Personal Narrative: The Varsity Lacrosse Team

The heat bears down on me, as I feel my skin burning in the hot summer sun. Dust and dirt floats around the air and a thin layer of grime covers my entire body. Sweat drips around my goggles while adrenaline fills my body and my heart races. In the middle of nowhere in Virginia, I feel at home, I feel the turf under my cleats and the cool metal of the stick in my hands. As the timer ticks down, the buzzer rings, and the game begins. I look to my left and see my dad sitting on the sideline, ready to cheer as loud as possible. To my right I find my teammates, the most loyal group of friends I have, ecstatic about the potential of winning.

My accomplishment of making the varsity lacrosse team has given me a new understanding of myself. 11.34 My journey began during my freshman year when I was a member of the JV lacrosse team. At the end of the season, the coaching staff called up a select group of individuals from the JV team to play for the varsity team in the playoffs.17.65 Unfortunately, I was not one of the players afforded the opportunity. 11.14When I got home that day, I told myself that I would never let that happen again and that I would do everything in my power to make the varsity team the following year. 13.98 As a result, that summer I worked extremely hard to improve my stick skills with my travel team and went to various tournaments where I competed against kids who were much better than me.15.02 1)However, as the summer ended, it was football season and I had to put my lacrosse training on hold so that I could focus on football. 2)Midway through the football season, I unfortunately suffered my third concussion

Lacrosse is not just a sport nor a hobby; it is a way of life. Teammates are not just friends, they are family. To illustrate, lacrosse forms bonds just as strong as friendships and family. In my opinion, lacrosse is an encouraging, sublime sport that should be apart of everybody’s lives. First or all, I play lacrosse for many reasons. To begin, I am my team’s goalie, and will hopefully play goalie during my high school career. I played the field for two years (beginning in third grade), and goalie for three more, landing me here in my fifth year of lacrosse. I play to help my team, encourage them, tell them where an open player is, and most importantly, I play for my love of the sport and my teammates. Every year, I look forward to the season to

I felt my heart racing as I imagined making the top team in the club. I knew right then and there that I was going to try out for the team as soon as I discussed it with my parents. After my parents’ approval, I went to the first tryout with high expectations and aspirations. The tryout was going well at first; my skill was evident on the ice. I was making quick passes and skating hard. I will never forget the fateful pass that happened next. I remember the play in slow motion. I passed the puck through the center ice, a precarious move, but it was intercepted by the opposing team and as a result they scored a swift goal. Groans from the other players could be heard and my heart sank. That pass would determine my fate. After the tryout, I undressed slowly replaying the pass repeatedly in my head. Coach Ruben walked out of his office with the list of players who made the team in his hand. As he posted the list on the bulletin board, all the eager players ran over, examining the list of names. I stared at at the list for what seemed like an eternity searching for my name, but it was not there. I stifled my disappointment and followed my parents out to the car. To my ten year old self, my dreams were crushed and I assumed my hockey career was over before it even

My heart was pounding like an elephant walking as I waited in line, although I wasn’t even really that nervous. In my head I knew it was going to be hard to make the team as a 6th grader I think that’s why I didn't get myself all worked up about it and nervous because there was a 50% chance of me making the team. In my head, I said to myself that I would love to make the team.

Ever since I was 8 years old, lacrosse has been my life. My teammates are my family, the field is my home, and the game is a huge part of who I am. When I was 12 and entering middle school I decided it was time to join a more serious team with other guys like me, that share my passion for the sport. I ended up joining an "alright" team with a bunch of "alright" players. After a few seasons with them, I realized I wasn't challenging myself and playing up to my potentional. My parents and I decided it was time for me to take it to the next level and join one of the most prestigiuos boys lacrosse travel teams on Long Island; the Long Island Outlaws.

Gold was close, but certain with under 1 minute left. On July 30, 2016 the Keystone West Lacrosse team had gone 2-0-0 at went to York PA and were hoping that even with some injuries they would still win the championship tomorrow.

