“The Best Kept Secret In Florida Lacrosse” – An In-Depth Look at Erin Bakes
Written by Lee Roggenburg on . Posted in Across The LAX World, Featured Posts, Florida Lacrosse News, High School, Southeast Girls.
photos by Carl Kafka Photography
After hearing how she works with Woodson, one of the flashiest and most skilled players ever to play, I was not surprised by Erin’s abilities. What is even more intriguing, however, is how her career in lacrosse began . . . on the Boy’s team. There was no Girl’s program at Ransom or in the area, so Bakes blazed her own path, creating a style all her own; a combination of her raw talent, boys lacrosse background and the addition of Chazz as her mentor, one Erin would call “game-changing.” Much of her training through middle and high school, still involved a boy’s stick. “. . . having a guy’s and girl’s stick in my hands throughout my lacrosse career has allowed me to bring aspects of each game into the other.”
Where does all her confidence and leadership abilities come from? As an eighth grader, who basically built her high school program with her coach, Bridgette Laskey, Erin has been a natural leader since day one. The entire team was full of young players learning the game, while Erin had been practicing for two years at that point. This experience, “allowed (me) to develop leadership skills I would have never had otherwise. Not many people are afforded the opportunity to start as an eighth grader and be a captain as a freshman on a varsity team.”
If you couldn’t tell by her film or watching live, Erin is an extremely hard worker, and for Chazz Woodson who has played with absolute legends at the highest stage in lacrosse, he calls Erin the hardest worker he has ever worked with or been around. There is no settling for good, she always wants to be better and do more. One motto that has stuck with her in her process was something Chazz would say early on, “always practice like a college coach is watching”. This dedication and passion for greatness is taking her far, all the way to the University of Southern California to play for U.S. Women’s National Team players Lindsey Munday and Devon Wills and the Trojans in August this year. At USC, she will join eight other young players on the team that currently was ranked eighth this preseason on the IWLCA poll.
USC was only in their fourth year as a program back when Erin first seriously thought about collegiate lacrosse. “The idea of contributing to the growth of the young program as opposed to an established one intrigued me from the beginning.” And it is a familiar position for her after growing the team at Ransom and helping her development as a player and leader. The world-renown coaches also interested her. Not only are Munday and Wills known for their excellent playing careers but also as teachers and the way they communicate the game. Another checkmark for Erin and USC was the creativity she felt when she visited and played at their camp. “We scrimmaged with fiddle sticks and boys’ sticks”, making Bakes very comfortable with the playing styles of the coaches and fellow recruits. “I felt like I had found where I fit immediately after camp. USC was a no-brainer.”
Although her local recognition is well below the level she deserves, Bakes is setting a high standard for girl’s lacrosse in South Florida. As her senior season approaches and high school career finale draws near, Erin Bakes is transforming South Florida lacrosse, and will soon be Florida’s biggest star on the West Coast.
When did you start coaching her?
Our first season together was in 2014. She was an eighth grader.
What are some of her greatest strengths on/off the field?
ON: Her lacrosse acumen has been phenomenal from an early age, she is an unselfish player, her raw athleticism is beautiful to watch, and she literally teaches her teammates by guiding them during games. Her confidence and personality on the field would be her best qualities, but I’d be remised if I left out how her shot even intimidates opposing coaches.
OFF: She is a work horse in terms of off season training and still plays multiple sports for Ransom. She balances her commitment to lax with playing tennis, surfing, snowboarding and still playing competitive varsity sports other than lacrosse. Erin remains humble off the field and she is a leader in the classroom. She encompasses her role as a captain by being a role model to her fellow teammates. She volunteers and she is a distinguished scholar as well.
What do you think are some barriers preventing Ransom Everglades and Erin’s exposure in Florida? (For instance, Miami Herald disregarding her as Female Athlete of the Year, even with all her national recognition)
Ransom Everglades is only entering our 5th season. We have won districts each year of our eligibility and we continue to grow in terms of our success in regional play in games even when most of our players have only been playing the sport for 2 or 3 years. The state may take these feats for granted since most programs from Broward to the North FL teams have been in existence for so long. Many girls have had multiple opportunities to be playing from a very young age compared to our team. Erin would be the top player for any of the very talented programs in Florida. Unfortunately, Erin is unable to showcase her abilities on a regular basis due to Ransom lax being so young in development in comparison to the established competitive teams. So we rarely have opportunities to play at the level she is capable of and this perhaps keeps her off the Florida radar in terms of accolades. However, many of the more talented coaches have had opportunities to watch her play in tournaments, have had the chance to coach her on elite teams, or they have worked with her during the off season.
