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05/28/2015 12:01 AMThe way Jess Joline discovered her first coaching job may have happened randomly, but one thing that isn’t a matter of chance is the impact she’s made on the Indians’ girls’ lacrosse program in less than a full season.
The New York native and Guilford kindergarten teacher has been a lifelong lover of the sport, having played lacrosse at the youth, high school, and collegiate intramural levels. After searching on the Internet for work following the start of the Indians’ current campaign, Jess discovered an opening on their staff and was soon hired as the JV coach for a group that’s 5-5-3. She’s also an assistant for Guilford’s varsity club that has raced out to a mark of 12-3.
“It’s funny because I was searching online for work in the summer after the season began, but I saw the availability of the position. “[Head] Coach [Steve] Jewett called me up and, the next thing I knew, I had the job,” says Jess. “They were looking for a teacher first with flexible hours and, being a kindergarten teacher, I was nervous at first with coaching high school kids, but it worked out fine. They’ve gone through the same school system I teach in, so they share the same values—like respect.”
As a result of her experience on the playing field, Jess has countered her former coaches by staying upbeat 100 percent of the time to help harvest an atmosphere that the Indians can take pride in.
“Whether we were down a bunch or by one, I had some coaches that were really negative, so my main philosophy as coach is to just be positive and you will get results no matter what,” Jess says. “I love seeing how much fun they have out there because that’s what it’s all about. I want them to want to be here and, to see the smiles and laughs, that’s really rewarding.”
Coach Jewett praises Jess for her knowledge of lacrosse, in addition to her dedication toward the Indians, especially when she’s called upon to wear additional hats.
“Jess is the best of both worlds. She has the patience, enthusiasm, and schedule of a kindergarten teacher, but more importantly, she can manage a practice and communicate well with the players,” says Jewett. “She immediately sees the application to the game and can translate that for the players. They respect that more than anything. Also, she has an extremely positive outlook to everything and the kids sense that, as well. Her flexibility has been great, as well. Though she was hired as a varsity assistant and JV coach primarily, some of our away games have necessitated her taking on the role of freshman coach, as well. Not only has Coach Joline done well to learn all 53 names of the kids in the program, but she takes time to start up conversations with each of the girls during water breaks, bus rides, and after practice. We are glad to have her and the program is better for it.”
After getting to know the program, Jess saw a steady focus toward unity both on and off the turf among the Indians’ athletes. In terms of her working with the JV kids, Jess realizes the importance of bringing them up to speed in multiple manners.
“I saw that’s the way Steve runs things. It’s all about teamwork, which I feel is an awesome approach. I could also see that approach in the girls with them being friends that work together when they can on the field,” says Jess. “We spend a lot of time practicing together with varsity, so we can try to keep them JV girls fresh for the faster level of play with varsity. Even with the plays we run, we try to build their speed so they are ready for varsity.”
One more major goal for Jess is to cultivate a unit that matures to the point where they know the system so well that they can make changes on the fly while their coach watches proudly.
“I am really excited to be a part of this program. One of my goals is to have the girls become independent of me on the field,” Jess says. “They’ve done a good job with this so far, but I don’t want to have to yell to them all the time to switch a play. I want them to get to the point where they see it themselves.”