking on coaching roles, following in the footsteps of Jamaica College’s (JC) head coach Monique Morrison.
Morrison was appointed to the position in October 2019, becoming the first women’s head coach of any sporting programme in the history of the institution. A member of the national senior team for four years, she had previous stints at Alpha Academy and St Hugh’s High School, before accepting the job at JC. In her first full season last year, she guided the team to the finals of the Taino Cup.
Brentlinger says that the improvements that she has made with the team have been a testament to her drive and commitment to the sport.
“I mean it’s incredible. It speaks to her abilities as a coach and her work ethic. To see what she has been able to do, I think her passion absolutely shows through what she’s doing. She’s very passionate about the sport, she’s passionate about teaching the sport,” Brentlinger told The Gleaner.
JC were expected to meet Kingston College (KC) in the final; however, the match was suspended because of the local spread of the coronavirus disease and subsequently resulted in bringing the season to a close. KC were awarded the title due to their better statistical performance throughout the season.
develop future
Brentlinger says that she hopes that other national players will follow a similar path in giving back to the lacrosse community through coaching, as it will help to develop future national players and improve the overall profile of the sport locally.
“I think that’s exactly what we want to see with our players that are coming through the high-school leagues, that are competing on the world stage for the national teams and the Under-19 for the women and the boys and the men as well,” Brentlinger said “It’s giving back to the sport of lacrosse and giving back to the Jamaica Lacrosse Association and continuing that passion and that fire to bring up a younger generation under coaches who have experience playing lacrosse and competing on the world stage. That’s exactly what we want to see; our young players getting back into coaching and giving back.”
Meanwhile, Brentlinger is hoping for local support should lacrosse be added to the Olympic sporting portfolio soon. The sport is one of the disciplines being considered to be included for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.