How CV girls lacrosse coach Karen Keitel won Commonwealth Coach of 2023

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — “My identity was wrapped up in being an athlete my whole life. Even after college, I got married, started teaching, and immediately was coaching,” begins Coach Karen Keitel. “But then I started raising a family and I felt like I needed to put it all aside for a season. I needed to make a clean break to find out who I was without the sports. I focused on raising kids and whatever came along that way.”

First-year head coach, for CV Varsity Girls Lacrosse, Karen Keitel reflects on her past and how she got to be Mid-Penn Commonwealth Coach of the Year.

Even as she laid down her own athletic goals, to focus on her family, sports found her one way or another. “I would end up volunteering for something, dabbling in whatever sport the kids were involved in. Whether it was basketball, soccer, field hockey, track, or whatever, I would just do one season at a time. I wanted to make it fun for the kids. I wanted the kids to have a good experience and enjoy it.”

As the kids grew and their interests began to vary, Karen did what many moms do, she looked for avenues in which she could help. Coaching lacrosse really came out of a place of necessity. “My daughter, Anna, started picking it up. Slowly I started filling in. I had been away from lacrosse for so long and so much of the game had changed, that I thought I didn’t even really know the sport anymore.” she remembers.

As her daughter continued to grow in her love for the sport, a coaching position was needed for the middle school girls. Soon after the JV team needed a coach. “By then, I felt like I needed to run it by her (Anna) because this was her high school experience. I didn’t want to ruin it for her. I wanted her to have that space without me. But Anna was so encouraging.”

As it turned out, like mother, like daughter, that year Anna made Varsity and Karen didn’t even coach her. “She really did have her own experience with lacrosse, after all.”

When her daughter graduated high school, Karen had planned to tell the kids at the end of the season that she too, was quitting. But then the head coach announced that she was done. The team and school asked Karen if she would consider being the head coach. “Again, I went back to my family and asked them if they were good with this idea. I know how I get. I know I can be tunnel-visioned and focused. But my family was all in. They encouraged me to do it.”

Last summer she watched film after film after film, of the team. She then gathered her seniors, all 10 of them, and sat them down. “I asked them, what kind of team did they want. I told them I was going to rely on them to set the tone. This is who the rest of the team would take their cues from. We decided that we wanted to keep practices fun, games uplifting, and to have authentic team trust.”

Keitel continued, “There was a level of pushing that I didn’t need to do. First, the prior coach had already set the bar high. Frankly, she laid the groundwork and had many great ideas that I was able to implement. Second, these kids are very, very high-achieving kids. They already put a level of stress on themselves, consistently looking for excellence. What I wanted them to hear, was that they didn’t need to be perfect and I wanted them to have fun.”

Keitel made the choice to try to change the culture by asking the team of girls to trust her enough to prepare them and trust her enough to be able to execute the directions she was giving them. She then pushed the students to have confidence in each other. One way they were able to build that faith was by pairing an older student with a younger student. This was called Stick Sisters. Every Monday, each pair would check in with one another to see how the other was doing. They also did things like run together during warm-ups. This was one of the ways the coach was able to help break down natural divisions and barriers between the girls.

“We also had accountability pods, which included a girl from each grade, attackers, defenders, you name it. We wanted to mix it up so that the girls continued to see each other as a team,” Keitel shared.

Her focus not only included team mentality but also to be content with whatever role they had on that team. “I wanted the kids to embrace whatever role they were playing on any given day, 100%. They could be a sub, a starter, or a sideline encourager but the whole team benefits, together. Every girl has a place on the team, a purpose.”

Before games, the team would gather together and just start speaking out loud about the positives that they would do in the game ahead. Game time became a place of encouragement. “At first they were afraid of failing, but it didn’t matter if they made mistakes. Everyone does. What matters is how you respond and how you pick each other up.”

Keitel and the team kept things fun. They had Wacky Wednesdays, dress-up day, an easter egg hunt, and even lacrosse olympics. Teams dressed up with all sorts of fun ideas. “One team did a Shrek theme, which was impressive because it was in May and it was hot!”

The extras like team dinners, secret handshakes, and “Bucket Hat Winners,” all added to the atmosphere within the team. Over the course of the year, the connections built the trust and the team was both successful on and off the field.

“You know, I am competitive but I know that is not the end all. When you prioritize people and treat them with respect, you teach others that you care. Those girls know that I do care. To journey with these girls and have those connections and if I am able to help them in good, hard, or stressful times – well, then I have been successful.”

And that’s how Coach Karen Keitel led her team to the Mid-Penn conference and district playoffs and became the Commonwealth Lacrosse Coach of 2023, all in one year.

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