As she has continued to climb IL’s junior and senior list, what improvements have you seen in her game that have allowed her to push her national ranking so high?
Erin is a dynamic player in terms of her ability to play any position. It is hard to miss her on the field and as I mentioned, she puts in the work all year round. She runs on every play as if it’s the most pivotal play of the game, she is verbal, intimidating on defense, and she never quits. Her exposure to high level coaching due to her work ethic has helped as well. She is an amazing young woman so other coaches have recognized what I am lucky enough to have each spring.
Another thing I noticed was how well she shoots the Free Position shots. This is the signature part of her game. Her goal with 11:29 left is indelibly inked in my mind. I curse myself for my technical deficiencies because I had the absolute perfect view, if only I had my cell phone video ready to go. I guess the shot was from the second hashmark (if that is what it is called) from the right on the arc. She lined up the left hand and absolutely lasered one to the upper far corner. Just under the bar and just inside the post. A perfect shot. I don’t think she’s ever been timed on the gun but 75 miles an hour seems about right. Without a deep pocket to wind up with . . .
These two pictures were screen captures from her 2017 Highlight Video (LINK)
You can forward it to 2:48 and freeze it. Then play it, but pay attention. Not a lot of high school girls can do this.
In the bottom picture, one second later according to the timer on the low left, the ball is in the upper right corner and the goalie is ducking away.
Throw in the draws, the defense, the vision to find open teammates and the way that she changes speed when it makes sense (something that a LOT of girls could learn) . . . well, you get the point . . .
Saint Andrew’s was a very worthy opponent last night. Taylor Mullen, Emma Braden and the rest of the team played an excellent game and led by 2 with less than 6 minutes to go but Ransom was able to finish the game with 5 straight goals to win 14-11. Erin either scored or assisted on four of the last five goals. Which showed another strength I saw, she’s remarkably unselfish in her play. Nothing showed me that more than the end of the first half. In the last few seconds Ransom was on a 2 on 1 fast break and SA’s Mullins got into the shooting space, setting up a Free Position with 4 seconds on the clock. There was a teammate on the low left side with no one around. but most of the players and fans in the stands expected Erin to just take off with the time remaining and score what basically would have been a breakaway goal. I kind of had a feeling she would not do that and when the whistle blew she did make the pass to the wide open teammate. The teammate went to the front, but missed the net wide on the shot and the half ended. A lot of players might have gotten a bit peeved or shown some emotion. I watched carefully to see if she had that reaction. Not her. She went up to her teammate, put her arm around her shoulder and consoled the teammate on the way back to the bench.
The type of reaction that makes teammates want to play with someone. Or go through a brick wall for. Whatever sports cliche you want to pick.
I was sitting with an old friend, Dean Borg, the man who actually is more responsible for me writing for FLN than anyone (so blame him), who by chance, or fate, or whatever, works with Erin’s mother Jodie. During the game we were talking as I was paying attention, and I learned a few interesting tidbits about Erin off the field. She’s a multi-sport athlete . . . not a full-time lacrosse player. I was particularly intrigued by her learning Mandarin Chinese and the summer internship Erin was undertaking in a venture capital firm and after the game I went up to talk to her. I had to ask her about the Mandarin and why she was learning it and she gave me a response you don’t expect from an 18-year old . . . “Chinese-American trade relations are pretty important and I want to be involved in it”.
I told her she was a little young to worry about that. Maybe five years from now I’ll admit I was wrong . . . I didn’t have the guts to ask her about steel tariffs.
American Heritage-Delray’s Caitlin Wurzberger is also a tremendous player. When I compare them the thing that comes to mind is another Chinese thing . . . 1 from Column A and 1 from Column B . . . you might have to be of a certain age to understand that. They are very different players in my opinion. Caitlyn is the epitome of how the Girls’ game is played today and she is making her own version. Erin has far more of the Boys’ version of the game in her repertoire, and it would be a lot of fun to watch them play together.
