 "Photo: Preston Drake-Hillyard")
Before they could gather enough people to be considered a team, HSU women’s lacrosse was already in danger of folding for good. With a deadline pressing the need for more players, the six members already signed up to play were determined to get the team back on its feet.
The stick-tossing, 12 player mix of soccer, field-hockey and basketball is the current sports craze sweeping the West Coast. The long standing lacrosse legacy brought over from the east is making its way to HSU. Last year was the team’s first attempt to spark interest here on campus.
However, a disappointing turnout to the team’s first 2010 practice had the returners worried about the continuation of their beloved pastime.
Disappointment wasn’t going to stop the veterans from getting together a new squad to keep the team on its feet. The six players set up a spot in the quad to recruit.
“Lacrosse is a mix between every sport. It has the defensive skills of basketball and combines qualities of soccer and softball all rolled up into one, so we wanted to spark people’s interest by presenting them with something new and exciting,” said team president Megan Duits. “People’s interest was sparked indeed. Eleven people to be exact.”
“When we held our first practice and there were 17 of us standing out on the field, our jaws dropped. It was amazing to see,” said team treasurer Vicky Orozco.
With the turn out at the first practice, the team reached 10 players before the Feb. 15 deadline. This left the veterans with their next task; get the new team members comfortable with an unfamiliar sport while creating team camaraderie.
“It was awesome,” said freshman Caitlin Whitfield of the first practice. “They made me feel completely comfortable even though I had never touched a lacrosse stick in my life.”
While situating and welcoming the newcomers, Orozco and Duits revisited the always-present issue of money. Funding is hard to come by these days in all areas of the CSU system, but it is especially hard on club sports. With a schedule compiled of all away games, fundraising is a necessity. “We pay for everything. Renting the vans, the gas for the vans and hotel fees,” said Orozco. With expenses that pile up to thousands of dollars the team gets creative with its money-making ideas.
“Last year we sold sushi in the quad. Not only did we have a great time making it, we raised about $400,” said Duits.
Though the team members are independent and determined to get their team into full swing, they couldn’t do it all themselves. The current men’s coach, Tony Silvaggio, has been more than amazing, said Duits. The New York native came to Humboldt and jump started the men’s program. He then encouraged Duits and the squad to get their team numbers up by helping in fundraising and sharing the Redwood Bowl for practice times.
Current coach and former member of the men’s program Sammy Seidenberg made his way to the woman’s side to ignite the team’s fire. Seidenburg is a senior at HSU and gave up playing on the men’s side to get the women’s team up and running.
Off the field the players did their part to get the team officially registered. The next step is hitting the green to kick-off the season. The women’s first match is March 6 at Chico State against Cal Poly. A slow start is inevitable with so many new members, but that won’t stop the girls from hitting the road and taking home a few wins.
The Jacks are a “provisional” member of the Western Women’s Lacrosse League (WWLL.) They have a spot in the league for now, but the team needs to stay steady in numbers to remain a part of the league. As HSU’s Club organizer Jan Henry put it, the team will “limp into the league” but look to get stronger each year with more and more returners.
If the lacrosse fever is beginning to hit you, interested members are more than welcome to join the squad. Practices are held Monday nights at 6 p.m. in the Redwood Bowl. So get out there, grab a stick, and let the East coast craze sweep you into a Lumberjack lacrosse player.
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