Amador Valley math teacher Kyle Riddle was recently named the 2023 Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse head coach. Riddle played boys lacrosse for Amador Valley during high school and played in his last three years at Sonoma State. 

The team lost their two coaches last year and has been searching for a new qualified coach prior to Riddle’s hiring.

“Honestly, it was many of the players themselves and the parents that approached me about (coaching) over and over again until I finally said yes,” said Riddle. 

The official lacrosse season does not start until spring, but preseason is well underway. Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, they get together and practice while working on conditioning. 

“He is really dedicated and has done a great job of planning everything, like the workouts. He has a whole plan on how we are going to approach the season this year,” said varsity attacker Sophia Falcione (‘24). 

During the season, players have two-hour practices three days a week along with playing two games a week. Lacrosse is heavily based on teamwork, raising the importance of having a team that works well together. 

“The lacrosse team to me is definitely like a family. We are super close. I honestly love all the girls on the team because everyone is super nice and it is a great support system,” said varsity midfielder Sophia Marcoux (‘23). 

A coach can have a huge impact on this type of environment because the players spend a large amount of time together both on and off the field. 

“The type of culture I want to create is one of comradery and family. We should always be striving to be our best and trying to encourage our teammates to do their best,” said Riddle. 

The team’s main goal is to win the EBAL championship and continue onto the NCS playoffs. However, winning games for Riddle is not always the most valuable objective to be gained. 

“I don’t necessarily have strict goals, but really the idea is that our players are always improving. So the goal is to just get better and hopefully, our best is better than the other teams,” said Riddle. 

The energy on a varsity lacrosse team requires an encouraging and welcoming atmosphere that can be achieved through the coach’s actions. 

“I think Mr. Riddle as our new coach is going to be really positive. He’s really welcoming and sets a really good environment for everyone to come play,” said Falcione.

High school athletes often need to be reminded that the ultimate goal is to improve their skills, and that remains a key factor that will benefit players in the long run. 

“One of the quotes I always say to the players is ‘you’re not doing better than the person across from you, you’re doing better than yesterday,’” said Riddle.