This story appears in the July/August edition of USA Lacrosse Magazine. Join our momentum.
Kjälla Jackson has traveled to international lacrosse tournaments practically since she could walk. But she’s never played in one.
Jackson spent the first 15 years of her life following her mother, Teckla, to tournaments throughout their home country of Sweden and across the world. Both Teckla Jackson and her husband play professional lacrosse, so Kjälla would stand on the sidelines and observe while her parents’ teammates kept an eye on her.
But come June, Kjälla Jackson will have her first shot at competing on the international stage. This time, neither she nor her mom will watch from the sidelines. Instead, they will take the field together for the Swedish national team at the World Lacrosse Women’s Championship.
“It’s what I’ve been waiting and longing for,” said Teckla Jackson, 51. “I’m so proud that she made the team — and that I made the team — this year. Competition is getting harder and harder, so I’m excited to be able to play with her.”
After spending a year of high school abroad and learning to play lacrosse in Syracuse, New York, in 1987, Teckla Jackson returned to Sweden with two lacrosse sticks in hand and a determination to grow a sport that barely existed in her home country. She started a new club, Farsta Lacrosse, a few years later.