Preparing for next season

Although we our losing some really valuable players, we are expecting a really great season next year for the Hood Women’s lacrosse team.  Even though I will be gone next year, I can’t wait to see how great these ladies will do next year! They have so much talent and potential and will continue to make improvements. We are also bringing in some very talented players from the incoming freshman class.

Although there is a long time before the 2014 season begins, it is very important to begin working on skills during the summer and off season. There are many ways to prepare from gym workouts to playing on summer lacrosse leagues. The coaches also provide all of the returning players with workout packets so they are conditioned when they return for fall ball. Players are also encourage to work on stick skills by throwing around or playing wall ball.

Dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you’re willing to pay the price.

-Vince Lombardi

Hard work and dedication during the off season is essential in building stamina and improving stick skills and fundamentals that will make a dramatic difference in our performance during the season.

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Help Support Blazer Athletics

During the season we do a couple fundraisers to raise money for the season. The money is used to purchase uniforms and practice clothing and equipment. Even though we fund raise, we still have to put out a lot of our own money out to purchase all of the necessary items.

The Blue and Grey Club is a booster organization that encourages donations that will help fund our team as well as the other 19 teams and 3 club sports in our athletic program.

The goal of the club is to “enhance the relationship between the college’s athletic programs and its alumni, friends and parents.” Members choose how much they want to contribute and their level of membership will be based on how much they donate.

You can join the club by downloading the membership form PDF or making a contribution on the Blue and Grey page on the athletics site.

Thanks to all those who have already made a contribution!

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Visit the Blue and Grey Club page: http://www.hoodathletics.com/bluegreyclub/index
To download the membership form: http://www.hoodathletics.com/bluegreyclub/Membership_Form.pdf
To make a contribution online: https://secure.hood.edu/BlueAndGrey/

End of the year lacrosse banquet

Our coaches and part of our team at our end of the year banquet

Every year our lacrosse team hold a banquet to celebrate all that we have accomplished during the season.

We sit down for a potluck dinner and its really nice to get together and hang out as a team. We invite our family and friends so they can join us in recognizing our accomplishments.

After we finish eating, our coaches give a speech about the season and recognize specific players for their significant accomplishments. They give out an award for the Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, and Most Improved.

They recognize the seniors and present us with really thoughtful presents. We were really excited because we received our old uniforms that we played in our first two years as Hood Blazers. The uniforms will always serve as a reminder of our time playing for Hood lacrosse and all of the memories we have created these past four years!

Next the seniors present an award to each player and this is probably the highlight of the evening. These awards are funny and are inside jokes that we all created this season! This season they ranged from the “Martha Stewart Award” to the “Most Likely to Run the Wrong Way” award. They were really fun to make and even better to present.

The seniors also recognize our coaches and all that they’ve done for us our last four years. We have learned so much from them and appreciated everything they have helped us with on and off the field. We presented them with customized memory books that featured pictures from the last four years and wrote them messages thanking them for all they have done.

The banquet is a really awesome tradition that I will definitely miss after graduation.

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Lauren Recognized as an Honorable Mention All-Commonwealth Keeper!

Lauren in action vs. Ferrum

On May 1st, we found that our superstar goalie, Lauren, was recognized as honorable mention for the Commonwealth Conference! This incredible honor is decided on by the head coaches in our conference. This is not an easy title receive and we are so proud of her. Did I mention that she is only a freshman!?

Lauren has been an oustanding addition to our team and we all cannot wait to see what she will do in the future as a Hood College Blazer. All of her hardwork has definitely paid off this season and we are so thankful to have had her as a defensive threat on the field. As soon as she stepped on the field on her first day of practice, it was obvious that she had an enormous amount of potential, but I think she exceeded all of our expectations. She is a prime example of what hardwork and passion for the game can result in.

In only her first year as a Blazer, she has tallied 216 saves, setting a new school record for saves per season. She broke the previous record of 213 saves that has been in place since 1998. She has the highest number of saves in the entire MAC and is ranked second in saves for this season in all of Division III women’s lacrosse.

At the end of the season, we were forced to play “man down” due to injuries. Lauren really stepped up for own team and helped keep us in the games. Even though we were defeated in all of our conference games, our team, our opponents, and everyone who had the privilege of watching her play, recognizes how talented she is and saw how much she helped us out this season. After one of our games, the mother of the opposing goalie told her how talented she was and explained how exciting it was to watch her play!

Even though I will not get to play with her for the rest of her career, I am so excitied to see what she will accomplish in the next three years. One thing I am sure of is that her passion and dedication will take her far!

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Should helmets be required for women’s lacrosse?

I found this hilarious picture of our former teammate Kati Vu ’12 on an article on laxallstars.com!!

When I started playing lacrosse 16 years we weren’t required to wear goggles or any type of head gear. In  2003 US lacrosse began discussing requiring athletes to wear goggles and recommended the use. In 2005 they came to a decision that required all women’s lacrosse players to wear regulated eye gear. Their reasoning was, that while the sport is relatively safe, the use helps prevent eye injuries that may happen.  The eye gear is light and barely noticeable.

Recently some have been pushing for a law that would require women’s lacrosse players to wear actual helmets. While there are strict rules about checking, there are still a large number of concussions caused by illegal checking.

