SOLANA BEACH - Buildings on the Santa Fe Christian school campus have changed over the years. It's one of the first things Suzanne Campaigne noticed. Teachers have come and gone, too. And the ones still there, well, she's not sure how to address them.
Should it still be Mr. or Mrs. or by their first name? Then known as Suzanne Loeffler, Campaigne was one of Santa Fe Christian's favorite daughters in the '90s.
As the school's newest coach a decade later, she can't help feeling a little nostalgic about her alma mater. That connection is exactly why she's been charged with starting a girls lacrosse program. "This school has meant a lot to me, and now the timing is perfect for me to give something back," said Campaigne, 29, who was married 18 months ago. "There is something really special about being the first to do something."
During her 12 years on campus, Campaigne was an accomplished student, a standout in volleyball, softball, basketball and Santa Fe Christian's 1996 Female Athlete of the Year.School officials had been pining for her coaching services for some time. "I had been after her for about three or four years because we originally wanted her to coach our boys team when it started," said Clark Gilbert, SFC's former athletic director and current middle school principal. "But she was coaching the girls at Poway and the timing just wasn't right for her."
In her first coaching gig out of college, Campaigne led the Poway girls to three straight appearances in the San Diego Section finals and two championships (2002, 2003). "I inherited a great team at Poway," she said. "But starting a program from scratch is really going to test me as a coach. When these freshmen are seniors, then we'll really see if I'm a good coach."
Campaigne didn't even see a lacrosse game until she went away to college. As a sophomore, she joined the "rookie team" at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. Her athletic ability enabled her to pick up the sport within days and she quickly was promoted to the travel team. As a senior, Campaigne helped Cal Poly to a U.S. Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates national championship. The team didn't have an official coach, so she did a lot of coaching while playing.
That knack for success has been a staple of the Loeffler family, Gilbert said. Suzanne was the fourth sibling to attend Santa Fe Christian, and each was an Athlete of the Year. Now she's hoping some of that will rub off on her team of rookies - none of whom had picked up a lacrosse stick until three weeks ago. "The progress has been amazing in just a few weeks," she said. "They want to learn. They want to get better. I hope that's going to create a buzz on campus and the kids who were thinking about coming out this year will want to be a part of this next year."
For extra help, she's called on her husband, Dann, to work with the goalies a couple of times a week. Dann played collegiate lacrosse at Santa Clara and said he expects good things from his wife and her first-year team. "She's smart. She understands passing lanes and she understands offenses," Dann said. "That totally translates into how she is as a coach. Success is dependent upon progress. The school will measure success by her taking 12 kids who never touched a lacrosse stick before and making them competitive."
For her players, the fact their coach understands the school's philosophy and has walked the same halls is encouraging. A national collegiate championship and a couple of section titles don't hurt, either. "I think that kind of success rubs off on us," said junior goalie Kaihla Corso. "Just because we are starting doesn't mean anything. We know she knows what it takes to win." Winning won't be emphasized the first year, though the team has set a goal of coming out on top at least once. Campaigne said the Eagles shouldn't have trouble meeting that.
"We're going to do a few things that haven't been seen yet in San Diego," she said. "I'm forcing them to do things that girls who have been playing for three or four years do." The team will open its season Monday at La Jolla Country Day. Next season, Campaigne said she won't shy away from trying to schedule Poway and La Costa Canyon, powerhouse programs that have combined to win four section titles in the five years since the sport was sanctioned. She wants her girls to see firsthand what it takes to be a championship team. "I think there is definitely that hunger," she said. "I want to see the girls get to that next level. I'm looking forward to the day when they are ready to compete with some of those elite schools."
