What makes Team Florida Girls so unique is the opportunity to learn from and be coached by current and former college coaches and All-American players. Founded and developed by current Jacksonville University Coach Mindy McCord and former McDaniel College women's Lax Assistant Paul McCord, and currently including Sarah Gallion, former All-Conference Defender and Captain at Johns Hopkins, and South Florida Director and former Team Canada/Cornell University star Sarah McGoey-Burlingame, this program's mission is simple: Empower girl's lacrosse players in the south to reach their potential and have fun doing it! Directors of the U-15 program include Rollins College's own Brad Pinneke and Coach McCord from Jacksonville University! Imagine being coached by college coaches at tournaments as a middle school player! THAT'S amazing!
TFG 2010 BLACK
Head Coach |
 |
Paul McCord |
|
Paul McCord has as diverse and successful a sports background as they come! He has coached championship programs in multiple sports, including college and professional football. In addition, he has trained numerous athletes and all-americans in dozens of sports. As a college lacrosse coach, he served as defensive, offensive and goal keeping coaches during his career and currently plays men’s lacrosse for the Jacksonville Predators in the Florida Lacrosse League. Coach McCord specializes in building lacrosse players and not necessarily running lacrosse plays. He has developed a system of teaching lacrosse players known as “The Maniax Way” that quickly takes athletes with little or no background in the sport and transforms them into college-level players. The system has helped more than sixty players in three years earn spots on NCAA college rosters and more than a dozen more on college club programs. Paul is also a highly regarded women’s District Rated official and is the director of officials in North Florida. CP has mentored collegiate championship teams in field hockey (1), football (7), and was a member of the Super Bowl XXXV World Championship coaching staff with the Baltimore Ravens.
|
TFG 2010 BLACK
Assistant Coach |
 |
| Jen Heup |
|
Jen Heup has been playing and coaching lacrosse for her entire life. Recently selected as an all-star goalie for the NCAA Division I North-South All-Star game, Heup is a veteran of the most competitive and challenging camps in the nation. Her specialty is defense and goal keepers where she starred at Louisville and was an all-American Lacrosse Conference Selection at Ohio University. Heup hails from Davidsonville, Maryland where she was an all-state player at South River High School and went on to play for club rival CCLax, one of the top travel club programs in the nation. Coach Heup hopes to become a college assistant and is applying for positions with Division I programs. Pictured, Coach Heup won the MVP award of the Division I game! Her team made t-shirts and cheered from the stands of the sports complex as Heup made save after save!
|
TFG 2010 White
Head Coach |
 |
| Mary Hopkins |
|
Mary Hopkins has as accomplished a record of developing prep programs as any coach in the south. With more than 10-years of experience at two high schools, starting programs from scratch, she has become a leader in the central Florida lacrosse landscape. Mary serves the game and gives more of her time than any other coach in the State. She sits on the local US Lacrosse board, and also is on the National Executive Council for US Lacrosse, the governing body of the sport. Her teams are known for strong fundamentals, speed and competitiveness every year. She accomplishes this without the benefit of a true youth feeder or middle school lacrosse programs. Mary also works with FHSAA to coordinate the high school state playoff games which are held annually at West Orange High School where she is the head coach. She has four seasons of national travel team experience and earned a 3-1 record while coaching the 2010 National Team at the Champions cup in 2008. |
TFG 2010 White
Assistant Coach |
 |
| Chris Claussen |
|
Chris Claussen had a storied collegiate career and has been the driving force behind starting lacrosse in the Southwest corner of Florida. He has built a fantastic program at Baron Collier High School and has dropped just one game over the past two seasons, to Upstate New York powerhouse Lancaster High School. Chris has coached both boys and girls lacrosse and also has played adult club lacrosse. He truly gives back to the game in so many ways and always provides superior organization and structure to his programs. Chris owns a successful development company and has been around winning teams in life since he graduated college. His experience in the sport, positive attitude, and desire to manage well run programs is a tremendous asset to any team. |
TFG 2011
Head Coach |
 |
| Sarah Gallion |
|
Sarah Gallion is a former Division I all-American defender who earned a scholarship and a degree from Johns Hopkins University. She has coached in one of the top club programs in the nation, the NEMS club (North East Maryland Select) where she developed countless top college recruits. She grew up playing NEMS lacrosse as an 8th grader and worked hard, remaining faithful to her club and her team, until she earned a spot at one of the top universities in the nation. Gallion also co-founded, with current Cincinnati Head Coach Lellie Swords, a youth club called “The Little Jays”. She was team Captain at JHU her senior year. Currently, Sarah is the assistant coach at Bartram Trail High School and is the club director for the LaxManiax Elite club. |
TFG 2011-12
Head Coach |
 |
| Heather Albro |
|
Heather Albro is one of the most storied players in the history of Hofstra University’s Division I program. She was her team’s top midfield player for several years and helped the pride gain top-20 rankings from relative obscurity. She continues to play on the Cougars Lacrosse Club. Heather grew up playing club lacrosse for the Central New York Lacrosse Club (CNYLC) where she was a star player. She was an all-American player but has had an even more storied run as a coach. She co-directed Upper Corner Lacrosse Club in 2008 and was assistant coach for the Virginia State runners up, working alongside Jay Harkey, a coaching legend. She then went on to coach Ponte Vedra High School, a first-year lacrosse program, to a 15-2 record with both losses coming to Bartram Trail High School. Not bad for a team with no seniors! Heather is currently the director of tournaments and assistant director of administration for MCC Sports. She has helped countless young players learn how to play lacrosse over her career. |
TFG 2012
Head Coach |
 |
| Sarah Burlingame |
|
A storied career as a member of Team Canada and a championship winning Captain of Cornell University (Ivy League) and that's not even the best part of Coach Goey's resume! She is the director of the Maniax Southeast's program, assuring amazing instruction from one of the top leaders in the game today. And she is right here in Florida! A veteran of top teaching lacrosse camps, Coach Goey has more than a dozen years of playing, coaching and instructing at the highest levels. Her junior season at Cornell, she captained the team to a 13-4 record and an ECAC title. Her senior season the team earned an 11-3 record and Cornell's first bid to the NCAA's! She is one of the top instructors and coaches of the game nationwide! |
TFG U15
Head Coach |
 |
| Stacey Williams |
|
Stacey was a goal keeper for Ohio State for two seasons on the lacrosse team and also played field hockey; a rare two sport Division I athlete. Stacey is currently Pursuing her PHD in developmental psychology. Coach Stacey is also a member of the UCF Coaching Staff and was a key ingredient to helping Tom Hopkin's program earning a trip to the College Club National Championships this year! Stacey has served as the head coach at Lake Highland Prep over the past two years after serving as an assistant coach at powerhouse Lake Brantley High School. She has coached dozens of young goal keepers and serves the club as one of its many fine goal keeping coaches! Her most recent goal keeper at Lake Highland and LaxManiax was Melanie Cook, the most high profile goal keeping recruit in state history. Mel was recruited by NCAA runner up Penn before deciding on Harvard University.
|
|
|
 |
