by Jac Coyne | MCLA.us

LA CROSSE, Wis. – I believe in the MCLA.

When I was asked to apply for the organization’s PR position, which morphed into the Executive Director spot, in the fall of 2015, that was my opening pitch.

It was 100 percent true.

I was inspired by student-athletes (and their parents) paying to play lacrosse. As well as following a really stringent set of eligibility rules and traveling all over the country in order to secure a spot at nationals.

Being a college student often leads to men taking the path of least resistance, but the guys in the MCLA decided they were invested in the sport and were willing to miss some good times – even graduation – to play our sport.

I was also in awe of coaches taking on the burden of teaching 18-to-22-year-old men – one of the most combustible age ranges – about responsibility, teamwork and passion.

And a lot of the coaches do it for some gear and enough money to cover an occasional lunch.

As I said: inspiring.

Now that I’m leaving the MCLA at the end of June, nothing has changed.

I believe in the MCLA.

The association is coming up on its third decade of existence and it has shown a resiliency that no one thought could be sustainable. We’ve been through dynasties, the creation of multiple NCAA programs while also dealing with some pretty hefty head-winds in 2020-21.

And every year, the MCLA is ready to roll. It will always be.

As I bid farewell to the league, I want to thank everyone who has ever come in contact with the league. Student-athletes, coaches, officials, administrators, scorekeepers, clock operators, everyone.

It’s crazy what we expect our teams to do, and they do it with pride.

Non-varsity lacrosse will always create the haters. We’ve heard all the yawn-inducing insults before. They are as boring now as they’ve always been.

What the simpletons who are always cracking on the MCLA don't realize is we play for us. They're just noise.

The MCLA is not trying to reinvent the wheel. We’re not trying to compete with any other league. We just want to play lacrosse.

We do. And we are having so much fun doing it.

It has been an honor to work with all of you. I had a blast.

Now it’s time for someone new who can continue this league on its upward arc.

Best of luck to all of you.

Rgrds,
JAC