Aug. 2, 2007

Note: The 2007 IFWLA U-19 World Championships begin Saturday in Peterborough, Ontario. Follow Team USA's journey here on Lacrosse Magazine Online and on the team's Web site, including an updated team schedule and statistics. Or read about the experience firsthand from the U.S. U-19 players themselves on the Team USA Blog.

The following feature appeared in the June issue of Lacrosse magazine, a member benefit of US Lacrosse. Become a member today!

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by Paul Ohanian, Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff

Wendy Kridel is doing what she loves.

We should all be that lucky.

For the third time in her career, Kridel is serving as the head coach of the U.S. Women's Under-19 national team. Under her guidance, the United States captured the International Federation of Women's Lacrosse Associations (IFWLA) U-19 championship in both 1999 and 2003. The U.S. appears to be the pre-tournament favorite to make it three in a row starting Saturday, when the eight-day event featuring 11 teams kicks off in Peterborough, Ontario.

That's a challenge Kridel is happy to accept.

"Winning is so implied at this level," she said. "My job is to get them prepared. The focus has to be preparation. I don't want to stand in their way."

The fact that she's done such a good job in that role twice before didn't hurt when the Women's Division national teams' coaches selection committee had to make its choice for 2007.

"Her experience and her drive (were important factors)," said selection committee member Brooke Fritz. "She knows what it takes to win at that level. She has learned what works and what doesn't, and had a huge advantage over the other candidates. She is a clear leader."

Kridel, who also serves as the co-head coach at Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore, enjoys the opportunity of leading an elite group into competition.

"These players are so motivated, and they want to please you, as the coach," said Kridel. "They will do all that they can. They are talented kids and fantastic athletes."

With less need for external motivation, Kridel has learned that it's more important to invest the team's precious time together on molding a cohesive unit.

"The biggest focus is to teach them the game, to have them think on the field and do it as a unit," she explained. "They are with you. They want the whole dream."

Jordyn Kirr, a member of Team USA who also plays for Bryn Mawr, says the coach's style is consistent.

"She likes us to play smart, so she explains why we do things," said Kirr. "In practices, we're always moving. There's always a plan. She's usually calm, but she will get competitive."

Tough Out

Kridel grew up as a three-sport athlete, playing field hockey, basketball and softball in Livingston, N.J. She didn't discover lacrosse until arriving on campus at the University of Delaware. Had she not been cut from the Blue Hens' softball team, she may never have moved into lacrosse. The team needed a backup goalie, and Kridel needed a team.

They were a match.

"I grew to love a game I didn't know at all," she said.

Her first real playing experience, coming without much advance notice, was a blur.

"The starter got hurt and, the next thing I know, I'm in the cage," she said. "All I remember is the game ending and we won. It was like an out-of-body experience."

From that inauspicious start, she began coaching at Delaware's summer camp. That's when the physical education major caught the bug.

After graduating, Kridel moved to Baltimore with some friends and began looking for a teaching job. Instead, what she found was an opportunity to coach a first-year team at Owings Mills High in the Baltimore suburbs.

"That first team only had 14 players, maybe 15, and only two or three that had ever played the game before," said Kridel. "But I remember feeling that this is what I want to do. It came easily to me." It was also something Kridel learned while cutting her teeth with that first team that continues to serve as one of the cornerstones of her coaching philosophy.

"If you give all you have, they want to give back," she said. "The kids gave all they had."

There were subsequent coaching stops at nearby Towson (Md.) High and Roland Park Country School in the city, before she landed at Bryn Mawr in 1997. Having also assumed duties as Bryn Mawr's athletics director last year, she now serves as co-head coach for lacrosse in order to make more time available for other duties.

"I don't miss having the full responsibility," Kridel said. "Working with Kim (Simon) has freed me from a lot of the prep work needed. It's kind of fun. But I don't want to give up the interaction with the kids."

Having a Plan

The United States carries a 14-game winning streak into this championship tournament, having breezed to the title with relative ease in both 1999 and 2003. Kridel's squad defeated Australia 15-8 in the 1999 championship game and 21-8 in the 2003 final.

Coming off her experiences with those teams, as well her role as an assistant on the 1995 U-19 team that finished as the IFWLA runner-up, Kridel feels that she has a firm grip on her biggest challenge in leading an all-star team.

"Get them to trust me," she said, unequivocally. "And, I have to get them to trust each other."

Team-building activities, visualization exercises, personal journals and mandatory weekly e-mails from players to coaches are all part of Kridel's trust-building blueprint.

Unlike a regular high school team, which may have a few good athletes who largely determine the team's overall success and direction, an elite team has no shortage of difference-makers.

"I think coaching's harder on the high school team." Kridel said. "Those kids bring more baggage to the team. It requires a lot of energy from a coach."

Regardless of the level, however, she says that some of the coaching basics don't change.

"You must be a good listener and not afraid to make decisions," Kridel said. "Right or wrong, I stand behind my own choice." Having a passion for what she is doing and not being afraid to try new things are also priorities for Kridel.

"I find myself always trying to evolve. Working with the U-19 team makes me push myself. You are forced to stay on top of your game. I love the game of lacrosse. Hopefully, they will also love the game. It should be fun."

Other intangibles make Kridel the right choice to lead this U-19 all-star team.

"She has the ability to bring the best out of the girls," Fritz said. "Her competitiveness rubs off on the team. She has the best athletes to work with and is very good at pushing them to be better and to play unselfishly."

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About the Event

WHAT: IFWLA U-19 World Championships
WHEN: Aug. 4-11, 2007
WHERE: Trent University | Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
WEB: www.2007womensu19worldlacrosse.com

Team USA Schedule
Aug. 4 vs. England, 2 p.m.
Aug. 5 vs. Canada, 2 p.m.
Aug. 6 vs. Australia, 7 p.m.
Aug. 8 Quarterfinals, TBD
Aug. 10 Semifinals, 2 or 4:30 p.m.
Aug. 11 Gold Medal Game, 2:30 p.m.

Tickets
Day passes start as low as $7 (CAD) and are available at the gate. Weekend and full-event tickets are available online.

Opening Ceremonies
Roberta Bondar, Canada's first female astronaut and the chancellor of Trent University, will be the keynote speaker at the opening ceremonies. Also performing will be the First Nations women's group, Unity Singers.

U-17 Festival
Twenty-one teams from five nations will compete in the Under-17 Lacrosse Festival, Aug. 6-9 at nearby Beavermead Park. Play begins at 8 a.m. each day.

Peterborough and the Kawarthas
"Fans will be at the gateway of cottage country," said event coordinator Cheryl Quinn-MacNeill. "Nature is at its best here, and boating activities are a focus given all of the lakes." For more, visit the Peterborough and the Kawarthas tourism Web site at www.thekawarthas.net.

IFWLA Competing Nations
Pool A: USA, Australia, Canada, England
Pool B: Japan, Scotland, Wales
Pool C: Czech Republic, Haudenosaunee, Germany, New Zealand

Championship History
1995 (Haverford, Pa.) - Champion: Australia | Runner-up: U.S.
1999 (Perth, Australia) - Champion: U.S. | Runner-up: Australia
2003 (Baltimore, Md.) - Champion: U.S. | Runner-up: Australia