Noah Finley Ms. Crowell English 11 21 September 2018 Hard Work Pays Off on the Lacrosse Field When I started playing Lacrosse at 11 years old, everyone I played against had been playing since they were four years old, so naturally I was behind. Those who had been playing for a while knew the basics of the game like how to shoot, scoop the ball, and throw and catch the ball. Lacrosse for 11 year olds is not very competitive because we were still children and learning the game. While no one was incredibly talented the other boys who had been playing longer knew the basics of the sport while I was still learning. It was similar to any other sport being played by 11 year olds. However as the years went on the teams and leagues became more and more competitive. I remember going to tryouts with 200 other boys fighting for a spot on a 12 man-roster. I started playing much later than most boys so that mean that I had to work harder than most to try and get to the level of my peers. I liked lacrosse because I wanted a contact sport that would be more challenging, I was not allowed to play football as a child because my mom feared that I would get hurt. I also connected with the idea in lacrosse that the stick is an extension of my arm. And as the older I got the more things changed. When I was 14 years old I was eligible to play for my high school feeder team. This team prepared young players so they would be ready high school lacrosse when the time came. There were two teams, the A team and the recreational team. The rec team was a team that was not allowed to decline any kid a spot on the team. The coaches were also required to give every kid equal playing time. After tryouts the coaches picked a few players for the A team and the remaining kids were sent to the rec team which had 8 games and 30 kids who all needed equal playing time. The winner of a lacrosse game is commonly the team that worked harder and practiced more. I despise losing, the fact that my team and I were bested in a game because the other team worked harder than my team and I did destroys me. We did not win many games that year and I was unable to do anything about it. I was working very hard so that I could have the largest impact possible on my team, but on the rec team everyone gets equal playing time. The rec team was filled with kids like me that were new to the game or kids that had been playing for a while but did not put any effort into the game so they were not as talented. The difference between me and the other kids on the rec team was that I would work hard and train everyday after school to get better while the other kids did not. Games with the rec team were frustrating, I would start in the game and usually score once or twice. But as soon I was substituted out to give other kids playing time we would get scored on very easily and our offense struggled. I played strictly offense so I had little to no impact on the defense. I took it as an insult that I was not put on the A team. I was sure that I was talented enough to play on the A team and that I should not waste my time with this rec team. I almost quit. When the season was over I was determined not be on the rec team ever again. In the fall 7th grade I asked my father to take me to the gym in the morning before school. I knew that if I could not have the same skills as the other kids I could at least be stronger and faster than them. My next step was to improve my skills; I had a lacrosse goal and a mobile ball wall in my backyard so every day after school I spent hours out there practicing. A lacrosse ball wall is simply just a very tight trampoline that was held up by metal rods. I spent hours playing catch with my ball wall and simulating game-like scenarios. In addition to practicing every day I played off-season lacrosse in the fall and winter. Fall lacrosse is the same as lacrosse in the spring or summer, it is just less competitive and it is much colder. However lacrosse in the winter is played indoors. It takes place on a turf field that is the size of a hockey rink. The goals are much smaller than normal goals. To make things more difficult the player playing goaltender has more pads on. The pads are similar to the ones that hockey goalies wear. The reduction in size plus the increased size of the goalie makes the game much more difficult. Indoor lacrosse favors strength over speed because the “field” is smaller. Also it favors advanced lacrosse skills over generic skills. In order to adapt to this new game I was forced to improve my passing and shooting skills. With my daily practice at my house and going to my indoor lacrosse games on the weekend my skills slowly improved. When passing and shooting the ball in indoor lacrosse your passes and shots have to be more precise and accurate because there are smaller areas to throw the ball into. After that winter I was a much better lacrosse player. I was stronger, faster and my skills had improved greatly. There was some time in between the end of the winter season and the tryouts for the spring teams. I continued to workout and practice in my backyard despite the frigid weather. When it was time for the tryouts I was prepared to prove my ability to the coaches and players. I was so nervous for the tryouts that I got into my own head, and I did not play my best. I dropped easy passes and missed important shots. Practicing in my backyard was so easy for me because there was no pressure; it was just me, my ball wall, and my goal. I was kicking myself because I was not sure if I could do another year with the dreadful rec team. The tryouts ended and I was prepared to go home and get back to practicing when the head coach of the A team stopped me. He expressed how much I had improved since last year and how there would be a spot for me on his team. Words cannot describe how I felt after that conversation. Countless hours in the backyard, blood, sweat, and tears, and waking up at 5:30 was finally going to pay off. A week later when the official rosters came out I had a spot just like the coach had said. My family and I celebrated that night with a nice dinner at my favorite restaurant. My mother sarcastically complained about taking me to far-away games and my dad praised me for my hard work. I thanked them for everything they had done to help me and how grateful I was to have them as parents. Ever since I overcame this challenge and achieved my goal of making the A lacrosse team after working hard, my mindset has been the same whenever I have faced a challenge. I know that with enough hard work, patience, and practice I can achieve anything I want to.