Maybe one day WPLL will come calling for both and we’ll get that wish.
Thank you Allie, Coach Laskey, Chazz and the rest for your help in putting this together!
Author’s Note: I asked Allie Modica, then a recent graduate and FLN blogger, to write up an article on Erin Bakes after I came across Inside Lacrosse’s 2017-18 Rising Seniors List and was stunned to discover her listed at #5 on the List NATIONALLY. I spend a fair amount of time getting around the lacrosse scene (albeit far more on the Boy’s side) and I only remember a few items on FLN in the past about Erin, mostly about her commitment to USC. Allie, herself a decorated lacrosse player . . . a First Team IWLCA Division 2 All American at FIT . . . made a good fit for the article as she mentioned to me she didn’t really know a lot about Erin either. Allie spent a number of weeks researching the article, interviewed Erin, her high school coach Bridgette Laskey and her training mentor, former MLL and Brown star Chazz Woodson, to prepare this. The article was finished at the beginning of the high school season but I wanted to hold off publishing until I could watch Erin play in person and add some of my own comments. I will hold off on those comments until the end of this article. Suffice to say, the in-person experience was even better than the written one . . . I will first post the article Allie wrote up, with a little updating to account for the fact that we are nearly at the end of the season instead of preseason when it was written and submitted to me. I also saw the interview responses from Coach Laskey and felt they should stand by themselves since they supplement Allie’s article so well. I hope all readers enjoy this!
Allie’s Article – “The Best Kept Secret In Florida Lacrosse”
As the high school season rolls on, its about time to introduce a player that many teams and players need to be on the lookout for in the future. Girl’s lacrosse in the state of Florida has grown significantly over the past five years. Areas like Vero Beach, North Florida, Orlando, Southeast Florida and Naples have been hotbeds for girls lacrosse, where high schools are commonly associated with state championships, national attention and high caliber players. But there is a player making major moves on the national scene, who is quietly building a new threat to the Florida lacrosse scene. So who is the best kept secret in Florida lacrosse? And where has she been playing with so little recognition? Look no further then Miami, in Dade County Florida, at a small, academically focused school called Ransom Everglades, that started a girls lacrosse program just five years ago. Erin Bakes saw the growth of the program from the very first day as an eighth grader. Now a senior, Bakes has been a staple on both Inside Lacrosse’s Top Juniors and Seniors To Watch Lists. Yet, the South Florida area and tragically the entire state altogether have no idea who Erin Bakes is. When I first saw Erin play I was amazed at how little was known about her and the little recognition she received in her area. You really can’t miss her on the field – a tall, strong, confident, aggressive midfielder who really does it all for her team. From making athletic plays on the draw, to being a force as a dynamic defender, and powerful shooter on the offensive end, she cannot be stopped, or even slowed down. As Inside Lacrosse’s #5 Rising Senior to watch this year, obviously her talents are noticed at the highest level for high school sports, but not in the local community so much. Ransom Everglades High School and the Miami area are not known as much for lacrosse as others are, making it even harder for a talented player like Bakes to break into the news here and one problem for why the state isn’t focused on this one player who might be among the best handful of players to come out of the south for numerous years. When you watch Erin play, it is clear she has her own unique style and captivating way in which she plays the game, which makes her stand out. The way she cradles, handles the ball and shoots have a personality all their own. Enter former Major League Lacrosse star and Florida Launch midfielder, Chazz Woodson. A South Florida resident, Woodson started working with Erin entering her eighth grade year, after she had played with the Boys’ team in 7th grade. Even though he is not a girl’s lacrosse coach by trade and even confessed he, “didn’t really know a lot about girls lacrosse” when the family originally asked Woodson to help Erin, he saw her potential in her fundamentals immediately. At first they worked on basic development, with her stick work and movement with the stick and around the field, progressing from there.
After hearing how she works with Woodson, one of the flashiest and most skilled players ever to play, I was not surprised by Erin’s abilities. What is even more intriguing, however, is how her career in lacrosse began . . . on the Boy’s team. There was no Girl’s program at Ransom or in the area, so Bakes blazed her own path, creating a style all her own; a combination of her raw talent, boys lacrosse background and the addition of Chazz as her mentor, one Erin would call “game-changing.” Much of her training through middle and high school, still involved a boy’s stick. “. . . having a guy’s and girl’s stick in my hands throughout my lacrosse career has allowed me to bring aspects of each game into the other.”
