SALEM — Respect is something that is earned in sports by winning and proving the consistently great performances of a team. However, the new Salem girls lacrosse coach, Jillian Robinson, wants to shake things up and get some respect put on her team’s name.
“I want them to respect us. I want to prove we can compete with the best in the NEC,” said Robinson, who is taking over the Witches program after coaching at Swampscott last season. “I want to put Salem back in the conversation of being one of the better teams in the Northeastern Conference.”
After two years of the bare minimum of sports due to COVID, Robinson sees this as a great opportunity for her and her team. With all the teams having been in the same boat the last couple of years, this helps level out the playing field a bit.
“I think this makes things a little more even for everyone,” said Robinson. “If anything, we may have an advantage. The excitement of a new coach and learning a new system that these girls have is unmatched.”
Robinson used to coach at Swampscott High, but decided that she wanted to be back in Salem, where she went to high school. After seeing the effects COVID had on the program in Salem, Robinson wanted to help repair it in any way she could.
Now, going from almost not having enough players to fill a single team to having both a junior varsity and varsity team is something special.
“This is my first season as the Salem head coach, and I wanted to make my way back here because I’m a Salem alumni,” said Robinson. “The program was dwindling; they only had about nine girls total last year, which is sad. However, this year we have 33 girls on our roster, which I’m very excited about.”
Robinson is also incredibly confident in the talent and winning culture that her team is going to bring to the field behind her coaching ability.
“I am just excited to get out there and get to know these girls throughout the season,” said Robinson. “They’re great girls on and off the field, and it’s just going to be great to see them week in and week out.”
