Shannon Moss ’11
Web News Editor
As the Staples girls’ lacrosse team prepared for the 2010 season, not every girl who sported their lacrosse sticks and skirts at the beginning of tryouts was included on the final roster. For the first time in Staples history, coach Cathy Schager was forced to make cuts.
The tryout process lasted from March 22 to April 1. Of the 77 girls who wished to be chosen for either the freshman, JV, or varsity team, 24 made varsity, 22 made JV, and 23 made the freshman team. Eight girls were cut, which is eight more than had ever been cut in previous years.
Before the season began, Marty Lisevick, the Athletic Director at Staples, told Schager that cuts would have to be made, as the amount of people that came out for the three teams would have been untenable; one aspect being that there were simply not enough uniforms. As this was the first year that this happened, Schager expressed the strain of turning people away.
“It was very difficult. My belief is that if you want to play lacrosse, you should be able to be part of the program,” said Schager.
In the past, this philosophy has been successful.
“I’ve always been forthcoming about playing time in the past. I’ll tell players that they can have the opportunity to be on the team, but the amount of time on the field may be limited,” she said.
However, this year, she won’t have to be as upfront, as the team is strong in all positions on the field.
While she tried to do what she could in order to avoid cuts, such as not cutting freshmen in order to give them the opportunity to play and grow as players, she was still glad that there was an increased interest compared to previous years. The process was also made easier by those who realized that they were not prepared for the rigors of practicing everyday and playing in equally hard games and consequently left the sport themselves before teams were made.
Overall, after a long two-week process, Schager and her coaching staff are pleased with the teams and are looking forward to successful seasons.
“Everyone seems to be happy and positive about the outcome. The girls are having fun,” she said.
