NEW: Maaslax Interview Series
Interested what being a Lacrosse coach, board member, or players is like? Never seen Lacrosse in real life before? Maaslax would like to introduce you to a number of its coaches, board members, and players. Interesting insights into the team and and the sport are a promise, but check it out yourself!
This first interview will be starring Tassilo Cremer.
What is your board position at Maastricht Lacrosse?
Next to my function as the vice-president, I function as the team’s secretary : I mainly write the minutes of the board meetings, establish and update communication tools such as a Google docs with to-dos and deadlines for each position or project plans for bigger projects. Quite fun!
Is this your first board position in an association? In your opinion, how does a board position at Maastricht lacrosse differ from similar positions at other associations?
It is my first board position on a university level. In the past, I was a board member of the pupil representation committee at my high school, but those activities were far from being that complex or independent. The challenge of survival is probably what differentiates us to other association and is at the same time the biggest motivator. Just before our board was established, we managed to get rid of the team debt and into a financial situation to actually work with. As a sport team, we constantly have to deal with a high fluctuation of players, which makes it difficult to maintain a high skill-level as well as playing national competitions. Another point would be that the club managed to get out of debt just before we took over the board. This leaves us not with the biggest financial opportunities, but motivates for sure to keep if not enhance the status quo.
3. How would you describe your personal responsibilities towards the team?
I see my responsibility mainly as a facilitating function. When I started to play Lacrosse I was so impressed with the sport and the spirit that can evolve that I wanted to spread it. I wanted to play in a team that not only has a strong bond on the pitch, but also promotes the sport everywhere else. This is a group of people that not only helps each other on the field, but also everywhere else. I do my best to help set the necessary boundary conditions for such a team to flourish.
As the oldest lacrosse organization in the Netherlands, Maastricht Lacrosse is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. How would you describe the experience of being “Lama”?
This is a tough question (laughing). For me it was truly an experience within the short time I had the chance to be part of Lama. The sport and the team was not only a good motivator to get out of the house, do some sports and get into shape. It was also a good balanceor (not sure if that word exists) when my studies frustrated my or were dragging my mood down. However, the team saw some really sad moments in that short year that got really close to me. What I will remember is how the team dealt with difficult situations by being there for one and another.
What do you like best about Maastricht Lacrosse?
Scoring Goals &….Lenny the Lama.
In your opinion, what are the biggest improvements within the team since the implementation of the new board?
I am really impressed with the girls’ team. They managed to get and maintain an impressive number of players attending almost all practices. They have an impressive team bond. The other thing that impresses me every time I recognize it is how quickly people pick up the sport and improve in simple matters like throwing and catching. I can only compare the implementations of the boards to a couple of month I experienced earlier. We really try to get all players as much playing opportunities as possible and really make an effort in contacting other teams for scrimmages.
What could be improved within the organization of the team?
I guess the biggest improvement would be, if we manage to restructure the club to be open for not only students, but other people in Maastricht. I hope that would help the high turnover of players and get more consistency in our team. Here, we face a couple of obstacles that we tackle at the moment, such as how to set up the legal structure or contracts since we won’t get subsidies of the University for external players. Next to that it is always in the interest of both girls and boys team if many people show up for practice in order to implement drills effectively. Here, I think can benchmark a lot of the girls team.
Can you think of a team moment to remember?
The new-comers tournament was a really highlight for me, as we were confronted with a lot of different clubs on an advanced level. I think we did an awesome job concerning the time everybody of us was familiar with the sport. You could also see that this event really helped the team bonding. Next to the sport I remember finishing the construction of Lenny in the night before the Newcomers tournament with Jacky, Jenny, Jonas and Andries. We finally managed at 4 in the night to make the last adjustments. Coming back, I had recognized that apparently we had quite a lot of beer and wine, because my entire apartment was covered in orange fur and hot glue.