Where does all her confidence and leadership abilities come from? As an eighth grader, who basically built her high school program with her coach, Bridgette Laskey, Erin has been a natural leader since day one. The entire team was full of young players learning the game, while Erin had been practicing for two years at that point. This experience, “allowed (me) to develop leadership skills I would have never had otherwise. Not many people are afforded the opportunity to start as an eighth grader and be a captain as a freshman on a varsity team.”
If you couldn’t tell by her film or watching live, Erin is an extremely hard worker, and for Chazz Woodson who has played with absolute legends at the highest stage in lacrosse, he calls Erin the hardest worker he has ever worked with or been around. There is no settling for good, she always wants to be better and do more. One motto that has stuck with her in her process was something Chazz would say early on, “always practice like a college coach is watching”. This dedication and passion for greatness is taking her far, all the way to the University of Southern California to play for U.S. Women’s National Team players Lindsey Munday and Devon Wills and the Trojans in August this year. At USC, she will join eight other young players on the team that currently was ranked eighth this preseason on the IWLCA poll.
USC was only in their fourth year as a program back when Erin first seriously thought about collegiate lacrosse. “The idea of contributing to the growth of the young program as opposed to an established one intrigued me from the beginning.” And it is a familiar position for her after growing the team at Ransom and helping her development as a player and leader. The world-renown coaches also interested her. Not only are Munday and Wills known for their excellent playing careers but also as teachers and the way they communicate the game. Another checkmark for Erin and USC was the creativity she felt when she visited and played at their camp. “We scrimmaged with fiddle sticks and boys’ sticks”, making Bakes very comfortable with the playing styles of the coaches and fellow recruits. “I felt like I had found where I fit immediately after camp. USC was a no-brainer.”
Although her local recognition is well below the level she deserves, Bakes is setting a high standard for girl’s lacrosse in South Florida. As her senior season approaches and high school career finale draws near, Erin Bakes is transforming South Florida lacrosse, and will soon be Florida’s biggest star on the West Coast.
Coach Bridgette Laskey on Erin
When did you start coaching her?
Our first season together was in 2014. She was an eighth grader.
What are some of her greatest strengths on/off the field?
ON: Her lacrosse acumen has been phenomenal from an early age, she is an unselfish player, her raw athleticism is beautiful to watch, and she literally teaches her teammates by guiding them during games. Her confidence and personality on the field would be her best qualities, but I’d be remised if I left out how her shot even intimidates opposing coaches.
OFF: She is a work horse in terms of off season training and still plays multiple sports for Ransom. She balances her commitment to lax with playing tennis, surfing, snowboarding and still playing competitive varsity sports other than lacrosse. Erin remains humble off the field and she is a leader in the classroom. She encompasses her role as a captain by being a role model to her fellow teammates. She volunteers and she is a distinguished scholar as well.
What do you think are some barriers preventing Ransom Everglades and Erin’s exposure in Florida? (For instance, Miami Herald disregarding her as Female Athlete of the Year, even with all her national recognition)
Ransom Everglades is only entering our 5th season. We have won districts each year of our eligibility and we continue to grow in terms of our success in regional play in games even when most of our players have only been playing the sport for 2 or 3 years. The state may take these feats for granted since most programs from Broward to the North FL teams have been in existence for so long. Many girls have had multiple opportunities to be playing from a very young age compared to our team. Erin would be the top player for any of the very talented programs in Florida. Unfortunately, Erin is unable to showcase her abilities on a regular basis due to Ransom lax being so young in development in comparison to the established competitive teams. So we rarely have opportunities to play at the level she is capable of and this perhaps keeps her off the Florida radar in terms of accolades. However, many of the more talented coaches have had opportunities to watch her play in tournaments, have had the chance to coach her on elite teams, or they have worked with her during the off season.
As she has continued to climb IL’s junior and senior list, what improvements have you seen in her game that have allowed her to push her national ranking so high?
Erin is a dynamic player in terms of her ability to play any position. It is hard to miss her on the field and as I mentioned, she puts in the work all year round. She runs on every play as if it’s the most pivotal play of the game, she is verbal, intimidating on defense, and she never quits. Her exposure to high level coaching due to her work ethic has helped as well. She is an amazing young woman so other coaches have recognized what I am lucky enough to have each spring.
