You often hear the cliche bandied about that a game was decided by a matter of inches.
Newport Ladies Lacrosse Club coach Sue Sofarnos uses that ideal as a motivating tool for her players.
The ‘Porters’ were down by three goals at the three-quarter mark of last month’s Lacrosse Victoria women’s state league grand final but came back to win.
It was largely because of the mindset instilled in the players by Sofarnos.
“She inspires the girls to be the best players they can possibly be and, even if they think they’ve given everything they can give, to dig deeper,” club president Roz Lambert said.
“She actually gets a tape measure and cuts an inch off and gives it to the girls to tape on their sticks, so when they look down during the game and think they’ve given as much as they can give, it reminds them to give that extra inch.
‘‘Even though we were three goals down in the grand final, she motivated the girls to come back.
‘‘She’s an amazing person, extremely gifted and talented in her motivation of other people.”
Sofarnos was last week honoured as the community sport coach of the year at the state government’s Community Sports and Recreation Awards.
It was an award 35 years in the making, with Sofarnos starting out as a champion player before becoming one of the best lacrosse coaches in the land.
As good as her stick skills were as a player and her ability to motivate and strategise as a coach, it’s her unmatched enthusiasm for the game that is her most endearing quality.
“Lacrosse is a very big part of her life,’’ Lambert said. “She’s always actively promoting the game.”
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