Professional PLL
06:00 PM
Jul 19
Phi
Den
Each member of the U.S. women's national team wrote one entry in their "Mission Log," a blog series sharing their experiences as they aimed for – and won – two gold medals at the 2017 Federation of International Lacrosse Women's World Cup in Guildford, England, and the 2017 IWGA World Games in Wroclaw, Poland.
Relive the exciting journey by reading excerpts from each of their blogs below. Their full entries are linked within their bylines.
EARNING OUR STRIPES
Everyone we play will be gunning to take us down. But I am confident we will be ready to go.
One of the things I am most proud of on the current team is how we have embraced the idea that we can’t rely on the program's past success. We know that we can't show up and expect to win simply because our jerseys say “USA.” We need to earn everything we get and we can’t wait to do so.
Today, on July 4, I am incredibly humbled and grateful that we will have the opportunity to represent our country for the next month playing the sport we love.
PRIDE AND PASSION
I cannot believe this day has finally come!
It’s strange to think about the past four years because when looking back they feel as though they’ve flown by, but when breaking down our weekends together, the days were long, practices were hard, and mentally exhausting.
This month in particular leading up to the World Cup has inched. I have felt nerves, excitement, and anxiousness — the whole roller coaster of feelings. I think this is because when I actually think about everything I have put into this, everything my teammates have sacrificed, everything past players have done, it truly is just that — an overwhelming sense of pride, passion, and emotion.
FUN OFF THE FIELD
Today was the day that the wizards and witches of the national team have all been waiting for, a tour of the making of the Harry Potter at Warner Brother’s Studio. The majority of the team and staff had seen the movies, but some muggles (non-magic folk) were clueless of the magical cinema.
The most excited teammate, beside myself, to tour the magical world of Harry Potter had to be our own Mary Potter, also known as Kayla [Treanor]. She couldn’t contain her excitement! We were all in awe while seeing the exact sets all of the Harry Potter movies were filmed at and the intricate detail in every setting. …
The best part about group activities is the time spent with everyone off the field. The relationships we create in our free time, not playing lacrosse is such an important part growing as a team. This is a very special group, and I am humbled and honored to be on this journey with these amazing women.
READY FOR THE RIDE
As we started to pull up to our home for the next two weeks and unpack our rooms, decorate the halls, and get ourselves accustomed to our surroundings, the entire experience became that much more real.
We have been together for five days at this point, but we have all been working so much longer, both individually and collectively, for this event. Coming to the site of the tournament gave me goose bumps. I’ve dreamed about being in this position since I was a little kid, and to be living it, with the opening ceremonies right around the corner, is such a surreal feeling.
From the players to the staff, I am surrounded by an amazing group of people. We have had an absolute blast so far, and we haven’t even begun the most fun part. The next two weeks are sure to hold many ups and downs, but we are all ready for what I know will be an awesome ride.
TEAMMATES AS SISTERS
Another day of work was ahead of us, so we needed to be focused and ready as one. Luckily for us, the meeting started with getting some advice from Team USA alumnae through a video that was put together.
It was a pretty incredible moment to say the least – to sit together, listen together, feel together, cry together and smile together just by hearing words being spoken to us from past U.S. team members.
That small meeting room quickly became more than just a meeting room. It became a gathering that felt safe, loved and trusted by not only the people in that room but everyone who has been connected or part of this process along the way. …
So much of this process is about being on the field and working to be your best for your teammates, going after one goal. But so much more of it is about the unique parts of this process – the chance to get to live in a dorm with 18 other sisters, spend 24 hours together, smile, laugh, cry, be YOU and wake up the next day and say, "Let's do it again."
OPENING CEREMONY CHILLS
The World Cup opening ceremony was a special experience that I will never forget.
Walking onto the field with the crowd in the stadium, cheering loud for USA with music playing, as I stood shoulder to shoulder with my teammates, made this whole journey seem surreal. While we were standing there, the Princess Royal, Anne, flew over the stadium in her helicopter to come to the ceremony. She had to leave early because she a dinner date with Spanish Royalty – I totally understand.
We walked in threes and I was beside Michelle Tumolo and Megan Douty. We were greeted by lines of young children clapping our hands and chanting USA, which at this moment, I got goose bumps as well as so many of my teammates. It is an indescribable feeling to wear USA across your chest and hear the cheers in the crowd rooting for your country.
TIME TO PLAY
It is hard to explain what the road looked like to get here. I remember my first World Cup in 2013 and walking onto the field in Canada thinking, “Is this really happening?” When we raised that trophy up on the last day, there was no greater feeling.
This time is different for me. I am older, my friendships with teammates are stronger and I’ve had to work harder than ever to make it to this point. The future isn’t guaranteed, so we need to make this moment count. I’ve never played with a more dedicated, selfless and exceptionally talented group in my life.
