💭 FCL Weekly Thought: 06/20/25

Welcome back for another Weekly Thought.

We just wrapped up Women’s Week, where we hosted 2029, 2028, and 2027 athletes at three Best In Class events. It was our biggest yet with record-setting coach turnout, high-level talent, and, as Coach Mckenna Davis put it all week, great vibes.

This week’s thought is on nutrition. It’s often an overlooked area on the lacrosse circuit, but one of the most important. Former coaching peer Carley Horan helped us put together the FCL Performance Nutrition Guide, and we’ve pulled out a few of her key takeaways below.

Let’s get into it. Happy Friday ☕️,
Matt & Deemer

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FCL Performance Nutrition Guide
by Carley Horan

Want to help your athlete eat for performance?

We worked with Registered Dietitian Carley Horan to create a practical nutrition guide built for lacrosse players and families. It covers fueling, hydration, snacks, recovery meals, and more.

This guide is listed as $150 but we’ve applied a discount code for all email subscribers to receive $50 off at checkout.

THIS WEEKS CONTENT AT A GLANCE

• 🎧 Podcast - Stay tuned for our next series starting late August!

• ✍️ Coaches Corner - Flipping Fields

• ✏️ Blog - Revisiting 10 Predictions for the 2025 NCAA Season

💭 WEEKLY THOUGHT 
🏆 Fueling for First Class Performance: A Nutrition Message for Young Lacrosse Athletes and Parents

In lacrosse, just like in life, preparation leads to performance. You wouldn’t show up to a showcase without your stick, and you shouldn’t hit the field without fueling your body with the same level of intention. Your nutrition is your fuel - it matters.

We teamed up with Registered Dietitian and Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist Carley Horan to build a world-class nutrition guide for athletes and their families.

Coach Carley’s experience as a Division I player, coach, and nutritionist makes her uniquely positioned to deliver realistic, effective strategies tailored to the demands of lacrosse. Carley and Deemer spent time coaching together and Deemer always appreciated her thoughtfulness and realistic approach to fueling as an athlete.

Here’s a snapshot of what young athletes and their parents need to know about fueling for success:

1. It’s Not About “Good” vs. “Bad” Foods

Coach Carley is clear: food isn’t about guilt. It’s about fuel, enjoyment, and consistency.

She prioritizes teaching athletes how to eat with flexibility, not restriction. Instead of labeling foods as “clean” or “dirty,” the guide focuses on performance plating, which adapts your plate based on training intensity.

No food is off-limits—balance and intention are the goals.

2. Carbs Are Your Superpower

Forget the fad diets that demonize carbohydrates. For men’s and women’s lacrosse athletes, carbs are king. Carley’s guide explains that every sprint, shot, and clear burns glycogen—your body’s stored carbohydrate. She breaks down how many grams you need before, during, and after training.

Need quick fuel before a game? Try 20–30g of simple carbs (like applesauce, pretzels, or a sports drink) 30 minutes prior. Going hard for over an hour? Mid-game refueling is essential to sustain energy and focus.

3. Protein Builds, Maintains, and Recovers

Lacrosse requires more than just effort; it demands recovery. Protein helps rebuild muscle, balance hormones, and support immune function. The guide outlines optimal daily protein intake (1.4–2.0g/kg body weight), along with strategies to spread it throughout the day.

Coach Carley also clears up myths about supplements, explaining when a shake is useful and when real food wins. Balanced meals after practice might look like a chicken gyro with veggies and rice, or a smoothie with yogurt, nut butter, and berries.

4. Hydration Isn’t Just Water

Performance can dip dramatically with just a 2–3% drop in body weight from sweat. Hydration starts hours before you step on the field—not just when you feel thirsty.

Coach Carley includes a full “Hydration Station” in the guide, breaking down fluid goals, timing, and sweat rate strategies. She even recommends specific electrolyte products depending on how heavily you sweat.

A simple tip? Start every day with water, and sip steadily throughout practice. Then weigh yourself before and after training to know how much to replace (16–24 oz. per pound lost).

5. Snacks Are Strategy, Not Junk

Coach Carley calls them “Balanced Backpack Snacks,” and they’re a game-changer. These on-the-go options combine carbs, protein, and healthy fats to keep you energized between meals. Some examples:

• Trail mix with dried fruit and nuts

• A turkey wrap with hummus

• Greek yogurt with granola and berries

Strategic snacking isn’t about random grazing. It’s a tool to maintain energy, prevent under-fueling, and support consistent performance across long training days.

