Bobby Lyle Interview

Bobby Lyle's Introduction to Lacrosse and Goalie Play All right, welcome back everybody to the Lacrosse The Land Podcast. I'm your North Coast LAX host. Jay Lammers. Thank you for tuning in. And we've got another great treat of an interview today. I'm sitting down with current Massillon Jackson head lacrosse coach Bobby Lyle. Bobby, thanks for having me out to your place and giving me the opportunity to talk a little D1 Region 2 lacrosse. Speaker 2 Yeah. I appreciate you coming down and I think it's long overdue here. Speaker 1 It is, it is, it is. So we're going to get off ripping here. You know, the way I, I start all these interviews. Got 2 standard questions to begin. What was your first lacrosse experience? How were you introduced to the game and do you remember your first lacrosse stick? Speaker 2 I don't remember my first stick, maybe it was a laser high wall. Speaker 1 That was my first stick too. The. Speaker 2 Original OG beginner stick, but I got introduced just because two of my older brothers played in youth and then I just had a stick. I never actually got involved and played an organized team till freshman year of high school and then my one of my older brothers was a goalie through high school. I kind of followed his footsteps and decided to get in the goal. Speaker 1 So you were a goalie right off the bat? Speaker 2 Yeah, I was, unfortunately a baseball kid mostly growing up. And then I probably wasn't going to make the freshman baseball team. And all my friends were lacrosse players. And they needed a goalie for their class because Kevin Ratigan, at the time, it was a really good goalie and went on to Western Reserve Academy. They lost their goalie for the class. Yeah. And so all my friends convinced me to to come out and the rest is history. Speaker 1 Got you, got you. Well, tale as old as time. Well, two tales as old as time 1 is older brothers tend to pave the way, right? You know. And you know, I guess you're one of your brothers was a goalie. But good to hear they didn't just Crammy and Cage to let let them RIP shots on you. But second tale as old as time is baseball, boys. As soon as you pick up that lacrosse stick, that's that's it for the for the baseball program, right? Speaker 2 There was no turning back. I, I even tried to play like summer ball after my freshman year. And then quite honestly, just standing in the outfield. I I I questioned my life choice at the. Speaker 1 Same time. Speaker 2 And and I hung it up. Speaker 1 Yeah, you and me both, man, did the same thing. That's hilarious. Very, very, very similar origins to the game. Well, that's cool. I mean goalie now I've got a little bit of a biased view. I tend to think that goalies make the best coaches, the best officials and the best ambassadors to the game. And I don't think you're any exception, Bob. You're a great, great ambassador, excellent coach and a hell of a player in your in your time. From Hudson Lacrosse to Kent State Hockey Journey So, you know, keep proving us right with that goalie crew. You know I'll. Speaker 2 Try. Speaker 1 All right, so you said you, you went to Hudson, Hudson class of. Speaker 2 2007. Speaker 1 2007 All right, so played for Dave Blue. There must have been a fun experience for you. Speaker 2 Yeah, it was funny. I was wrapping up my hockey season freshman year and at that point I agreed to play goalie. I got all my equipment. I remember getting a ride to hockey. Is our season about to end? I was about to start lacrosse the next week and I thought, what did I just do? Because there's no going back at that point. I couldn't go with my tail between my legs. And I was like, yo, whatever. You just got to gut it out, get to the first year. If you don't like it, you don't play the next year. And it stuck with me right away. And so it was an incredible experience all four years in high school and incredible program and just a lot of good core memories. Speaker 1 Well, that's, that's cool and that's, that speaks to, you know, your mindset and the type of guy you are, Bobby, to have that realization as a, as a high school freshman, a lot don't. And you know, that's the reason why you're on the podcast is I think, I think I think you said a great example as far as doing what you put your mind to and doing it the right way. So that's very cool. And then Kent State, you said you went there for college, graduated in class, the class of 2012, correct. All right, cool. And you went there, you know, to get a, your, your major graduate with a major in education and also to play some very high level hockey, you know. Speaker 2 Yeah, I got, I got lucky in regards to the hockey sense. I went there with no goal to play in the club hockey team. I didn't try out my first year and I was playing club lacrosse and club lacrosse at that time. It was, you know, nothing against that. It it was just a pretty big step down in the organizational side from what I experienced in high school at Hudson in the competitive sense. And the next year I tried to tried out for the hockey team and actually got cut. Yeah. And that for me, if people know me well, that was more of a motivator and I just put a little bit more into the offseason. I was able to make it and played three years of club hockey at Kent well. Speaker 1 I did, I mean, all right, I, we've shared the ice and you're a hell of a skater, hell of an athlete, man. And like I again, that speaks to the level of the program and again, your, your intestinal fortitude to set that goal and stick it out the next time. So you know, good work with that. Speaker 2 It's never fun getting cut. I mean, so you never want to do that to a kid. And then trust me, it's I've experienced it. So thankfully we don't do it at Jackson. Speaker 1 Yep, Yep. No. And we'll get into the Jackson stuff in a bit. But yeah, you guys, you and your polar bear army are impressive when you guys get off the bus, you know? So go work, go work rolling the game and keeping that, that love of the game very high for everybody. Transitioning