Since its inaugural season in 2013, lacrosse has been a staple sport here at Winthrop University. Every year during the spring semester, teams of ten go out onto the field to put in their best efforts in order to come out victorious.
Most sports teams on Winthrop’s line-up have both a men’s and women’s division. Lacrosse here at Winthrop is special in this regard as the only division that currently exists is the Women’s division.
The women of the lacrosse team practice vigorously throughout the week. Players train Monday through Friday in order to put on their best performance when on the field. Practices can start as early as 7 A.M and players are used to putting in at least twenty hours of practice a week.
Chloe Patterson is a junior and one of the four team captains. Coming from humble beginnings, she explained her encounter with getting into lacrosse.
“I started playing in second grade,” Patterson said. “I was in the car with my dad and he saw sign that said to sign up for a lacrosse league and said ‘I think you would be good at that.’ [So] I was like cool – I signed up for it and really loved it and here I am now!”
Lacrosse is a very physically demanding sport as it is a full-contact sport. But along with the physical aspect of the game comes the mental aspect. Seasoned lacrosse players learn to develop a strong mentality to aid them in their matches.
“I would say grit,” Patterson explained. “If you get knocked down, you get back up and you keep trying. You do the hard way when you could do it the easier way. You go out of your way to do the hard way because you know it will make you better.”
For a lot of Lacrosse players, the competitive nature of the game is what draws them back to playing. The exact factor of why the competitive nature of lacrosse is so attractive is the lessons learned from competition.
Reese MacDiarmid, a freshman and member of the lacrosse team, has played lacrosse for 6 years and discussed a few of the lessons lacrosse has taught her.
“A big thing is just working with others. You have to work with your teammates,” MacDiarmid said. “I can even notice when I work on a group project, I know how to work with others and adapt.”
Lacrosse has brought together many young women to work together and strive on the field. Through this sport, many have learned how to work together, grow their mentalities, and find a sense of community.
“It gives me an outlet, teaches me to work with others, and my teammates are honestly the best people,” MacDiarmid explained. “Just having relationships with people, learning problem-solving, and becoming more athletic has helped me become a better person and it adds into who I am. It’s my passion and I just love playing it.”
