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Lickert Leads U.S. Squad to 3rd Place In Netherlands
June 26, 2012
Keuka College women's lacrosse coach Kelly Lickert (left) is coaching an American squad at the 2012 European Championships Women's Lacrosse Festival in Amsterdam, Netherlands (photo courtesy of Ed Webber, Keuka College Sports Information Department).
Kelly Lickert, who recently completed her second season as Keuka College’s women’s lacrosse coach, took her coaching talents across the Atlantic Ocean to the Netherlands as part of a USA Athletes International (U.S.A.A.I.) Summer Lacrosse Tour.
Lickert coached a highly skilled group of American women’s lacrosse players who are currently enrolled in college during the four-day European Championships ‘12 Women’s Lacrosse Festival, which coincides with the 2012 European Lacrosse Championships.
Lickert, who previously traveled to Australia as a player for a similar travel squad while she was a star at Limestone (S.C.) College, arrived with her team in Amsterdam on Friday, June 22. The competition, which features top-level lacrosse players from across the globe, began on Monday, June 25 and ran through Friday, June 29, when a champion was crowned.
Lickert’s squad finished third at the championships.
“Coaching these players against some of the best players in the world is really neat; it’s a cool opportunity for me to test my coaching skills against some talented international competition,” said Lickert, who traveled to Australia in 2008 as a player in a U.S.A.A.I lacrosse competition.
“I am going to do a lot more sight-seeing than in 2008, when we mostly played our games and hung out afterwards. I want to take this experience in, do a lot of sight-seeing and go on a bike tour of the city. I really want to see the country and what it’s all about.”
Before the competition began, the squad enjoyed four days of travel around this quaint city, taking in the sights, touring the Anne Frank House and enjoying a canal cruise along the waterways.
Lickert’s squad experienced tremendous success in the competition, splitting a pair of games on Monday before winning six of its next eight games on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, giving it a 7-3 record heading into the last game before the playoffs. Lickert’s team qualified for the playoffs and emerged with a third-place finish.
Over the last decade, Lickert said she has noticed how the international players are catching up with their American counterparts, as more and more international players are becoming proficient in the sport.
Following the completion of the tournament, Lickert and her squad will travel by train to Vienna, Austria for a farewell dinner and reception featuring all the teams in the tournament before returning to Keuka Park on Sunday.
Once the tournament is finished, Lickert is looking forward to swapping Keuka College lacrosse gear with the other countries’ representatives, hoping to spread the word on the Green and Gold.
“It’s a great chance to represent Keuka,” said Lickert, who has guided the Storm to a 23-4 and one North Atlantic Conference (NAC) championship in her two seasons leading Keuka.
“I might trade a Keuka College pinnie or shorts for a pair of lacrosse shorts from the Japanese team. It’s all about spreading the word of Keuka College, and it’s neat that, after this, some new people in a different part of the world will be wearing Keuka lacrosse gear.”
The USAAI has been participating in international competitions since 1992. The organization sponsors 15 sports that compete across the globe in 25 different countries.