to Coaching and Learning from Mistakes That's the. Speaker 1 Goal So how and when did you decide to get into coaching? You know, of being a being a player for so long and being an education major. Was that a conscious choice of yours to to get in to be either a hockey coach or lacrosse coach somewhere when he got out of school? Speaker 2 Yeah, You know, especially at that time, teaching jobs are very, very hard to get. Schools were always looking for what else you could do for them outside of just teaching. And coaching was obviously an Ave. that I could go down. And originally I really wanted to explore the hockey route. I had helped at Hudson as an assistant pretty early on in college and then at the middle school level, a few of my friends who I played high school with asked me to come out and also be an assistant coach for the seven and Eight team. I did that for one year and then Coach Blue had asked me to come up, come help in the 2011 season as an assistant helping the JV team and kind of the rest was history from there and something that stuck with me. It's something I'm passionate about, but yeah, that's how it all rolled out. Speaker 1 Got you, got you. Got you. And you, while you were there, you were also coaching the high school hockey team, correct? Speaker 2 Yeah. So in 2011 and 2012, I was just an assistant lacrosse coach, and then the following year I took over as the head hockey coach and the assistant lacrosse coach. So at Hudson, in total, I was the head hockey coach for three years, assistant lacrosse coach for four years, and I was subbing there after college. A job didn't end up working out there, but you know everything worked out the way it should have. Speaker 1 Yeah, nice, nice, nice. Well, wearing a lot of hats, you know. Well, actually I want to pull the curtain back a little bit and, you know, this is this is the kind of guy that Bobby is is, you know, when I was coaching at Kenton, I took a team down there and we got our brains beat in pretty badly by you at you and coach Blue and the Hudson Explorers down there. And I was a young, young, immature head coach. It was, I think year 2 for me. And regretfully, but maybe, you know, maybe not at the end of the day, full circle moment. I'll come back to it in a second. But you know, I I was a punk in the handshake line and you called me out on it. And you we actually had a conversation the next summer as summer coaches together. And, you know, you told me that it was something that you didn't understand where I was coming from. And I, I had to look deep inside myself and say, you know what, Bobby is absolutely right, man. And it really was a moment for me to try to do things a little bit better and be, you know, the person that I really wanted my kids to emulate that I think you said a very, very high standard for for your team and your kids. So I just, I just wanted to relay that that story for everybody. And, you know, say people are always watching, man, you know, make sure you're putting your best foot forward out there. And I'm glad, I'm glad for you calling me out and helping me learn that lesson. Speaker 2 Yeah, I mean, I think all young coaches have a moment like that. I mean, I mean, Lord knows I have. And at the same time, and and no one's perfect. But I also want the listeners to know Jay has apologized for this more times than I can count. So trust me. He, he, he, he, he is. Everything is good. He is, you know, definitely made-up for it. But yeah, I mean, I could definitely say even me as a young coach, I've, I've had to come a very, very long way, especially in regards to in game and the way you talk to officials and the way you handle calls. Because I could tell you my first four or five years, I, I, after this couple years, I had to look inward in regards to the way I was acting, if I was putting the right message across my own players. And I think most officials would tell you, if you look at me on a field today as opposed to 8 years ago, it's a complete 180. So I think that's just something all young coaches go through. If you're, we're competitive, we all want to do well. We want our kids to do well. And sometimes you get mixed in with the just emotions of the game. Landing the Jackson Coaching Role and Philosophy Yep, Yep. Well, thanks for giving me that break, Bobby. Really appreciate it. You know, So back to coaching, playing, you know, punkness. Maybe not. If you had to coach yourself when you were playing in the cage and you know today, how would that relationship look? And who would be more frustrated with the other? Who would be pulling their hair out a little bit? Speaker 2 More Yeah, I don't know how that would look. The, the one thing for me is I, I am my, my, my toughest critic more than anything. So I, I don't really think in regards to the motivation side, I'm not someone who wants to be like pumped up by someone else. I kind of do that internally. And I, I, I really, yeah, I, I've never been that guy who needs like slapped on the back and then hit on the head to, you know, I've kind of internal motivation. But yeah, it's a good question. Speaker 1 I know I would not. I know that I would have trouble coaching myself. It's a tough question, you know, But it's, I'm interested in that. I'm always interested in that. So after your stint at Hudson, you came to Jackson in 2016, correct? Speaker 2 Yeah. So I was actually at Hudson through the 2014 season. In 2015, I was with Jake Kubasa at Medina for a year as an assistant. He helped me out and got a building sub position for me there where I was actually working every day. And then the following year I got the job at Jackson. Speaker 1 Gotcha. Oh, man, Jake, I know you're listening to this. And another case of Medina getting poached by somebody. Speaker 2 Jake still holds it over my head. That one year we had together was special. We had a good time. Speaker 1 Nobody get their gets their cough rated like Medina does in local lacrosse, I don't think. And this is going to come full circle. I think that's important. Thanks