I first met Jamie in the spring of my sophomore year of high school, back in 2017. She stepped in mid-season to help coach my high school’s varsity lacrosse team, and right away, she made a significant impact on our team culture and values. Over the next few seasons, Jamie continued building on that foundation, which eventually led us to the state championship during my senior year in 2019.
One of Jamie's greatest strengths is her ability to build trust and connect with her players. The bond I've developed with her over the last 7 years is something I hold close to my heart. She taught me how important culture is to a team’s success. It’s also one of the main reasons I decided to pursue coaching and teaching myself.
Jamie has an incredible talent for bringing teams together through creative activities. From trust falls and journal entries to overnight trips, and storytelling she consistently finds unique ways to help groups bond. One of my favorite memories is when she planned an overnight trip to our school’s Mountain Campus for the varsity girls’ lacrosse team. She introduced an activity, which soon became a tradition while she was head coach, where we shared a person who inspired us or was one of our reasons for playing. It was such an emotional experience, year after year, and it always brought us together as a team.
I knew right then that I wanted to carry that same tradition with me when I became a coach. I will always admire Jamie's creativity and her dedication to fostering connections.
I'm confident that Jamie will continue to implement such innovative team-building activities in any program she works with in the future. Her dedication and creativity make her a valuable asset to any program.