Lacrosse

From the age of three and on, I was always playing a sport. I was put in dance classes, put on volleyball, swimming, soccer, and basketball teams. I learned to golf and play ultimate frisbee. I even tried ice skating for a bit. I learned quickly that I loved team sports, and I loved competition. Even so, I couldn’t seem to find a sport that I wanted to focus my time on. When I was in sixth grade, my parents decided that it was time for me to try lacrosse. This was a big deal for me, as both of my parents played in college and I was excited to see just what was so great about it. My first experience with lacrosse was absolutely horrible. I attended an advanced skills high school clinic at the age of 11 having no previous exposure to the sport. I struggled to keep up with the older girls who knew was they were doing, and left camp every day on the verge of tears. Instead of giving up on it, as much as I wanted to, I stuck with it and tried out different camps, clinics, and teams. As time went on, I realized how much I enjoyed having a stick and ball in my hand. When I was a sophomore in high school, I made the varsity team at my school. This was a huge deal, as we were state runner-ups two years in a row and boasted a total of four state titles, the most of any team at my school. I was absolutely ecstatic to be able to play at such a high level and be able to compete with some of the best teams in the entire state. I began playing on a travel team in the summer and fall so that I almost never had to stop playing.

Lacrosse was a large part of my life for about seven years. Coming to Ohio State, i decided not to try out for the club team in order to be able to focus my time on my classes and getting adjusted to college life. However, the sport of lacrosse taught me many lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I learned how to be a good team player, and that hard work will pay off in the end when you get what you’ve been waiting for. As team captain my senior year, I learned leadership skills. Additionally, I learned communication skills from interactions with my teammates, coaches, and even referees and other teams. Although I’m sad that lacrosse is no longer a part of my life, I am so grateful for my time playing it and all of the lessons I learned from it.