Spencer Ford is building the roots of a future lacrosse powerhouse!

Spencer Ford is a dreamer, and The St. James Academy is allowing him to make his dreams of building a lacrosse super power a reality. Lacrosse has been at the center of Ford’s life for over 40 years now. He has thrived as a player and a GM, but now he is being tasked with building a program from the ground up.

Ford has already accomplished so much in the game, making him equipped for this challenge. As a player, Ford was a three time All-Star in Major League Lacrosse as a pro and a three time all-conference player in college at Towson. After his career, he became a successful GM with the Chesapeake Bayhawks.

Now, his goal is to build up The St. James lacrosse program. He told me, “The main goal here is to continue with high level programming, to continue building our winter league and then one of the main focuses is to bring kids into the academy”. The winter league has already taken off under Ford’s leadership, and now the academy is his next big project.

Ford understands the challenges of building a lacrosse academy in the area, but knows he has the infrastructure in place to get it done. He mentioned that academy lacrosse is new in the area, but once it gets rolling, things will fall into place. Ford told me that, “As we get one kid, that kid turns into three, those kids turn into a team and then we can play a very high level schedule”.

The great thing about this area is that it is perhaps the single biggest lacrosse hot bed in the world. Of the top 20 ranked Men’s college lacrosse teams in the country, six of them are in DC, Maryland or Virginia. For Women’s lacrosse that number is four, but schools like UVA and Georgetown are just outside the top 20.

Having a lacrosse academy in this area with a director of Ford’s prestige comes with its advantages. He noted that he knows a lot of people in the game who are just a phone call away. In our conversation, Ford was clearly very invested in sending kids to the next level, but stressed the importance of a good fit.

One piece of advice that he gave was to have kids take the “broken leg test”. That was a term that I was unfamiliar with, but the way Ford explained it was interesting. The idea is that you want to find a school that will be a fit even if the worst case scenario strikes and you suffer a major injury like a broken leg.

Ford stressed that it is his job to push kids into the right social, academic and athletic atmosphere. He repeatedly emphasized that his top priority is to do right by the players and their families.

Once the academy program does come to life, Ford and the lacrosse team already have things mapped out. He wants to have a varsity, JV and middle school team for boys and girls. These teams will be on the field getting work in at least twice a day. In between time on the field, they will spend four hours per day in the classroom and an hour working on their strength and conditioning. 

Beyond the group work, Ford did emphasize the importance of doing work on your own. These practices are great, but the ultimate goal of a team practice is to make the team better. In order to get to the next level as an individual, Ford said kids should do skill and IQ drills even if it is just for 10 minutes a day. He also said that watching film is something kids should get into. Ford said that kids should watch players who have similar play styles to them, rather than just watching the best players.

When it comes to scheduling, Ford felt like that would come easily once the program is rolling. He said that there are about 150 teams within a 30 mile radius that The St. James Academy could play. Again, that is another perk of playing in a lacrosse hot bed. Ford also mentioned that there are often teams that come from out of town around spring break that could be potential opponents.

Overall, Spencer Ford wants his teams to be physical but also smart. That physicality does not necessarily have to come in the form of size though. One of the great things about lacrosse according to Ford is that players can be good in so many different ways. Small players can succeed with skill and IQ, but size and physicality also has its place in the sport.

As you would expect from a lacrosse guy, Ford believes that his sport is the best one out there. What he loves about lacrosse is how it ties together so many aspects of different sports and blends them into one. He joined The St. James Academy because he believed that they can be a part of growing the game and developing an elite lacrosse program.

Ford knows that there are other great programs out there, but as he put it, “I do believe there are many institutions around here with amazing coaches and amazing programs, but if you want something different and something more, we can give that to you”. Between the facilities at the academy, and Ford’s expertise and connections, there is something special being built out at The St. James Academy. The lacrosse world may not know it yet, but there will be a new kid on the block very soon.