The Double Life of a Pro: Erin Bakes' Passion for Fashion

Liv Chabrier, 13, of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., started playing lacrosse two years ago and fell in love with the sport. 

She asked if she could interview a pro. We hooked her up with another Florida native — California Palms attacker and U.S. Women’s Box National Team member Erin Bakes, who is from Miami.

LC: How and when did you start playing?

EB: I played baseball growing up with a bunch of boys. I absolutely loved it. I had some great coaches, great teammates. When I got to middle school, I wanted to try out for the baseball team, but they were like, ‘No, you have to play on the softball team.’ I played softball for one year. I played on the high school team when I was in sixth grade and we won districts. It was a great year, but it just wasn’t the same as baseball. I was looking to do something else and also kind of get back at the school for not letting me play baseball. I played boys’ lacrosse because we didn’t have a girls’ lacrosse team. I absolutely fell in love with it. Then we started a girls’ team and I started playing club.

LC: When did you figure out lacrosse was the best sport for you?

EB: I know it’s grown a ton since I’ve been in middle school, but when I started, it wasn’t as big of a sport, especially where I was from. It kind of had its own little edge and it was unique. The niche-ness of it really drew me. I really liked how you could create your own style. Because I played boys’ lacrosse first, my cradle looked different than other people. That helped me fall in love with it because everyone can kind of do their own thing with it while remaining true to the fundamentals and team play. It can be a more of an art than a science.

LC: What advice would you give to your 13-year-old self?

EB: Always go to your training and practices with a set intention. I was always the kid that was on the wall, staying after practice, shooting and stuff like that. Not every session was completely productive because I was just throwing the ball at the cage. My body was there, but my mind wasn’t.

LC: What was your biggest challenge transitioning from boys’ to girls’ lacrosse?

EB: There was more room for error in your movement on the boys’ side, because it was so much more spread out. Since we’re a little bit closer to each other — meaning your teammates and the defenders — on the girls’ side your movement really matters.

LC: What does a day in your life look like?

EB: I also have a desk job. I live in New York City. Training is baked into all my days. There’s a bunch of field space, but not a ton of lacrosse goals. The night before, I lay out my clothes because I’m giving myself as much time to sleep as possible. I don’t want to make my morning self have to think about anything. I’ll get on a city bike. It’s like a 12-minute ride. And I’ll get some running in. I’ll get some shooting in. And then I’ll ride back home. I’ll get ready for work. I can do that pretty fast. That’s a life skill, being able to transition from athletic clothes to normal person clothes fast. I’ll get ready for work and go from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. I work in fashion. The dream growing up was to be a full-time professional athlete. We’re getting there. But it’s also cool that I can explore this side of myself too. I have other interests besides lacrosse. I can do that through work while also being a pro. I’m not mad at this double life at all.

LC: What did you do growing up?

EB: I was just always outside. I have an older brother, and he was always running around with his friends in the neighborhood. There were a lot more kids his age than there were my age. I would follow them around all the time playing basketball, two-touch football, even airsoft. I would go home crying the majority of the time. But I always went back.

LC: What are your other interests?

EB: I love action sports. The two weeks of the summers growing up that I wasn’t playing lacrosse, I was at snowboard camp in Canada or Argentina. I’m so grateful my parents were willing to just ship me off. I did that for 10 years. I stopped when I was in college because lacrosse got a ton more serious and I didn’t want to risk injury. But when my lacrosse career eventually comes to a stop, I want to home in on the outdoors and action sports.

LC: How do you handle the pressure of playing in a championship game?

EB: The reason we won that box tournament is because we had 100 percent buy-in from every individual and never a shred of doubt from any individual, which I think is a lot harder to come by than anything else.