Lake Zurich lacrosse thrives, with armed forces support

The five Lake Zurich High School club lacrosse teams - three boys and two girls, with 111 combined athletes - are getting a little preseason help off the pitch from local military personnel, including Navy SEALs.

The Thrive Project for America, a nonprofit organization based in Antioch, will be putting the Lake Zurich teams through a unique four-hour training program of physical challenges and team-building exercises on Saturday at Paulus Park in Lake Zurich, led by former Navy SEAL Steven Childress and Navy aviator Michael Keppen, along with an active Navy SEAL and others. Many of the military personnel who be attending and instructing are employees of Libertyville-based Permanent Solutions Training (PST), which does the same training for corporations.

Thrive is dedicated to bringing education and leadership training to the youth of America, developing confident and competent young adults by using Navy SEAL training in a fun, engaging, and results-oriented format. Its mission is to educate, develop and empower America's youth to reach their full potential by building their character, self-esteem and mindset.

Keppen logged more than 1,000 flight hours and 36 combat flights in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was selected as the Navy's Human Resources Junior Officer of the Year in late-2014 and serves as the Director of Training for Naval Service Training Command at Great Lakes. He manages the naval curriculum and talent management strategies at Recruit Training Command, Officer Training Command and the 152 Naval Reserve Officer Training Commands (ROTC) around the country.

"It's going to be an amazing experience for these kids," said Jim Vaselopulos, who is the president of the Lake Zurich Lacrosse Club, which runs the high school teams and the city's youth programs. There is a boys' varsity, junior varsity and combined freshman-sophomore team at Lake Zurich, with 77 total players. There is a varsity and JV girls team, with 34 total players - and both teams have more players than last season.

"I don't think the kids realize now, and might not realize for years, how impactful this will be for them," Vaselopulos added. "It's one thing to learn a skill; it's another thing to gain a perspective. And I think these (military) gentlemen will give (the students) a perspective that they may not have considered.

"They stress that, yes, you can do amazing things, achieve greatness - and you don't have to be a Navy SEAL to do so because it's within you, and it's mental not physical. For some kids, it will resonate quickly. For others, it may not resonate for years. But to have that perspective embedded in them at an early age is a powerful thing."

Vaselopulos, whose son Jimmy is a sophomore in his first season on the varsity, is realistic that none of the Lake Zurich players will likely ever play professional lacrosse and only a small percent might get a college scholarship from the sport.

"But we want all of the players to be great players, excel at the sport and just make them a better person (off the field)," he said. "It's not just about learning the skills of the sport; it's about how to be productive members of society, contributors and leaders."

The athletes will be divided into two co-ed, fitness level-based groups on Saturday, and then alternate between talking with the military personnel and physical exercise. They will have to work together to accomplish tasks, Vaselopulos said.

"They probably will walk away remembering the physical exercises, but shortly thereafter, what they will talk about is the time they spent in the classroom (working) on mindset development because that will stick with them for a long time."

The training is optional, yet Vaselopulos said at least 100 of the athletes likely will attend and participate. "Many are very curious about this (event)," he said. "Just getting the chance to spend time with (military) individuals of this caliber is intriguing to everyone."

Vaselopulos admitted that some of the athletes are nervous, fearing how hard and difficult some of the physical work/exercises will be. But they are excited, too.

Nate Gralinski, a sophomore who lives in Hawthorn Woods in his first season on the varsity, said the event is going to be "fun and challenging, and will bring the team together."

Gralinski admitted that he and other are "nervous how hard it's going to be," but still optimistic for its long-term benefit.

"It will test our mental toughness, which will help us be better prepared for later in games," he said.

All Lake Zurich coaches, including Kyle Burke and Megan Pender, the boys and girls varsity coaches, respectively, also will participate in the activities, Vaselopulos said.

The boys varsity team opens its season March 17 at Schaumburg. The girls varsity opens March 15 at home against Glenbard West.

So how will the military-led training help the teams when matches start?

Vaselopulos isn't sure. "But, I suspect it will be greater than my lowest expectations," he said. "I can't imagine that this training is going to fall flat (or be a bust) because we're getting the best, most elite trainers in the world to impact our kids. I think the risk level is pretty low when you consider that we will have elite (level) trainers to one of the most elite fighting forces in the world to help our kids have a stronger mindset."

Vaselopulos, who lives in Lake Zurich, has volunteered at The Bunker in Chicago, which provides a peer-learning environment for veteran entrepreneurs. That's where he learned of the unique training option, and planning for Saturday's event was about six months. "These guys are tremendous patriots and have started a nonprofit because they've seen the impact that mindset development (has) on those trying to become a Navy SEAL."

The Lake Zurich Lacrosse Club is paying for the Saturday training, and with the funds, Thrive then will help an underserved school at no charge.

"It's not inexpensive," Vaselopulos said. "But the impact is exceptional."