Elizabeth McAndrews | McClelland Miscellanea

Category Archives: Elizabeth McAndrews

April 23, 2009 · 3:31 pm

Triton Boys’ Lacrosse Defeats Newburyport on April 22nd

Triton coach Donna Andersen works out goalie Carson True before the game with Newburyport.

I was trying to get my usual weekly story for The Town Common and went into Tuesday (April 21st) with almost nothing. A seemingly set up interview on Thursday (April 16th) vanished on Friday, Monday, and Tuesday morning.

What to do? Could have thrown in the towel but God opened a door on Tuesday.

I heard about a boys’ lacrosse game happening on Tuesday morning between Newburyport and Triton at Newburyport. I knew that the Triton coach was a woman from seeing a game last year. I thought that I could find out in an interview about that arrangement and also discuss the game.

Some things sound good but can things be pulled together on such short notice.

I hustled over to Newburyport – a mile from here – and met the coach (Donna Andersen) on the field ½ hour before game time. She agreed to an interview back at Triton after the game.

I stood on the sidelines and used my big Canon. It was quite foggy with rain likely before day’s end.

Both teams had won only one game and the play was rough. Newburyport put some very solid hits on Triton kids. Getting a penalty didn’t seem to lessen their willingness to hit hard. Triton led throughout and won 15-9. Three of Triton’s goals came when they had the man advantage.

Andrew Sokol (#9) and his "shadow" Bert Comins.

Newburyport had one very impressive player (#9 Andrew Sokol). Only a sophomore, he had a shot that was quick and accurate. The longer the game went on the more Triton shadowed him. #43 of Triton (Bert Cumins) was the shadow.

I went home after the game to warm up and then went to Triton. I arrived just as the team was getting off the bus. I had a nice chat with Donna Andersen inside the building. I believe that the players were calling her, “Coach A.”

She teaches phys ed at Triton and also coaches field hockey. She excelled at both field hockey and lacrosse at UNH.

She became coach seven years ago when the lacrosse program started at Triton. Elizabeth McAndrews (AD at Triton then – at Amesbury now) needed someone to coach boys’ lacrosse and no one had stepped up to do it. Elizabeth knew that Donna could handle mixed phys ed classes and had a lacrosse background. Donna was surprised to be asked to take the job but accepted after a weekend’s consideration.

She likened the boys’ intensity playing lacrosse to the intensity of Division 1 women’s lacrosse.

She said that she thought that the boys were comfortable with her as their coach. She said that unfamiliar officials tend to think that JV coach Avery Woodworth is the head coach and she might be the trainer.

She told me that she doesn’t know of any women coaching high school level or above boys’ lacrosse. She thought it was surprising.

( A regular story on Triton coach Donna Andersen will appear in The Town Common on April 29, 2009 )

Amesbury AD Elizabeth McAndrews Knows Change

Amesbury Athletic Director Elizabeth McAndrews is no stranger to change.

In fact, she changed her name. Yes, she used to be Shawn Corkum the outstanding athlete at Triton – CAL Player-of-the-Year in field hockey and basketball during the 1983-84 school year.

“When I got married in 2000 to Patrick McAndrews I decided that since everyone was going to have to learn my new last name I might as well change to my real first name too,” she explained. “Shawn is my middle name and the name that my family has always called me. I wanted to switch to something more feminine when I got married.”

The change that Elizabeth is coping with now happens daily at Amesbury High School and involves fluctuating working conditions on one hand and operating a high school athletic program on the other in the midst of four-year construction project.

Inclement weather forces ten high school teams into one space. “The only indoor facility available is the middle school gym,” said Elizabeth, “but thankfully Middle School principal Mike Curry has been very helpful.”

The good news is that the athletic facilities should be up and running when the students return in September of this year.

Elizabeth has gone through two years of the construction. “I knew what I was getting into when I decided to come here from Triton. We had been through a building project there.”

The Dartmouth graduate was at Triton for nine years including the last four as athletic director. The athletic director job came with a price. “The administration said that I couldn’t be athletic director and continue coaching,” said Elizabeth. “I thought that I could do both but they knew more than I did and they were right.”

She explained that it has been seven years since she coached field hockey or basketball but that there’s plenty of coaching talk at home. “My husband Patrick is the girl’s basketball coach at Tewksbury so I still get a taste of it.”

Elizabeth wanted it known that having Les Murray in place as principal (his 7th year) at Amesbury High School had a lot to do with her choice to come there. “Les and I go back a long way. He was my high school basketball coach for several seasons and was an important positive influence in my life.”

“Two years ago Les alerted me to the athletic director opening at Amesbury and encouraged me to apply. Obviously, he didn’t promise me anything other than an interview. Because I had played basketball for him, I was well aware of his leadership style. I knew that he would be hands off but available if I needed his advice. I also knew that he would challenge me to be as good a leader and person as I could be.”

The next major change for Elizabeth McAndrews will be when all of the athletic facilities at Amesbury High School are operational. That will be certainly be a change for the better.

( Submitted to The Town Common on April 23rd )