Andover Boys Lacrosse Head Coach James Beaudoin leads the team with an emphasis on positivity. In his years at Andover, Beaudoin has coached 14 All-Americans and six Academic All-Americans.
“We call it ropes and bricks. So if they throw a rope, they pull their teammate back up, but if they throw a brick like, ‘I can’t believe you did that,’ then that player gets even worse. We like to throw a lot more ropes than bricks,” said Beaudoin.
With positivity as the team’s guiding principle, Co-Captain Ben Garazzo ’23 found a new approach to the contact sport.
“I’ve learned that lacrosse doesn’t need to be a super angry and aggressive sport. I think that you can love the people that you’re playing with, and I think that he’s taught me that,” said Garozzo.
As a coach, Beaudoin must set expectations for the players on his team. For Beaudoin, he values players who are positive, engaged, and willing to take advice and criticism.
“Within our coaching staff we like to be open and honest as much as possible, and I think the players understand that the things we’re saying are to improve their overall game and to help them get into a better college, or just improve a few skills for them for the next game,” said Beaudoin.
Nishani Clarke ’23, a manager for Boys Lacrosse, detailed how Beaudoin appears on the sidelines during games. Beaudoin remains calm even under pressure, which is something Clarke finds impressive.
“From what I can see, he keeps his cool. He’s very calm and collected which I admire a lot because as the coach you’re very involved in the game. So it’s easy to get annoyed at certain ref calls. But I would say he keeps his calm for the most part but during the time-outs and stuff. The pep-talks seem very motivating,” said Clarke.
Beudoin has noticed a strong chemistry within his players this season. Although the team has suffered various injuries, Beaudoin hopes his players can return healthy and looks forward to the Andover/Exeter game that concludes the team’s regular season.
“We’ve gotten some injuries and I think the kids have come together to keep the next person ready in that position. So I’m really excited about that. There’s a lot of positivity this year as well, I think it’s a group that’s really bonding on and off the field,” said Beaudoin.
With only half of the spring season remaining, Beaudoin acknowledges the limited time that teammates have left with each other. Beaudoin is eager to see how much the team can grow, especially the Seniors, in the final weeks of the season.
“We’ve got about five weeks left, and I think we’ve got about 13 Seniors, so I’m just looking forward to every single day with those kids before they move on to college, college lacrosse, or just college in general, or their life after that. I think the Spring Season can be very short, so we’re trying to cherish all those days that we have with them,” said Beaudoin.
