Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse trains in Orlando
Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse spent an exciting week of training and team bonding in Florida this break to develop a cohesive group and up their play. With tough competition in the 2018 season, the team finished last year with a 7-10-1 record. The players are back and ready for more action this season.
The Florida pre-season trip not only allowed Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse to sharpen and showcase their talents, but it allowed the team to form valuable bonds on and off the field. Senior co-captain Chandler Jean-Jacques hoped that team bonding off the field would lead to stronger performances on the field—especially because the team is filled with new faces. “It’s important that our new players feel comfortable approaching returners, and vice versa,” Jean-Jacques added. There’s no mistaking it, the concept of bonding was the core focus of the trip to Universal Park in Orlando.
This year, the team welcomed nine new members in order to fill empty spots; at least half of the team is new, according to lower Marymegan Wright. Wright explained that the team used the preseason trip to their advantage by learning how to play with each other.
Strong leadership from the team’s captains helped foster team chemistry. Together with Jean-Jacques, senior co-captains Bella Hillman and Cammie Lavoie strived to create a sisterhood among their teammates. According to Jean-Jacques, “As captains, we need to make sure that we foster a welcoming environment and encourage not only new players, but everyone, to ask questions and seek help from anyone on the team,” she said.
The varsity team had the opportunity to share the fields with members from the JV team as well. Lower and JV lacrosse player Bea West recognized the importance of this. “Both teams got to know each other better. As a JV player, it was also really nice to work with the varsity players because I definitely learned a lot from them,” West said. The girls’ JV team finished last season with a solid 9-3 record. The JV athletes look to take what they’ve learned in Florida and apply it to their upcoming 16-game season.
Now back at the Academy, the varsity team is gearing up to compete in a Jamboree on March 24th at Lincoln Sudbury. The JV team will host Governor’s Academy on April 3rd. Both events will surely be a battle, but thanks to pre-season in Florida, Big Red will hit the ground running.