Mr. Smyth started playing Lacrosse at the age of five for the Gold Bar Miners because his first hockey coach had mentioned to his mom that Lacrosse was a good way to practice stick skills in the summer for an easier transition back to hockey in the fall. He really enjoys coaching players of all skill levels to improve some aspect of their game that will help them contribute to team success. Mr. Smyth believes that the best athletes in any sport are the athletes that never satisfied with their previous achievements. They are intrinsically motivated to always improve some aspect of their game; fitness, physical skills, mental skills, or being a better teammate.
Mr. Smyth grew up in Edmonton playing box and field Lacrosse. He played his minor Lacrosse for the Gold Bar Miners and the Millwoods Warriors (the years that Gold Bar did not have enough kids registered). Mr. Smyth played major Lacrosse for the Edmonton Miners (Junior B and Field Lacrosse) and the Edmonton/ Sherwood Park Outlaws (Senior B). Mr. Smyth was lucky enough to win seven consecutive Provincial Titles as a player with the Outlaws from 2002-2008, and two National Championships as well in 2002 (with Paul Rai), 2007 (with Jimmy Quinlan). Mr. Smyth continued playing Lacrosse with the Outlaws until the end of the 2013 season when the team lost out in the Provincial Final Series.
Mr. Smyth started coaching Lacrosse with an Edmonton Warriors Pee Wee team in 2003. He progressed to coaching a Sherwood Park Titans Midget team in 2005 that had a young Mr. Wheaton, and eventually landed as the defensive coach with The Edmonton Eclipse Jr A club from 2006-2009. After 2009, his teaching role expanded as Mr. Smyth became the Athletic Director and Physical Education Department Head at McNally Composite High School. Mr. Smyth had put coaching Lacrosse on hold as he focused on coaching the McNally Senior Football, Senior Girls Rugby, and Senior Boys Basketball teams. In the summer of 2016, Mr. Smyth was an assistant coach with the Team Alberta Senior Women’s Program that went 7-0 at the Female Box Lacrosse Nationals capturing the first National Championship for that program. Mr. Smyth will be coaching the Team Alberta Bantam Girls Program the summer of 2017.
Since 2008, Mr. Smyth has worked for the Alberta Lacrosse Association (ALA) and the Canadian National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) as a Learning Facilitator and Coach Evaluator for Box Lacrosse. As an NCCP Learning Facilitator, Mr. Smyth am able run coaching clinics for Lacrosse coaches across multiple levels of experience from Community Initiation to Competitive Introduction. As a Coach Evaluator, Mr. Smyth gets to observe and evaluate coaches during practices and games throughout the Lacrosse season to make sure they are suited to be certified by the NCCP. Working for the ALA and NCCP allowed him to stay connected to the Lacrosse coaching community.
Favorites
Lacrosse Memory: Miners Field Lacrosse Trips to California 1995, 1997
Lacrosse Stick: STX Proton Plus
Lacrosse Coach: Darryl MacKinnon (Gold Bar Miners)
Lacrosse Arena: Queens Park New Westminster BC
Movie: The Departed
Music: The Tragically Hip, Eric Church
Athlete: Jonathan Toews
Sport: IRB Rugby World Cup
Books: Legacy (NZ All Blacks), Bobby Orr Biography
TV Shows: Chicago PD, Master of None
Meal: Any Burger with Bacon
Treat: Cookies
