The Long Game MI

In light of the tragic passing of Eliot Abramson, we are changing plans for the end of season one of The Long Game .   Instead of a final episode reflecting on what we’ve covered, we have a short tribute remembering Eliot.  He was a remarkable teammate, friend, youth coach, son, brother, and beloved member of the Mercer Island lacrosse family since he joined our club in elementary school. We’ll be...

Today The Long Game explores two new perspectives: a rival coach on the opposite sideline, and a referee on the field. Nick Welton was Bellevue’s head coach from 2017 until he left the program in 2022. In that time, Bellevue and Mercer Island repeatedly met on the biggest stage in Washington high school lacrosse. Bellevue won three state championships under Nick — all against Mercer Island. But th...

Bob Dunbar is an orthopedic trauma surgeon at Harborview Medical Center, a former Peace Corps volunteer and U.S. Navy officer.  He also coaches high school lacrosse.  Drawing on Bob’s experiences as a surgeon, Peace Corps volunteer, Navy officer, and youth coach, we discuss what healthy culture looks like when it is built deliberately, and how that culture drives success far beyond the scoreboard....

Sports can fundamentally change what young athletes believe about themselves and what they can accomplish.  Brant Howell, a 2006 graduate and three-time state champion who later walked on at Notre Dame, discusses this often-overlooked aspect of youth sports.   20 years after graduating, Brant heard about a coaching vacancy and moved across the country, from Maryland, to help coach Mercer Island be...

Ian O’Hearn became the MIHS Head Coach in 2001, thinking it might be a pit stop. Twenty-five years later, he’s the winningest lacrosse coach in Washington State history and architect of the largest youth program in the state. This conversation is about what it actually takes to build something that lasts:  --the NY high school program that shaped his philosophy --the loss that made him realize he...

Parents today sometimes think they need to choose between youth sports programs that focus on long-term development of the entire athlete, and those that play to win. Kiernan Coles shows that no choice is needed between these two and in fact they go hand-in-hand. The Mercer Island Lacrosse alum went on to play for reigning Division I champion Cornell before returning to coach at the Club. We discu...

What does it look like when the right habits, built early, compound over time? Evan Condon lived that process, growing up in Mercer Island Lacrosse, helping win a state championship, playing Division 1 lacrosse at West Point and serving as an Army officer, and returning to the Club to give back by coaching the next generation. We talk about what carries forward, and why that matters. Among other t...

The Long Game uses the story of the Mercer Island Lacrosse Club to explore the habits, values, and culture that shape athletes and build lasting success in youth sports Every great program starts with a few people who believe something different is possible.  In the podcast's first episode , we sit down with Mark Larson, one of the founders of the Mercer Island Lacrosse Club (MILC) and still...