for reminding me about that, you know, but we'll get back to that in a SEC. But how'd that opportunity come about to be in Jackson? Because I want to stay in Jackson for a little bit here. Speaker 2 The lacrosse community is very small. There's no question. So, you know, it's funny, I tell my kids, my students all the time of making good first impressions and and what doors that can open for you. And then when I was at Medina, we were scrimmaging Jackson and Hans Reinquist, who was the head coach at the time, who's who's a friend and teammate of mine for the Cleveland Demons. He kind of knew who was on his way out after that season. He introduced me to his assistant coach who happened to be the assistant athletic director at the time. And as soon as the season ended, I got a call from that athletic director that they had, you know, an opening. And I said I am looking for a full time teaching job at the same time. And he said they happen to have both and they let let me interview for for both jobs And I got very, very lucky and I probably the best interview I had through all my teaching opportunities. And that's how I wound up there. A lot of it had to do with Hans and opening that door for me. Speaker 1 Well, dude, that's that's awesome and I'm glad you mentioned that too and talk about the lacrosse world being small, but also talk about, you know, just three class acts. You know yourself Jake at Medina and Hans, I mean three of just the the great gentleman that are leading, you know, and have led programs in this area. So that's that's quite the triumvirate. Speaker 2 Right there. Building a Strong Jackson Program with Alumni Support So in Jackson, you know, and this is where I was going to come back to, you know, I you guys play hard. You have a big program, You're you're AD one school and like you said, you don't you don't cut. So you have a lot of players in the program. I have to give a tip of my cap to you for the way that you run that I, I don't know of a program other than Jake Kubasa and this and I think you guys are 1A and 1B at both this like switching back and forth that have a large D1 program that plays their butts off and are is gentlemanly and good sports about how you go about it. I, you know, whether it was Kenston or Shaker where I was coaching, I love those, those Jackson matchups, man. So it was. It was good stuff. Speaker 2 Absolutely, yeah. But now that Kent, Kenton Jackson games are great, even the scrimmages are always spirited. And, but I think that a lot of a lot of that had to do with both cultures or both programs and, and I think that says something about you too, when you were coaching at that time as well. Speaker 1 Thank you, thank you. And I, you know, I wouldn't be remiss in talking about Jackson if we didn't talk about, you know, the class alums that you guys had, you know, and you seem to have a really good job, do a really good job of building that love of the game and having alums, you know, come back to help you out, you know, and two guys in particular huge, like Tyler Murphy, a demon's teammate. That's right. Yeah. Unfortunately, he's not helping you out anymore. But I always love coming down and talking to him, love sharing the game with him as the with the demons now. And you know, now that he's gone, you got John Thomas another. Speaker 2 Another another fellow Cleveland Demon. By the way, we're recruiting for next season. Speaker 1 We'll get to we will get to Demons recruiting. Demons recruiting only, No honey Badgers recruiting. Speaker 2 But maybe a little both. We'll see. Speaker 1 But yeah, it's like I said, it's always fun coming down competing, you know, and speaking about John Thomas, you know, he's one of how many brothers to go through, how many Thomas brothers you coach? Speaker 2 So I had two Thomas brothers in total who play the cross. There's actually 4 Thomas boys. Only two play lacrosse, but they were, you know, were two of the best ever go through the program. And we've had a long run of various brothers through the years. And that's been a lot of fun just to kind of see the the kind of different generations, if you will, and how they feed off of one another. That's been, you know, special part of the job. Speaker 1 Yeah, man, you know, multiple brothers. And again, I think that speaks to the program you run, the fun you have, that, you know, it's not a one and done thing where one brother goes through and they say we got to go somewhere else, like maybe we should play baseball. But you know, you get brother after brother after brother coming through and, you know, those names just stack on top of each other and I, you know, getting coaching against you. I'd be like, I thought that kid graduated Like, no, that's it. That's his younger brother, you know, So that's, that's cool. Speaker 2 I think the Thomas crew is everyone's happy to see Greg graduate in 24. Speaker 1 Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. It's it's it is a break to the other programs in town to have no more Thomas Brothers coming through and wearing the the purple and gold. Navigating the All-American Selection Process OK, so outside of coaching, well coinciding with coaching, you are currently the local coaches chair for the at one point it was the North Coast chapter of USA Lacrosse, but now it's the Northern Ohio Lacrosse organization representing USA Lacrosse. Lots of acronyms out there, but you are still the All American chair. Speaker 2 I am. Speaker 1 All right, nice. You know it's. I know you probably had your work cut out for you because you inherited that job from. Speaker 2 Some guy who had to step down from coaching. Speaker 1 Some guy had to step down from coaching and probably left a huge mess for you to unwind and that guy would tell everybody that it is an absolutely thankless position. But the area, the kids to get nominated and recognized, they really have to say thank you to you for organizing that and make it happen year after year. Speaker 2 Yeah, it's, it's a, it can be a thankless