The national anthem comes on and the sense of pride is more than we could ever imagine. Hand in hand with our teammates, USA across our chest, our fans all here to support us – I love this team, I love these coaches and we love our country. It’s time to take care of business.
NEVER ALONE
Today’s game was physical, fast, and so much fun to be a part of. Australia’s speed and relentlessness made them a great test for us to have as our second game.
As I reflect on the game, the one thing that sticks out to me the most is how well our team handled the adversity that was thrown our way and how we had each other’s backs. Playing man down for five minutes, due to two yellow cards, is not an ideal situation. However, our whole team stepped up to the challenge.
It’s the same way when someone on our team is having a couple of rough shooting moments – I’m only calling out Kayla Treanor because she said I could and we all know what an unbelievable finisher she is – and the other six players on the offense stepped up their game while still encouraging her to keep shooting.
That’s one of the many things that I absolutely love about this group of people. It never feels like you’re on your own.
WHY WE TRAIN
The stands are packed with England fans, but that doesn’t stop our excitement and focus. It’s our third game and my chills don’t go away every time I listen to the national anthem with USA across my chest. I am so humbled to be surrounded by such amazing teammates.
Ricky’s pregame speech echoes in our small compact locker room. As his voice raises, it sends an adrenaline rush through all of us which pumps us up to get ready to compete.
In today’s win, we definitely put on a show. I just had so much fun. I couldn’t stop celebrating and smiling. I was double fist pumping, jumping in the air and celebrating every little moment. …
[Coach] Ricky [Fried] says the point we are at right now is why we train so hard. We prepare and train relentlessly for this because if we are tired, our opponents are even more exhausted. We use our hard work ethic to get what we want.
WHY WE PLAY
Eat, sleep, play lacrosse, (laugh a lot), repeat. The routine of a World Cup lacrosse team. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else than here, with these people.
GAMEDAY VS. CANADA: 6 P.M.
The best thing about waking up every morning – besides getting my sing and dance partner Alice [Mercer]’s Flat 3 group text – is that it’s constantly game day. It’s another day to get better at our craft, to work together as a unit towards our common goal, winning gold. I’ve been enjoying every single moment with these people and every time I think it couldn’t get any better, it does. …
Once the game wrapped up, I got the pleasure to sign some autographs at the STX tent with Devon [Wills]. It has been an incredible experience meeting all of these people who are such big fans of lacrosse and Team USA. This goes along with the words “playing for something bigger than yourself.”
We play for the young people in the stands, who look at us as role models, who want to one day be in our shoes. We play for our families, our friends and all the people who have come before us. Most importantly, we play for our country.
FOCUS ON GROWTH
As we head into our final day of pool play, we are as focused as ever as we approach playoffs. …
Around 12:30 p.m., we head out for a team meeting to recap and watch film of our previous game against Canada. With every day we spend here, we continually try to grow as a team, and improve both individual and team efforts. Although we've had a great start on our pool play, we understand it's a long tournament and we want to continue to grow as a team.
We also go over our goals for our game against Wales. With that, we have the tradition of announcing who will be carrying the flag for the game. Michelle Tumolo had the honor of passing on the reins to our heart and soul of the team, as well as one of our two captains, Devon Wills. She had a fantastic game against Canada, and has been a huge vocal leader for this program for some time now. In Michelle Tumolo's words, she's our "fearless leader." We all look up to Devon, and really respect how she treats every one of us as her teammates. It's an honor to play with such a legend.
THE GAME THAT MATTERS
We have fully embraced our off day – Normateching, watching movies, and chatting with the best of the best, as we geared up for a little pregame practice. Before heading back to the dorms, Big Rick or Chief, as our fans refer to him, suited up and showed off his cat-like reflexes in a fun game of power finesse.
As the night wore on, it was easy to reflect on the journey, although the journey was not always easy – the amount of times we’ve exhausted our body, mentally and physically, the extra hill sprints, the early and late night training sessions to make us that more prepared for the pressure we’d be under in the World Cup.
It is because of moments like this, we did what we did. These are the moments you live for, to play at the highest level in the world with elite athletes that bring their absolute best every second of the day, consequently, bringing out the best in you. Because we did this, we earned ourselves a spot to play in the gold medal game of the 2017 World Cup.
Tonight, we made more memories, laughed some more, and ate even more, before we snuggled in our beds one last time, knowing our record is wiped clean because the only game that matters is the one tomorrow – and the only game to be earned is the one tomorrow, because if what we did yesterday is still big today, then we haven’t really done anything.
THE STORM INSIDE
There was no question of whether the storm was coming. It had hit.
We head out to warm up for the final time as a team with the dramatic scene of a downpour. With just one lightning scare, we were back on the field, warmed up, and ready to play. With emotions high and the weather not cooperating, both teams grinded through the intensity of the game. No matter what happened on the field, we knew we had each other’s backs.
