Beyond Xs and Os: Cardinal Lacrosse - Go west with purpose

O you daughters of the West!

O you young and elder daughters! O you mothers and you wives!

Never must you be divided, in our ranks you move united,

Pioneers! O pioneers!
- Walt Whitman, excerpt from Pioneers! O Pioneers!

O you daughters of the West!

Playing off the words of Walt Whitman’s now famous Levi’s commercial, Amy Bokker is drawing women’s lacrosse players to Stanford through a culture of unity and excellence. If not for her friendly and up-beat personality, Bokker is a name to keep tabs on for her consistent rise toward lacrosse prominence. In her short tenure as head coach at Stanford her teams have tied and broken the all-time wins per season mark, made the school’s second appearance in the NCAA tournament, and snagged two conference championships. In only two seasons, Bokker has begun to establish a shift in culture with her Cardinal squad, making NCAA tournament success a regular goal. A bronze medal stint in the World Cup as an assistant coach with Canada and her recent appointment to the U. S. National Team coaching staff, further confirm that Bokker is an ever-rising star. While Stanford has long been respected as a unique and challenging option for lacrosse players nationwide, Bokker’s jump to the west coast is proving a pioneering move of tremendous potential.

O you young and elder daughters!
Bokker sets a unique example for her players. She has studied sport psychology at the graduate level, flown in one of her professors for a team retreat, reads research articles and books about coaching development, and seems committed to progressive approaches to building up her teams and athletes. With eight seniors last season, fall-ball became a leadership showcase. Each senior chose a role. One was the Debriefer, taking time out of practice to share likes and dislikes and how the team can improve, others assumed responsibilities such as leading warm-ups or stick-work drills. Regardless of the task, each senior was invited to share her leadership skills with the team, exemplifying that every player has a talent to bring to the table and that the team is strongest when everyone brings what they have to offer.

For the rest of this article, check out Inside Lacrosse's website here.