Lee’s Thoughts After Watching Erin Play at Saint Andrew’s
What stood out to me watching Erin play was the amount of the Boys’ game that is part of her on-field style. The Girl’s game differs from the Boys’ in a few very significant ways . . . the rules, the depth of the pocket of the stick, and the unique offense and defense that the 3-second area requires. The first thing that stood out to me were those times that Erin would clear from her defensive end. It’s a pretty rare sight to see someone able to cradle and run up the field with only one hand on the stick. We are used to seeing two hands and the constant cradling back and forth by the Girls. Erin was able to out run a defender because she could go up the field with one hand.
Another thing I noticed was how well she shoots the Free Position shots. This is the signature part of her game. Her goal with 11:29 left is indelibly inked in my mind. I curse myself for my technical deficiencies because I had the absolute perfect view, if only I had my cell phone video ready to go. I guess the shot was from the second hashmark (if that is what it is called) from the right on the arc. She lined up the left hand and absolutely lasered one to the upper far corner. Just under the bar and just inside the post. A perfect shot. I don’t think she’s ever been timed on the gun but 75 miles an hour seems about right. Without a deep pocket to wind up with . . .
These two pictures were screen captures from her 2017 Highlight Video (LINK)
You can forward it to 2:48 and freeze it. Then play it, but pay attention. Not a lot of high school girls can do this.
In the bottom picture, one second later according to the timer on the low left, the ball is in the upper right corner and the goalie is ducking away.
Throw in the draws, the defense, the vision to find open teammates and the way that she changes speed when it makes sense (something that a LOT of girls could learn) . . . well, you get the point . . .
Saint Andrew’s was a very worthy opponent last night. Taylor Mullen, Emma Braden and the rest of the team played an excellent game and led by 2 with less than 6 minutes to go but Ransom was able to finish the game with 5 straight goals to win 14-11. Erin either scored or assisted on four of the last five goals. Which showed another strength I saw, she’s remarkably unselfish in her play. Nothing showed me that more than the end of the first half. In the last few seconds Ransom was on a 2 on 1 fast break and SA’s Mullins got into the shooting space, setting up a Free Position with 4 seconds on the clock. There was a teammate on the low left side with no one around. but most of the players and fans in the stands expected Erin to just take off with the time remaining and score what basically would have been a breakaway goal. I kind of had a feeling she would not do that and when the whistle blew she did make the pass to the wide open teammate. The teammate went to the front, but missed the net wide on the shot and the half ended. A lot of players might have gotten a bit peeved or shown some emotion. I watched carefully to see if she had that reaction. Not her. She went up to her teammate, put her arm around her shoulder and consoled the teammate on the way back to the bench.
The type of reaction that makes teammates want to play with someone. Or go through a brick wall for. Whatever sports cliche you want to pick.
I was sitting with an old friend, Dean Borg, the man who actually is more responsible for me writing for FLN than anyone (so blame him), who by chance, or fate, or whatever, works with Erin’s mother Jodie. During the game we were talking as I was paying attention, and I learned a few interesting tidbits about Erin off the field. She’s a multi-sport athlete . . . not a full-time lacrosse player. I was particularly intrigued by her learning Mandarin Chinese and the summer internship Erin was undertaking in a venture capital firm and after the game I went up to talk to her. I had to ask her about the Mandarin and why she was learning it and she gave me a response you don’t expect from an 18-year old . . . “Chinese-American trade relations are pretty important and I want to be involved in it”.
I told her she was a little young to worry about that. Maybe five years from now I’ll admit I was wrong . . . I didn’t have the guts to ask her about steel tariffs.
American Heritage-Delray’s Caitlin Wurzberger is also a tremendous player. When I compare them the thing that comes to mind is another Chinese thing . . . 1 from Column A and 1 from Column B . . . you might have to be of a certain age to understand that. They are very different players in my opinion. Caitlyn is the epitome of how the Girls’ game is played today and she is making her own version. Erin has far more of the Boys’ version of the game in her repertoire, and it would be a lot of fun to watch them play together.
Maybe one day WPLL will come calling for both and we’ll get that wish.
Thank you Allie, Coach Laskey, Chazz and the rest for your help in putting this together!
