March Coaching Spotlight: Dan Meehan and John Chrismer

Preface note: A longtime staple of the San Diego Lacrosse community, former college teamates Dan Meehan and John Chrimer have been instrumental in developing lacrosse in the San Diego area. Currently the two have led the San Diego Laxdawgs to an unprecedented 5 straight Starz Cup Championships in the Elite division. Often inseparable, "Creehan" is our March Coaching spotlight.

How old were you when you started playing lacrosse, and who first got you into it?

John Chrismer: I was in 3rd grade when I first picked up a lacrosse stick. My best friend Andrew's older brother had a bunch of sticks (superlite II) that he handed down to us. I grew up in the country and had to carpool to practice with Andrew about 25 minutes away from home. And since I had to carpool, I had to play with the older age group.

Dan Meehan: I was in 6th grade when I first started playing lacrosse. I have 2 older brothers, Howie & Kevin, who grew up playing lacrosse, and I really looked up to them as brothers and athletes. I did my best to follow in their lacrosse footsteps with their hand-me-down gear.

When did you first meet Dan?

JC: I met Dan at our first team meeting in fall of 1998. I was an incoming freshman at Washington College. Our team had a new coach and had just won a National Championship. I remember being intimidated walking into our meeting, but ended up having a warm welcoming by all the upper-classmen.

When did you first meet John?

DM: I first met John at Washington College my sophomore year there. He was an in-coming freshman that year, and we met at our first lacrosse meeting right before fall ball. We played 3 years of college lacrosse together at WAC and became good friends through the college experience and the college lacrosse experience.

You both won a national Championship at Washington College in 1998 as players, as well as 5 straight Starz Cup Championships , and a recent CIF title at Coronado High School. What has been the common denominator from a team standpoint with those teams?

JC: Unfortunately, I missed winning the national championship by one semester. I still give Dan a hard time about it because he has a big shinny ring and I don't! I will say that in playing for a nationally ranked #1 team, coaching the Laxdawgs, and winning a CIF the common denominator for those teams was team comradery. Everyone on those teams was committed to playing their roles as individuals to make the team better.

DM: I would say that the common denominators between the 1998 national champion Washington College team, the 5-time SoCal Starz Champion Laxdawgs teams, and the 2009 California CIF Champion Coronado Islanders would have to be hard work, determination, and confidence. All of these teams were made up of skilled & determined players who put in the work to be the best. In my experience, when you have a determined team, made up of determined players who are willing to work hard towards reaching their goals, a certain healthy level of confidence is created. When you can attain that level of confidence in what you can do based on the hard work you've put in, you know great things are possible.


You both seem to have a Starz Cup dynasty currently running with the Laxdawgs, what do you focus on with shorter practices than the spring season?

JC: Since our practice times are limited in the off-season we really stress our timing and working the ball together on offense. We make it known that we only have a few hours a week together so we tell them to come ready to work hard at every practice. We have established a simple system that our players can wrap their heads around and adapt together as a team at a rapid pace. We are lucky to be surrounded by a great group of kids over the past six years. All the seniors that have come though our system have established a standard of excellence for our under-classmen to strive towards.

DM: Coaching off-season club lacrosse with the Laxdawgs is a challenge. Mainly because of the limited practice time and the fact that the team is made up of players from many different high school programs who each play within slightly different systems during the spring. With limited time to get all these players to develop chemistry, I feel like simplifying the game for the players has been the key. We draw highly talented and motivated players, and allow them to show that by allowing them to play within simple guidelines. Without going into too much detail, we coach less complicated systems that rely on creating space for the players to show what they can do.

What is the best part about coaching lacrosse?

JC: The best part of coaching is putting the stresses of the regular work day behind and going out on the field and having fun with the kids. It is great being able to see the kids get better over the course of the season. Playing and coaching lacrosse is something I have enjoyed doing for over 20 years now.

DM: There are a lot of perks to coaching lacrosse, but I'd have to say that working with kids is the best part for me. Helping kids become better lacrosse players is great, but helping them become better young men is the goal. I feel like there are countless life lessons to be learned in lacrosse (or team sports in general) that help young men develop their identity. The trick is getting the kids to recognize and actually learn the lessons, and grow from the experience.


Who's the most memorable player that you've had an opportunity to coach, who went on to the next level and competes(d) in college?

