Kleinfelder Shapes Up Laxwomen

Philadelphia--home of the Liberty Bell and the Wharton School of Finance--has fostered women's lacrosse for many moons, gaining the reputation as the breeding ground and heartland for the graceful and fastgrowing sport.

Now somewhere near the City of Brotherly Love, there is a college known as West Chester State. It's not exactly your Big Ten, national power sports factory, but it is a women's lacrosse stronghold. Third-year Harvard coach Carole Kleinfelder is a West Chester grad, a product of the school's lacrosse wisdom. And this spring, Kleinfelder will impart some of her training to the Harvard women, as she takes over the women's lacrosse reins.

Right now, though, Kleinfelder has her hands more than full. Aside from preparing for the upcoming women's basketball season (she is going into her third year as head women's basketball coach), Kleinfelder is mid-way through her second year as coach of the U.S. Women's Lacrosse Team; and this year is an on-tour year for her squad.

Kleinfelder is no stranger to the national lacrosse scene. She played on the U.S. team for four consecutive years, from 1969-1972. Now she's trying to get her players in shape for a March 12-April 1 tour of England, and as she says: "Coaching the national team means putting yourself on the line. The U.S. is the best--the only thing you can do is lose."

Kleinfelder seems pleased with her U.S. team's progress so far this year. Since the team was named in early June, they have practiced together four times. Kleinfelder says although 10 of her 15 players are from the Philadelphia area, she has trouble getting everyone together during school time. But she has big plans for a Christmas vacation Florida trip. "Florida's gonna get intense," she says. "We'll probably go triple sessions."

She speaks enthusiastically of her national team. "Our attack is excellent," she beams. "We're fast and fit. The players are All-Americans. They're dedicated to the sport. They work very well on their own."

But for all that enthusiasm, Kleinfelder says that this, her second season, will be her last with the national team. She says she had to make a choice between the U.S. squad and her newly acquired Harvard team. Kleinfelder chose to go with the Crimson.

"The two teams present different challenges. At Harvard I look at it as something to build. I think there could be a great future for Harvard women's lacrosse. Look what Bob Scalise has done with the men," she says.

Kleinfelder explains that the major difference between a college team like Harvard's--only five years old--and a U.S. team is really a matter of degree. "You have the skill level with the national team. Skill level is not going to interfere with anything you want to do. At the college level, though, you spend a lot of time on skill work," she says.

Building those skills with the Harvard women this year will be a difficult job for Kleinfelder. Her national team tour will take her away from Cambridge during the three weeks the women's lacrosse team will be in heavy preseason training.

Kleinfelder's new assistant coach, Barbara Rensimer, another West Chester grad, will also be away during those three weeks, playing for the U.S. team. So Kleinfelder is now searching for a third coach to take control of the Harvard team while she and Rensimer are on tour.

Kleinfelder knows the disruption caused by her absence may cause some difficulties, but she says the Harvard team will do some work this winter to get a jump on the season. In addition, coming from national-level lacrosse back to the Harvard team will bring, she says, "an interesting period of adjustment."

The coach explains, "Giving up the national team for Harvard is not something I did lightly. But I'm really looking forward to coaching the Harvard team."

With basketball responsibilities this winter, plus the national job and the Harvard lacrosse chores, Kleinfelder has a tough year ahead. But she acknowledges the challenge, pointing out that her national experience will help her at Harvard in terms of recruiting and also possibly improving her own coaching techniques.

What seems to override the difficulties of Kleinfelder's situation for this year is her enthusiasm about lacrosse. She has lived with the game and describes it as "an art form." Now Harvard lacrosse's newest artist is Carole Kleinfelder.