Although this is my day off it is a special day and felt compelled to write about an amazing woman we are honoring tonight. It’s a bit of a different blog today, I hope it helps motivate you.

One of many FL Spring Training Games, THE GAME

She is a marathon runner, wife, mother of two, holds three NCAA Division 3 National Championship Rings in two different sports, former 3 sport varsity athlete at Middlebury, coach of Babson’s most successful team in recent years, role model, and the list goes on. To me she was and always will be Coach. Kully Reardon, my college lacrosse coach is stepping down as head coach after 10 years at the helm. Kully’s first year at Babson was my Freshman year it was also her first Head Coaching position. I was recruited as a alpine ski racer at the school but had also played lacrosse in high school. She quickly pulled me onto the team, needing a goalie, and thus started my college lacrosse career.

Line Up

Each day as we grew into a team she motivated us to work harder. We started as a team that could barely keep a .500 record and in a few short years Kully took the team and transformed us into a group of fit, strong, your women who could take on the world. She elevated the team to 5 NEWMAC Championship Titles and 5 consecutive NCAA bids. This success was not achieved overnight. It was long hours on the field and in the gym. Some of her favorite sprints were:

Will Power – take a lacrosse/soccer/football field start in one corner, Sprint the first length then jog the next three, next lap Sprint two lengths jog second two, work up to all four lengths as sprints, then work back down.

20 Cones – Take the length of the field put 20 cones evenly spaced. Sprint out to the longest one first then move down one at a time.

Trivia Sprints – Corner to corner on the field sprints with trivia questions to cut the number of total sprints down

Kully (2nd one on left) , and the coaching/support staff 04

Kully, looked at the whole athlete, she spent hours with athletes in her office helping them through their issues. She put together team bonding exercises in the preseason. One year we went so far as to call the season L-Fest (Love Fest) because all of the players truly loved each other on and off the field. Kully fostered this environment and created the closest team on campus. She took the extra step and didn’t make us as athletes do anything she wouldn’t do herself. In the beginning the team became her family. As time went on she met Tom and created her own family all the while still giving it all to the team.

So tonight former players, co-workers, alumni families all raise our glass to a woman who has meant so much to us all. She created a legacy that I take with me today. Sometimes when I am on the field I hear her voice coming through me.

2004 Team

One blog post cannot do justice to all that Kully gave myself and the countless lives she continues to touch. As she steps down to spend more time with her husband and two small boys we all wish her the best and will forever remember lessons taught.