Luke Griemsman has been named interim head men's lacrosse coach at Calvin College. Griemsman is replacing Kyle Hofstaedter who recently accepted a position as the assistant director for athletics communications at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla.
"I first want to thank Kyle Hofstaedter for his work with our men's lacrosse program over the last year,” said Calvin director of athletics Jim Timmer. "We are sad to see Kyle leave but we wish his family the best in their new endeavors. At the same time, we are excited to bring Luke on board as our coach. He has significant experience as a lacrosse coach at the collegiate level and I am confident that he will do a strong job at Calvin, leading our young men."
Griemsman is looking forward to the opportunity to lead the Calvin men's lacrosse team.
"I have friends and teammates who have graduated from Calvin and played lacrosse for the Knights," said Griemsman. "My respect for them makes me want to work hard to make this a team that they and the Calvin community can be proud of. It is exciting that I have the opportunity to lead another group of young men that can also grow to be quality representatives of Calvin and men’s lacrosse."
Griemsman began playing lacrosse in Huntington, New York. A varsity captain for Walt Whitman High School in 1991-92, Griemsman also played on the 1991 gold-medal winning, Long Island team in the Empire State Games. Recruited to Michigan State University for their NCAA Division 1 teams of 1993-96, Griemsman also received his Bachelor of Arts with a major in Communication in 1996.
Griemsman returned to the Michigan State club lacrosse program in 1997 as an assistant coach and was promoted to head coach of the program in 1998. In 1999, Griemsman held a 14-7 record and brought the Spartans to the Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association (CCLA) quarterfinal game. Griemsman took a short break from coaching to acquire his teaching certification from Northern Michigan University in 2001. He taught science and social studies at Apple Valley Middle School in Hendersonville, N.C. from 2002-2004 while serving as assistant coach for boys soccer, boys basketball, and track and field.
In 2004, Griemsman took charge of the Central Michigan University lacrosse club. Griemsman brought CMU to the CCLA playoffs that year, their first year in Division 1. In 2006, he had a hand in starting the Saginaw Valley State University club team. He successfully ran that club for two years. As an independent in 2007, SVSU finished with a 10-6-1 record. Griemsman also received his Master of Arts in Teaching Natural Science from SVSU in 2008.
From 2008-2013, Griemsman had a hand in building the new lacrosse program at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Mich. Then from 2013-2015 Griemsman shifted his attention to teaching high school science and health at Creative Technologies Academy in Cedar Springs, Mich.
Griemsman is also a US Lacrosse certified (Level 2) coach. He's held that certification since 2006 and has been working for US Lacrosse since 2007, in the Coaches Education Program (CEP) as a Level 1 & 2 CEP trainer. He founded the Grand River Lacrosse Club in 2012 offering post-collegiate playing opportunities to men in the western Michigan area. He has also been a certified lacrosse official since 1998 working in Michigan and North Carolina at various levels including regional finals and college level games.
Griemsman is a resident of Grand Rapids along with his wife, Stacie Griemsman, Md., and their children Grace and Charles.
The Calvin men's lacrosse team is heading into its fourth season as a varsity program. The Knights are scheduled to open their 2016 season on February 12 against Defiance College.
MORE FROM LUKE GRIEMSMAN
His thoughts In Leading the Calvin Men's Lacrosse Program
I have friends and teammates who have graduated from Calvin and played lacrosse for the Knights. My respect for them makes me want to work hard to make this a team that they and the Calvin community can be proud of. It is exciting that I have the opportunity to lead another group of young men that can also grow to be quality representatives of Calvin and men’s lacrosse.
His Goals for the Upcoming 2016 Season
My goals for the team come from my work at Calvin and US Lacrosse. These include us acting as agents for renewal and building a culture of winning. I want these young men to love this game and the community to know and respect our great sport. I believe things can be better and at Calvin we believe in Christ’s promises to make all things new. By focusing on thinking deeply, acting justly, and living wholeheartedly, on and off the field, this program can flourish. To build a culture of winning I hope to impart a mastery definition in which we value learning and improvement and it is based on effort. The key is how you respond to mistakes. Do you hang your head and give up, or do you bounce back with renewed determination?
On the Style of Play He Will Emphasize This Year
This year our style of play will emphasize controlling our possessions, communicating defensively, and conquering our opponents in the middle of the field. My offensive philosophies include moving the ball to get shots on goal that have a high likelihood of scoring or keeping possession. Communicating on defense is one of the most important facets of controlling where the opposing offense gets their shots. When the ball is anywhere in between these possessions, there are ways to conquer your opponents by winning small battles. I plan to have this team learn and attempt those ways with maximum effort.
On How He Got Involved With the Sport of Lacrosse
My involvement in the game of lacrosse as a player stems from where I grew up and the friends I grew up with. Huntington, NY on Long Island has a rich tradition of playing and coaching the game. My friends recruited me to give it a shot when I was 10 years old, and I have not missed playing a season in over 30 years now. The game combines many of the other sports I have played. It has the running and field tactics of soccer, the brute strength, explosion and body contact of football and wrestling, as well as, the offensive and defensive strategies of basketball. Excelling in the sport at the high school varsity level helped me receive offers to many great schools to play at the college level.
Experiences with the team and the life lessons gained along the way build a passion. Finding ways to teach the game and motivate players to strive for better brought me into coaching. Honoring the game and giving back by getting involved in officiating have been great experiences putting in over 15 seasons at the youth through college level. Training coaches for US Lacrosse Coaches Education Program has made me a better coach and representative of this great sport.
