SkyCoach’s reliable instant replay gives an edge to Virginia Tech lacrosse, a multi-year customer
Word is continuing to spread throughout the lacrosse community about the benefits of having SkyCoach on the sideline as a team’s replay solution. Not only is it extremely affordable and simple, but SkyCoach instantly pops up after a play, which helps during the fast-paced game.
Virginia Tech’s lacrosse team has been a customer for a few years now, and they’re making SkyCoach a priority this season by taking the replay system on the road for away games.
The Hokies use SkyCoach during games and practice with a one camera setup and a single iPad on the sideline to view in-game.
“We use it to clip our offense and defense and then our draws,” said assistant coach Mary Claire Byrne. “During games we can go back if we just got scored on. I can see how the opposing team did that.
“I think SkyCoach is very accessible. I’m probably the coach that looks at it the most from the sideline. We’ll press start at the beginning of an offensive possession and at the end so I can watch that entire clip. For me, when the play goes to the other side of the field I’ll go back and look at the iPad. We never have an issue trying to keep up with the game. I think it’s because when we’re on offense it’s one big clip and once the ball moves to the other side of the field that will be another clip. We haven’t had any issues trying to keep up with the game.
“And then defensively, if we keep getting scored on, it’s hard because it is a fast-playing game so you don’t always see who missed a cut, so it’s good to go back and see in slow motion who missed the cut or where the slide package was coming from and stuff like that. I use it a lot. I rely on it in games just to be able to tell our players what happened so it doesn’t happen again. If I see a No. 5 on the other team keeps doing the same thing to us, instead of fixing it after the game, I’m able to fix it with in-game adjustments. That’s the biggest thing we use it for.”
“We haven’t had any issues. Once we got the hang of setting it all up, it’s been great.”
And while Byrne is the coach that most often looks at the iPad to make the in-game adjustments, the players also want to see the replay on the field, whether it’s a scoring play, a 1v1 situation or getting scored on.
She said: “We show the players. We have an injured player on the sideline holding the iPad. Anytime a player comes off the field they always go to her and are like, ‘Hey, can I see that last play?’ They all have the ability to go over and watch what just happened.”
Byrne added: “At SkyCoach’s core, the biggest thing is literally that live replay. We get the clip the second somebody scores. It’s so instantaneous that I can look at the iPad and see what exactly happened. That’s the biggest thing we use it for. And in practice, if coaches wanted to be able to show their kids live, maybe the defensive isn’t grasping something, then they can huddle around the iPad and see exactly what the offense is doing from an aerial view.”
