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06/25/2014 12:00 AMThe North Haven boys' lacrosse program experienced a season of new heights this spring and John Climie did an award-winning job of helping the Indians soar against SCC and state competition.
The Guilford resident, who played lacrosse at Cheshire and also coached in that town's youth program, was brought into the North Haven fold when Head Coach and former high school classmate Eric Bailey asked him to be his assistant. The reunion of the pair was near-perfect as the Indians scored a strong 13-3 regular-season mark to reach the SCC Tournament and earn the No. 4 seed in the Class M State Tournament. Based on the Indians' success, John was named the Southern Connecticut Conference Assistant Coach of the Year.
"Eric offered the spot to me and I just couldn't pass it up. I wanted a little more to do in addition to teaching so it was an awesome situation," says John, a 4th grade teacher at the Foote School in New Haven. "The program starts with families and if they are invested seriously and have kids that value the same things as them with showing up and working hard every day. We run lean and mean with great all-season athletes. The success of this year was a lot of fun and early on Eric said this could be a special run. We all genuinely enjoyed each other and it was a perfect season in terms of expectations."
In terms of his approach to coaching high school athletes, John looks to the words of Detroit Red Wings' Stanley Cup-winning Head Coach Mike Babcock with finding the right balance between relationships and players.
"He had a quote in a book that went, 'It's never about not liking the player.' And you have to let the kids know that you respect them," John says. "It's about teaching accountability, but also being a human being with them. You have to also let them know that they are there to succeed and that when you are playing really well, you set yourself up for even greater expectations."
John feels that the true pleasure of developing athletes comes from discovering how each individual learns, applying that newly-acquired knowledge, and then finally earning the recognition for their hard work.
"I've been teaching for 12 years and coaching for 18 so it's great finding out the right way to reach certain players and helping them work toward their individual goals," says John. "Seeing the kids get recognized with awards is also great. It's about recognizing moments, like that moment when the light comes on for them and they get it."
Coach Bailey adds that John has made solid contributions to the defense as that unit's main mentor.
"As soon as he stepped in, John brought a positive enthusiasm and attitude to the club with a lacrosse IQ second to none," says Bailey. "He's been in charge of the defense since day one and we held several teams under five goals this year, which is just awesome. He's my friend and just a great coach and we're lucky to have him."
John feels this fresh level of prominence is great for both the team and the town, yet he knows that come next spring the target will be on the Indians and that they will need to respond by going even deeper into the postseason.
"We have the bull's-eye on us now because next year North Haven will be circled on [other teams'] calendars," John says. "We won't be sneaking up on anybody, which is good. We have a chip on our shoulder still, but the team made a statement this year for the town, as well that the program is getting bigger. This is a growing program and it's nice getting on the field saying, 'We are going to win this game.'"
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