Image from author.
Spring has arrived, and with it have come rainy days, Daylight Savings, AP exams, and more excitingly, a new round of seasonal sports. There are many highlights of this sports season—for example, badminton, basketball, and baseball—but one that is perhaps not as well-known is our school’s lacrosse program. The girls lacrosse program, in particular, is fairly new, being implemented about seven years ago.
Since then, the team has blossomed (spring puns!) into a skillful group of players. Delisha Doppa, a senior in her third year on the team, is confident about the team’s current position heading into upcoming games: “Our numbers are running low because a lot of our seniors left last year,” she explains, “but we have a lot of freshmen on the team and they’re picking things up exceptionally well. Spirit-wise, there is a lot more hype this season. We’re pretty confident we’ll do well.”
Indeed, the team has put in much practice toward this season. According to Doppa, practices last about two hours every day and include a wide range of drills, along with physical conditioning. Being part of the team, Doppa says, requires time and dedication, and she finds that through the time and energy she commits to lacrosse, she has experienced an increased sense of productivity and physical fitness.
Ebeth Kline, a junior and one of the team captains, holds similar sentiments regarding the benefits of lacrosse; for her, joining the team sparked her love for the sport and inspired her to pursue it outside of school. In Club Lacrosse, she has played “several tournaments throughout California. This has meant,” she says, “that I’ve been able to talk to more people with different perspectives and opinions. So it’s been fun having that extra range.”
Among the various benefits the team has experienced, they’ve also had their share of challenges. For one, few of our local schools have a lacrosse program, meaning that the team must travel farther out to high schools such as Piedmont, Bishop O’Dowd, and Berkeley. Another issue they’ve faced is getting more involvement. Kline explains, “we have a really small team, and it would be great if we could at least have enough people for a JV team, where freshmen don’t have to worry about the expectations coming straight onto varsity.”
Kline and Doppa cite several reasons to join the team. Doppa finds that joining lacrosse is “a way to get to know people and make new friends, which I think is a big aspect of high school—having a community and having friends you can talk to.” In her experience, as well, the sport has also taught her lessons in teamwork and communication.
Both affirm that the team is very accepting and less high-pressure than many other sports. Kline adds that “It’s a really fun sport, and a lot of people don’t know about it or the rules. And I’d want more people to know about it. I love lacrosse extensively, and I want to see the sport that I enjoy have other people also enjoy it with me.”
The team encourages those interested and willing to put in the time for this sport to join next season. For the time being, they are optimistic about their prospects this season, and aim to win more games and have fun in the process.
Aaushi Singh is a senior at Washington High School. She was born in New York in the borough of Queens, but moved to Fremont early in life and has lived there ever since. This will be her first year at the Hatchet, where she hopes to cover topics such as art, mental health, and music. Aaushi’s hobbies consist of reading, making art, and writing. Although unsure of her future plans, Aaushi is considering studying architecture or civil engineering.