When a Program Director Doesn't Direct Programs

Uncertain. Tumultuous. Standstill. Liberating. Whatever adjective is your go-to descriptor for the current climate brought on by COVID-19’s entry into our lives in mid-March I can certainly relate to it. Let me share with you a little bit of why that is...

When the coronavirus first made its appearance in the United States, I was happily sitting on a beach in Panama without a care in the world, loving every aspect of my life as LtN’s Panama Program Director. When COVID-19 hit the US, I was forced into considering one of the most challenging, heart-wrenching moral debates that I have encountered thus far in my life: to stay in Panama or to return to my US home and family. At that point, all I could think was that Bocas had become my home, its community my family and my work with LtN so much more than just “work.”

Two weeks later, Panama announced that it would be closing its borders to all commercial travel. So, armed with a return flight to Bocas at the end of May, I found myself on a plane headed back stateside. 

When I landed, I was united with my family along with a flood of unexpected and unknown. Not only had COVID-19 sent me away from the people and the programs that I had dedicated myself to for nearly a year, it had altered my role within LtN as well. How could I be an influential member of our team if I couldn’t run our programs in Panama?

Over the past four and a half months (and a cancelled May return flight), I have had the privilege of finding a very profound answer to this question… well several answers to be exact. 

On the macro-level, I have had the opportunity to dig into more facets of Lacrosse the Nations with tasks that hadn’t previously fallen within my PD purview. On the micro-level, I have created professional development tools for our international coaches, dived into the nitty gritty of donor relations and data entry, and learned what really lies behind managing websites and analyzing their traffic. I have helped evaluate what matters most in our programs and established with coworkers how we can best prioritize our goals.

I have found myself connecting more with our mission and the people that tirelessly work to achieve it than I had while I was on the ground. 

Taking a step back now, the adjectives I would use to describe “quarantimes” for me are surprising and enlightening. The virus that I thought had completely upended a years’ worth of hard work and uprooted me from a life full of freedom, self-discovery and gratitude on an island in Panama has actually opened my eyes to more confidence, joy and connection than I had ever imagined. For that, I am grateful.

-Maria McDonough, Program Director

Find a Common Love and Amazing Things Happen

Our programs strive to be inclusive platforms for kids of various ages, backgrounds and abilities to allow them grow together. By unifying communities through the love of lacrosse, our practices allow youth to learn from each other and work towards common goals.

In Bocas del Toro, gender, age, skin color and even language are not hindrances for our players! This past Fall, with the addition of Camil and Vadim, our afternoon practice on Isla Colon reflected the epitome of inclusivity and variety by adding French into the language mix. 

(Left to right) Camil, Vadim, Adolfo, Brillan, and Denis post-practice.

Camil, age 9, and his younger brother Vadim, age 5, were biking by our practice one sunny afternoon in September with their parents. Never having seen lacrosse before, the family immediately stopped their leisure ride and watched us play. They were on a two-month holiday away from their home in France and they were fascinated by this strange sport.

Since our programs are open to all children willing and wanting to play, I naturally invited them over and asked if they would like to join in (luckily I studied French in college and previously worked in Paris) Although Camil stayed silent by his mother’s side and Vadim hid behind his father, both parents expressed that they were eager to stay and watch. I laid a few sticks at their feet in case they wanted to try it out, and then returned to running practice.

Camil diving head into 1v1’s vs teammate, Silas.

Soon enough, Camil and Vadim were passing back and forth on the side of the court with their parents. For the next two months, Camil and Vadim became consistent players at our practices.

Camil, who was taking Spanish classes while in Bocas, communicated with the other players to the best of his ability. Little Vadim - arguably the youngest player on the field - communicated with his teammates via his brother and endless smiles. Adding to this awesomeness was Bocas veteran players, Silas and Xia, trilingual French speakers who helped explain all of the drills and rules to Camil and Vadim. 

Before my eyes, our practices now involved three different languages - Spanish, English and French - and all of our players became exposed to a new environment. The best part? Lacrosse made this possible.

Camil and Vadim helping paint in Bocas Middle School.

As time went by and Camil and Vadim became “regulars,” they even joined in with our local Bocas players to help paint classrooms at the community’s middle school. We had an absolute blast learning from each other and trying to understand one another without having our brains implode from a swirl of languages.

By the end of their vacation, the French family had become part of our Bocas family. As an act of camaraderie and gratitude, Camil gifted his bike to his teammate Brillan before he left. He knew that Brillan didn’t have one of his own and that it would enable him to get around the island much more easily. Today, you can still catch Brillan speeding around town on Camil’s bike wearing a huge smile. 

Thank you Camil and Vadim for being brave and joining our program. We hope you come back to visit Bocas again! 

Camil, Brillan, and Brillan’s brother, Denis post-practice (ft. Camil’s bike)

Powerful Lessons from Unexpected Teachers

Carla (8), Bocas del Toro player.

While there are many lessons that coaches can teach their players, some of the best lessons we learn come from our teammates. Whether it be about having more effective communication or how to dodge better, these moments of mutual learning from our peers are special. At LtN programs in Bocas del Toro, Panama, these moments occur weekly! I would like to share one interaction between two of our players - Carla and Silas - that struck me as particularly heartwarming and supportive. 

About a month ago, our players and I were scrimmaging for the last part of practice. The teams were split boys vs. girls. After about 10 minutes of gametime, the boys were up by 3 goals. As we were resetting for a new face-off, I noticed that eight-year-old Carla had dropped her stick and looked on the verge of angry tears. 

When I asked her what was wrong, she managed to tell me through stifled tears, “Maria, we aren’t going to win. Boys are so much stronger and better than girls!” Instantly, my demeanor changed - I went from sympathetic to serious in a flash. We locked eyes and I informed her, “Carla, girls are just as good as boys. Please never think - even for a second - that you are not as strong or not as good as they are. That is simply not true.” Before she could respond to respond, Silas came over to where we were standing.

Silas (10), Bocas del Toro player.

He held up his arm and flexed his muscle and said to her, “Carlita, feel my arm. Am I strong? Do I have any muscles? Nope! Now, feel Maria’s arm.” I made a muscle with my arm and let her gently squeeze it. Her face relaxed a little.

Silas continued, “Look how strong Maria is. She is so much stronger than I am, and she is a girl. See, boys are not stronger than girls. Girls can be even more strong!” As Carla sniffled away her tears, took a breath and nodded her head, I was shocked into awed silence.

No one had told Silas to do that - he chose to help his teammate with a very important life lesson all on his own. And it worked, for Carla picked up her stick and resumed playing. This time, she wore a smile on her face.

This exchange between Silas and Carla exemplifies the incredible power of mutual learning, the value of teammates who care for one another, and the opportunities for life lessons that our programs provide youth in the communities in which we work. Though this one happened to underscore the importance of gender equality - an element that is often lacking in Bocas culture - it is just one example of the many ways our players learn and grow together. Since then, I am very pleased to report that Carla’s confidence has soared and not once has she doubted her capabilities because of her gender.

Thank you Silas for being an awesome teammate!

— Maria, Panama Program Director