Some other topics covered in the guide include:

• Micronutrients and their role in performance

• Grocery shopping lists (high school & college friendly)

• Intuitive eating and mental health around food

• Stealth health strategies for picky eaters

• A full recipe book of smoothies, sheet pan dinners, wraps, and bowls

The Performance Guide

At the end of the day, our goal is to provide useful, actionable tools for the players, parents, and coaches in this community.

If this topic hits home, or if you’ve ever felt unsure how to fuel during a long weekend or busy season, we put together the FCL Performance Nutrition Guide to help.

P.S. Take advantage of the limited time 33% discount!

Best of luck as we hit stride into the thick of summer - go dominate!

Best,
Coach Class and Coach Dunn

🤔 PARENT PERSPECTIVE Q&A

Question

Answer
The short answer, early.

Coach Adam Sear and Duke Head Coach Kerstin Kimel hosted our parent panel at our Best in Class Women’s event this past week. This question came up right away. The first thing Adam Sear said was “early”.

Adam coached at Michigan and Notre Dame and is currently an FCL mentor for our athlete program. Kerstin is the head coach at Duke, but also is a parent herself which provided unique insights to her balancing being on both sides.

Both Adam and Kerstin emphasized that these 2028s, and especially the 2029s, are both very early in the process with a long road ahead. The recruiting process for the 2028s will not really start until around November of this upcoming fall. And that is when college coaches will start to watch them and get a feel for the class.

The coaches are so heavily focused on the 2027s this summer that they do not have capacity (nor desire) to recruit much younger since there is so much time until they are allowed to even make an offer (September 1st of Junior year).

So what should these younger players focus on?

Both coaches echoed development and growing their love of the game. It’s great to go compete against great talent, get better and have new experiences, but do it through the lens of getting better and cultivating a love for this experience.

No player is going to get recruited or crossed off a list this early.

Another thing players can start to think about, particularly 2028s, is what do they want from their college experience?

Recruiting is a two-street. Schools need to want the player, but the player needs to want the school as well. It helps in the process if players have an idea of what’s important to them.

If you have specific questions you’d like us to answer here please drop them below!

🔥 RECRUITING COVERAGE

In this week’s recruiting section, we are highlighting some 2027 athletes who just finished BIC 2027 Women’s. All signs point to top performances and a lot off buzz from the 70+ coaches who recruited over 2 days.

Check out BIC Men’s 2027 Standouts from June 10-11.

Kelsey Young | 2027 | Midfield | Agnes Irwin | Philly Blast
Kelsey is a spark plug. A multi year attendee, she showed out once again - goals, assists, aggressive dodges and a high motor. My favorite thing about her game? She was so willing to pass the ball forward to X off the dodge - something you don’t see at many showcases. She did it with both hands and gets the game. She dodged like 2026 Isabel Insley (Princeton) who has blown people away at past events.

Check out her IWLCA profile here.

Riley Davis| 2027 | Midfield | Notre Dame Academy | HHH

Davis is a smooth 2-way middie. The BIC Fall All-Star came to play. She’s a basketball star, takes the draw, and is impressively two handed as a cutter and finisher. Athletically, she reminded me of 2024 attendee Molly Guzik (Syracuse). She looks and plays the part. Davis will be a hot commodity come September.

Check out her IWLCA profile here and a goal from the event here.

Macyn Callahan | 2027 | Goalie| New Canaan | Gold Coast

The goalies were insane at BIC. No easy goals were given. A big reason for that? Macyn Callahan. She made show stopping saves, highlighted by her triple save indoors that caused the benches and coaches to erupt on the sidelines. The New Canaan standout backed up Ceci Patterson (‘25 Notre Dame) this spring and is certainly next up.

Check out her IWLCA profile here.

🎥 VIDEO OF THE WEEK
BEST IN CLASS WOMEN’S 2027 CONTENT

Check out some of the best BIC Women’s 2027 clips from the event this week!

 ⭐ BIC COMMITTED WOMEN’S 2025
APPLY NOW

Apply now for our 2025 Women’s Committed event in Wilmington, DE on Dec 6-7! Boys stay tuned.

🏋 FCL EVENTS 2026
SAVE THE DATE!

Save the date for our Best in Class 2026 events!