When the clock hit zero, we all rushed down to Devon with huge smiles and tears to finally be able to say we were World Champions! …
The storm hit on Saturday, but what we didn’t realize was that storm was inside of us, emotionally. It was an emotional day from start to finish not only because of that day or that game, but because of all the work we put into preparing for that day and that game. Every moment of preparation was worth it when we could wake up this morning and say we made history and are the best in the world.
Today is my birthday, and I’m pretty positive nothing will top the present my teammates got me.
GIVING THANKS
It’s hard to believe the time has come to leave Surrey and embark on the next chapter of our journey.
These past few weeks have been some of the most memorable of our lives. We leave this place and this tournament so proud of all that we accomplished and grateful to have had the opportunity to represent our country at such a special event. …
With that said, we could not be more excited for what lies ahead – the international World Games in Wroclaw, Poland!
This is the first time in history that lacrosse has participated in a multi-sport event and we are so grateful that the International World Games Association included our sport in this year’s competition. It’s an important opportunity for lacrosse and our team is very thankful to be a part of it.
A TASTE OF CULTURE
Milk soup, kielbasa and meat paste.
Can you guess where I am playing lacrosse? This is the Polish breakfast of champions. With over 50 countries participating in 37 different sports, our dining experience provides different languages being spoken and a taste of different cultures throughout the world. …
After practice, we met the Polish national team. This is their first year together and tomorrow will be their first international game. It was awesome to see how excited they were to watch us practice and meet us afterward. We started to ask questions about each other’s cultures, and of course, I was mainly interested in what the best food in Poland is. They answered by saying “dumplings,” or in other words, pierogies. I was determined to find pierogies by the end of the night.
A SPECIAL MOMENT
Hello from Poland!
It was a big day here in Wroclaw as we officially started the lacrosse portion of The World Games.
We began the day with a brief opening ceremony with all six teams participating in the event. Since The World Games started last week and we missed the ceremony with all of the different athletes and sports, it was really nice to have a mini ceremony with ourselves to commemorate a monumental moment in our sport.
Immediately following the ceremony, we headed to the locker room to get ready for our first game of the tournament against the host country, Poland. …
This was Poland’s first international competition and it was really special that our team could be a part of that moment. They were so grateful to us for playing with them and it was yet another moment where I felt honored to have an opportunity to play for my country while working toward something that we all have wanted our entire careers – for lacrosse to be an Olympic sport.
TIME OF OUR LIVES
The World Games have been a great experience, not only competing, but also as spectators of the other athletes and sports that are here. Since arriving, we’ve been able to watch some very cool sports such as waterskiing and canoe polo. If you’re interested, check out the World Games website for the full list of sports, as there are plenty of interesting ones that I have never heard of.
Today marked our 10th game of our trip, including the World Cup and World Games. It hasn’t come easy, and the team is starting to get tired, but we continue to push through. It’s an incredible honor to be over here representing our country and especially here at the World Games, where we are exposing the world to the game of lacrosse in the hopes of some day competing in the Olympics. …
It’s hard to capture how amazing this trip has been in a short blog, but we’re having the time of our lives over here.
FAMILY OF 19 HEARTBEATS
The past three and a half weeks had been the most physically demanding, mentally challenging, exhilarating, emotional, insanely fun and best weeks of our lives. Up to today, we had eaten roughly 75 team meals, traveled to two countries and three locations, practiced 10 times, had three scrimmages, played 11 games, spent over 600 hours together, and ultimately won one gold medal. To put it simply, over the course of 25 days, we had become one family of 19 heartbeats.
However, this family wasn’t satisfied just yet. Despite all of our accomplishments up to this point, we had one more item to check off the list before returning to the States fully satisfied — a World Games gold medal. …
We accomplished things in these four weeks that no other team has ever done. We are now World Cup champions. We are now World Games champions. And most importantly, we are now, and forever will be, a family of 19 heartbeats.
TRIP OF A LIFETIME
While I love winning gold medals too, I love these people and I love these friendships. This team made me a better person.
I may not remember the final score of every game. I may not remember every good play or even every bad play for that matter.
Moving forward, though I won’t see my teammates every day, I will try to see pieces of them – whether it’s Becca’s positive perspective, Alice’s elbows, Michelle’s singing voice, Brookie’s diet, MJ’s overall awesomeness, Bullard’s goodness, Katie’s humbleness, Rie Rie’s food appreciation, Jen’s laugh, Alex’s dance moves, Kelly’s fashion tips, Ally’s laid backness, Gussie’s knowledge, Taylor’s loyalty, Zimmy’s intelligence, Kayla’s humor, Cookie’s toughness, or Alyssa’s stories, I will never forget the past 26 days and will never forget these 18 people.
To Ricky and the rest of the staff: Thank you for bringing this group together. Thank you for embracing who we were as individuals, and allowing us to find our way as a collective. You’ve created something very special. BUSA.