By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 11/29/09
Jennifer Medaglia believes every lacrosse player should be able to participate on a travel team. That is why she has started a non-profit girls’ club lacrosse squad.
Medaglia runs the new AfterShock girls’ lacrosse club (http://www.aftershocklacrosse.com/), which was launched this fall with a squad for high school juniors and seniors. Medaglia said the purpose of the program is to provide an economical option for girls to participate in an off-season program that will compete in major tournaments in the Philadelphia area and beyond.
The program is being expanded to include girls from grades 6 through high school. Today at Limerick Township’s Manderach Park, AfterShock will hold tryouts for players in 6th grade and up of any ability. The juniors and sophomores will try out from 1 to 2 p.m. and the freshmen and middle school players will try out from 2 to 3 p.m.
Medaglia, a Spring-Ford graduate who has coached in the Methacton and Phoenixville youth organizations, also has served as the director of the Penn Premier girls’ club program. She decided to start her own non-profit team because she found that some girls were unable to meet the typical costs of a club team.
Medaglia said that some club teams can cost players as much or more than $1,000 per year. She is charging between $150 to $250 (depending on age) for yearly team fees that include uniforms, practices and winter and fall leagues (voluntary). Families with more than one daughter only pay one team fee.
The summer tournament fee ranges from $200 to $300, depending on the age of the player. The 2010 summer tourney schedule includes the All American Champion Cup, the National Draw, the Girls Upper Atlantic and the Club National Championships.
Medaglia is awaiting final acceptance for non-profit, tax-exempt status (PA Express in Chester County offers a 501 c non-profit girls’ club team and Rebel Elite offers a non-profit boys’ club program). That will help her in buying equipment and going to businesses and organizations to solicit tax-deductible donations.
This fall Medaglia fielded a 2010-2011 team (18 players), mostly comprised of players that used to play for her at Penn Premier. The team competed in a fall league at the United Sports Training Center and in a fall tournament at USTC.
One of the AfterShock players, Pottstown senior Amanda Krok, recently signed a National Letter of Intent to play at Division II Shippensburg. Three other seniors have committed to schools in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference or are about to commit to one of the PSAC schools, Medaglia said.
Medaglia is intent on building her program and possibly using fields in other areas as well. She has received positive feedback from players in the North Penn area and from Berks County.
Medaglia estimates she is working 20 hours a week for no pay; normally club directors and coaches can earn a respectable wage. But she says she is simply happy to be rewarded and to provide a service to those who are looking for different options.
“I have a corporate job that gives zero to 5 percent fulfillment,” she said. “This gives 100 percent fulfillment. I get 100 percent joy out of being with the kids and playing lacrosse. I love coaching lacrosse.
“It will all come back to me. It’s good karma.”
