Stick With it: From Player to Coach

After two years fulfilling the role of assistant varsity coach for the girls lacrosse team at Rochester High School, 20 year-old Lauren Karmo was given the opportunity to lead her own team of junior varsity players. 

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Attending a university near the school where she first began playing lacrosse gave Karmo the opportunity to coach fresh out of high school. Now, Karmo utilizes her skills as a player to form her own coaching style. 

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“Because I still play, I understand the, you know, difficulties coming from a player, and things that they can and can’t do, or need time to work on,” Karmo said. “I get it, I feel like I empathize a lot with them…”

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While COVID-19 guidelines are still in effect for all participants in Michigan high school sports, Karmo attests to her coaching time as being her main source of socialization at the moment.

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“I don’t see anyone, I haven’t seen anyone, but then every day, every weekday, I get to see these twenty kids,” Karmo said. “It puts a smile on my face when I get to hang out with them.”

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Because this is her first team, with many being new to the sport, Karmo shares that her main goal is to ensure that her players are getting the most out of their experience with her.

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“It’s when they feel like they’ve accomplished something...I just want it to be a place for them to come and enjoy themselves,” Karmo said. “I want them to have the confidence of like, ‘oh yeah, we’re good, we can do this.’”