March 11, 2008 6:15 AM
Women's Lacrosse, Southern Style (Part 1)
What started as a simple show of hands outside the dining hall in November turned into two Mercersburg vans pulling into the Hilton Head Resort, filled with 14 girls and three coaches.
After two days and 700 miles of traveling—with pit stops at University of Mary Washington and quite a few rest areas—the Mercersburg women’s lacrosse team finally arrived, upsetting the tranquil daily routine of a number of retirees. Sheaffer’s van enjoyed college memoirs, Scattegories, and a heated game of “Would you rather...”, while Bacon’s van had intense dance parties, constant radio contact from White Bullet to Wild Stallions, and endless reminders about seatbelts from Miss Oakley.
On March 8, Mary Lancaster, Gussie Reilly, Jenn Dillon, Coralie Thomas, Alicia Furnary, Ashley Irving, Anika Kempe, Annie Birney, Steph Seibert, Janee Eder, Paige Harry, Darja Schaefer, Kate Alt, and Jane Banta made the long journey to Hilton Head Island in South Carolina to join five high schools and four colleges, plus local teams, for a spirited five days of lax. On Monday, everyone woke up at 8:30 to have breakfast in one of the two villas (yes, we have our own villas). It was off to practice where the team worked on rides, clears, a defense zone, and 8-meter shots. This three-hour marathon in the 60-degree weather not only provided plenty of sunburns, but also a win in the 7 p.m. game against local powerhouse Hilton Head High. After a sloppy first half with plenty of fouls, missed groundballs, and bad passing, the girls really brought it together and chalked up 14 goals. After the game we experienced true southern hospitality in the form of two bags of freshly cut oranges. A new tradition was installed where, after each game, the team will run one sprint for each goal the opponent scores. Tonight, we only had to sprint once.
Tomorrow is going to be an early morning, with a 6 a.m. wake up and an 8 a.m. practice. As long as Sheaffer doesn’t swallow any gnats, Chase doesn’t get too tan, Oakley doesn’t dance too much, and Bacon doesn’t confuse us too much with her directions, it should be a good, long, productive day. Tomorrow night we have a game against another local team, an opportunity to further spread our reputation among the South Carolina lax teams as a force to be reckoned with. The trip is off to a roaring start, and is successfully blending new faces with old and strengthening an already-impressive team chemistry and culture. What’s the motto for this trip? Elegant violence, ladies, elegant violence.
Signing off from Clipper 809… hope you have a great day!
--Anika Kempe
Posted by Lee at March 11, 2008 6:15 AM