By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacroisse.com, Posted 12/6/16
Stephanie D’Alonzo has been named head girls’ lacrosse coach at Interboro, her alma mater.
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New Interboro coach Stephanie D’Alonzo (second from right) is flanked by Bucs Sophia Harley (left), Moriah Marr and Sam Shemeluk (far right)
D’Alonzo served as the Interboro Middle School lacrosse and field hockey coach the past six years. She co-founded and played for West Chester University’s Club Lacrosse team 2009-2011, which competed on a national level in Arizona in its first two years of existence.
D’Alonzo also was a Varsity Captain for Interboro’s Field Hockey, Basketball and Lacrosse teams in 2006-2007.
*During my 5 years coaching the middle school team, I have enjoyed building strong relationships with the same girls with whom I will be coaching again in the spring,” she said. “Being able to coach these girls now, on a high-school caliber, truly excites me!
D’Alonzo answered these questions:
What are your short-term goals for the program?
D’Alonzo: “This season I hope to guide our team to win the Del-Val league and furthermore qualify and compete in the District 1 Playoffs. In order to be the best, we’ll have to beat the best, and my hope is that this season we have the opportunity to do some of that.
“In addition, I hope to continue to grow the girls’ love for the game and teach our team to think on their feet in order to make the right decision on the field, under pressure … ultimately building strategic game-play.”
What are your long-term goals for the program?
D’Alonzo: “Long-term, looking ahead, I’d like to see more of our Interboro athletes compete on the collegiate level.
“I’d also like to see our youth program gain more players. We are certainly growing every year, but like any strong program, we need to continue to build and develop skills and a common philosophy as early as possible. Laying down these fundamentals will enable us to gradually build upon them and ultimately feed the program.”
What is your general coaching philosophy?
D’Alonzo: “I’ve always believed that athletics are a vital component in life. There are a great deal of life-long skills we learn through being part of a team: respect, responsibility, teamwork, self-discipline, work ethic, the list goes on…I hope to instill these qualities in my players.
“I believe we get better at lacrosse by working hard, while having fun doing it. It’s important to me to keep practice time meaningful and positive, practicing success. Lacrosse is the fastest sport on two feet and I intend to play that way.”
How does it feel to get to coach at your alma mater?
D’Alonzo: “It’s extremely exciting to be able to coach at my alma mater! I love the idea of giving back to a program that played such a big part of my high school experience. For me, high school is where I fell in love with the ‘rhythm’ of the game. Aside from being an alum, teaching and coaching in this district means a great deal to me…I’m a life-long Buc and I’ll forever have an enormous amount of Buc-PRIDE!”
