Embracing the unknown: Lacrosse team welcomes risk while building a new program
The Central Michigan lacrosse team might be starting from scratch, but Head Coach Sara Tisdale isn’t.
This isn’t her first startup project or first lacrosse experience at CMU. The 2006 Chippewa graduate played on CMU's club team before coaching club lacrosse at Michigan State. In 2010, she started a Division III lacrosse program at Augustana College in Illinois and went 51-8 in her three seasons in charge. The Vikings went 16-1 last season.
(MORE: Lacrosse connects university to Saginaw Chippewa Tribe roots)
Tisdale said her experience at Augustana taught her how to start a program and was likely a main factor in her hiring at CMU in July 2014. She said she began recruiting the same day.
“You’ve really got to find that student that is a great fit for CMU that happens to be a great lacrosse player,” she said. “You can’t sacrifice either in the process. I definitely learned that from Augustana.”
Tisdale said she was able to find student-athletes who were a good fit for CMU. One of those women is goalkeeper Dominique Hamman, who was also considering playing for fellow Division I school Niagara University.
Hamman called the opportunity to come to CMU a risk, but it also came with familiar territory for the New York native.
“At my old high school, we kind of went through the same thing,” she said. “I played goalie for our first ever varsity team, so I knew the reward that came along with that risk. Just because we’re young doesn’t mean we’re less than anybody else.”
Tisdale brought in some players who were offered spots at other schools and others who “flew under the radar.”
Some are on scholarship, others are not. She said the common element amongst the first class is their excitement about the uncertainty of building a new program and the opportunity it creates to leave a legacy.
“The student-athletes that didn’t choose CMU, I think a lot of times it was because they went with an option that they knew exactly they were walking into,” Tisdale said. “But those honestly weren’t the student-athletes we wanted. We wanted student-athletes excited about building and excited about going through some of the challenges.”
Competing on the field
The team played its first regular season competition in program history Sunday against Michigan in Ann Arbor, losing 14-1. Tisdale and her players see the risk of joining a program without a foundation as exciting.
The team has a 16-game schedule, which includes eight games in Atlantic Sun Conference play. There could be some setbacks this season, she said, and the key to handling setbacks is overcoming adversity as a team.
“They want to do well,” Tisdale said. “We’ve preached that culture of the work you put into it is going to get the results we all want. I think we’ve seen our team take the bull by the horns off the field and know that work will pay off.”
Tisdale said the unknown factor of a new program applies to opposing teams when preparing a game plan. CMU had three years of games to study when getting ready to play Michigan. For the Chippewas, the players themselves didn’t even know who would be starting come Sunday, much less the other team.
“It’s definitely a risk,” said freshman midfielder Natalie Bloniarz. “To not have an upperclassman (on the team) is kind of a scary aspect of joining a first-year program, but I think all of us can agree that we’re excited to start a new program here.”Tisdale said playing time is earned based on how well the players compete.
“One of the great things about (starting) a new program is starting spots are up for grabs,” Tisdale said. “There’s no expectation of ‘OK, I’ve been the starting goalie for three years and this is my spot.’ Every game is a great opportunity to compete for a spot and for playing time.”
Stepping onto campus
The 25 freshmen and one sophomore arrived from all across the country and internationally, from California to Canada, with five coming from Michigan. Tisdale said team-building has been a part of the process and chemistry is the main objective.
“One of the biggest challenges is how you create the culture and the chemistry that’s not already there,” Tisdale said. “It’s actually something that I love, building that off-the-field connection and forming a unique culture within the team.”
The team had to practice Friday how to line up during pregame when starting lineups are announced and what to do during the national anthem, Tisdale said.
“The softball program, for example, they’ve always done that,” she said. “The older players teach the younger players. Those are some of the small little things that a new program has to do.”
“If you have great team chemistry off the field, you will see an exciting team product on the field,” Tisdale said.
The team-building focus amped up over the summer as the inaugural roster was getting prepared to move to Mount Pleasant. Freshman midfielder Logan Halvorson said a GroupMe was created as a way for the players to become comfortable with one another.
“That really brings us closer together,” Halvorson said. “If someone needs help with homework or wants to go to the (cafeteria), we usually just text in that. It makes it easier for everyone.”
The team-building continued into the fall. During Labor Day weekend, the team traveled to the Upper Peninsula to the Hiawatha Sportsman’s Club in Engadine. Halvorson said Assistant Coach Mackenzie Lawler’s family has connections with the club. The team rented out cabins and bonded over meals and activities.
“It was definitely a great experience getting away from lacrosse and school and connecting as a team and program and learning new things about each other,” Halvorson said.
Tisdale said no cell phones were used during the trip and there were “no distractions.”
“We were definitely a different team when we came across the bridge back down,” Tisdale said.
Bloniarz said the team bonded one Sunday by playing elementary school games in a gym.
Tisdale graduated from CMU with a degree in physical education. She said she wanted to share her true passion with her team and brought out parachutes and scooters for a fun and “active” evening, taking another step in forming a foundation for the Chippewas.
