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04/08/2016 12:00 AMOld Saybrook girls’ lacrosse has been one of the state’s most-dominant programs through the past few years and Kendra Gerrish was part of that prosperity as an assistant coach. This spring, Kendra is moving up a notch to ensure the Rams continue their charge toward a state title.
Kendra, a Stonington native, played basketball, soccer, and lacrosse at Wheeler High School before continuing with the latter two sports at Rhode Island College. After helping Old Saybrook win a pair of conference titles and reach a state final in her two years as an assistant, Kendra is taking the reins and succeeding longtime Head Coach Al Mortali this spring.
“The school put out the opening internally and I went through the interview process with the school and just went from there. It was a nice, easy transition for me,” says Kendra, an East Lyme resident who also teaches special education at the town’s high school. “It gives me a chance to interact with the girls on a daily basis, plus they know me, so our expectations stay the same.”
Kendra places a heavy emphasis on the first half of the term “student-athlete.” She likes how she can have an impact on her players by giving them advice that can help them beyond their days in high school.
“I tell the girls that they are students first, so I make sure that they maintain a certain grade-point average level. Last year, I actually implemented grade progress reports for the girls that they had to get signed,” Kendra says. “Coaching gives me a way to connect with the kids outside of school. I’m a younger coach, so they also come to me with questions and ask for help about college and playing sports in college, as well.”
Athletic Director Jeff Mauri says that Kendra brings a wealth of positive traits to the program that help build Old Saybrook’s players into winners both on and off the field.
“Kendra brings a solid background of lacrosse knowledge. She has an innate ability to balance a strong desire to compete, while focusing on the important character-building traits an educationally based athletic program provides for our student-athletes,” says Mauri. “As an assistant coach, she has been a part of a successful girls’ lacrosse program that made it to the state championship last year and we are looking forward to continuing a winning tradition.”
Lacrosse is still an up-and-coming sport compared to others on the youth circuit and Kendra likes when she sees people gravitate to it so quickly once they first pick up a stick. Another aspect of the game Kendra enjoys is its lightning-fast tempo.
“Versus other sports, lacrosse isn’t known too well in the area, so it’s new for a lot of the kids and they really take to it when they start,” says Kendra, who’s also an assistant coach for girls’ soccer at Old Saybrook. “I love the pace of the sport. It’s really fun, plus it’s like football in that you really are coaching two elements of the game with offense and defense.”
As a familiar face for the Rams, Kendra feels confident that her squad can go strong into the season already knowing the tasks at hand. She concludes by saying that it’s not only about striving for a championship this year, but also about constructing the foundation for long-term success.
“It’s been great to be a part of the program and the girls know our philosophy of the team won’t change. We want to continue to go to Shoreline and state finals and bring that same tradition each year,” Kendra says. “In the long term, we also want to connect with the youth teams in town to make sure there is no drop off in the sport between the youth and high school levels.”