I started playing lacrosse in 3rd grade. We had limited youth options in our town and I opted to play with the older girls and completed youth lacrosse, playing two grades up from my own. By 7th grade I was playing on our high school JV team and by the end of the season, I was brought up to varsity to fill a role on their defense. It was a great opportunity to learn a new position and play at a higher level. As an 8th grade varsity player, I had to prove myself and leave little doubt to my teammates that I deserved to be there. In addition, I was determined to earn my spot as a starting defender. Shortly into the season, I solidified my spot in the starting line up and became an anchor on our team's defense. My freshman and sophomore years I earned MVP Defense as well as All Conference and was even named to the All Section team my sophomore year.
In addition to lacrosse, I also play varsity hockey (All Conference) and volleyball, and belong to a local water ski team in the summers. Playing one sport year round was never an option and I had to work twice as hard to keep up my skills in the off-season. My freshman year, I made a decision to focus more on lacrosse in the off-season and start honing in my skills. I joined my first club team. It was a great introduction to club lacrosse as it was a non-competitive team with a flexible schedule that could accommodate my other sports while still allowing me the opportunity to keep fresh on my lacrosse skills. My sophomore year, I decided I needed to take lacrosse to the next level and see what I could accomplish if I put in even more time. I joined Lacrosse Monkey in the fall of my sophomore year. I immediately jumped into an out-of-state tournament in Florida. It was great exposure to a more competitive level of play, and I am looking forward to continuing working with my team to help me improve my skills and earn a roster spot on a college team. In the interim, I am lcrossing my fingers that we have summer and fall season.