Former MLL lacrosse player Adam Osika on why he chooses to #PlayitForward with Vantage Sports

We were able to chat with Vantage Sports coach Adam Osika, former professional lacrosse player from Mason, Ohio, to talk about his experience with Vantage Sports. First, we wanted to get to know more about Adam and what’s gotten him to this point in his professional career. For starters, we asked Adam who his role model was growing up on the lacrosse field. With little hesitation, Adam responded, “When I was little, my role model was Gary Gait. At that time he was an older lacrosse player in pro lacrosse when I was first introduced to the game. All I remember is going to my first lacrosse camp that Gary had hosted in Ohio, and immediately I was inspired”. Adam mentioned that after that day, he watched highlights and was hooked on the game.

Wanting to know more about this drive, we asked if playing professionally was always a dream for Adam. “Honestly, playing pro lacrosse became more of a dream when I was in college, after my sophomore year when I really began to see more playing time. I knew that if I kept up what I was doing I could definitely extend my playing years”. For young athletes, it’s immensely important to note, with Adam being the perfect example, that you do not need to know exactly what your future is going to look like. Focusing on the present, working hard to improve, and making the most of every opportunity in front of you often puts you in the best position possible to continue to succeed on the field or court.

Given that Adam was the 21st overall pick in the 2017 MLL draft, you’d likely think that he was a highly sought after high-school recruit. “I was offered by Albany and Marquette. While I was talking to other schools, no one really put offers out there other than those two schools”. We asked Adam what he wished he knew looking back at the recruiting process, to which he had some great feedback. “I think my case was unique since I wasn’t in a lacrosse hot bed area like Long Island or Baltimore, and because of that not many coaches were coming out to Cincinnati to watch me or my teammates play. If you’re not in a location that’s well known for strong lacrosse players, I’d definitely say to do more private showcases (ex. Blue Chip) instead of playing on your traditional travel team”. Adam also suggests being as proactive as possible with editing film and having a [website] to upload videos to, to make sending them out to coaches as easy as possible. In today’s world, even something as simple as an instagram or twitter account for your highlights makes it easy to watch them all in one place.

When asked for one piece of advice that he would give to any kid pursuing their dream of becoming a professional athlete, Adam had some wise advice for young athletes, “Of course you’re going to need to be putting in work on the field, but when you’re off the field and honestly when you’re on your own, do a deeper dive on the X’s and O’s of the game. When you get to the higher levels it’s the [lacrosse] IQ that really takes a step up”. Studying film on youtube, watching the game live, and talking to former players and current coaches are all ways to maximize your IQ of your game. Soon on Vantage Sports, you’ll be able to search the growing library of over 1600 coaches and request virtual meet and greets, or even a video analysis session. These are just one of many ways Vantage Sports is continuing to help youth athletes develop across the nation through mentorship.

After 4 years, Adam’s professional lacrosse career came to an end and he began his professional work career in advertising as a national account manager for Ampersand. “As soon as I graduated from Albany I was drafted and played for roughly 4 years. Now, I give private lacrosse lessons in my free time to satisfy that itch for lacrosse - it’s fun. I found out about Vantage Sports from one of my teammates on my men’s league team, Ian Kirby, and shortly after I made a profile, the Vantage Sports team reached out to help”. When asked what he liked most about using the platform, here’s what he had to say: “The hardest thing about doing private lessons is the marketing and having somewhere to put your availability. Vantage Sports has helped me to get my name out there and build my brand online”. In the current college athletics landscape, where a handful of the top college athletes are earning most of the NIL money in the $1.17 Trillion NIL market, being able to build your personal brand is one of the most valuable tools an athlete can have to start earning.

After professional lacrosse ended for Adam, he missed being on a team and now tries to stay involved as much as possible to get in his fix for the game. Having given lessons on Vantage Sports for quite some time now, we asked Adam what he likes most about?playing it forward. “It’s been awesome to give back some of the knowledge that I’ve gained from my college and pro years to the next generations of talent. To see the kids that you coach earn opportunities to potentially take it to an even higher level than what you took it to and to then see them play at the next level, that’s extremely rewarding for me”.

If you or anyone you know are in or near Long Beach, NY (Nassau County) and looking for lacrosse lessons on how to up your game, check out Adam’s profile here:?https://www.vantagesports.com/adam-osika.?Keep an eye out for Adam’s training availability as well as virtual recruiting consultations, not just for lacrosse but for all sports - to talk to current and former college and pro athletes about what you should be doing at your stage of athletic development to maximize your potential.