Field Lacrosse: Third coach selected for National Team - Tracey Kelusky will continue to be a part of the coaching team.
21. joulukuuta 2019
Tracey Kelusky, the head coach for the Men’s National Box Lacrosse Team, will be part of the coaching team for the Men’s National Field Lacrosse team in the European Championships 2020. Kelusky has been involved in the Finnish Men’s National Lacrosse Teams since 2015. He coached the National Box Lacrosse team in the European Box Lacrosse Championships in 2017 in Turku, Finland and as his recent achievement he steered the National Team to a historical sixth place in the World Indoor Lacrosse Championships 2019.
Kelsusky has an extensive history in lacrosse and as a coach. He played as a professional in the North American league, NLL for 14 seasons. Besides winning the NLL Championships twice, Kelusky holds several personal rewards and was named to the NLL Hall of Fame in 2016. Kelusky has played for Team Canada and won silver at the World Lacrosse Championships in 2002 and gold at the World Indoor Lacrosse Championships in 2003. He’s been an assistant coach with the New England Black Wolves and is currently acting as offensive coach with the Philadelphia Wings.
"Glad to assist Pentti in the upcoming Euros. The plan has always been to have a Finnish coach in place and it will be nice to still be a part of it." Tracey Kelusky comments.
The tryout camp for the 2020 European Championships are held in two parts. The first one is on January 4th, 2020 in Masku, Finland and the second one on January 26th in Nurmijärvi, Finland.
The 23-player roster will be published after the tryouts in February 2020. Finland will attend the European Championships in Wroclaw, Poland as the defending bronze medalists from 2016 European Championships in Hungary.
The head coach of the National Team for the 2020 EC is Pentti Pekkonen, with Mika Wickström and Tracey Kelusky serving as assistant coaches.
More information about the tryouts: https://www.lacrosse.fi/en/news
Uusimmat uutiset

Finnish lacrosse history was made in Pajulahti Sports Center mid-February as the ladies had their first ever Sixes national team camp weekend, lead by the women's Sixes national team head coach Lesley Hawke, who has earned her stripes in her home country Canada coaching both field and box lacrosse. We were beyond excited to finally meet her, and it's safe to say we were not disapppointed! Joakim “Jokke” Miller, known also for coaching the women's box squad and Turku Titans Ladies, stepped up to help Hawke out as an assistant coach. On Friday night after brief introductions were made, we got to take over the Pajulahti turf. During a stick skills focused session the coaches and the players had an excellent chance at getting to know each other a little better while working on the basics. It was a pleasure seeing so many newer players from Turku Titans and Helsinki Huskies join the camp and work hard with more experienced players. Spirits were high and we were all excited to be starting this journey together and dive deep into Sixes and all of the speed the discipline has to offer!

Pajulahden liikuntakeskuksessa tehtiin 21.–23.2. historiaa, kun naiset kokoontuivat ensimmäisen Sixes-maajoukkueleirin merkeissä. Leirin veti Sixes-maajoukkueen päävalmentaja Lesley Hawke, joka on meritoitunut niin field- kuin box-lacrossevalmentajana kotimaassaan Kanadassa ja jonka tapaamista odotimme jännityksensekaisella innostuksella – emmekä joutuneet pettymään. Apuvalmentajan rooliin leirillä hyppäsi naisten box-maajoukkueen ja Turku Titans Ladiesin valmentajanakin tunnettu Joakim "Jokke" Miller. Napakan esittäytymisen jälkeen pääsimme heti perjantai-iltana korkkaamaan Pajulahden tekonurmen. Mailataitopainotteisten treenien aikana pelaajat ja valmentajat saivat tilaisuuden tutustua toisiinsa perusasioiden äärellä. Kokeneiden konkareiden lisäksi leirille oli saapunut ilahduttava määrä uudempia pelaajia niin Titanseista kuin Helsinki Huskieseista. Tunnelma oli katossa treenien aikana ja niiden jälkeen, ilmassa väreili innostus tulevasta yhteisestä matkasta rakkaan lajin ja uuden nopean pelimuodon parissa.

