The lacrosse goalie. One of the positions that is the most overlooked and under-appreciated, yet much needed part of the team. Growing up being a lacrosse goalie for years and years has made me realize that I get asked a lot of the same questions and hear many of the same comments often.
Although I understand where people are coming from when they ask or comment, sometimes it is something that I have heard a million times before. Things like:
1. Oh, you're just a goalie... you don't run.
Excuse me... what? Do you think I sit down and watch my team during conditioning? No. We run. Although we may not be running up and down the field in a game, we must still be in great shape.
2. Is everything OK at home?
Yes. Yes, it is. I know I have a lot of bruises. Most of which are from my own teammates (thanks guys).
3. But doesn't it hurt to get hit?
Uh, yes. Ever wonder why we have such a big stick? To try to save the ball, but sometimes the ball just hits you first. And believe me, it does hurt. A lot.
4. How do you not jump away from the ball when it's thrown at you?
Well, for one it is not thrown at me, they are technically aiming for the net. And two, lots and lots of practice. Also, sometimes you just gotta take one for the team. When I started I was not that crazy girl to step into a shot, in fact, I was horrified, but with time it just becomes natural. This is the only way I know how to explain it.
5. Goalies have it so easy, I could probably make lots of saves.
OK, please go stand in front of a solid rubber ball flying at over 60 miles per hour at you and try to save it without jumping away without any training. Sometimes I will admit, we may make it look easy but it is not easy at all. Plus have you seen how tiny that ball is? Sometimes I'm surprised at myself, an experienced goalie, for making a save.
6. All goalies must have something a little "off" about them.
Nah, I'm as normal as we get. I mean...I think, at least?
7. All you do is stand there.
Yeah, you are right. We totally don't talk to defense and assist them in what they are supposed to do, make interceptions, make saves, throw awesome passes, and help people out when they are getting pressured with the ball. I bet we don't even run the ball up sometimes, ya know, cause we only stand there (sarcasm).
8. It is the easiest position on the field.
Like every position on the field and off the field, it is not only a physical game, but a mental game. We are effected so much mentally, if not the most of the players on the team. When we let in a goal we cannot put our heads down and must remain positive otherwise the result could ruin a game. It is a great amount of pressure being a goalie, having to keep your emotions in line when all you want to do is break down and cry. It is a complete mental game for us and we can never let up with our relentlessness to get upset.
9. You don't have to be fast to be a goalie.
Wrong. Sure, I do not by any means have to be the person that can run a 100 meter sprint the fastest on the team but I have to be damn fast on my toes to save a shot that's coming at me over 60 miles per hour. We basically dance around the net (which we hope looks graceful but probably is not). Not only this, but our hand-eye coordination has to be impeccable and if your hands are not fast enough, you are not good enough.
10. Does that bruise hurt? *pokes bruise*
Yes, it hurts! Think about it. If something hit me hard enough to form a bruise that is most likely risen about an inch or two off my body due to extreme swelling in that area, yes it hurts. Please stop touching my bruises unless I ask you to feel my bumps (which are sometimes pretty awesome) or I may have to hurt you.
11. How on earth can you like being a goalie? You can't score goals.
Sure, I can't score goals but I sure as hell can save them. I love everything about being a goalie, the leadership I must show on the field, the poise and constant posture that I must hold, and man, I can't begin to tell you how amazing it feels to save a goal and get cheered for, or better yet, getting trampled by your team at the end of an amazing game. Sure, there is a lot of physical pain that comes with the position but the love of the game makes it all the more worth it. We do it for our team, to be the absolute last line of defense against another team and to impact a game so that we can win.
Being a goalie may seem like something that is crazy or too easy to some people but in the end it is worth it every single game, every win and every practice with a team that you love more than anything. Becoming a goalie and sticking with it for years on end is something that I will never regret and something that I will always be grateful for.
