Scarsdale Varsity Girls Lacrosse Goalie Offers Takeaways from NYSPHSAA Conference

Varsity Goalie Ivy Fischer

Varsity Lacrosse Goalie Ivy Fischer recently attended the Fourth Annual New York State Public High School Athletic Association [NYSPHSAA] Student Leadership Conference. She was chosen by Scarsdale High School Athletic Director Cindy Parrott to take part in the conference and has lots to share.

Fischer is a goalie for both the Scarsdale Varsity Girls Lacrosse team and JV Girls Field Hockey. She is the incoming President of the Lacrosse Leadership Club, which is working to provide support and funding to the non-profit Bronx Lacrosse. Outside of athletics, she is a Sophomore Class Representative, Model UN delegate, involved A-School student, and ESL mentor.

The NYSPHSAA conference was held from April 15-16th in Albany. It gave a space to over 200 student athletes to connect and network with one another. At its core, it teaches the athletes how they can contribute to their communities, plan their futures, and grow into empathetic leaders. In general, the conference wants the students to leave with not only strategic insight for a game, but also knowledge on building essential habits and a strong work ethic.

Fischer shared the following on team performance, giving back, and referees with her coach, Cece Berger, her team, and us.

What can players do or remember to bring improvement to a team?

- Don't do it for yourself, do it for your team.
- A negative ripple effect hurts everyone. We need more positivity, especially with new teams/new players.
- Don't gatekeep opportunities.
- Seek more leader/coach feedback.
- Little contributions add up.
- Put yourselves in each other's shoes (teammates, coach, ref, fans).
- Everybody makes mistakes. apologize, think before you speak, and remember your actions affect others. Everyone can get lost in the heat of the game.
- Coaches mess up too.
- Fall back in love with the game.

How can players give back?

- Helping others helps you grow. Service makes you better.
- Taking care of yourself AND serving others both strengthen the team.
- Stand out by looking at service through a different lens. Do it for what it can do for others, not for yourself.
- Discipline is key.

How can players take action?

- Schools can enter a community service contest at NYSPHSAA.
- Find a cause / something that needs to change. Ask: How can I improve it? Bring at least 8 people in.
- Even if you don't stick to the game plan, that doesn't mean you lose.
- Analyze why something worked or didn't and pivot/change if needed.

What do players need to keep in mind when understanding and communicating with referees?

- Referees are expected to be perfect from day one, but they're human and improve over time.
- Talk to officials like people.
- The rule book is dense. Referees review it every year, learn new rules, and players find new ways to hide fouls (refs get better at catching them).
- Officials train hard outside of games: long rule book workshops in hot summers, workouts, early 5 a.m. wake-ups, years of training to keep up with athletes. We need to be more sympathetic.
- Referees get a lot of verbal abuse. Learn how to communicate and bring that to the team.
- There's a referee shortage. The ones who are there want to be there.
- Don't make things personal. Aggressive behavior is dangerous.
- Use humor to talk to referees respectfully.
- Approach them politely, bring issues to their attention calmly. If emotional, diffuse it quickly. It’s better to be composed.
- Find something in common, be friendly.

How should players communicate with unfriendly referees?

- You can't change how others act, but you can control how you act.
- Referees should help each other communicate, but they don't always.
- Talk to a different official (usually there are multiple). You may get a better response.
- Be polite. You don't want to be seen as aggressive or unapproachable.
- Recognize that some people aren't there for the right reason.