Around midday on September 18, 2024, the players of the first Finnish women’s box lacrosse national team began arriving at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport with large suitcases. Named bags were handed out, and the atmosphere was filled with anticipation and excitement. Soon, they would board a flight to Boston, followed by a 4 hour bus ride to Utica. For most players, this trip would be their first time in the United States. The team had clear rules: each player was responsible for their roommate the entire journey. "We were on edge until the last minute, wondering if the uniforms would make it," said team captain Suvi Onne when sharing the bags with uniforms to everyone. The first-ever women’s box lacrosse championship match in history (Finland vs. Canada) was an unforgettable experience for the entire team. It felt both like a privilege and an earned opportunity to play in the tournament, considering the significant effort made by the coaches, staff, and players to assemble the team in such a short time. "When our national anthem started playing before that first game, the entire national team project became tangible—'we’re really here, and now it’s time to play,'" recalled team vice-captain Katariina Bitter. Bitter had the honor of delivering the first cross-check in women’s box lacrosse championship history when she stripped the ball from Canada’s Megan Kinna, flooring the Canadian star shortly after the opening whistle. However, what stood out most for Bitter from the tournament was her amazing teammates: "The team spirit was better than I could have ever imagined." The tournament was historic in many ways for both women’s lacrosse and Finnish lacrosse as a whole.

Puolen päivän aikaan 18.9.2024 naisten ensimmäisen boxmaajoukkueen pelaajat alkavat saapua Helsinki-Vantaan lentokentälle suurien matkalaukkujen kanssa. Nimikoituja pusseja jaetaan ja ilmassa on odottava ja innostunut tunnelma. Pian noustaisiin lentokoneeseen Bostoniin, josta bussilla olisi vielä 4 tunnin ajomatka Uticaan. Suurelle osalle pelaajia, tämä reissu tulee olemaan ensimmäinen kerta Yhdysvalloissa. Joukkueella on selvät säännöt: omasta huonekaverista pidetään huolta perille asti. “Viimeiseen asti saimme jännittää että ehtivätkö peliasut mukaan”, joukkueen kapteeni Suvi Onne kertoo. Historian ensimmäinen koskaan pelattu naisten boxlacrosse arvokisaottelu (Suomi-Kanada) oli unohtumaton kokemus koko joukkueelle. Oli samaan aikaan etuoikeutettu ja toisaalta ansaittu olo pelata noissa kisoissa, koska joukkueessa tehtiin iso työ valmentajien, staffin ja pelaajiston hankkimiseksi lyhyessä ajassa. Siinä kohtaa kun maamme laulu alkoi soimaan ennen tuon ekan pelin alkamista koko maajoukkueprojekti konkretisoitui ”me olemme oikeasti päässeet mukaan tänne ja nyt pelataan” joukkueen varakapteeni Katariina Bitter muistelee. Bitter sai kunnian antaa naisten box lacrossen arvokisa tason ensimmäisen poikittaisen mailan, kun hän riisti Kanadan Megan Kinnalta pallon, lanaten Kanadan tähtipelaajan nurmen pintaan, pian ottelun aloitus vihellyksen jälkeen. Erityisesti Bitterille kisoista on kuitenkin kisoista jäänyt mieleen mahtavat joukkuekaverit “joukkuehenki oli parempi kuin mitä olisi voinut koskaan kuvitella”. Kisat olivatkin monella tapaa historialliset niin naisten kuin koko Suomen lacrossen osalta.
Suomen Olympiakomitean vuosikokous järjestettiin 30.11. Helsingissä. Kokous hyväksyi Suomen Lacrosseliitto ry:n Suomen Olympiakomitean varsinaiseksi jäseneksi. Lisäksi vuosikokous valitsi Olympiakomitealle uuden puheenjohtajan ja hallituksen, teki päivityksiä rullaavaan strategiaan ja vahvisti Suomen Olympiakomitea ry:n talous- ja toimintasuunnitelman vuodelle 2025.