At 20 years young, Halifax’s Cole Davis is this years Head Coach for the Men’s U-15 Nova Scotia Provincial Field Lacrosse Team. He and the rest of the team will be representing Nova Scotia, and will be competing for the Alumni Cup in Saskatoon, SK this coming labour day weekend.
Cole, is no stranger to box lacrosse, as he has been one of the provinces strongest players for the past 10 years, but field lacrosse was unbeknownst to him until he met Rick Phillips. The VP of coaching for the CLA had organized a field lacrosse training camp in Halifax. "Field lacrosse really wasn't even on my radar - I didn't know much about it and had never played. But the camp, and Rick, had such positive impact on me. I knew I wanted to pursue it further."
Along with Rick, Cole met Brendon Smithson, head coach of the Men’s U-18 Nova Scotia Field Lacrosse Team, at the training camp and immediately connected with him. "Brendon really has great knowledge and a love of the game that he passes along to his players. He has been a great support and an advocate for me."
After that training camp, Cole went on to compete for the Alumni Cup in 2013 representing the U-16 Men’s Nova Scotia Provincial Field Lacrosse team in Montreal, his first taste of field lacrosse at a national level. "It was a great experience. We were all still learning, but really came together as a team and came away with a bronze medal."
At this national championship Cole became the first Nova Scotian to be named a Canadian National All-Star, an accomplishment that put Nova Scotia on the national stage in a quantifiable way. Along with this prestigious award, back home Cole was named Lacrosse Nova Scotia’s Male Athlete of the Year and took home the Ricoh Sport Award for Male Team Athlete of the Year in Lacrosse.
This exposure at nationals opened the door to Christ School in Asheville, N.C. where Cole’s field lacrosse career grew. “They offered me a scholarship to come play lacrosse and, within a month, I left for school. I was only 16 and just starting grade 11 at the time. It happened so fast, but it was an amazing opportunity."
In Asheville, Cole excelled on and off the field. The school's focus on academics allowed Cole to graduate with high honours and receive two years of highly skilled lacrosse coaching in North Carolina, where he played with and against elite athletes from all over the United States. This experience on the field proved to pay dividends back home. In the following summers in-between the school years, Cole and the rest of the team representing Nova Scotia received bronze medals at both of the 2014 and 2015 field lacrosse nationals.
These years at Asheville, N.C. proved to be life altering for Cole, and he is hopeful that his leadership and experience can open doors for his players, just as doors were opened for him. "I'm passionate about lacrosse. The sport has really changed my life in so many ways that I couldn't have imagined. I want to offer our U15 players the chance to experience that same kind of impact - on and off the field.”
In the summer of 2015 Cole had to decide what was next for his academic and athletic career. After being approached by a number of universities in the United States, Cole decided that he wanted to return to Canada and attend Western University where he received a four-year entrance scholarship.
Throughout Cole’s playing career patellar tendonitis was always an anchor weighing him down. His first double-knee surgery in 2014, proved to be a band-aid on a bullet wound. Cole’s condition improved immediately after surgery, and he played mostly pain-free for the 2015 school year in Asheville but his condition only worsened during the 2015 National Championships. "I was not at my best for that tournament. It was a very difficult and frustrating time - knowing that you have the ability to excel, but with your body working against you."
After the 2015 national championships, Cole was going into his rookie season at Western and his thoughts wavered. "I was really worried about being able to play my rookie season at Western because of my knees.” He ultimately made the tough decision to partake in a second double-knee surgery, which meant sitting out his first season at Western University.
This proved to be a wise decision as he is now pain-free and in his second season with the Mustangs, he and the rest of the team captured the 2016 Baggataway Cup, the school's first championship since 2001. "It was an amazing season. Our team has a lot of depth, and solid coaches. I still find myself improving, thanks to my team."
After his first year at Western, Cole wanted to stay involved with lacrosse in Nova Scotia and he got his first taste of coaching in the summer of 2016 acting as assistant coach for the Men’s U-15 Nova Scotia Provincial Field Lacrosse Team alongside head coach Brendon Smithson, where he quickly grew into an engaging and respected leader. This season he has decided to step into coach Smithsons shoes and take on the added responsibility of head coach of the very team he assisted last year. He owes his recent involvement in coaching to none other than his previous coaches and mentors.
“I've been lucky to have some great coaches, here at home and away, who have really allowed me to develop and grow as a player. If it wasn't for Nova Scotia Lacrosse coaches like Mike Smeltzer, Tom Lee, and Brendon Smithson, I would not have developed the foundation necessary to achieve the things I have. It’s so important for players to have solid coaching from a young age, with a strong focus on the fundamentals of the game.”
Cole knows the responsibilities that come with being a head coach, not only the on-field systems and strategy but everything that goes on behind the scenes, off of the field. "I'm extremely grateful that Lacrosse Nova Scotia has given me the opportunity to coach our youngest group of men’s provincial field lacrosse players. “Lacrosse IQ and skill development will be the major focus for the U15 Men’s team this year, with the goal of setting them up for success as they progress in the sport. To me, this is far more important than winning any one game or tournament. The foundation has to be solid. I’m looking forward to sharing my lacrosse skills and knowledge with Nova Scotia’s U15 players."
Tryouts for the Nova Scotia Men’s U15 Field Lacrosse Team take place this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at St. Stephen’s field in Halifax (weather permitting), and all are encouraged to attend the tryout sessions. The U15 team will participate in the Maritime Cup in Halifax this July, and are aiming to participate in the Canadian National Championships Labour Day Weekend in Saskatoon.
To register, follow the link to the online forms at http://lacrossens.ca/news.php?news_id=1507123.
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