In conjunction with the 2007 U-19 World Championship, we asked members of Team USA to write periodic blog entries, providing friends, family and fans with a personal perspective on their experience. The U-19 World Championship Tournament was August 4-12 in Ontario, Canada. The United States finished undefeated and won the championship for the third straight time.
Date: August 14, 2007
(by Wendy Kridel, Head Coach)
I can’t even put the feeling into words for myself, the team’s parents, the girls, the staff, or my family, but I know it feels good. We are world champions…nice. A near perfect performance in six games is almost unheard of, but these girls pulled it off, and did so together. Playing a somewhat overconfident Australian team after their huge win over Canada in the semifinals (it might have taken a bit out of this formidable opponent) was also nice. When the game ended I thought Team USA could have played another one back-to-back.
Mostly, I want this last blog to be a big thank you. Thanks to the athletes for giving 100% of themselves for 365 days. This was an experience topped by none. Thanks to the parents for their unending love and support (and talent). Thanks to all of those who donated money to help this team reach its goal in more than one way. Thanks to my incredible staff - Lindsay, Jess, Porch, Lisa, and Kathy - you guys are the bomb and you don’t ever get enough credit for all that you do. We couldn’t do any of this with out you. Thanks to deBeer for outfitting us to the nines…we sure did look good. Look good, play good!
Thanks to US Lacrosse, especially the National Teams Committee, for believing in me, letting go, trusting, and supporting all of our endeavors. Thanks to my family for putting up with my absence - especially from vacation. Your support means everything to me. Thanks to Peterborough, Ontario, for being the most gracious host anyone can imagine.
It’s been a great ride. Thanks to everyone for taking it with me.
Date: August 12, 2007
(by Sarah Bullard)
It is hard to describe in words all of the events and emotions that my teammates, coaches and I experienced yesterday. It really all started on Friday night. After going to a big Italian dinner together, we all came back to the dorms early. First, our coaches gave us a scouting report on Australia, reminding us what to expect from them all over the field. The most important thing they emphasized, however, was for us to play our game, because when we do that, we really are unstoppable. After the scouting report, we did an activity as a group. Each girl, anonymously, had to write a fear, a hope, and a word of thanks on three different pieces of paper. The papers were then mixed up and distributed for others to read. While some people shared hopes and fears for our big game the next day, many wrote that they were afraid to lose touch with the team or lose all the love, fun, and trust we had built over the past year. Everyone used their "thanks" paper to express their gratitude to our team and coaches for such a truly phenomenal experience. This was an inspiring exercise for us because we were able to help quiet our teammates' fears and, truthfully, reassure each other that we can never lose what we have built. We then went to bed early in preparation for Saturday.
Saturday morning we woke up and went to a big team breakfast at Smitty's, our new restaurant of choice. After breakfast, everyone had their own time to relax, take a nap if they wanted to, or just hang out. As usual, many members of the team decided to continue our pre-game pump up of belting the songs from the Hairspray soundtrack as loud as we could. We all met before the game in our common room, where the coaches showed us the last few minutes of the movie "Miracle" when the team beats the Soviets and everyone goes crazy. Looking around the room, many of my teammates (including myself) had tears in their eyes at the idea that we had an opportunity to feel the way the Olympic hockey team had felt. This was the only pre-game talk we needed. The coaches reminded us that we were ready, and to go have fun, and we all walked out of our dorm ready to go.
The game itself was, fittingly, the very best game we had played in the tournament. We won the little battles all over the field that our coaches stressed so much, hardly ever getting beat to a draw control or a ground ball. We worked together from the start, just as we have all year long, working for each other, setting each other up, and making our team as a whole look good. I was on the sideline for the last few minutes of the game, and as the clock ticked away toward zero, a rush of complete happiness hit everyone. We did it!! Everyone gave themselves to the coaches and to the team for an entire year, and all of our work paid off. Many of us cried tears of happiness as we celebrated together, because we knew everything we had done to prepare was oh so worth it. And there was no better feeling than when we all got to get together for a picture with the cup, proudly displaying that we were number one.
