I have been playing lacrosse for what feels like my entire life. I simply cannot imagine living my life without lax. For over ten years, and an eternity of seasons, lacrosse has been there for all the good, bad, and in-between in my life. I cannot help but fall in love with my sport every time I step on the field.
It all started when I was about three years old. I was too young to sit through a particularly long church service after a particularly long car ride. Therefore, my father took me on a walk to keep me calm and distracted. While we were walking there was a sporting event going on at the college campus we were on. Johns Hopkins Women’s Lacrosse team was playing a game. My father and I sat on a hill and watched.
I watched as these incredible women caught and threw a ball using long sticks with pockets. I realized how hard the sport probably was to play and I figured if you could do that, then you could do anything. I asked my father what this sport was called, but he did not know. He waited until some people walked by and they informed us the name of the game was lacrosse. I watched a little longer to make sure, but my mind was set. I looked over at my dad and said “I want to play lacrosse.”
Once we got home we realized you have to be seven years old to play on a parks and recreation lacrosse team. The next four years were the longest of my life, but I owe them for my dedication to the sport. Before I even played lacrosse I knew what it was like not playing, it sucked. Therefore, I picked up a stick as soon as I could and never put one back down.
I have immersed myself into the world of lacrosse ever since. I played parks and rec, club, indoor, and any other opportunity that came my way. One of those opportunities was coaching. I have coached both parks and rec, and travel lacrosse. Coaching has definitely helped me be a more strategic lacrosse player. Coaching has also helped me keep my heart in it. Even while I am away at college, I ask about my players and how they are doing. I love watching lacrosse grow every year.
I told someone recently that I played lacrosse for over ten years, still play in college, and coach during the summer. They asked, “And you’re not tired of it yet?”. I responded, “Of course not! I could never be tired of my passion.” After that conversation I looked back at all of my amazing lacrosse memories.
I remembered the day I saw a Hopkins’ game, the day I tried out for a travel team, the day I realized I wanted to push myself to be the best I can be. I even recalled this past season at Randolph and all the friends and memories I had made with my teammates. How could I ever get tired of that?
