Every May, teams face a challenge. They’re either managing success or navigating disappointment.

Either they are where they hoped to be and are fighting the trap of comfort, or they aren’t and are still trying to figure it out.

Coaches do their best to set and hold the standards, but it is all about the players.

So, is the senior leadership strong enough to lead the way?

Today’s Weekly Thought speaks to the leaders of teams down the stretch. How are you handling the final days of your season?

At some point in the next few weeks, you will play your last high school lacrosse game.

You will take your last rep with this group. The relationships you've built, the time you've put in together… It ends when the season does. You may keep the relationships, but the context will never be the same.

Most players don't feel the weight of this until it’s over. The ones who do feel it now have a different relationship with the time that's left.

We all have an ego. While it can drive us toward positive outcomes, it can also become extremely toxic.

Ego is what makes a senior protect their reputation instead of serving the team. It's what makes a captain worry about being liked instead of being helpful.

At the exact moment the team needs you most, ego redirects your energy toward yourself.

There's no recovering from a season that slips away in the final weeks. You don't get to revisit it. The only question is whether you're clear-eyed enough right now to do something about it.

Seniors find themselves in a unique situation at the end of the year. For the first time in their playing career, they realize how much power they have.

Down the stretch, a key senior might realize that there’s no way the coach will bench them for playoffs or at the end of the year.

They could take advantage of that and coast. You will regret this path.

The alternative is to double down on your commitment to the team. Rather than exploit your position at the expense of your teammates and your season, you can realize how special this moment in time is and give everything to it.

I’ve seen teams that have absolutely unraveled at the end of the year and it’s devastating. Every single time, it had to do with seniors mailing it in because they knew they could get away with it.

The regret of not giving your all down the stretch is something you can’t take back.

The best advice we can give is to be present and intentional. Specifically, cherish the practice moments while you can.

Don’t let this time slip away. You can’t fully control wins and losses, but you can control your actions and the way you handle the tail-end of your season.

This is written towards seniors in high school, but all players can benefit from this. Because one day that will be you.

We believe there’s a right way to do things. We believe it’s important to be a great teammate. We believe it’s honorable to push yourself to be your best in pursuit of a greater cause.

Right now you have a chance to do that.

Coach Class and Coach Dunn

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