CyFair Iron Maidens: MEET THE COACHES

CHRIS HAEFELE - VARSITY HEAD COACH
Coaches Profiles - Chris

  • 1st Introduced To The Game: I was introduced to lacrosse in the 6th grade. A friend of mine had a brother playing defense at another HS, and we would go watch. He was a defenseman, All-State, and I was amazed at the speed and intensity of the game.
  • High School: I attended Cherry Creek HS in Denver a few years later, and tried out for the team. It took until I was a junior to make the JV-B team, 5th string midfield. Needless to say I didn’t play much! That ended my HS lacrosse career.
  • 1st Coaching Experience: As a Senior, I coached a U16 Boys soccer team along with 2 friends. They were my offensive/defensive assistants. We started out slow, winning only 1 game in 7, but things were starting to click. By the end of the season we had a record of 5-7, just making the playoffs. In the playoffs, we continued our run and won the State Championship in a shootout, surprising ourselves and 16 other teams.
  • College: Attended school at the University of Wyoming, and played/coached the lacrosse program for 5 years. We were an average team, but better than expected. It is here that I learned to coach lacrosse, and teach kids who had never seen the sport how to be competitive.
  • Houston Bound: In 1998 I transferred to Houston. Responding to an add in the paper a year later, I began coaching the Ironmaiden’s, along with Joe Beraducci. Since then we have won two state championships, numerous tournaments, helped players make top collegiate programs and started the MS program. Some where in there I met and married my wife Kara, who was coaching at Klein HS.
  • Coaching Philosophy: Our philosophy is multifold:

    • We want the girls to have fun
    • We want to match the commitment of the girls, and see that they have every opportunity to play beyond HS.
    • We want to teach the sport in such a way that not only will they enjoy it, but in a way that will make them want to give back to it.
    • We want them to start teams, to ref, to coach, to play club, to grow the sport.
    • We want to build the confidence of each girl as an individual, and as a team, so that as they enter their adult lives they have the confidence in themselves to be successful in every endeavor.

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KARA HAEFELE - JV COACH
Coach Kara

  • 1st Introduced To The Game: : As with all other sports, I was introduced to lacrosse by my brother, Eric. When I was in the fifth grade, he came home from boarding school with a bouncy white ball and 2 sticks. Eric taught me to catch and throw, but I didn’t learn the game until I went away to school—Saudi Arabia isn’t a big lacrosse hot bed!

  • High School:   In high school, I attended St. George’s School and played lacrosse as well as soccer and basketball.

  • College: I ended my soccer career to play club lacrosse at Texas Tech University. While at Tech, our team made it to the TWLL Championship Tournament from 1996-1999.

  • Houston Bound: I stayed in Lubbock to coach the team during the 2000 season. During that season, the Raiders, again, made it to the ‘Final Four.’ I moved to Houston in 2000 shortly after the TWLL tournament. The following season, 2001, I served as the assistant coach for the Klein Club for 1 season. Following a 1 year sabbatical to begin a teaching career, I moved to Cy-Fair to help coach the Ironmaidens.






       




ERIC GRIFFITH - JV COACH
Coach Eric

  • 1st Introduced To The Game:  My first contact with the game was probably similar to many of our players. I first saw it when I was in middle school being played by older kids. I did not know the sport; Saudi was not what you would call a lacrosse haven! However, on occasion I did see older, high school-aged kids home from boarding school with their gear. There weren't games usually only kids playing catch.

  • High School: It wasn't until high school that I first witnessed the sport as a whole - a field, full gear, entire teams, etc. I went to high school in northeast Pennsylvania. It was there that I went on a school trip to see a Syracuse University game back in the mid 80's. I watched the Gait brothers play. At the time I didn't know who they were but I knew I was hooked! I signed up for the school team, played the next week, and all the way through high school.
  • College:   When I went off to college, my lacrosse gear came with but I didn't play that much. Mainly just played catch with friends and roommates. Occasionally I played with the teams at both Arizona State and at Texas Tech but they were both club teams and the cost and travel were too much and trying to juggle with my studies was too much. Lacrosse went on the back burner. I didn't really get back in until Kara played in college. Whenever her team was near, I found myself at the games, on the sidelines, cheering, yelling, coaching.

  • Houston Bound:    When Kara graduated and moved to Houston and hooked up with the Iron Maidens, she and Chris campaigned for me to come out and help. After some coercing, and a few adult beverages, I committed and have been here for the last three seasons.

 


 

JENNIFER ANDJELICH - ASST. HS COACH

 

 

 



ALLISON JUDSON - MS COACH

 

  • 1st Introduced To The Game:  I was first introduced to the game when a Maiden senior at the time, Katie Miller, took me out to a clinic.  I wasn't interested in starting a new sport and told her I would go out for the clinic but wouldn't play.  Sure enough, the team and the sport won me over and I haven't stopped since!
  • High School:   While at Cy-Fair,  I played on the Ironmaidens from 2001-2005.  During that time, we won the State Championship in 2003 and 2004.  
  • College: In college, I played club lacrosse for Texas A&M.  While there, we won the TWLL State Championship every year and made it to the WDIA Nationals twice.  

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    GARY HAEFELE - A.K.A. "PAPPA COACH"
    Pappa Coach

    • 1st Introduced To The Game: Through Chris while he was in high school. Followed Chris and his older brother all through college while Chris coached and both boys played at the University of Wyoming. Followed Chris in his playing after he moved to Houston.

    • High School:  Played and Lettered in Football, Track and Wrestling while in high school in Cheyenne, Wyoming for 2 years in each sport.

    • First Coaching Experience:  was coaching Chris when he was 7 years old in Denver. Took a recreational soccer team that had never won a game the prior year to a 7 and 7 record the first year. Thereafter the team won their youth division every year for the next 8 years. The team always made it to the State Playoffs after the first year. •

    • Sports Admin Experience: Served as Chairman for Denver’s largest youth soccer organization, Cherry Creek Soccer for 4 years and worked on the Board for an additional 3 years with youth membership exceeding 2,000 recreational players and 15 competitive men and women’s teams. Built first major soccer complex in metro Denver area with 16 fields for Cherry Creek Soccer Organization.

    • Houston Bound:  Moved to Houston in 2000 and assisted Chris with coaching Iron Maidens in their first year at the varsity level. In spring of 2001 moved back to Denver and have been involved with the Iron Maidens coaching and with financial contributions. Since the first year have assisted the team and Chris when they have been involved in the City and State Playoffs.