job, but it's, I don't know, I'm very OCD and I and I, I actually love organizing things and a good spreadsheet and like, it's one of those things there like you want a job done and you want it done right. Just do it yourself sometimes, but it really isn't bad and and you could pave the way for and be able to get it done in regards to communications and how to do it. And you know, it's not too bad. It just takes a little bit of time and some organizing at the end of the year. Speaker 1 Well, all right, we're going to touch on, you know, sort of the, you know, the thing that drives the stop of me for me. But I, I think you're the perfect guy for that job. You know, us sharing coaching responsibilities for so long and one of them being, you know, all region nominations and voting seating voting man, you you love the game and we can see how each other votes. And I think I know you are probably the most honest guy when it comes to voting, casting ballots and being realistic about, you know, teams that are absolute rivals. But you understand the game and understand what it means to have a quote UN quote correct ballot. And Bobby's ballot is pretty much on on point with with the play on the field, you know? Speaker 2 Yeah, I think when it comes to all region stuff, and this goes for all American too, is you want the best recognized and and sometimes those aren't your kids regardless of the points that they put up. And I think you just have to look at who are teams playing and, you know, but also sometimes it's not the kids fault for the schedule that their coach made and, and the kids that deserve to be recognized should be recognized regardless of, of team and, and things like that. So that's the biggest thing too with the All American process is that, you know, the top 11 kids need to be recognized as, as the best in the area. And same with the academic All American. And the more we have that mindset going in, we're we're going to get the best kids represented to represent our region. Defining Academic All-American Recognition for Players Sure, sure, sure, sure. And you know, I it's a tough one, right? Because you love your kids and you want to nominate the ones that you feel are worthy. But like, it's really on the coaches to nominate the right kids and not stuff a ballot with seven names. Speaker 2 Right. I mean, all it does is water down the process and, and like, this isn't me Tooting our horn, but you know, like my, my 2023 class, I had a really, really talented class and a lot of those kids went on to play, you know, Division One lacrosse and at the next level. And, and, and, and some years they could have been first team players all three years or four years as a varsity player, but you know, they were second team for two years. That's the way it is. Just cuz there's four or five guys ahead of them that, that, that deserve that honor. So I think coaches just need to kind of understand that side of it is who really is the best of the best regardless of the school, but and and give those kids the recognition they deserve. Speaker 1 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. All right. So in, in that nomination process and voting process, we have all Americans, which like you said, pretty self-explanatory. You know, the 11 best, you know, and it's it's it's a math equation. It's however many teams divided by a certain number gives you the amount of slots, right? Yep. So those are the 11 you know best in in the North Coast and but there's something that always gets a little bit of questioning and thought is the academic all American. So what are your thoughts? What are? Speaker 2 Your thoughts on that? I think for academic All American, like last year, I believe we had 11 spots, but I think only 13 kids were nominated, which is relatively low, right? And you could say, OK, that's a good thing because we're trying to get the right guys. But I actually think that it was underrepresented, right? Some of the talent we have in the area. So I think with academic All American area, coaches need to realize it's, hey, this kid has a very high GPA, He's academic standing. I believe the limit is 3.8. I could be wrong. I'd have to look it back. I'll have it right in the e-mail. Yeah. But anyway, in regards to their academic, it has to do with their academic standing, but also they're playing the field. So you could have a kid who got a, you know, whatever, 36 on his ACT and a four point O GPA, but that didn't touch the field. Well, that's not an academic all American. So I, I, I would kind of challenge coaches, you know, if, if you have players that are very, very have a high standard in the classroom, but also a high standard on the field, is, is, is put them up for those awards. So we're getting the right kids, the recognition that they deserve. Speaker 1 Right, right, right. Yeah. It's not just a classroom award. It's still, you know, you still all American type talent, lacrosse. Speaker 2 Player yeah, and I would just throw out there, if they're not getting, you know, second team all region, they're not getting an all region type award. They're still not probably an academic all American, right? That's the reality of the situation. But there's plenty of kids that are even a first or second team all region that aren't top 11 all American in the area where they could be a top 11 academic all American. So there's a big difference in that. And I think if we kind of balance the two, we're going to have a better representation for our region of the top 11 for each award. The Nuances of All-Region Nominations and Voting Yeah, Yep. Nope, I couldn't agree with you more. That's good stuff, man. And so we're gonna piggyback on that talk. All regions seating, coaches, responsibilities and they all tie in together because like you said, there's there's a guideline for that all American process that you run where sort of they ask you to be a first team all region player, a first team all league player to even be considered for that, right? Speaker 2 Yeah. And we've kind of