A Space of Their Own

By Katie Helland - Director of Communications

In a parking lot under the glare of construction lights, Alex Barber, a junior on of the lacrosse team, sent the ball flying past giant nets to his teammate. The sky was dark, but the smiles of the kids were bright as these Monarchs did what they loved most: hang out with friends. For student athletes, like Barber, who is now a senior, sports provided community during the pandemic last year. For many, it was the only time they got to see classmates in person or to step onto their high school campus, following mornings filled with Zoom classes.

I think we’re just really grateful for that opportunity to create space for the kids to be kids. To have a space for them to make their own rules, and hold each other accountable, and handle disputes on their own… It’s not about lacrosse. It’s about everything else that helps these kids develop as people and men who will contribute to society. ”

Coach Mike Faby

“My teammates were amazing,”

Barber said. “They were able to

support me by giving me a sense of normalcy in the midst of one of the most odd and difficult times any of us had been through.”

In a normal school year, games take place in the fall, winter, and spring. Last year, the rising number of COVID-19 cases across California meant games weren’t permitted for most of the year. When Santa Clara County finally allowed competitions in the spring —after a vaccine became available and the number of cases dropped— games usually played over three seasons were condensed into the last 13 weeks of the school year. At campuses across the state, fall sports, like football, and spring sports, like men’s lacrosse, had practice in the same month. At Archbishop Mitty, more than 900 outdoor student athletes, representing 26 sports programs, were working out at the same time. The men’s lacrosse team took notes from elite high school and college programs and started playing box lacrosse, a game championed by hockey players in Canada when the ice dries up, in the east parking lot where they built the Lacrosse Training Center, or LTC. Using large nets to block off their space, they practiced technical skills in a confined space, where there was no room to be sloppy. The ball was constantly moving, which meant student athletes had to be ready to play any minute.

“You’re really giving kids the ability to make decisions, said Mike Faby, the head coach of the lacrosse team. “The more you

get them to own the play and the culture — it’s beautiful. It’s magic. It’s also much more difficult to play against.”

This spring, the Monarchs will be back on the field for their first normal season in two years. In addition to workouts on the field, they will be playing box lacrosse. Barber will be ready to play. So will his teammates. Getting the team back together means more fun is ahead. For Coach Faby, it’s one more chance for his student-athletes to build friendships and grow.

“I think we’re just really grateful for that opportunity

to create space for the kids to be kids,” Coach Faby said.

“To have a space for them to make their own rules, and hold each other accountable, and handle disputes on their own… It’s not about lacrosse. It’s about everything else that helps these kids develop as people and men who will contribute to society.”

Junior Lucas Leaverton, sophomore Ryan Piert, senior Alex Barber, and junior Cole Kelly were part of the men’s lacrosse team last year. They practiced in the Lacrosse Training Center and will be back there and on the field this spring.