The chill of the early spring air can’t compete with the heat that the girls Varsity lacrosse team brings to the fields. With an amazing record last season of 17-3, these girls are back and can’t wait to go farther than ever before.
“I am so excited to get out on the field,” said Megan O’Shea ’13. “I have been counting down the days until tryouts since last year’s season.”
This 2012 season is expected to be very exciting with many achievements in FCIAC’s and States, especially after last year’s upset when a key player, Maeve Flaherty was suspended from participating in an FCIAC game. Flaherty had violated a CIAC rule by trying out for a summer program while in season. Expectations are high but very attainable with the team’s positive attitude and motivation, countless team mebers said.
“We plan on picking up right where we left off. We’re coming off of an amazing season, and we’re not going to waste any time getting back into that pattern,” said Ali Crofts ’12.
The girls prove this desire through offseason workouts such as spinning, yoga, early morning lifts in the weight room and scrimmages at the South Norwalk Field House. These workouts help keep the girls in shape.
“With the combination of the skills we’ve been working on and our strong relationships, we absolutely will do great things this season,” O’Shea said.
These strong relationships really contribute to the team’s drive for victory.
As tryouts get closer, after school preseason begins, which consists of strengthening and running exercises to build back endurance and agility. As they gear up for the season, players set goals for not only the team, but inareas that they want to develop themselves.
“I hope that I can continue to grow as a player and a leader, on the defensive and offensive side of the field,” said captain Remy Nolan ’12. “For the team, I hope that all of our hard work in the off season pays off so that we can do the best we can.”
The pleasure and enjoyment that this sport provides is exactly why lacrosse has become such a large part of these girls’ lives. Being able to participate in an amazing program headed by such an inspiring coach, Cathy Dancz, has not only taught skills and techniques, but also a changed mentality, especially for seniors.
“My experience playing Staples lacrosse has been very positive and rewarding. It’s been a lot of hard work, but it has changed the way I approach challenges and made us stronger both mentally and physically,” said captain Kenzie Roof ’12.
This season is especially promising since most of Staples’ key players for the past few seasons are finally leading the team as seniors. These girls are even continuing their lacrosse careers after high school.
Maeve Flaherty will be playing at Brown University, Remy Nolan at Boston University, Adele Mackey at Skidmore College, Ali Crofts at the University of Connecticut, and Jessie Ambrose will be at Columbia University.
Even as a junior, Ryan Kirshner ’13 has recently verbally committed to Colgate University for the fall of 2013.
“My love of lacrosse is what pushed me to want to play more in college, but I also cannot imagine not being a part of a team, especially because of my experiences at Staples,” Adele Mackey ’12 said. “Our team here is basically a family to me, and I hope I can form these types of relationships with girls in college.”
As Staples girls lacrosse prepares to dominate, fans can gear up for an amazing season as a strong team continues to provide the Lady Wreckers with an amazing reputation.
“We went from a 7-9-1 season in 2008 to a 17-3 season last year,” said Roof. “That change is because of the hard work that all the girls in the program have been putting in. We all want to build on that success and have the best season that this program has ever seen.”