After the game and medal ceremonies, it was a mad rush to get ready for the closing banquet. We looked cute and classy in our matching red, white, and blue dresses and everyone had a blast together, as always. We were so proud when the "Heart of Lacrosse" award for USA was given to Beth Stone, who really has gone above and beyond for this team (Let me hear you say Beth Stone!) and also when Liz Downs, Emma Hamm, and Josie Owen were named to the All-World Team! What an amazing group of teammates, coaches, and families to go on such an incredible ride with. We will always be in each other's hearts.
Date: August 9, 2007
(by Wendy Kridel, Head Coach)
Quarterfinal round goes to the USA, 19-1 over Scotland (16-1 at the half). It was a tough game to play because the physically much smaller Scots have become close friends with our girls, so we were very concerned with their feelings. I heard rumors that during the game the girls were negotiating trades for Thursday’s scheduled clothing swap. First ever in my career...every field player scored a goal in the game, so we were able to keep everyone involved. Tomorrow (Thursday) is another day off and hopefully the kids will hydrate well. Evening activities are already planned – a parent talent show (they've been planning for a month). Look out U-tube because I'm bringing my video camera with me. I can't give away any hints to the acts, but I know a few of them and it is going to be hysterical. I know our girls plan to perform their dance routine for the parents as a thank you. It should be fun! As the girls have often said, "We came as lacrosse players, but we leave as dancers." You should have seen them last night teaching players from all countries their signature dance. I was very proud (they are excellent ambassadors). Friday it's England again. They beat Japan (in another quarterfinal) and the Aussies face the Canadians in the other semi-final. Peterborough is still loving all of this lacrosse, just about every game is televised. It seems like a great place to retire!
Date: August 6, 2007
(by Wendy Kridel, Head Coach)
Greetings from Peterborough, one of the nicest places on earth with the nicest, most accommodating people. These folks are real sports fans! The USA won our pool tonight, beating Australia 18-6. After defeating Canada yesterday (Sunday) afternoon 17-7, we are happy to finish pool play 3-0. It's been a hard adjustment to the physical style of play in the international game, which makes the NCAA look "nice" at times. There's so much pushing and holding off the ball, a style of play that is very new to most of our girls (all of the girls' high school coaches should be very proud). Probably the most interesting thing for the girls to grasp is that no matter the score, in interational play, the opponent NEVER backs down. Tonight we were up 10-3, Australia got a few quick draws and then goals, cutting the lead to 10-6...and to be honest, you would have thought that we had given away the lead. With every goal scored, both sets of fans went wild. It's like each one is a game-winner. Tomorrow (Tuesday) is a much needed day off with families to regroup and to sleep in (some girls are even scheduled for massages...not for this coach!)
Date: August 4, 2007
(by Wendy Kridel, Head Coach)
One down...I think it's five to go. Our team mantra after today was "not bad, but we can do better." Kudos go to Team England for their very physical and in-your-face style of play all over the field. It took a bit to settle in but we ended up with the large margin of victory, 18-4. With one international game under our belts, I think the team is really getting a feel for how different the style of play is here, and in all aspects of the game….mandatory water breaks, new rules, and funny accents are still causing a few laughs in our common room. It was a nice change for the girls tonight - dinner with their families before we all headed over to see the Canada vs. Australia game. Hold on to your hats everyone...Canada 11, Australia 8! Tomorrow (Sunday), we face the Maple Leafs at 2 p.m., so I hope they don't waste too much time and energy celebrating! See you tomorrow.
