An Interview with Ian O'Hearn: Player, Coach and Store Owner

Some of you may have seen Coach Ian O'Hearn on the sidelines, some played against him, and many see him in Breakaway Sports, his lacrosse store in Bellevue. O'Hearn has been a part of the tremendous growth of lacrosse in Washington, as a coach, a player, and the owner of a lacrosse specialty store. Here is what he had to say...

 
When did you start playing lacrosse?
I was in 7th grade when I started playing in Albany, New York. We played modified high school rules; I don’t think there were youth rules then.
 
What high school did you attend, and what did you do besides play lacrosse there?
I attended Shaker High School in Albany. Shaker is a public high school where lacrosse was a huge part of my life. I played youth football from 5th through 9th grade and wrestled as a freshman, but lacrosse was basically it after that.
 
Did you know in high school that you wanted to play lacrosse in college?
Yes, I think so, but I don’t think I realized how much until I went to college and played at UAlbany.
 
So college recruiting for lacrosse didn’t really play a big role in your high school lacrosse career?
No, it wasn’t.
 
What was your most memorable college Lacrosse moment?
I would say the last college game I ever played would be my most memorable college lacrosse moment. I remember consciously thinking throughout the whole game, that this would be the last time I would ever play college Lacrosse.
 
So if you could give any advice to young players entering college based on your experience, what would that be?
Value every game, because it might seem like it’s going to last forever, but you really only have four years.It goes by very fast.
 
After your college Lacrosse career, you went on to have some other interesting experiences in the Lacrosse world. Can you tell us a little about them?
I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after college, so I opted to spend more time playing lacrosse. I decided to go to Germany to coach college-club lacrosse, and continue playing in European tournaments and games. After six months, I went to Australia and played for the Bayswater Lacrosse Club and coached youth lacrosse at local elementary schools. After another six months, I moved back to the States by way of Atlanta, but had always wanted to spend some time in the Northwest. Six months later I applied for the Mercer Island job and moved out.
 
How long ago was that?
5 years ago this February.
 
Lacrosse was really a small community just five years ago, how did you get yourself involved in everything you are doing now?
I started playing club Lacrosse with Matt Cone and Fred Wilmot and they helped get me hooked into traveling tournament teams and select teams. After being here for about a year I saw the need for an equipment store, so I decided to give it a try. 
 
How is your store different from other sporting goods stores?
Being a lacrosse specialty store, I feel akin to the development and cater to the player, which is why all of my employees are lacrosse players, and members of the local lacrosse community. Since we are all players, we have much more insight into the game than your average general sporting goods store. Because so many new players don’t know what gear they really need, or don’t get the right sizes - it really helps to know how a helmet, arm pads, shoulder pads and gloves should fit, or what kind of stick you really need. When you participate in Walax leagues, or your youth or high school leagues, we can get you all set up before they start. We also have a much larger selection then any other general sports store.
 
How can you describe the growth over the past five years from a first hand perspective as a coach, player and equipment retailer?
I have seen tremendous growth around the greater Seattle area, and other parts of the state, and have been fortunate to meet players and parents from various programs around the region. One of the exciting things to watch are the number of new players coming from other sports in the past few years, and where they are now, from the first time that I met them. One example is Spencer Schmidt, Bellevue’s goalie last year. I can remember when he first came into my store two years ago, having just moved here from California and having never played lacrosse. Two years later he finished a very successful high school career at Bellevue as their starting goalie (and one of the best in the state), and is now attending The Bridgeton Academy, in Maine, as a post-graduate to better prepare himself to play in college. It’s just really fun to watch players from all over our state take it to the next level, and go on to be successful in college.
 
How has that growth affected your program as the Head Coach at Mercer Island?
Going into my sixth year at M.I., I have seen a huge growth in lacrosse on Mercer Island. When I first came to the program in 2002, we had four total teams: two middle school teams, one J.V. team, and one Varsity team. Now, five years later, we have three 1st/2nd grade teams, three 3rd/4th grade teams, three 5th/6th grade teams, three 7th/8th grade teams, a Frosh/Soph team, a J.V. team and a Varsity team. So, in addition to seeing the overall growth of lacrosse in Washington explode, I have watched my own program grow from four teams to fifteen in just 5 years.
 
Now, you are more than just the Head Coach for the Varsity team at M.I., tell us about your role...
In addition to being the head coach, I am also the Mercer Island Lacrosse Club program director. I oversee our entire coaching staff, integrate our coaching philosophy, and design and implement our offensive and defensive systems for all of our elementary school, middle school and high school teams.
 
Can you tell us what MI has done over the past six years since you have been the Head Coach for the Varsity program?
 In my tenure as head coach at Mercer Island, we have participated in five state championships, and won the last three consecutively. We have also traveled to the East coast during the regular season for the past three years (the first team from Washington to do so), and been very competitive representatives for Northwest lacrosse. In addition to the amazing athletes we’ve had over the past few years, this is due largely impart to our great coaching staff, including J.V. Head Coach Winn Cody, J.V. Assistant Mark Larson (who has been involved with youth lacrosse since it’s inception in WA.) and Frosh/Soph Head Coach Jeff Carroll. We also owe the expansion and strength of our program to our 12-member parent board, who handle all the logistical and “behind the scenes” tasks to keep a large program running smoothly. Dan Taylor has been the president for the last two years, and has done an amazing job running and promoting the program, as well as former board president Mark Larson, who is considered the “Godfather” of youth lacrosse on Mercer Island. All of these factors have helped this program be successful.
 
What does the future hold for Ian O’Hearn?
I want to continue supporting the growth of lacrosse in Washington.
 
Where do you see Lacrosse in Washington in the next five years?
I see Washington lacrosse growing to approximately 75 high school teams by 2011, as well as achieving WIAA status, and the exponential growth in the number of Washington high school players continuing their lacrosse careers at NCAA programs.
 
Come see Ian O’Hearn and his staff at Breakaway Sports in Bellevue, he is a passionate coach and a lacrosse gear maven. Not only does Ian stock all of the lacrosse equipment that you need, but lots of apparel as well, including official Walax.com gear.