Kelly Downey is a graduate of Nichols College, receiving a BSBA in December 2016, and a Masters in Business Administration in 2018. She has been a life-long athlete, beginning with hockey at the age of 4, and lacrosse at 9.
She recently joined the AC staff as Development Coordinator and will assume the coaching reins as head lacrosse coach this spring.
Q: When did you begin playing lacrosse?
I began playing lacrosse when I was 9 years old. I played for Waltham Youth Lacrosse and have not stopped playing since. I played in High School at Fontbonne Academy and for my 4 years of college at Nichols College.
Q: What do love about lacrosse?
Lacrosse is an evolving sport. I feel like girls lacrosse is all about skills and the finesse that you have on the field. Growing your ability in lacrosse never stops because there is always something to learn or improve and that is what I love.
Q: What is your proudest moment as a player? As a coach?
My proudest moment as a player has to be playing in college. I was a duel sport athlete (lacrosse and ice hockey) while being a duel major in business management and sport management. I then graduated from college early and completed my senior year of lacrosse as a graduate student while completing my MBA. I know this is not a specific moment in lacrosse that I am proud of but I am proud to say that I was able to accomplish my 4 years of sports along with my degrees.
As a coach my proudest moment was the connection that my team had last year. I coached at Newton Country Day’s junior varsity team last year. I worked with the players on their basic skills but I also wanted them to bond as a team. Having this bond will allow them to have more trust in each other on the field which is extremely important. By the end of the season all of my players were playing in all the games and they all were having fun. Building this connection and team dynamic allows the girls to enjoy the sport more and to have fun while working hard and that is what makes me proud.
Q: What is one thing that you really want to instill in your players?
I want to instill in my players that practice is where you work hard and games are where you have your fun. Working hard in practice, learning plays, running and working on basic stick work is normally not “fun” but I would like all the girls to learn that when you work hard the games become a time where you can do all the skills, run a little faster than the other team, and have some fun while playing the sport that you love. This is something that they will all hopefully understand this season and they will grow not only as lacrosse players but as athletes with this skill
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