I am personally opposed to this bill and feel that it will never actually be passed. Yes, women’s lacrosse players are at risk for concussions and other injuries, but this is true with every sport. As athletes we  acknowledge that there are risks but I don’t believe that helmets are needed in the sport. I think mandating the requirement could dramatically change the nature of the sport and how it is played.

A lot of the players on our team feel that this requirement would be a negative thing. Extra equipment would also mean we’d have more things to carry and to stink up our locker room!

Amalia, a senior midfielder, said, “The beauty of of women’s lacrosse, in comparison to men’s, is that we focus on control and pride ourselves on being able to beat our opponents using our stamina and stick skills as opposed to contact. I think that helmets would encourage more contact and change the way the game is played.”

 

 

 

 

 

Good Sportsmanship

Lacrosse is a tough sport. To be a good player, you must be aggressive and tough. You have to fight your hardest to be the team that ultimately wins. If you want some proof of how tough these players can be, take a look at the endless bruises on my body! College lacrosse is competitive, especially in our conference. While it is important to remain tough, we also must remember the importance of sportsmanship and class. The way we play our game represents who we are personally, and who we are as a team. The way we act also reflects upon the image of Hood  and its values.

Sportsmanship: (n.) conduct (as fairness, respect for one’s opponent, and graciousness in winning or losing) becoming to one participating in a sport

Sportsmanship is an idea that our coaches continuously stress to us. We are told that no matter how unsportsmanlike our opposing team acts towards us, we need to maintain our composure and continue to play our game in a respectable way. By no means does this means we should let our opponents push us around! We need to play tough and aggressive, while remaining classy.

There are certain games where this has been a challenge.  We’ve had some games where players continuously talked trash or made nasty personal remarks. Some teams play physically “dirty” as well, and it may go unnoticed by the referees. I have had a lot of trouble with this in the past. It becomes difficult to control your anger when an opposing player is acting unsportsmanlike to you or to one of your teammates.

During one of our games this season, we played a team that was so disrepectful that I was literally shaking with rage. A couple of the players made some nastly personal remarks to a couple girls on my team and I couldn’t stop myself from talking back. These are girls that I consider, not only my teammates, but also my friends. In a way, I felt like it was wrong of me not to talk back!

Small team, big dream

Photo take by: Theresa Brunot (Mother of Kimi Brunot #9)

I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion.       –Mia Hamm

Since I joined the Hood Women’s Lacrosse program in 2009, we have always had a pretty small team. This can be really difficult for different reasons. Our low numbers prevent us from being able to do certain drills in practice because we don’t have enough bodies. It can also present a challenge when it comes to games, because we don’t have subs to give our players a break. Sometimes we play teams that have twice as many girls as us and it can be intimidating. They have fresh legs that they can sub in and out, while we have the same people running the field non-stop. Lacrosse is often described as the “fastest game on two feet.” And trust me, it can be very tiring!

Instead of dwelling on the fact that we are low in numbers, we, as a team, know that we must work extra hard in practice so that we can be fully prepared to compete in our games. We know that it is important to push our teammates and work hard together, so that come game time, we are ready to give it all we have! I mean, like they say, good things come in small packages! In our case, I would even say it is a GREAT package 🙂 Sometimes you have to take the challenges you are faced with and work even harder to turn them into something positive.

Hood plays for Seton Hill

I’m sure most of you have heard about the horrific bus accident involving the Seton Hill Women’s lacrosse team, as they were headed to their game on March 16. The accident occured after the bus veered off the PA Turnpike, just before 9am that morning. There were two fatalities, including the bus driver and coach Kristina Quigley, who was 6 months pregnant at the times. Many others on the team were sent to the hospital for various injuries. This horrific event hit really close to our team, as we make bus trips almost every week. We were hit by many different emotions: shock, horror, and sympathy for everyone affected by this awful event.

Although no one on our team had any firsthand connections with the Seton Hill team, our hearts went out to everyone who was affected. All around the country, teams immediately started reaching out to the team showing support in any way possible. Our team wanted to do whatever we could to help. Although nothing we could do could erase the pain brought about by the crash, we wanted to let Seton Hill and the rest of our lax family know that although we didnt know them personally, they had our support and love. We decided that we wanted to dedicate SWaturday’s game to Coach Quigley, her unborn son, and the rest of the Seton Hill lacrosse team. Our team made posters and banners illustrating that we were playing our hearts out for them. We wore red headbands and yellow and red ribbons on our shoes to honor them. Even our parents showed their support by wearing red and yellow.

In the locker room before the game, Coach Evans reminded that we must be thankful that had the opportunity to play that day and it was important to play our hearts out.

Before the game began, Coach Evans and Penn State Abington head coach, Noelle Powell, placed a red and yellow rose in a vase in memory of Coach Quigley. Normally during the calling of the starting line up, each team goes to seperate sides for the playing of the National Anthem. On Saturday both teams joined together and linked arms, symbolizing that although we are opponents, we are also one big lacrosse family who came together to support Seton Hill. We paused for a moment of silence to remember Coach Quigley and the team.

Throughout the rest of the season, we will continue to play our hearts out for the Seton Hill Women’s lacrosse team, and will never step on the field without being thankful for our blessings.

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Here are some more pictures from Saturday’s game taken from the Hood College Athletics Page 🙂