relaxed on the first team side of it because I'll give an example. A few years ago at Hudson, Hudson was loaded. I mean they were loaded, but our region was loaded with attack men and Alec Dickens, for example, from Hudson a few years ago, he was a junior, his junior year, he was, I believe, an All American player of the year for the region. Well, the next year there were so many good attack my region. He ended up getting second team. Well, that kid, maybe, you know, I got second team. He's probably a top 11 kid in the area. He just happened to be the fifth guy in regards to all region voting. So that that's where that all region thing can be, can be a little bit balance of understanding what the demographic is. So like, you know, Jake, for example, at Medina, he's had some really, really good players over the years who probably were a top 11 player in the area, but they were in region one with all the Jerome kids and all the Liberty kids. So a kid like Jake Nanowski a few years ago, right? Even though his senior year got cancelled, he probably would have a hard time getting first team all region in region one, Yeah. However, is he a top of at that time, was he a top 11 kid? Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. So you guys kind of take that into account? Speaker 1 Sure, sure, sure. You know, that's that's good stuff. Good, great points. You know, and on that attack, right, it's always attack that's. Speaker 2 Loaded with the nominations, the names. Speaker 1 You know, and, and just so people know, they're only four slots. Speaker 2 For first in team and 2nd. Speaker 1 And 2nd 8 total. Speaker 2 Yeah, we have I think 19 teams in our region and you're getting 8 total, so. Speaker 1 Makes it hard. It makes it hard, but something that would make it easier and you know, this is something I've talked to other coaches about. Would love to get your opinion on this is you know with the all region, the seating, maybe not the all Americans because the timeline is so crunched trying to get them out post all region and before you know the playoffs. What are your thoughts on meeting in person and coming back together? Speaker 2 Yeah, I don't mind the in person I I, I think it's tough to get people together, but I I think it maybe brings a little bit more legitimacy to the process. You know you're not. I know you we our all region nominations and voting spreadsheet. It's public to all the coaches. But there's a certain thing about doing it in person, like I know Columbus does. They're all American in person and they have a committee of sorts. But yeah, I mean, I I would be open to it, but I also understand that it's really tough to get everyone together to do that, especially as as the the sport has grown in the amount of teams we have in our region. So there is the simplicity of using the spreadsheet. Pros and Cons of Playoff Seeding Strategies Sure, sure. No, I I agree with you. And, you know, generally the spreadsheets are good enough. My pushback would be that, you know, we're all coaches, we're all LAX friends and junkies. And maybe our our significant others might not agree, but you know, to ask for a a handful of hours on, you know, a. Speaker 2 Sunday somewhere. Speaker 1 Is is is not the ultimate sacrifice and especially when it comes to those those attack slots, right? You know when you got 19 legitimate kids for eight slots. Yeah, it it could help you know, to to put text, to put context with the stats and what with the names that you. Speaker 2 See, yeah, there there's also the benefit too, of doing it in person of, you know, while a coach who hasn't played a lot of teams in the region, you know, of them being able to advocate for their players and maybe another team being able to advocate for that kid as well. Say, hey, we did play this kid. Like he's legit. Yeah. Yeah. Again, there's pros and cons. It's it's just different age. Speaker 1 We got to love it, right? I mean, you know, we're always balancing those pros and cons and making maybe not the best decisions for our for our social lives based on how much we love lacrosse. Speaker 2 That's true, and I'm sure my wife would agree. Speaker 1 Oh man, so anything that you change about the process, All American, all regions, seeding, anything, if you had a magic wand, you know that you could you. Speaker 2 Would the, the only thing, the one thing I like that we do seating wise in regards to the state is a lot of this other sports have have switched over to Max preps rankings in regards to the seating, which I I for some reason the Max preps algorithm for lacrosse isn't, isn't doing it. Yeah, it it just, it just doesn't add up or LAX numbers does. And unfortunately, we're not allowed to use LAX numbers because of the agreement with Max Prep And I believe the OHSAA. I, I, I do like the fact that coaches vote, whether that is, you know, that's hurt me in the past, It's helped me in the past. Sometimes that's the way it goes. I, I would like to see us almost get to a point though, instead of us picking our spots. You know, again, sometimes I love being able to pick my spot because I can go after somebody. But it's also worked against me in the past where I've had a much tougher second round matchup than I should as opposed. Speaker 1 To you know. Speaker 2 More, I shouldn't say easier route, but you get my drift. To interact, to get into the regional chalk, more chalk around, I guess I think there's pros and cons because what you see in regards to the pick your spot is those first through 4C's actually sometimes get hurt. So maybe a team does sneak in the first seed where people think the second or third seed, but I'm going to go after the first seeds. It's like, well, but I earned the one seed. Why, why do I have the tougher route? So I, I, I think there's pros and cons. There's the competitive side of being able to pick your spouse, like, oh, I want to go after somebody, but it's also worked against me so. Handicapping the Competitive Landscape of Region 2 Gotcha, gotcha. Well, one thing you know that