Meet Rosemount girls lacrosse coach Kelsey Long
ROSEMOUNT, Minn. — A Q&A with Kelsey Long who is a coach with the Rosemount girls lacrosse team.
How long have you been coaching?
Kelsey Long: I have been coaching lacrosse since 2012; Coaching at Rosemount since 2018
What is your background in this sport?
Long: I grew up in Anoka, MN. Sophomore year in high school was the 1st time we had lacrosse as a sport, so joined with a friend who had a sister who played. Got involved with youth coaching in Anoka in 2012, the summer after my first year in college (went to the University of St. Thomas – didn’t play lacrosse in college). I have been coaching since then. I became very involved with youth board volunteering with the local Anoka Lacrosse board, as well as Minnesota Schoolgirls Lacrosse. Joined the HS coaching staff at Anoka from 2013-2014 coaching JV and being the Assistant Varsity coach.
I connected with the Head Coach at Wayzata and began coaching within their youth program in 2015 then joined the high school staff as the Assistant Varsity Coach from 2016-2018. Also in 2016, began coaching with the travel club, True Minnesota, primarily with the high school program. In 2018, a few of my True team players were Rosemount kids and their families encouraged me to apply when the former head coach stepped down. I became involved with the youth program, coaching the 14U team in the summer, along with running the high school program. Most recently in the fall of 2022, I joined the coaching staff at Concordia University St. Paul (NCAA D2) as a part-time Assistant Coach.
What is the biggest life lesson you’ve learned from being a coach?
Long: The biggest life lesson I’ve learned is that it’s okay to not know everything. The sport is constantly evolving and changing with rule changes every year, so as a coach, I’m learning every year. Sometimes that comes from other coaches/colleagues and sometimes that comes from players! It’s the want to continue learning and bettering myself as a coach for my players that motivates me.
What are one or two things that the team does in training that are keys to their success?
Long: The increase in training in the off-season has helped the growth of lacrosse across the state.
How do you encourage the team after a disappointing loss?
Long: I’m a very big proponent of its okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them. Especially with a very young team this year, that has been very important. I’ve seen many players who are afraid of failure and therefore don’t play to their potential. I try to keep expectations high, while still vocally expressing that it’s okay for them to try new things and fail.
Describe your proudest coaching moment.
Long: Our Section run in 2022 was great. We had a tough regular season; I stacked our non-conference schedule with the top teams in the state because we had our full varsity team returning as seniors (minus one player). We lost a lot of those tough conference & non-conference games by 1-2 points, so we just felt so close, but yet so far away. In the section playoffs, we faced the #2 seed, Edina, as the #3 seed and went to go on and beat them at home. Following that, we played the #1 Prior Lake team and our girls came out guns blazing. We were prepared for that game and we wanted it.
Ultimately, we won the game to go onto State for a 2nd year in a row. It was a bit more of an accomplishment making it to state in 2022 as we were new to Section 6, arguably one of the toughest sections for girls lacrosse in the state.
What legacy do you hope to leave as a coach?
Long: More than anything, I want players to look back on their lacrosse careers and have positive memories. It’s more than just wins & losses. I hope to also be a positive role model for these girls to ultimately encourage them to coach at some point in their lives. There aren’t enough women coaches coaching our girls these days and I hope that trend can change with the next generation of players who return to the sport in a different capacity.
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