A big thanks to the folks at Team One for helping kick off the first U15 practice of the spring. Over 20 Bandits were put through fast pace, high tempo, team training on Monday night at Lake Forest College. The girls really enjoyed meeting and training with Dave, Mark, and Jane.
The Bandits are fortunate to have discovered and hired Dalia Snediker, a recent transfer from University of Denver. Delia, a local 2014 Loyola Academy graduate and DU lacrosse player will be instrumental in developing our young lacrosse players. Delia played her club lacrosse with the Wildcat Elite Club from Northwestern University. Delia will pass along the skills she has learned while playing for top level teams in high school, club, and Division 1 lacrosse. We are so excited to have her join our staff this spring.
Due to the popularity of the Bandits lacrosse program, all three teams have closed out their spring rosters. The Bandits have grown to 70 players this spring. Our most recent recruiting efforts were focused on our new middle school team, which will be comprised of 4th and 5th grade girls. If we can have girls learning lacrosse in the Bandits program at these early ages, they will really be outstanding as they mature.
The Bandits have secured indoor space at Lake Forest College for the first two lacrosse practices of the spring season. Those opening practices will be Tuesday, March 29th in the evening followed by a Sunday afternoon practice, April 3rd. Our first game is April 9th. After those initial indoor practices the Bandits will be having their practices on Mondays and Wednesdays with games on Saturdays. We are very excited about our new location at Woodland Academy……if needed we have the option of taking our practices indoor into their gym.
The Bandits proudly announce the hiring of Shennelle Feather as a coach for our program. Feather brings six years of coaching experience. She served as Assistant Women’s basketball coach at Trinity International University, located in Deerfield, Ill. from 2008-2013. Prior to coaching Feather was a member of the TIU Varsity Women’s Basketball team, serving as team captain for 3 years.
Shennelle is an outstanding example for our girls of a young woman with excellent character and discipline. “I love coaching, I have a passion for seeing people grow and develop. My coaching inspirations are John Wooden, Pat Summit, Geno Auriemma, and my college basketball coach Summer Fine. From these coaches I’ve learned many life lessons, most importantly how to be a great teammate and person on and off the playing arena. I hope I can bring an unrelenting thirst for knowledge and passion for life to the Bandits program”, Feather says.
Feather is an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. She grew up on the Cherokee Indian reservation in Cherokee, North Carolina.
The Bandits are excited to continue their 2016 Spring league play in the NSCL conference. The league has expanded to 6 teams and 2 affiliate teams. It is an exciting time for girls lacrosse on the North Shore–our league is growing in leaps and bounds. We are guaranteed a total of 7 league games with 2 referees at each game. The league makes for interesting competition for our girls. There are higher level travel teams, such as NSU, The Wind, and Players 360 and there are community based teams like the Bandits. Last year our U15 Bandits held their own against these outstanding teams. Besides league play, the Bandits always work in a game or two against our cross-town friends at Lake Forest Country Day School. The Bandits are planning on ending their spring competition with participating at the Prairie State Games Tournament at Loyola’s Glenview Sports Campus. The Bandits will close their season with the highly popular blue/gold scrimmage in a split squad event. We can’t wait for the good weather to get here and get outside!!
The Bandits are offering Winter Clinics beginning every Sunday from January 31st to March 20th. These are fun filled lacrosse learning sessions. We find that the girls who get their lacrosse sticks in their hands throughout the year, develop and grow their skills fast. Practicing indoors gives the players maximum repetitions due to the nature of the indoor facility. It is a great place for beginners to learn the game. It is also a good environment to blow off some steam in the winter. The older 7th and 8th grade girls will practice from 3pm to 4pm. The younger 4th-6th grade girls will begin at 4pm-5pm. Over 40 girls showed up for the first Sunday!!
The Bandits are excited to announce the return of their 5 coaches from last spring. These coaches exemplify the character and discipline we hope to instill in our Bandits. These young women are very hard-working and disciplined two-sport college student athletes and are excellent role models for our girls.
Spring is around the corner! Get signed up for the Bandits — the exciting and popular lacrosse program in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff.
“The Bandit coaches are a special group– they exemplify the character & values we hope to instill into our young girls”
FALL 2015 BANDITS LACROSSE PROGRAM
Here is your invitation and opportunity to play fall lacrosse with the Bandits. For this fall 2015, Bandits Lacrosse has put together another awesome program of six weeks of lacrosse during which you will sharpen your lacrosse skills, have fun, and play in a competitive season ending local tournament with the Bandits. If you are a skilled player or new to the sport, no worries. Our dynamic college lacrosse player/coaches will get you up to speed quickly. We have secured commitments from four dynamic coaches who are College Lacrosse players. These coaches are a special group of enthusiastic, disciplined, and confident young women who are excited and looking forward to coaching the Bandits. We will be putting together two to three teams for competition (U15, U13, and U11). Registration is now open! We are expecting to fill up quickly, so sign up now to hold a spot. Our fall lacrosse program will begin THURSDAY, September 3rd with the Bandits practicing on Thursdays and Sunday afternoons at Lake Forest Country Day School.
