In the third installment of STAC graduate Johannah Mitchell’s blog on her experience this summer with Coach Across America, she writes about her love of the game.

By: Johannah Mitchell

Growing up I was fortunate to have parents who wanted to afford my siblings and me the necessary resources to succeed and go on to college.  Now, I am not saying I didn’t get to where I was without working my butt off.  It is quite the opposite.  I learned at a very young age what it meant to work hard for something you wanted.  I also had to learn how to manage my time between school, sports, and other extracurricular activities.  A typical day in high school involved me going to school, then to practice, after practice I would do my homework, eat dinner, and handle any extra work, such as studying - and I mean a lot of studying - before I would shower and go to bed.  Some days were more exhausting than others, but I had an undeniable passion to excel both in the classroom and on the field.

Once I began my college process junior year of high school, and to my father’s displeasure, I was only interested in schools that would get me far away from my small town.  And to be honest, the thought of playing lacrosse in college never crossed my mind.  Well, in April 2009 my entire college plan changed when my high school coach informed me the new Women’s Lacrosse Coach of St. Thomas Aquinas College, a college a few towns over and a “safety school” for me, was trying to build her team and was interested in me.  I was shocked.  I never believed I was good enough to play college lacrosse.  My dream of going away to college became replaced with the excitement I felt at the opportunity of continuing my lacrosse career.  I decided to decline my dream college acceptances and instead take advantage of the offer to stay at home and play lacrosse.

In my last blog I talked about what it means to take advantage of the opportunities afforded to us.  As a recent college graduate, looking back I couldn’t have asked for a better college path.  Without the interest from that coach, who unfortunately was only with my team for a brief time, I would have never gotten the chance to play college lacrosse.  I would have never been able to take advantage of opportunities such as studying abroad in France, Spain and Italy during the fall of my Junior year, as well as playing lacrosse over in England, Scotland and Ireland the summer before my Senior year.  I most certainly would have never been chosen to go to an ECC Leadership Conference, where I was able to meet Dr. Dranoff, learn about Coach Across America, and thankfully end up working as a coach for CAA and Harlem Lacrosse & Leadership this summer.  I would have never been able to play under Stephanie Hopkins.   I would have never met the amazing group of girls I call my team.  And I would never have been able to end my lacrosse career with a team that made STAC history as the most successful women’s lacrosse team to date.

I have a lot to be thankful for and I can only hope that I will have the chance to take advantage of the new opportunities presented to me in my future.  I do however want to back up a bit and talk about my time playing lacrosse in England, Scotland, and Ireland.  I was in my dorm room in Salamanca, Spain when I received an email from my coach containing the invitation to play for American International Sports Teams (AIST).  AIST is a program that puts together teams, involving top university and college athletes, and brings them across the globe to “compete in international tournaments in more than 22 different countries.” (www.AIST.us)

Oddly enough, just a few weeks prior when I was in Paris, I was telling my parents about my next big plan.  I wanted to find a way to play lacrosse overseas next summer.  Of course my parents were laughing at me wondering how I was going to pay for it, especially after a semester abroad.  But imagine my surprise when I received an email wanting me with everything I was hoping for.  I convinced my parents this was an opportunity of a lifetime.  I pleaded my case and convinced them I had to enjoy every minute of playing lacrosse competitively because I knew my time as a college athlete was almost up.

Flash forward to the summer of 2012.  I was excited to return to Europe, only this time I would be competing against international lacrosse teams.  A part of me was excited and another part of me was anxious to see both the European level and style of play.  According to the European Lacrosse Federation, “over the past few years lacrosse has grown from being played in just a few countries in Europe to now having teams and leagues in 24 countries.” (EuropenLacrosse.org)  While over there, we came across some good competition. I remember as we started our first game against Edinburgh it was the first time I witnessed a competitive lacrosse game played where players were not wearing goggles. In Europe it is not mandated in women's lacrosse for players to where protective goggles.  A rule many of the girls later explained to us will be addressed due to the increase in head injuries.

After our games we would go out to eat with the opposing teams.  I enjoyed this time because we were able to sit down, talk and get to know the other players.  Many of them traded lacrosse gear with us, too.  When we played against the Irish team, I was able to trade a STAC lacrosse pinnie for an Ireland Lacrosse t-shirt!  Given the opportunity to play internationally was so incredible because I was able to meet girls who shared a similar passion for lacrosse as I did, as well as experience different cultures and different styles of play.  More importantly, this trip showed me that no matter who we are or where we are from, we all had lacrosse in common.

A few weeks ago I traveled to New Hampshire, where I met up with a group of our HLL kids.  These kids were chosen to participate in a lacrosse sleep away camp run by another non-profit organization known as MetroLacrosse. MetroLacrosse embodies similar goals of both HLL and CAA.  Their mission is “to address the social and economic disparities that exist in urban settings by inspiring personal, educational and athletic success among urban youth and teens.”  Essentially taking advantage of the opportunity of making a “profound impact on urban youth,” by inspiring, motivating, and supporting participants “to achieve success both on and off the field.” (MetroLacrosse.com)

MetroLacrosse’s summer camp, known as Summer Bounce, brings both boys and girls together for a week filled with fun yet challenging skill-building activities. During one of our team-building activity sessions, they had the girls and the coaches stand in a circle with a ball of yarn.  The activity called for everyone one-by-one to express to the group their greatest personal experience while attending the camp.  The first person began by holding the ball of yarn and telling their experience.  After sharing, the person then held their piece of yarn and threw the rest of the ball to another person, beginning the cycle.  When everyone had gone, it was clear that there was a web of yarn between the group.  This web signified the importance of every girl’s involvement with the camp and commitment to their team, as well as the bond the girls shared.

Players came from all of the United States to attend Summer Bounce.  Some players were from New York, others from Massachusetts, Maryland, Texas, and California.  Despite his or her differences, each player and coach shared a connection, a common thread if you would, and that was lacrosse. These players were given the opportunity to be apart of an amazing lacrosse camp and were able to to take advantage of developing their lacrosse skills, as well as learning valuable life lessons.  Thus, by accepting this opportunity players were brought together from all over the country, much like my experience playing lacrosse in college and in Europe, for one purpose: their love for the game.