JC: That is a tough question! I don't know if I can give a particular player, but I can give a particular class. Our class that graduated last year from Coronado holds a special place in my heart because they were the first class I coached after I moved to San Diego in 2003. Luckily I am still coaching some of the kids that were in 5th and 6th grade when I first started coaching. They are now juniors and seniors just to date myself!!!

DM: This is a tough question to answer because it's hard to pick just one. I have been fortunate enough to coach a lot of great/memorable kids/players, but if I had to choose one, I would have to say Geoff Worley who is currently playing NCAA Division I at UVM. He was a great player at Coronado, for the Laxdawgs, and is now a stand-out attackman for the Catamounts. I coached him through middle school and high school, and he was really fun to watch play. He was and is a great player, but he also worked so hard to become the player he is. He combined skill, stick skills, speed, work ethic, determination, and a ton of personality to become a great player and young man.


How have you seen the lacrosse scene change in San Diego since you first arrived here?

JC: The lacrosse scene has change tremendously! I remember our first year of Laxdawgs. Coach (Alex) Cade, Coach Meehan, and I were worried we wouldn't have enough kids to make two teams at the high school level and one team at the middle school level. I think it only took one or two seasons before we showed up to tryouts and had so many kids unexpectedly we didn't know what to do. It was a great problem to have. It is awesome to see how good players are getting out west!

DM: I started coaching lacrosse in San Diego as soon as I arrived in the summer of 2002. Since then I feel like the sport has really "blown up" in San Diego and Southern California. Growing up on Long Island and playing college lacrosse in Maryland, I had never lived in an area where lacrosse was not firmly established until moving to San Diego. It has been awesome to see the transformation and the growth of the sport over the last 8 years. The number of players/teams in San Diego has been growing steadily which is great. However, I think the main change I've seen is in the quality of the players and teams in this region.


What has been your best lacrosse memory so far as a coach?

JC: I think the best memory so far as a coach would be winning the CIF championship last spring with our seniors. I knew that class was special when I first started coaching them in 7th grade. They worked so hard for so many years on the field and in the weight room to get themselves into a position to win the game. Bobby Braun was such a field general that day. I think the coaching staff was more nervous than the kids were.

DM: I would have to say for me as a coach, the Coronado Islanders winning the 2009 CA CIF championship was most memorable. Not only because we won, but because of the kids and coaches involved, the work they all put in, and the sense of satisfaction we earned in knowing that all that work had paid off. That group of coaches and players had been working together for years towards that goal, and to reach it was huge for all of us, and for every Coronado alumni who helped pave the way for that team.


Who first coined the nickname "Creehan"?

JC: Our boy Wa-Hoo-Wa, aka Mike Watson coined the nickname. I think he had trouble telling us apart when we first met him. Instead getting confused on names he just coined the nickname "Creehan." Pretty smart move on his part!

DM: Michael Watson.... Wahoo Waaa

At the Washington College Alumni game, you saw your former Laxdawg player Johnny Poe sneak a goal past you in a scrimmage, did you guys give him a hard time afterwards?

JC: Jonny Poe is still giving me a hard time about that! He makes it a point to remind me every time we talk! What he doesn't realize is that I let him score...ha. I felt bad for him as a freshman in a new program. I wanted to make him look good in front of our old coach! The funny thing is was that Meehan was guarding him on the crease and let him get the shot off. Jonny Poe is a great player and I can't wait to see how well he does in college!

DM: Yeah, we definitely gave Chrismer a hard time for that one, and I'm pretty sure he'll never live it down. All in great fun though. It was awesome to be able to make it back to Chestertown to play in the WAC alumni game, especially against a former Coronado & Laxdawgs player we had coached over the last 7 years in Jonny Poe. I feel like Jonny Poe will always remind Coach Chrismer about that goal, and I know I will too..


Who is the more rabid sports fan? Meehan with the Jets, or Chrismer with the Ravens.... Please cite specific instances for each.

JC: I would have to say that I am the more rabid sports fan. I was lucky enough to see my Baltimore Ravens play twice this year. Ravens are by far the better team. Meehan is lucky to have our old coach and players on this team. We just got Boldin who is way better than brick hands Edwards!!

DM: Tough question because we both love our hometown team. Chrismer is a true die-hard Ravens fan being from Baltimore, I will give him that. It's hard to say who is a bigger fan, but I will say I have been a New York Jets fan for longer than the Ravens have even existed. You asked who is more of a "rabid" fan, and I will say that Chrismer cheers so hard for the Ravens that he actually foams at the mouth as if he had rabies.. So I guess Chrismer is the more "rabid" fan..