Date: August 3, 2007
(by Sarah Bullard, Team Captain)
Today was our first full day in Canada! We had a team picture with our uniforms on this morning, then a light 30-minute practice on the game field. After that, we got to hang out and nap for several hours which was wonderful. Then, it was time for the Opening Ceremonies. We all matched in white pants and blue USA polos and when we were lining up we got to meet and take pictures with a bunch of other teams. When we walked in, we were all carrying U.S. flags and when the families stood up and cheered as we were announced, it all gave everyone goosebumps. At the ceremonies, several people spoke, but the best part was the players' reception afterwards. We did cheers with Wales and exchanged dances moves with a few girls from Japan. Finally, we all got to see our families, which made everyone SO happy. Everybody is so fired up for our game tomorrow; we just want that first whistle to blow so we can finally start our official quest for the gold medal.
Date: August 2, 2007
(by Bria Eulitt)
Our team has ended our six-day training camp in Buffalo and we are anxiously awaiting our arrival in Canada. This past week has been a true test of our team’s strength, endurance and camaraderie. Last night, we played in our second scrimmage against the Lady Roc open team. This was the first time that all 18 of us got to proudly wear our blue uniforms. As we pulled on our matching socks and red, white and blue sweatbands, we watched a large number of fans file into the stands at Amherst High School. For the second time in three days, I got chills listening to the national anthem as I looked down at my jersey displaying USA. The next task at hand was to practice an exchange with the opposing team. During the actual tournament, we will be exchanging team pins representing our country before each game. The game went by fairly quickly with awesome transition through the midfield, a great re-defend and continuous stops on defense. All this hard work produced a 16-5 victory. After the scrimmage, we signed some posters and t-shirts for the fans at the game. Just down the street from the field we were graciously invited to Janet Battaglia’s (Amherst HS coach) house for a quick dinner before heading back to our hotel to organize laundry. What a challenge! After labeling every piece of clothing with our number, including socks, spandex and t-shirts, we hauled our laundry downstairs to Mama Lis. All 24 players and coaches could have clean clothes for Canada! Thanks Mama! It was then time to pack and get everything together for our trip in the morning. With bags packed we got some sleep, only to wake up and grab our clean clothes from Mama, lug our bags downstairs, eat breakfast and jump on the bus. Needless to say we are all extremely pumped to get to Canada and we are all looking forward to the next week of our lives, a week we will never forget. Here we go.
Date: July 31, 2007
(by Liz Downs)
This morning we were finally able to sleep in…..8:30 a.m. After breakfast we headed off to practice where we were able to accomplish a lot despite the extreme heat. Then after lunch, we made a trip to Patterson, which is the first and last company that still produces wooden sticks in the U.S. After that we headed to Niagara Falls and ended the day with an amazing jet boat ride. Having free time has been the best part of this trip, allowing our team to really get to know each other before we make the final trip to Canada to compete.
Date: July 30, 2007
(by Wendy Kridel, Head Coach)
We are having a blast working our rears off in sunny Buffalo NY. Our extremely gracious host Beth Stone has been showing us a great time, keeping us fed and hydrated, touring the local scene, even chasing balls at practice. In addition to organizing the two clinics we have held while we've been North, Beth has facilitated two scrimmages with the local adult players from Lady Roc. Yesterday we had round one...we were victorious 16-8, but for once it wasn't easy. Lady Roc’s impressive roster includes Hillary Bowen and Danielle Spencer from Northwestern, Kristen Stone from Loyola, Ashley and Mandy Friend from Richmond, Jenna Moulton from UConn, and Kelly and Kristen Taylor from UNC. It was our pleasure to play such a great group of athletes who were as proud of our progress as the coaching staff is. Imagine how I felt when one of them said to me "I am so proud to know that they are representing the U.S." Round two tomorrow...I think both teams will be ready, and for sure ready to chow down at the cook-out to follow.
Date: July 27, 2007
(by Chelsea Robinson)
Here we are in Buffalo, the last stepping stone before we reach the World Championships in Ontario, Canada. In the next week, the U-19 team will live and train together. Even though we were strangers a year ago, we have united to achieve one common goal – to bring home the gold medal. As we practice and scrimmage in these last few days, let us remember that to wear the red, white and blue and to bare the initials USA across our chest, is a privilege that we have earned. We have continued to give a 100% work ethic through all our practice/scrimmages. We are guided by amazing coaches. We are ready to make our country proud.
