Littlefork-Big Falls opens season with a new focus under first-year coach Lisa Lehman
First-year head coach Lisa Lehman is instilling a new attitude with her Littlefork-Big Falls Vikings.
“You don’t have to have the best team or a winning record to have success,” said Lehman, an L-BF graduate — as a Klemetsen — who finished her basketball career with 1,121 points.
The Vikings finished with only two wins last season and struggled in nearly every aspect of the game. This season is all about having fun, focusing on the positives and improving.
“This year we wanted a fresh start. New attitudes,” Lehman said. “They’ve been really negative over the last few years.”
L-BF lost only one starter to graduation — Whitney Junker — and return nine seniors, which gives Lehman and the Vikings plenty of experience to work with.
“We’ve been playing together for a while. That helps,” said Haylee Gates, one of the nine seniors and a captain.
“It’s a football team ... where we come from,” added fellow senior Ann Kennedy, comparing the nine seniors to nine-man football.
The players also know Lehman, who coached many of them in volleyball and is well known in the L-BF athletic community.
“My biggest question was I played it, now can I coach it?” Lehman joked.
The Vikings open the season Tuesday at home against Orr before hitting the road for four straight contests. They travel to rival Bigfork on Dec. 7 in the third game of the season.
“Have fun and improve day to day,” Lehman said. “Have fun and don’t get upset if we lose right away.”
Who is Lisa Lehman
• Littlefork-Big Falls graduate — 1995
• Played varsity volleyball, basketball and softball for the Vikings from ninth-12th grade.
• Finished career with 1,121 points.
• Played two years of volleyball and basketball at Rainy River Community College.
• Favorite quotes as a coach:
“Offense wins games, but defense wins championships.”
“There’s no ‘I’ in team.”
• What do you want to be known for as a coach:
Someone who has made a positive influence in the lives of student-athletes.
• Greatest piece of advice for someone wanting to get into coaching:
It is truly worth teaching student-athletes the qualities it takes to have a successful team, and that those same qualities are the qualities needed to be successful in life.
• A successful season is ... ?
Improving from the first day of practice to the first game of playoffs. If everyone has tried their hardest and improvement is seen, that is success to me.