I think is important when the seating happens and you know, this is something that you guys have done every single year and I hope it doesn't change and I hope I'm not speaking out of turn because it's changed this year. But you know, with the seating coming before the end of the season, it's sort of changed the dynamics of that rivalry game. Speaker 2 Rivalry. Speaker 1 And you guys, I think in my opinion, have the best Division One rivalry with North Canton Hoover and you guys play that last game of the season or last well as late in the season as you can. Speaker 2 So it used to be the last game and the way they kind of pushed the playoffs. We each have a game now after it. But it is it's it's, it's a good rivalry. There's no other way to say it. And then it's been going on for a long time. And you know, the kids look forward to it, the coaches look forward to, the community looks forward to it. Speaker 1 I look forward to it. I got no skin in that game and I look forward to it. It's it's awesome. And that's and you guys play that on Friday nights. Speaker 2 Right. We play it on a Friday night. We're at home this year. Speaker 1 It's. Speaker 2 Yeah, it's, there's a lot of build up to it and I, I've, I've kind of the last couple years found my way to stay, stay Zen and, and not get caught up into it, 'cause, you know, I, I found that sometimes you get caught up too, too much into it. It affects the kids more. Obviously. Last two years they've had a really, really good team. We haven't met the challenge of the rivalry but we're hoping to bring that back this year. Speaker 1 Awesome, awesome. Well, best of luck to you guys in that game, You know, and as we were talking, you guys were talking Hoover. We're talking all region. We're talking, you know, Region 2. What's in store for Region 2 this year? Let's handicap it a little bit. What do you see? Speaker 2 I mean, I think the region itself, especially with the addition of a lot of teams the last year with, with Medina, with the addition of Avon, I think it's more competitive than ever, especially for like those like 4 through 8 seeds where I think anyone can kind of beat anyone. You know, our goal is hopefully be a top four type C team. But you know, you look at Ignatius is obviously loaded with, with, with some very, very good talent that returns. But I know they're also rebuilding in some ways, but they're just very, you know, athletically superior to most teams. Hudson's defense is going to be stellar. I mean, the, the poles that they return, maybe I have a few more question marks on the offensive side, but I, I don't know. They, they tend to reload really well. And obviously Hoover's going to be very good as well. I mean, they're very well coached. They're balanced. The Kavanaugh brothers. I can't wait to talk about brothers in a program. I'm ready for them to graduate. But you know, but we, we, we hope to be in the mix and all that as well. We, we have a group that's just really hungry to play. And then the culture this year has been just incredibly hard working to wear where we lacked maybe some ways in scale. We we, we make up with work ethic and, and devotion to the game. But I think, you know, Medina is going to be solid again this year. They return a lot of the guys on the offensive, defensive side of the ball. Avon has some kids, you know, EDS returned some kids. Speaker 1 And EDS, you know Shaker had a hell of a season last. Speaker 2 Year I, I think, you know, in recent memory, I, I think this could potentially be, you know, the most competitive this region's been in a, in a very long time. When you look through the one through 8 seeds or one, maybe 10. And that's a good thing. You should want to look for a competition and and not just have the same teams every year, you know, be those regional semifinals. Speaker 1 Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, absolutely. And I think, you know, it's played out last year this way, some pretty amazing second round games. And to your point, I think they're going to be some really, really good second round, you know, third round, semi final, the regional final is going to be an absolute. Speaker 2 Absolutely. Speaker 1 Heavyweight championship match, you know it's going to be. Speaker 2 Awesome. And I think that that's great. Like in Cleveland itself, I think there's a sport continues to grow and it it, it's good. That's just not the same teams every year. And the more the game grows, the more competitive it is. And the more we don't have to travel out of region for competitive games, the better. The Thrill of Box Lacrosse and GCL Leagues Yep, Yep, Yep. Nope, spot on, spot on. And you know, staying with the Bears, switching gears a little bit, we just finished up our GCL winter season. You guys did pretty well in the box, had a ton of competitive games. You know, I was super, I was super impressed with the Jackson team, both teams. I mean, you guys had two full squads. A, that's super impressive. B You know, the way you guys handled your bench, the way you guys actually handled playing the game of box lacrosse, You know, you clearly coached to play, you know box lacrosse and do it as. Speaker 2 Yeah, I mean that that's. Speaker 1 Warriors but also gentlemen, you know, it was good. It was good stuff, Ref and you guys. I love Ref and the Jackson games and that. Speaker 2 I, I think it's important, like, I mean, it is great that we have box in the offseason. It's one thing that the OHSA allows us to do in regards to the coaching and our development of our kids. But I, I think the biggest thing is that the teams need to realize throughout the box leagues is like, hey, be, be competitive, have fun, get better more than anything, but realize this spring is why we're here. And that's the thing I really tried to put in our, our guy's head, like, hey, don't get caught up and, and, and the heat of the moment of, of what's going on, just play and get better. And that's why we're here. Speaker 1 Yeah, and proof was in the pudding, right? You guys had