<p>Hi. My D is applying to Choate, Westminster, Loomis Chaffee and Hotchkiss. She has generated interest from all the girls' hockey coaches at these schools. Does anyone have any insight into the coaching style of the coaches at these schools? We are looking for a coach that is smart and supportive and has a great rapport with his or her team.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>looomis chaffee i thought was the all around best coach, I met her a bunch of times and she was really</p>
<p>Thanks for responding.<br>
Do you play hockey for one of the preps? What do you like about the coach at Loomis?</p>
<p>I am a prospective student, I have seen about 3 loomis games, all of which they have won. There coach is funny, she really connects with the players and she has good stratagie. When I met with her she was the nicest also. But, the hotchkiss coach I only met once and he was alright, but diddn’t seem to put as much heart into the team. Although Choate has the best hockey its deff not the best overall coach, but again its personal preference</p>
<p>Hi hockeymom,
I appreciate yankeefan’s input but would strongly disagree about her assessment of the hockey coach at H’kiss. Mr. Cooper is one of the hardest working/coaching people I have come in contact with over the past few years. I won’t go on and on here but would rather someone else involved with the Hotchkiss program to comment but from my perspective he is an exceptional coach who runs a very classy program. From anecdotal conversation with ice hockey parents, he spends most Sundays involved with youth hockey and commits most of his summer vacation to the sport as well. Feel free to PM if you’d like. Commenting on another program, Westy has really come on the scene in recent years and I have heard nothing but positive things about their girls sports programs and ice/field hockey in particular.</p>
<p>Hotchkiss’ hockry program hasn’t succeeded in the past as much as other schools have. There coach is exceptional, just not as good as the Loomis coach, again personal opinion. Hockeymom, you should take your D to see a couple of hockey games at your favorite schools and talk to the coach after the game, and see there stratagie, ect…</p>
<p>I went to college with the Westminster coach. He is a great guy and evidently, a very good coach. Hockey is important, but make sure the school is right for your daughter. Have you thought about the “MCL” test? That is to ask your daughter, “If you blew out your MCL and couldn’t play hockey again, which school would you pick?”
With my son, a lax player, the school he chose wasn’t the best overall lax program, but it worked for him. He is now a D1 college player.</p>
<p>Thanks for the great comments. I have to say I really was impressed with all the coaches when we met them. We live outside Connecticut, so we really don’t know much about the programs beyond our meetings with the coaches. All four seemed to have the girls’ interest at heart. We really just want someone who will prepare her for the college game and to be competitive in a positive way.</p>
<p>A strong suggestion: take this to a PMing…</p>
<p>zuzu’s petals, what has your experience been with lacrosse? my son is applying for prep schools next year and is a lax athlete.</p>
<p>My son was one of those late applicants. He decided to repeat his jr. year in April of his jr year. He applied to four schools in mid April: Tabor, Pomfret, Proctor and Millbrook. Of the four, Millbrook is probably the strongest in lacrosse, and has an outstanding coach. Pomfret also has (or had) a very seasoned lax coach. Proctor was at the bottom of the list as far as recognized competitive lacrosse. He was accepted at all four, mainly, I suspect, as a result of his lacosse abilities. He chose Proctor and thrived. He loved the school, thrived at lacrosse and was even named the Northern New England Academic Player of the Year as a senior.</p>
<p>My best advice would be to talk to the coaches FIRST, and then the admissions office. I didn’t know that and was told at these schools that they were full when I first called. Lacrosse opened doors. Particularly if your from a lacrosse hotbed.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Hi!</p>
<p>I am being recruited by the Loomis varsity team as well as taft, shattuck, and tabor. The Loomis coach I have met multiple times. She is wonderful and has a big heart for the game and her players. She has kept in contact with me very well and was so nice. The school, academics and athletics are all great but my main reason why i most likely am gonna end up there is because of her. Shattuck is hockey central and there coach is nothing compared to her!</p>
<p>Shattuck as in Mn?</p>
<p>yea the one in MN</p>
<p>@buddy, Good luck at Loomis, it’s a great school.</p>
<p>I agree with FIF. Coach talk is best done by PM.</p>
<p>thanks, looking forward to it.</p>
<p>@buddy, My son is also a hockey player. He will revisit Loomis and another HADES school. Are you going to revisit Taft and Loomis?</p>
<p>I am a former Choate student that graduated in 2005. I was a manager for the Choate girls team for 3 years and I can say that the Choate coach, Sara Nutting, was phenomenal. More than anything, she did a fantastic job building team unity, which is why I think Choate’s team has done so well. She makes it both rigorous and fun and is really an all around excellent coach. I can also say that outside of hockey, I had an amazing experience at Choate and most of my friends and I agree that Choate was the best time of our lives (even better than college). I’m sure any of those schools you mentioned would be great, but I really did have an amazing experience at Choate. If you have any other questions about it, I’d be more than happy to answer them.</p>
<p>I’m a hockey recruit for the boys team at Choate, so I cannot really comment on the girls coaches there, however I can say that the girls team has extremely successful players. Last year they had three alum playing on the us national team, so they have a great program.</p>