While other students were out celebrating the first week of summer, the New Albany Girls Lacrosse team was practicing for one of the biggest moments in their lives. They were preparing to compete in the Division II Lacrosse State Championship Game on June 1st. The team had one week to ensure they knew their plays, calls and were general ready for one of the toughest games of the year. Among this team there were twenty-five girls, and within this group of girls there were only two goalies. These two goalies, Kathleen Schell and Grace Anthony, had to hold the team together. Kathleen was talking to Grace before the end of practice and told her “I am really nervous, because I don’t know who coach is going to throw out there first. Also, what if

I wake up grab my lacrosse stick, ball and head outside. Grab the net and started to shoot. I play of my state lacrosse team we have our first tournament this weekend and I don’t wanna be the reason that we lose. I was originally a D-pole for my city team but my coach for state thought otherwise. I could run the field in 20 seconds flat. At least that is what my coach said. I started out the day with a couple fakes and spin moves nothing hard just the kind of stuff you need to know when you want to start. My sister decides to come and play me in a 1v1 (me and my sister are competitive) I accept so we go to the plains across the street I bring the net along with us. I just school her badly 10:0 she challenged me at my own game 1st mistake.

A memory that is etched into my brain is when I was asked to come back and be on a national lacrosse team. This summer I went to try out for a national lacrosse team down in Ocean City. The team’s was named, “ Diamond National” and they were a pretty good national team. This is the first time I tried out for a national team and I thought I didn’t do my best at the tryouts. Even though I didn’t do my best I was still asked to come back.

Around March last year, lacrosse season was beginning to come around the corner. Everyone was getting prepared for the season with high expectations of winning another championship. For the returning seniors this was a huge deal for them, along with the rest of the team. Everything was in good shape until events unfolded and my spot on the team was a swinging player.

As my Varsity baseball team suits up for practice we whip out our “Easton Mako Bats” and our “Evo-Shield arm sleeves.” Everyone prepares for the season as we break in our new 200-dollar gloves. As I Un-zip my “Demarani Bat Bag” I search for the stick of eye black that seems to add spice to my game as I smother it under my eye, to “reflect the sun” of course. Our accessories become a part of our game, and we begin to value them more than the game itself.

Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. Players use the head of the lacrosse stick to carry, pass, catch, and shoot the ball into the goal. The sport is governed by the Federation of International Lacrosse; the most prominent international competition is the World Lacrosse Championship, which has been dominated by the United States. The sport has four versions that have different sticks, fields, rules and equipment: field lacrosse, women's lacrosse, box lacrosse and intercrosse. The men's games, field lacrosse (outdoor) and box lacrosse (indoor), are contact sports and all players wear protective gear: helmet, gloves, shoulder pads, and elbow pads. The women's game does not allow body contact but does allow stick to stick contact. The only protective gear required for women players is eyegear, while goalies wear helmets and protective pads. Intercrosse is a mixed-gender non-contact sport that uses an all-plastic stick and a softer ball. Field lacrosse is the men's outdoor version of the sport. There are ten players on each team: three attackmen, three midfielders, three defensemen, and one goalie. Each player carries a lacrosse stick. A short stick measures between 40 and 42 inches (about 1 meter) long and is used by attackmen and midfielders.

In my Junior year, my nickname on the lacrosse team was mom, for a variety of reasons, I drove a minivan and often found myself driving 8 of my teammates around, I gave advice to other players all the time, and I was the oldest person on the team.

I didn’t have a summer because I was always in the gym or working out. No one could tell me that I wasn’t going to be better. I can still remember it like it was yesterday, sitting in volleyball practice the first couple of days. It was the last day of the week and coach was handing out uniforms. She started off with the varsity team; she started calling names of the girls who was going to be on the varsity team. On that list guess who's name was on there, mine, and guess whose wasn’t, those girls that was always better than I was. I was a three-year varsity letterman through out high school.