Two Weeks In: Playing Great and As a Team

We’ve had just over two weeks of practice, and things are going great. Everyone is healthy and happy and fit and loving lacrosse. Jude seems to have found the correlation between us doing sprints in the beginning of practice and playing well, so let’s just say, we’re going to be in great shape come our first game in Florida.

Our energy and enthusiasm is paying off. People are starting to work together, looking out for each other and making connections on the field that translate to amazing transitions, quick-stick goals and double-teams that were completely non-existent two weeks ago.

We have been 100% committed to the sprints, the drills and the plays and it’s incredible to see how this year there is no laziness on the team. However I think it is not necessarily our commitment to the physical aspect of the sport that makes us a unique team at Vassar but our commitment to one another.

Anyone who listens in on our ridiculous locker-room chats would be able to see that our team has a freakish bond. Catty comments, insults and disdain for one another are obstacles that simply do not exist in our lacrosse bubble. I’ve played on dozens of teams in my life and this is the only one where there is absolutely no yelling, fighting or diss-ing. Our ability to recognize that as long as you are working hard, absorbing critique and looking out for the rest of your girls creates a sense of trust and mutual dependency that makes us successful and able to grow. These relationships in and out of the locker-room directly translate to the field and make for the exceptional play we are seeing recently.

Spring Break in Florida is where this bond is solidified and finally put to the test during games. I can’t wait to see how well we do under this pressure, how we grow and learn about one another, and –let’s not lie – how warm the pool is and how bad our farmers’ tans get.

Day One of the 2010 Season

A few days ago was the first day of practice. A very exciting day for all of us! I found myself nervous a good two hours before it started– just like freshman year all over again. This year we have a record-breaking TWENTY-FOUR players. I’m so excited to be part of such a large and diverse group, even as I’m still working to remember all the freshmen’s names.

To be honest, it was a pretty long first hour. Our head coach Judy Finerghty – most commonly known as Jude – had us doing a variety of sprinting drills involving relays, shuttles and, most curiously, sludge-hammers! It was strange playing without the seniors from last year for the first time and with six new freshmen whom I haven’t yet gotten a chance to get to know after being abroad first semester. After a number of drills and passing exercises, I found myself shocked when I looked down at my watch and realized not even half of practice was over. It’s always hard to get back into the swing of things.

In the last half and hour or so of practice we scrimmaged one another. Passes went soaring up to the high Walker Field House ceiling, people had trouble catching up with their feet, catching their breath and catching the balls, but the energy was astonishing and made up for everything. I don’t think I’ve ever seen our team so smiley and enthusiastic. Emily Kloppenburg – Klopp – was so excited she found herself smashed into the bleachers with a bruise the size of a grapefruit on her shin trying to get a ball. Impressive. When Jude announced that practice was over, I found myself disappointed, wanting more, realizing I had way more energy than I thought I did.

So many people dread pre-season because all they can think about is the running, the 7AM Friday practice, and the oh-so-sweaty Bays. I love preseason because there is a unique sense of excitement, potential and harmony. I can’t wait to see how we grow these next few weeks and mesh together as a team on and off the field, creating a unity that will lead to our success.