Ten years represents a decade and, often, the passing of a generation.

Experiences during such a span allow for an appreciation of the past through multiple lenses — whether clear with wisdom or foggy from laughter or tears.

The players and coaches at the 10th annual US Lacrosse Nationals, fueled by Chipotle, in Frederica, Del., Aug. 3-5 embodied such, all while competing with vigor to inspire a future as bright as its decade-long past has been.

Perhaps no one personified this milestone tournament more than Tiffany Zullo, an assistant coach for Yellow Jackets 2022 Team Piscitelli (N.Y.). Before joining the Long Island club’s coaching staff, before her recently completed four-year career at Stony Brook and before earning All-Suffolk County honors in lacrosse and field hockey at Connetquot High School, Zullo patrolled the midfield for the 2011 champion Yellow Jackets.

“It was so great to win this at Disney,” Zullo said at a US Lacrosse-sponsored social event for coaches following a weather-delayed round of pool-play games.

The trip down memory lane continued.

“The day before the championship, I was guarding a girl and got whacked in the head on a follow-through. I was bleeding everywhere.”

Rebecca Thorn, an assistant coach for that squad and this year coaching her own Yellow Jackets team in the 13U Division, joined in the laughter.

“The worst part was, they counted the goal,” Zullo said.

Reviewing her squad’s roster from that year, Zullo smiled with fondness as she read down the list, then inhaled suddenly and looked up.

“Julia.”

She passed the program to Thorn.

When a friend’s life ends tragically and prematurely, as Julia Sarcona’s did Jan. 13 in a single-car accident just west of Boulder, Colo., subsequent reminders can change emotions in an instant.

“Everyone loved her,” Thorn said.

Sarcona, 21, was days shy of starting her senior season as an attacker for the surging Colorado program after playing at Northport High (N.Y.) for coach Carol Rose, matriarch of the Yellow Jackets club.

Alexis Curcio, a former Yellow Jacket player and current coach, took a picture of the roster. US Lacrosse Magazine coverage of the then-US Lacrosse U15 National Championship included a photo of Sarcona at the center of a celebration.

“She was an amazing person, teammate and friend,” Rose said in a Jan. 15 Newsday article. “Her love for the game and infectious smile brought joy to everyone.”

The next day, Mike Condon watched as the youngest of his three daughters took her turn making plays for Cardinal (Va.). Midfielder Jordan Condon was but 5 or 6 years old when older sisters Alex and then Shannon represented the club their father founded, which has missed just two editions of this event.

Jordan Condon would go on to earn a place on the all-tournament team (see sidebar), equaling a feat accomplished by Alex in 2010.

“That’s been exciting -- to see players succeed here and again at the college level,” Mike Condon, president of Cardinal, said.

Alex finished in May a standout career at Penn, earning multiple All-Ivy League honors. Shannon continues to play for the Virginia Tech club team.

“They still remember playing and have pictures from Disney,” Jordan Condon said. “I’m so thankful for them. They inspired me to play.”

At a festive team tent, Condon and longtime coach Sarah Schermerhorn shared laughs about their seven prior trips to this tournament. That included a painful 10-9 semifinal loss to a Yellow Jacket squad in 2012.

So it was fitting that the 14U Division championship game featured the two organizations most closely aligned with the US Lacrosse Nationals. And like heavyweights in a prize fight, they delivered a worthy final.

Yellow Jackets 2022 Team Russell led Cardinal 2022 Red on six different occasions. The Virginians answered with a tie on the first five, and nearly did again in the final minute. But the Long Islanders had pulled away in the second half, 11-7, largely behind three big saves from backup goalie Kaitlyn Mongiello and two Cardinal turnovers that led directly to Kathryn Mcateer goals. Cardinal closed within two and was poised to strike again, but an offsides penalty with 50 seconds remaining sealed the gold for the Jackets.

At the end, as in the tournament’s opening ceremonies, 2013 U.S. World Cup champion Danielle Etrasco’s final key to a successful event rung true: “Be sure to enjoy every moment on and off the field. The small moments you have with your teammates are what you’ll remember in five years, not necessarily the outcome of the games.”

Or 10 years.

For The Record

14U Division All-Tournament Team

Avery Darke, A, Cardinal Red (Va.)
Kate Becker, A, Ultimate Blue (N.J.)
Nina DeNicola, A, Yellow Jackets Team Russell (N.Y.)
Sofia Konkolics, A, Coppermine (Md.)
Marina Bergin, M, Yellow Jackets Team Russell (N.Y.)
Ella Cabrera, M, Yellow Jackets Team Russell (N.Y.)
Jordan Condon, M, Cardinal Red (Va.)
Gianna Monaco, M, Ultimate Blue (N.J.)
Victoria Rankin, M, Cardinal Red (Va.)
Gabby Byrne, D, Cardinal Red (Va.)
Jordan DeBlasio, D, Yellow Jackets Team Russell (N.Y.)
Kaitlyn Mongiello, G, Yellow Jackets Team Russell (N.Y.)

14U Final Score

Yellow Jackets Team Russell (N.Y.) 11, Cardinal (Va.) 9

13U Final Score

Igloo (N.Y.) 8, Yellow Jackets Team Thorn (N.Y.) 7

12U Final Score

Yellow Jackets Team Wiener (N.Y.) 8, Lady Blue Crabs (Md./Del.)