Date: July 24, 2007
(by Colleen Magarity)
There are only three more days until I fly out of Philadelphia to start the best experience of my life. Everyone has been training extremely hard and pushing themselves for the same reason - to win the gold medal. This past month the team and these three very special weeks coming up have been on my mind everyday. I cannot put into words the excitement that getting on that plane on Friday and starting the "Road to the Gold," means to me. Every time I have heard the National Anthem I get more and more excited knowing that our team will be singing that song with our heads held high representing the United States of America. The movie "Miracle" and our coach Jess Wilk could not have said it better than "it is not the name on the back of the jersey, it is the name on the front that matters." This team is a team of unselfish, hard working, tough, dedicated girls and it is something special when I know that everyone on this team will always give 100% and never give up. In three days we start our journey; let's win the GOLD!
Date: July 16, 2007
(by Kate Janian)
In only eleven days, our team will be back together for a week-long camp in Buffalo, New York to incorporate all of our individual strength and speed training into our team play. The past few weeks we have continued to follow our disciplined and varied workout regiment so that we will be tuned precisely for the World Cup games. One of my favorite parts of the routine is the jump roping that we do for warm up on 'Speed and Agility' workout days. As a goalie, jumping rope is not only beneficial to improving footwork, but also forces me to concentrate on my hand-eye coordination. Although our trainer, Kathy, does an awesome job of keeping us engaged and interested in our training with the diverse schedules, uncontrollable elements like the summer heat provide obstacles that we are learning to bear with and overcome throughout our lacrosse preparation. It's always tempting to choose the air-conditioned gym treadmill over the blazing hot concrete sidewalks on any given day in July, but, in order to get accustomed to playing and running in certain conditions, we are keeping each other motivated to stick it out every day of the week. Working toward one common goal has made each and every one of us so much closer than we could have ever imagined and I am so grateful to have made such close friends. Even on my birthday, the first people that I was talking to and wishing I could be with were my teammates. Through Facebook, e-mail, and phone conversations, I am able to communicate daily with everyone about summer schedules, training, vacations, and whatever else may come up in a conversation between close friends. For the next eleven days, all of us are just trying to keep a stick in our hands as much as possible and will continue our workouts all the way up until we leave for Buffalo and Canada. I am so excited to be back with everyone at the same time so we can fine tune our team dynamic on the field and hopefully return home as the 2007 World Cup champions.
Date: July 10, 2007
(by Emma Hamm)
"July Gold Medal Workout" is the subject title of the most recent e-mail from Kathy, our trainer. It's hard to resist immediately opening and printing out that e-mail. I have been following the routine she has given us which includes jump roping, cone jumping, lunging, weight lifting, jogging, sprinting, cross training, and stretching. I am paying close attention to the stretching in order to increase my flexibility and minimize the opportunity for injury. I like to stretch when I wake up, before bed, and before/after working out. I am also spicing up my cross training with a weekly hip hop class. It provides great entertainment while adding another type of work out to my routine. I also vary my methods of running among the treadmill, the elliptical, and the outdoors. Recently, I spent an afternoon playing on a local turf field with Emily Geary and two of our friends. We make the perfect match as I need someone to shoot on, and she needs someone to shoot on her! We are hoping to make this more frequent because it seems silly not to, living five minutes away from each other. It is also good to acclimate ourselves to the unique heat of the turf, which is like the field in Ontario. I make sure to drink Gatorade, water, and eat well before I work out to help manage the heat. It is rare to see me without a bottle of water or Gatorade in my hand or nearby. Along with Emily, I keep in touch with the team via Facebook primarily, along with e-mail, AIM, and texting. We have a USA group on Facebook in which we recount inside jokes and express our excitement about each upcoming event. E-mails also serve this purpose. We try our best to keep up with each other's lives, and we often swap assessments of the workout. At this point, I think we can all safely say that every member of the team is preparing mentally, physically, and in every way possible for the World Championships. Today it hit me pretty hard when I was browsing through my mom's calendar-- and where I am used to seeing games like "Baldwin vs. GA" or "Phantastix vs. NEMS", I saw, "USA vs. ENGLAND" It is unreal how effective those three tiny letters are. I can assure you that 18 of us will be prepared come August 4th to begin our journey, hoping to make true Kathy's workout e-mail subject title.
