Growing up, I wanted to play any and every sport out there. I started with soccer (as do most kids) and then went to twirling, karate, dance, gymnastics, T-Ball (then graduated into softball), basketball and I'm sure many more that have gotten lost along the way.
It wasn't until high school, though, when I found my sport, lacrosse. My freshman year in high school, I stumbled upon my school's team at freshman orientation and since then, I've been a four-year starting varsity player, and it's taught me many things, but here are the top three things that lacrosse has taught me.
1. Thirty random girls can quickly become your sisters.
I never thought I would be the person to call my team my sisters but after playing with some of these girls for four years and teaching others the sport I love and watching them grow into it, it's hard not to. I couldn't imagine my life without these individuals and truly, they have had one of the largest impacts on my life and who I am today.
Our team went though six different coaches throughout my time there, and it's forced us to stay and unite as a whole. My first two years were very different from my last two years. We were barely a team let alone a united sisterhood, yet I cannot be more grateful for the change. Had it been the same as it was at the beginning, I don't think that I would have played all four years, instead opting to focus on school my senior year.
2. Perseverance will carry you through life.
This isn't just applicable to lacrosse, but to school, friends, family and almost every aspect of life. You cannot just idly sit by and think you're going to get better or that you're going to achieve all the goals you're aspiring for. You have to get up and do something about it, but then you have to keep doing that something about it. You have to keep pushing for whatever it is that you want because it isn't going to be given to you.
In lacrosse specifically, my freshman year after two or three practices, I was over it. I was ready to hand over the stick and call it quits. I was frustrated that I wasn't at the level I envisioned myself to be at. Right off the bat, I wanted to be great. I wanted to be a super star that blew everyone away with how good I was. I wanted to be a natural and just magically be fabulous at this sport. But I wasn't, I was a natural in that the sport came easy to me, I was a super star in my parents eyes for picking up the stick and trying it, but I had to work to be where I am today.
Honestly, there were many points across the years where I was completely over lacrosse and wanted to just throw in the towel and not look back, but because I kept pushing to be better, I'm going to LSU in the fall to play for their club team and get to pursue my passion.
3. Leadership is about stepping up to the plate.
As mentioned previously, there were many coaches that came through our team. Each equipped with their own style and technique to coaching allowed us to experience different perspectives, but it frazzled us and especially the last season forced many of the seniors to step up and lead the team. I decided that although it wasn't my role and I wasn't a captain, I wanted to help these girls find their love and passion for the sport that I had found. However, no one told me to do this, no one told me to take responsibility for recruiting girls to the team, or to go to practice a little early and work on basic stick skills, or work a little harder to make sure everyone feels included. But I stepped up to the plate, and I did the best that I could to achieve all these things so that maybe when these girls are seniors in their last year of high school lacrosse, they can do the same thing I did and learn not only the love of the sport but the love that every girl playing this sport has for one another.