some pretty heated matchups and Jackson cooler heads, you know, carried the day. Speaker 2 Time after time, cooler has prevailed at times. Speaker 1 At times. At times. So talking GCL, talking cooler heads, great job with the with the high school guys, but let's talk about less cooler heads and GCL summer ball. Speaker 2 Summer box, let's go. Speaker 1 Summer box, Demons box. You are a huge proponent of both. You've been the Demons goaltender for for quite some time. Keeping your scrubby backup goaltender on the. Speaker 2 Batch. I would not say scrubby. Speaker 1 But you know, love sharing the demons with you, man. Like it's, it's in your blood. You, you are, you are a box guy. Maybe it's your hockey background. Maybe it's, you know, just how excellent you are in between the pipes. But dude, you do a great job of representing both the demons, the Honey Badgers and GCL, you know? So you know, what do you, what do you love about Box? Speaker 2 Yeah, I mean, the hockey background is definitely a proponent on why I like it and and people assume that I'm a goalie in hockey, but I was actually a four forward and I just got thrown in the mix of goalie for lacrosse. And yeah, box is just fast, you know, with a shot, with a shot clock, everything's so much more up and down. And from a goalie perspective, like you're pretty much guaranteed at least a shot or shot attempt at every possession, where in the field that's not always guaranteed. So you're a little bit more active in everything and just the overall physicality of what's going on in front of you. It's just it's a lot more fun to experience. So I, I, I've thoroughly enjoyed it. And I got to give Jay credit. Jay is a solid goalie, but I'm a solid, you know? Speaker 1 Not goalie of the year talent, but I also bring my short stick when we go on Demons trips too so try to chip in where I can. Speaker 2 He's sandbagging. He he does a great job on defense for us. So, you know, don't be too hard on yourself. Well. Speaker 1 But my point is, it's a ton of fun. And you know, I know when we go on demon trips, we have our core group of guys, right? Yeah, but we're always looking for other dudes to come and think it's part of that community. So like just tell them how much fun it. Speaker 2 Is yeah, I mean, we, we started this team in 2012, I believe. And, and if you look back at like the original team roster, I think there's maybe only 5 or 6 of us like Ogs from that first team. And you know, even Brian Holzheimer, he wasn't even on the first team. Speaker 1 Shout out. I'm all, I'm all of them, both shout. Speaker 2 Outs, yeah. Speaker 1 He gets shouted out every episode. He's going to love this. Speaker 2 Yeah, But you know, but every year we're trying to recruit, you know, younger guys who just got done out of college or are back in the area. And, you know, we play, we go to one tournament and in the fall every year. And the more young guys we have, the more fun it's going to be in regards to the competitive side because we're always right there. We just don't have enough to get get over the hump in regards to the legs and and maybe younger skill set on the offensive side especially. So if you guys are interested, you know, come on out and play the summer in the in the GCL summer box. It's a good time, it's a good competition and it's it's a way to just get out of the house on a Tuesday night. Speaker 1 Absolutely, especially if you're left-handed. Speaker 2 Lefties are good. Speaker 1 But yeah, man, we like, yes, the talent is there. We just have older legs and you know, we tend to run out against. Speaker 2 We're just a day late and a dollar short on pretty much every every decision. Speaker 1 But it's fun. I, I still, I still look so forward to those tournaments and those games. Summer league is a blast. Can't wait to be back out there with the, with the Woodchuck Warriors, You know, shout out again to Brian Holzheimer putting that team together. The Longevity and Physicality of Box Lacrosse Goaltending We had Coach Clem on on the podcast recently and he's the GM along with his assistant GMJ Kubasta for the the Mumbo Jumbos and you are the GM for the Honey Badgers. That's right. Speaker 2 Rainy champs raining to the last three years. Speaker 1 Oh God. Speaker 2 So if you're, if you're, if you're qualified enough, you're looking for a summer team, you know, hit me up. Speaker 1 Yeah, All right, All right. So you can find Bobby's information. And the fourth team is is run by coach Brandon Schwind, the Hudson head coach. He's somebody that we're trying to get on the podcast and the not too distant future. So we'll let him, we'll let him plug for his spots as well, you know, So no favoritism, no favoritism here. We love sharing the game. We love playing in the summer. So that's awesome. I mean. You know, we it's not an easy sport, it's not an easy game. You've had your share of injuries through the years. Like what's, what's your timetable with playing? Like, come on, I would kind of want to play a little bit more goalie. Speaker 2 In the oh for box, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll be honest, that the one nice thing for me, you know, I'm married, I have two kids at home and I feel like that with goalie, it's the one thing there's a little bit more longevity in playing that than playing on the floor. So I mean that is part of the reason I don't play out. And people can call me soft for it, but I can't. I just I can't with my responsibilities at home and everything else of that. One time I go out to go play forward or transition and then I get, you know, yeah, break, break my ankle or something, then yeah, the wifes not going to be too happy. So I'm a little bit, you know, more content of staying in the crease. Speaker 1 No, yeah, yeah. But it's still, it's still an insane workout. I mean, we're losing what, 15 lbs of sweat? Speaker 2 When? Speaker 1 We're playing. Speaker 2 In the summer I mean I I can easily come home and maybe 10 lbs lighter in regards to the water weight and so cooling rags are