Lisa Griffiths, the new field hockey coach at La Jolla High, has been entertaining guests from her native Australia this summer. Her program will gear up in August, so this is a good time to take care of her "real" job--financial advising--before the demands of the fall season.
"My philosophy is that I believe that if the girls are having fun, then they will learn," says the varsity coach, who is moving over from Clairemont High School after two years.
"If they have fun, they will bond. If they bond, then they will succeed."
From all appearances, Griffiths knows her X's and O's--the technical part of field hockey. She also shares a kinship with Paula Conway, the Vikings' former coach who hired Griffiths, as far as coaching philosophy and outlook. That seems to mean a mature, caring type of coaching.
When Conway introduced the new coach to a reporter last winter, she was very pleased to have hired the Australian. Clairemont has a developing program, whereas La Jolla, under Conway the last handful of years, has gotten over the hump from "The Little Engine That Can" to one that recorded several shutouts during the 2014 season and easily qualified for the playoffs.
Another point Griffiths emphasizes in her answers to questions via email is her relationship with team members. "I also believe in an open-door policy," she says. "If the girls have comments/issues/suggestion(s), I am always open to hearing them."
At least from observing the coach and her former team when the Chieftains played at La Jolla last season, it seemed there was a good rapport that had been developed between coach and players.
Unlike Conway, who is a teacher and staff member on campus during the school day at La Jolla, Griffiths will be a walk-on coach, meaning she is employed elsewhere during the day. The positives include the fact such coaches are often well-voiced in their sport and know the technical aspects. The negatives include the reality that the coach is not as easily accessible as a classroom teacher, who is on campus all day every day and whose classroom or office the girls and others can drop by to talk with her.
Each individual coach defines how that works in their case, in this day of cell phones, texting, the Internet, and social media. For example, Vikings boys basketball coach Paul Baranowski maintains an up-to-date schedule and practice calendar on a website that players, their families, and others can easily access to be assured what event is happening what day. He is also good at answering his cell phone.
Griffiths, who was friendly even during the Clairemont-La Jolla game a year ago when a reporter/photographer introduced himself on the sidelines in the middle of action, would seem to have the manner and people skills to do well within the La Jolla High school community.
She has already participated with some of her future players in an offseason school event last spring.
Being a walk-on coach, Griffiths says she has "a very supportive boss" at Edward Jones, where she works in financial advising. Sean Manatt "used to play college football for Iowa State, and it's great because he always asks how my girls are going and I can bounce ideas off him."
Lisa is a long-time field hockey player. "I have played hockey since I was 15, so my life pretty much revolves around that. I also enjoy learning more about (the) history of the world."
"My outlook for the program is to continue in the footsteps of Coach Conway and take the girls to CIF and hopefully make the finals in the next two years," the new coach says. "She has built a strong program and I hope to continue that."
A challenge in the La Jolla field hockey situation is that the Vikings play elite teams like Scripps Ranch whose players compete year-round. La Jolla players don't have a local youth league to play in outside of the school season. This means that the Vikings beat up on lesser teams last season, recording several shutouts. But then they came up lacking in the end when facing the very top teams, not being able to finish.
Conway and Griffiths give off different coaching personas. Conway is a no-nonsense, authoritative coach whose players respect her and are somewhat in awe of her. She and her husband worked with the U.S. Olympic program in Chula Vista, so she is well-known and respected in the field hockey community. Griffiths would seem to be more easy-going. She can receive mentoring along with support from the more-experienced Conway.
Conway, with two young children, has had to juggle her coaching obligations with her teaching duties as a P.E. teacher, family responsibilities, and her position as Athletic Director at LJHS. Her daughter was usually on the sidelines during games the last two seasons, sometimes tended to by a La Jolla player who was not in the game. Her mother began bringing the children to games as babies. The stroller would be positioned near the team bench as Conway carried on sideline team chats.
The Vikings seemed to be fortunate for the coming school year in that their home field on the Muirlands Middle School remained intact while the Edwards Stadium surface is reconstructed. However, the football team has been carrying on workouts on that same Muirlands field this summer. So whether the two programs will peacefully coexist this fall is not known. Possibly one of the programs would relocate to another practice field. University City's baseball team has done this while its new field is being constructed on campus. The Centurion team plays at an off-campus location on Governor Drive.
Lauren Robbins, a team leader the last couple of seasons, graduated from LJHS in June yet plans to be around to help the team this fall while waiting to enter college after the turn of the year.
Copyright 2015 Ed Piper
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