Photo provided by Stephanie Dowling
By Stephanie Dowling, Staff Writer
Not every child has the opportunity to find a sport that they love and have the opportunity to play throughout high school and college. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, senior student-athletes were not able to finish out their athletic careers.
I am one of those athletes.
The first college lacrosse game I saw was Princeton University vs. Penn State in 2009. My parents took me to see a friend of ours play the sport that ended up being a huge part of my life.
I played for my town, a club team, and my high school before being recruited to play at Susquehanna University. I also have had the opportunity to coach for Centercourt Lacrosse Club.
When I was younger everyone used to say, “time flies when you’re having fun,” or “appreciate it while it lasts, it goes so quickly.” I can picture 8-year-old me, waving this off. I can picture 18-year-old me, waving this off.
22-year-old me realized how right they were.
Susquehanna’s athletic community is incomparable. The support every team, coach, athlete, trainer, and athletic administrative staff gives each other made for an amazing community to be a part of. Athletes at Susquehanna take pride in putting on orange and maroon.
I remember the first game I ever started in at Susquehanna my freshman year. I wasn’t told I was going to be starting, my name was just announced. I had that butterfly feeling in my stomach, I was so nervous.
I scored my first collegiate goal in that game. Seeing the ball hit the back of the net and your teammates all running to you to hug you is something that can be taken for granted. I always thought I had three more years of goals and hugs.
The six seniors on our team this year, including myself, were all key players on and off the field. We realized that we got to lead the program this year. We also realized that we need to start appreciating the little things more, the walks to class, pre-game dinners, the Sunday morning Dunkin runs. We realized all of this with thinking we had a full semester and season to make it count.
The energy our team had before our first game was unmatched. We never would have thought a few weeks later we would have to say goodbye to the sport that was the biggest part of our life.
This season has been my personal best. I’ve reached the 100-point milestone, I was named Landmark Conference Athlete of the Week after having a 20-point week and was leading Division III with the most assists this season.
When the talk started about the season ending early, it was hard for me to accept. I’ve worked so hard for it to all be over abruptly.
My team was able to go to Puerto Rico for spring break the week before the season was cancelled. We played two games. After the first game, we found out that our spring break was extended a week and our season was postponed.
I immediately got that same butterfly feeling as I got in the first game I started in and knew it was the beginning of the end.
The next morning, we got into our walk-out lines and were hyped up to play. As we got to our bench, we saw 6 sets of flowers spread out. I couldn’t help but start to cry. The other five seniors and I all had a devastating look in our eye.
Our amazing coaches threw us an impromptu senior day. Even though I cried happy and sad tears, we still had a game to play. “Appreciate it while it lasts, it goes so quickly,” came to my mind. I had the butterflies feeling throughout the whole game.
The last cheer, the last draw, the last goal, it all hit so differently during that game.
A few days later the Landmark Conference made the decision to cancel the rest of the season. I was heartbroken. I could have never imagined everything I would gain from this sport as an 8-year-old girl.
I owe my parents, sister, and grandma a huge thank you for all of the support they have given me throughout my years as an athlete. Driving a countless number of hours to practices, games, and tournaments which helped me get to Susquehanna.
Thank you for coming to every possible game that you could. Thank you for always supporting me in athletics and life.
The gratitude that I have for this sport is immense. Thank you, lacrosse, for introducing me to teammates that I now call my family. Thank you, lacrosse, for teaching me so many life lessons and the opportunities you’ve given me.
Thank you, lacrosse for the coaches and mentors, that have always helped me through adversity.
Most importantly, thank you, lacrosse and Susquehanna for my best friends, the other five seniors, my girl gang. I wouldn’t have been able to get through the past four years without you.
The senior student-athletes across the country faced with adversity this season. If someone told me my 13-year athletic career would end like this, I wouldn’t believe them.
No one expects a world-wide pandemic to be the reason careers ended, but it’s how we deal with the adversity that determines how we will continue to develop.
Just because our chapter of playing our sport is closing, doesn’t mean our whole book needs to. I plan to continue coaching lacrosse and being a mentor for younger lacrosse players to play the sport that they love, the same sport I have loved for the past 13 years.
Lacrosse is more than just a game, it’s my life.
