Prominent Maryland Politician Joins CC Lax

from press release

Before he became Speaker of the House and one of the most important politicians in the state of Maryland, Mike Busch served as head coach of basketball and lacrosse at St. Mary’s High.  Busch has routinely referred to that stint at the private parochial school in Annapolis as “one of the most enjoyable periods of my life.” 
 
Busch was in his early 20s and a recent graduate of Temple University when he was hired by his alma mater to teach history and coach athletics.  He spent seven seasons as varsity boys’ basketball coach and led the Saints to a 20-9 record in 1977-78. He served four seasons as head football coach and directed the 1978 club to a 9-0-1 record in 1978.  Busch had to give up coaching when he was hired by the Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks Department in 1979.  In his early days as a sports administrator, Busch was responsible for organizing and overseeing the first girls’ lacrosse league ever sponsored by Anne Arundel County, spearheaded by Nancy Murphy. 
 
It was during the league’s infancy when Busch met Cathy Samaras, who coached the Annapolis Optimists team.  Scores of games and league standings were not routinely kept at the time so Busch was surprised to receive a call from Samaras requesting the best officiating crew for the upcoming “championship” game.  “I said ‘Cathy, we don’t keep scores or standings so how can we have a championship?’  Cathy was adamant and said, ‘Mike, you might not call it a championship, but these two teams are both undefeated and as far as the girls are concerned, this is the championship’ ” Busch recalled.
 
Busch said he always respected the fact that Samaras fought fiercely for equal opportunities for females and said she deserves a lot of the credit for Anne Arundel County becoming a hotbed for girls’ lacrosse.  “No one in the state of Maryland has been a bigger champion for women’s athletics than Cathy Samaras,” Busch said.  Samaras has helped nearly 500 players earn Division I scholarships through her elite-level club program known as CC Lax. 
 
In an interesting twist of fate, Busch will be returning to coaching for the first time in three decades as a member of the CC Lax staff.  “I’ve come full circle as far as my involvement with girls’ lacrosse, and I’ve been through it all with Cathy Samaras. I was there when the sport got started in this county and now I’ll be coaching with one of the top club programs in the country,” Busch said.  He recently re-discovered his love for coaching while directing the Annapolis High entry in the Fall Ball League organized by Samaras.  She saw how well he worked with the players and asked Busch to join the CC Lax staff for the 2010 season.  “I’ve known Mike a long time and have great respect for his ability as a recreation administrator, but I didn’t realize he was such a good coach,” Samaras said. “Mike is very encouraging, motivating the athletes with his brand of positive reinforcement.”
 
Busch spent five years coaching his two daughters in basketball with the Optimists program in Annapolis. Erin Busch is currently a freshman at Annapolis High playing soccer with hopes of also playing basketball and lacrosse.  Megan Busch is a sixth grader at Bates Middle who plays the same three sports.  “I’ve had a good relationship coaching my daughters in little league and I think I bring the right perspective.  I want my daughters and all the other girls on the team to have a positive experience, to learn life lessons through athletics,” Busch said.
 
Busch admits he had to seriously consider the offer to coach CC Lax since his duties as Speaker of the House can be all-consuming.  However, the club season is conducive to the General Assembly schedule and Busch planned to take his daughters to all their CC Lax practices, games and tournaments.  “Heck, I was going to be there anyway so why not help out.  Hopefully, I can have a positive influence on the players and teach them the skills they need to know to be successful,” Busch said.  “I have a good understanding of girls’ lacrosse, but certainly now that I am coaching I will need to become better versed in the rules, strategy and nuances of the game. I’ll be looking for Cathy and her other coaches to help me a bit.”
 
CC Lax boasts an impressive staff of 35 coaches led by co-director Sue Chittim.  Area high school coaches currently on staff include Josalyn Powers (Arundel), Julia Lebowitz (Northeast), Erin Morris (Indian Creek) and Renie Sotiropoulis (Severn). Robin Schmidt, once an assistant coach under Busch at St. Mary’s and a prominent QuickStix recreation league coach, will also be joining the staff.