the way to go. Finding Motivation and Balancing Lacrosse with Family Life Absolutely, absolutely. Well, it's awesome. Hope to I can't wait to see you out there. You know, this summer we'll get through the spring. Summer's a way off, but it's something that I always look forward to and you know, it's we'll be here before we know it. So for the listeners, again, hop on the GCL website, you know, talk to the coaches that I mentioned. We're always looking for guys and Demons. Make sure you're reaching out to Coach Dave Blue and getting on that Demon's roster, getting into those practices, getting into the box and, you know, and falling in love with it because I guarantee you will. All right. Well, speaking about love, what do you love about lacrosse these days? And you said, you know, you're married, you've got two kids, You know, you just got out of your graduate program not too long ago. Yeah. Speaker 2 About two years ago, yeah. Speaker 1 You know how, how and where do you find the energy and the ability to keep that grind on? Cuz man, you've always got your best face on when you when you come to the field. Speaker 2 I, it's, I wish I could tell you, I, I just think like anything, you know, you wake up, you have a job to do and there's some people who wake up and there's some people who lay in bed and I'm the one that gets up. But you know, you know, my passion for it is, is just, it's the same thing with teaching. And you know, it's the relationships you build along the way and in, in regards to the players and, and the coaches and the game itself. And what does relationships do? And in regards to life experiences that are provided for you. It's the same thing for the classroom for me. So that, that's the thing that really pushes me more than anything. And, and I, I think just as as coaches, as teachers, we have a responsibility in regards to providing a, a meaningful and positive experience for the kids that want to be involved in the sport. The one thing I like about this sport is it, it's, it's probably more inclusive than than most other sports. You, you, you can find roles for any sort of kid. You never just like me. I, I didn't play it till my freshman year of high school and it was, it was able to even make a career out of this in some way in regards to the coaching ranks. And but the opportunity for kids to just go out, have a positive experience and learn something new and, and, and create relationships and memories for themselves is something that keeps me going. Speaker 1 Hell yeah man. Well, like I said earlier, you created a core memory for me and helped me turn the corner with some things in my life. So again, thank you for that. And if that's the case, I know you're doing it for your kids and I see it, man. I see it with that that Jackson community. It's it, it's awesome when you guys roll up off the bus or when you know, my teams come down and you know, seeing, seeing the polar bear tunnel and the locker rooms. It's you guys. You guys are loving it and embracing it. And I wish you the best of luck in the spring. But I got one more question. Speaker 2 All right, all right. Speaker 1 So we've talked lacrosse all day and we can talk lacrosse even longer, but I want to know, and the community wants to know what fills your cup away from the lacrosse field. Speaker 2 Yeah, I wear a lot of hats, coach, teacher, but probably the most important hats I wear is being a husband and a father. Thing that fills my cup is be able to come home and, and having my kid be excited to see me and my wife being happy I'm home because they are have been terrorizing the house the entire time. So that's the biggest thing for me. And you know, yeah, I, I, there's some things I've definitely cut back in regards to coaching and, and little things like that to provide to have more time at home with my family and my kids because that's time I'm never going to get back. So, you know, that's the biggest thing for me is just being a present father and a present husband when I'm home and when I'm with my family and trying to put lacrosse aside. But yeah, there's the they're the ones that do it for me because, well, without my wife especially, I would not be able to do this. And, you know, I posted something even last night on my Instagram. You know, she's been with me for 13 years as a coach and married for, you know, married through 11 of them, I believe or, but a long time nonetheless. A very, very long time. And I wouldn't be able to do this without her and the weight that she puts on her shoulders at home to take care of our kids in the house. So all the credit goes to her. Bobby Lyle's Closing Remarks and Appreciation Well, that's awesome, man. It's it's a family affair in Jackson with the brothers and the assistant coaches and it is a family affair at home. Speaker 2 And has to be you. Speaker 1 Wear you wear that family hat really, really well, man. So rooting for the bears this spring. Rooting for you always until it's honey badger season and you know, looking looking forward to seeing what you guys do and can't wait to check back in. But until then, thank you very much for the time and the opportunity to talk shop with you, Bobby. It's been a real treat. Speaker 2 Yeah, I appreciate you having me on and and thank you for growing the game through your podcast and and the entertainment that you provide. Can't wait for the post game recaps and analysis throughout the year. Because I can even tell you as a coach and someone who wasn't at games, I I like to listen in and get get someone who knows the game and their point of view and and how it transpired. So, but yeah, we, we appreciate you and, and everything you're doing to grow the game in Northeast Ohio. Speaker 1 Well, thanks, Bobby. Thanks. Appreciate that. And we'll get you some pies on Love. Speaker 2 I hope. Fuck you. I want some of that hot honey. Best pizza in Cleveland right there Is that hot hot honey ZA. Speaker 1 Right on. Right on. All right. Well, thanks, Bobby. Thanks, audience. We'll see you again real soon.