On May 28, 2016, the United Women's Lacrosse League (the "UWLX") will kick off its inaugural season in Bethlehem, PA. Michele "DJ" DeJulius is the first Commissioner for the professional women's lacrosse league that she thinks is poised for greatness.
That Michele is at the forefront of such a significant turning point in lacrosse is a surprise to no one who follows the sport. She's a titan in the world of women's lacrosse. The 4 time collegiate All-American who first picked up a lacrosse stick as a freshman in high school and qualified for the U.S. National Team just four years later has too many awards to mention in an episode summary while still qualifying as a "summary."
She's risen to the top of the U.S. Lacrosse world as a player and as a coach. She captained the 2009 U.S. Women's World Cup team that won it all in the 2009 FIL World Cup in Prague.
In 1999, she joined the Baltimore City Police Department and quickly rose through the ranks as a member of the SWAT Team and later as a Detective in the Executive Protection Unit. During her five-year career in law enforcement, she earned a Meritorious Conduct Award and the Police Commissioner's Award of Excellence.
Despite the demands of her law enforcement career, she still found time to found the Ultimate Goal Lacrosse Club in January 2001. The club quickly grew in size and reputation, and today the club has over 500 members every year.
- How great coaches adapt their coaching methods for different players, age groups, learning styles [5:45]
- On coaching the U.S. National Team [7:47]
- On the importance of role models for young women. [12:30]
- How it felt to become teammates with her heroes. [14:21]
- How she finds the time to coach 20-30 kids every week as President of her club [21:28]
- What separates Ultimate Goal Lacrosse Club from other clubs (and why she's thankful for all the other clubs out there) [25:50]
- What the UWLX means for women of all ages; why the league is so important. [36:05]
- Michele predicts which UWLX team is going to win it all this year. [37:47]
Select Quotes
- "I always feel like I'm a good listener, and I want to make sure I'm doing what is asked of me. But I also want to make sure I'm going above and beyond."
- "If kids are always asking questions or they're not doing what you've asked them, then you haven't taught it. [...] Every kid learns differently."
- "For me, being a 'master' is just from experience and putting the time in."
- "You have to be able to instill confidence in a kid and make them feel like they're amazing and that they can do it. I enjoy that part (of coaching)."
- "In my 20-some years in this sport, some of the people that I looked up to the most were the US players. I would go to those US clinics, and I remember specifically in high school having them come and just being in awe. That influenced me immediately, where I was like, 'I wanna be like them one day.'"
- "I like to be responsive. So, if someone emails me, I would never let it go for longer than 24 hours, and if it's going to, I'll email them because I want them to know it's important to me."
- "We are very on top of communicating with the college coaches on our kids' behalf. A lot of times, that might not be something that a parent or kid could see unless I told them. But we've started using LacrosseRecruits, which has been really good. I've been able to manage a lot of our kids easier, they've been able to communicate with the coaches, and I've been able to see what they've been doing and making sure that I can keep them accountable."
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