Date: July 2, 2007
(by Josie Owen)
This weekend, at St. Paul’s, I finally got the chance to play in a stress-free environment with the U19 team. This entire year I had been stressing about making the final team and the chance to play in a world championship in Canada had always been in the back of my mind. After I had found out that I had made the final cut in May, however, I was totally relieved and just ready to play. This weekend was the first time that I didn't have to worry about cuts, and it was honestly unbelievable. I got the chance to play with and practice against some of the best players in the nation and I can honestly say that in the last few days I have become a better player. All of my teammates are absolutely unbelievable and I am really looking forward to a few long weeks with them in Canada. Our team is so cohesive and supportive and after this weekend, I am SO ready to give my all in the World Championships! In the beginning, each member of our team had a personal goal - to make the final team - but now we have universally decided on a team goal: to win the gold medal in Canada. I know that all of the girls are as excited as I am, and I can not wait until I get to spend time with the team soon enough at the end of July. I had a great weekend and I cannot wait until Canada!
(by Emily Geary)
Our fourth training weekend, the Gatorfest in Baltimore, was a transition weekend. With the cut to 18 finally behind us, we all arrived somewhat relieved, even feeling as though a lot of the hard work was behind us. It took me about fifteen minutes of Friday’s practice to realize that while it had taken a lot of hard work to make it this far, the next month leading up to our trip to Canada I was going to have to redefine my idea of "hard work" in order to be successful in August. As the weekend continued, the trip to Canada and competing for a gold medal moved from a dream to a reality. While the weekend was filled with lots of competitive play, the fun aspect of the team was still present and plenty of those hilarious, laugh-until-you-cry moments. The most important thing I took from this weekend however was an idea that our coach, Jess, spoke to us about on Saturday night at the gracious reception that US Lacrosse hosted for us. She spoke to us about how many of us have fulfilled our individual goals by making it this far, but now we had to stop concentrating solely on our own goals and shift our focus to the goal of the team…winning a gold medal in August. As I work to prepare myself in the next few weeks, I will now not only be working for myself, but for seventeen other girls who share the same dream as me.
(by Allie Duclos)
The training weekend in Baltimore, including the Gatorfest, was not like other training weekends. Rather it seemed to be a turning point in our journey. As a team, we have gotten through the horrendous tryouts, the training camp at Duke and the final tryout at the National Tournament. The final 18 have been picked which means not all, but some, of the pressure we had been feeling in the past was relieved. This weekend provided us with more intense and competitive play but also a time for the entire team, including the staff and parents, to enjoy our time together, which without a doubt created unforgettable moments and plenty of inside jokes. One important thing I took away from this weekend was a real eye opening message. This weekend was an opportunity for our coaches to really put the situation in perspective for us. At the banquet Saturday evening, our coach, Jess, a former US World Cup player, tried to put one of her experiences into words. As she spoke about standing side by side, holding her teammates’ hands at the center of the field, and listening to our country’s national anthem play before the game, I began to get chills. That was when I really realized what I had gotten myself into, in a good way of course. After Jess spoke, all I could think about was how I couldn’t wait to experience that for myself. It is still hard to believe that in about five weeks, we will find ourselves competing in a series of games that could potentially lead us to winning a gold medal for our country. But it won’t be until the 18 of us that make up the 2007 USA U19 team, are center field taking it all in for ourselves that we will truly understand just how breathtaking and life changing this experience is. For the next four weeks we will individually prepare for the training camp in Buffalo and the two weeks in Canada that will follow, but in the end it will all come down to us as a team.
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