From the Trenches : Tags : maryland

University of Maryland '98 - Women's Lacrosse
From a very young age I knew I loved sports and had the killer instinct. I got involved in playing AAU club basketball at a very young age and traveled and played basketball all year round. When I was in about second grade I decided to pick up soccer as well, within a few years I was playing soccer all year round on club teams. Then in third grade this new sport was presented to me called lacrosse. I really wasn't that interested in it but all my friends from the neighborhood were going to try it so I figured why not.

Lacrosse was the only sport out of the three sports that was only in the spring. I didn't have to play it all year round to be considered dedicated to it so it definitely took a back seat to my other sports. I remember in sixth grade missing lacrosse practice in lacrosse season to go to basketball and soccer practice which were out of season. I also remember going to lacrosse, leaving early to go to soccer and then heading to basketball practice. I was getting warn out to say the least.

By the time I reached high school I had developed a love for lacrosse. Lacrosse is an athletic sport; if you are a great athlete you can be successful. I was able to incorporate all the things I had learned over the years from playing such ridiculous amounts of basketball and soccer into lacrosse.

When I reached freshman year in high school I did play basketball, soccer, and lacrosse. As a freshman I was on junior varsity for basketball and soccer, but shockingly made the varsity lacrosse team at St.Mary's in Annapolis! Believe me this was a big deal, it was almost unheard of to make varsity as a freshman. You were lucky to make junior varsity as a freshman. It was then I realized that lacrosse was my sport. I wasn't burned out on it like the other sports that I had played for years all year round. More exciting then just making the lacrosse team, I started as a freshman and continued to start for four more years. By my sophomore year I quit basketball, continued to play soccer for one more year on the varsity team and my junior year quit soccer too. I picked up volleyball for fun and just continued with my lacrosse career. I had no idea the opportunities that were in store for me, when back in third grade, but I sure am happy I decided to give lacrosse a shot.

The recruiting process was exciting. I received tons of letters from schools all over the country. I had no idea that all these schools were interested in me or even knew about me. It did start to become a little overwhelming sifting through all the mail and all the weekly phone calls. In the summer before my senior year I decided to take some road trips and set up some unofficial visits to colleges and meet with coaches so I could downsize my huge list of choices. That was very helpful to me because there were quite a few schools that once I saw the campus or met the coach I knew I didn't want to attend. It wasn't easy but I came to my conclusion about the five schools I was going to visit. I went to the University of Maryland, the University of Virginia, Georgetown University, Loyola College, and Vanderbilt University.

In the fall of my senior year I went on paid official visits to my top five schools and spent a weekend with the team in order to get to know them and meet with the coach. It was amazing! I had so much fun on all of these visits and it was great to spend time with the players and coaches. I had such a hard time making my decision though.

In retrospect, I always knew I was going to be a Terp! I loved the University of Maryland, there style of play and the team. I didn't come by this decision easily though and really agonized over the whole thing. This is such an exciting time in your life but it's also a very tough time in your life. You'll figure it out so be patient and open.

My Advice:

If you decided you didn't want to play anymore would you still want to be at this school?
Look at teams and the way they practice along with their style of play. Think about whether or not you like their style or if you could adapt to it. A lot of people don't think about this, but a sport takes up a lot of your time and will be a big part of your college life so you want to enjoy it. You want to have fun with it! I know I did.

Once a Terp always a Terp!

Kate Robinson

For more information check out the Active Recruiting 101 special section.

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Loyola College '02 - Women's Lacrosse
I decided my freshman year that I wanted to play lacrosse in college and worked hard on achieving that goal for the next four years. So, when my junior year rolled around I was ready to start the process and achieve my goal of signing at a D-1 school to play lacrosse. To my delight I received letters and phone calls from several college coaches and eventually ended up going on several official visits.

My first trip was to Penn State University, which was my first choice because my sister went there and I loved the idea of going to a big school. The recruiting trip was a great time and I left feeling like I had found my school, but I wanted to go on other visits to make sure. Next, I visited James Madison University. It was a great school and the girls on the team were really great to me. However, I knew it was not the right fit for me. For my final trip I went to Loyola College, which was really the opposite of what I was looking for in a college. I was attracted to big schools with big name football teams and large fraternities and Loyola College was a small, private, liberal arts school and not really where I pictured myself going. However, they were ranked top five in the nation for lacrosse at the time and that really appealed to me so I went on the trip with an open mind. When I arrived, I met the team and coaches and I immediately noticed that they had an amazing bond with each other. The team went beyond the lacrosse field and the girls were true friends that looked out for each other. Also, they were serious about winning a National Championship which I was all about, so I left Loyola College with a bittersweet feeling. I was buzzing from the vibe of the trip but now I was facing a really tough decision.

I found myself truly torn between Penn State University and Loyola College. I needed to give Loyola College my answer by the next weekend and I was in a constant tug of war between the two schools. Even worse, my parents were away that weekend so I was left to make the decision alone. After hours of making pro and con lists, pacing in my room and pulling my hair out I knew exactly what to do to finally make my decision. I went to the phone and called the psychic hot line. Yes, I turned to a higher power to find my college destiny. Well, after an hour on the phone and a $59.95 bill, all the stars told me was I was still stuck with a major decision.

Finally, I decided that the vibe I got from the coaches and team at Loyola College was exactly what I was looking for in a lacrosse program and that was more important than going to a big football school. So, I went to Loyola and it was the best four years of my life. I guess the moral of my story is to always keep an open mind when choosing your college because you never know what college is going to work for you until you meet the team, coaches and college personally. Also, psychic hot lines are for the birds.

Good luck!

Dana

For more information check out the Active Recruiting 101 special section.