Quantcast
skip navigation

Minnesota girls travel to Germany to lax it up

By Janet Holdsworth, 04/12/12, 11:37AM CDT

Share

MN Lakers Select team experience a trip of a lifetime (now with photos)

It is spring. It smells and sounds like lacrosse season. Finally, the 2012 season is here for all of the girls and boys playing on high school and middle school lacrosse teams in Minnesota and around the country. Many players, now, in Minnesota play year-round in off-season leagues, in clinics, and on traveling club teams. This spring, 16 girls will take the field on 15 different high school fields around the state knowing that in the off-season, they made history...

In August 2011, the MN Lakers Select club girl's lacrosse program sent a team to compete in Hannover, Germany as the FIRST girl's lacrosse team to travel internationally to compete in an international tournament since lacrosse emerged onto the Minnesota sports scene in 1994. After, approximately 18 years of girl's lacrosse development in Minnesota, it was a surreal and significant moment for the coaches, families and most importantly, players involved with this historic trip. The team competed in the Ken Galluccio Memorial Lacrosse Festival that was run in conjunction with the Women's U19 World Cup Tournament.

The MN Lakers Select was established six years ago and was Minnesota's first travel/club girl's lacrosse program, beginning with just one mixed HS team competing in recruiting tournaments around the country. Now, the program has grown to six highly competitive teams organized by graduation year and comprised of players from 30 different high school programs and 14 middle school programs in Minnesota. The Lakers Select team is an affiliated sports team with the 501c3, Winning for Life, founded by Dr. Janet Holdsworth (an early pioneer of girl's lacrosse in Minnesota, former MLA President, co-founder of the NSLA, former Hopkins HS coach, and current University of Minnesota women's lacrosse coach). Players on the Lakers Select teams travel to the best recruiting tournaments in the nation, receive advanced skill development in the sport and leadership training, and are asked to serve the community through some projects at Second Harvest Heartland, People Serving People and in other indirect ways. Former and current players are competing at, or are committed to, 14 NCAA DI women's lacrosse programs, 6 NCAA DII programs, 10 DIII programs, and many WCLA programs.

Throughout the week in Germany in early August, the Lakers Select players competed against teams from England, Germany, Wales, Scotland, and Canada in the festival and were able to watch games, support and eat lunch with additional teams from the east coast of the U.S., Japan, and other countries. Coached by Anne Moelk (former MLA Board Member, Wayzata HS coach, USLacrosse trainer, and NCAA DI and DIII coach) and Janet Holdsworth, the Lakers secured wins against Germany, Wales, Scotland, and Canada but lost a heartbreaker in the final seconds of a game that determined which team advanced to semi-finals, to one of the Centex teams from England. The Lakers were also able to watch the U.S. U19 team play some of their World Cup games and were in the stands cheering on the amazing U.S. players as they won the U19 World Cup against Australia!

The team stayed at a local Hostel along with several other teams making great friends with, in particular, the Scots and Welsh. Each day of competition brought an early morning tram ride and lovely walk to the Deutscher Hockey Club near Herrenhauser Garten. In addition to playing and watching lots of lacrosse the team found time to explore Hannover's shops and restaurants, experience a lakeside summer festival, and traveled outside of Hannover to the countryside to tour Marienburg castle.

In this first-ever international experience, the MN Lakers finished 7th out of 15 teams on the lacrosse field, developed friendships with players from all over the world on and off of the field, experienced German culture, met college coaches attending the World Cup games and coaching other U.S. teams in the Festival, and made memories to last a lifetime. The competition and the rituals surrounding the competition - including the singing of each country's National anthem, the lunches at the club fields, and the exchanging of small gifts with the "opponent" - brought new value to their experience in the sport.

There are not many opportunities in life to pioneer something at a young age...these young student-athletes paved the way for other girls from Minnesota to compete and be respected in the international lacrosse arena. They represented Minnesota lacrosse and the U.S. with great pride on and off of the lacrosse field and found a whole new appreciation and passion for the sport.

What's next? ...The MN Lakers will travel abroad approximately every two years to play in international competition given the positive response from and demand for such an experience. Also, Winning for Life will organize a trip (with partners) to Guatemala in 2013 for men and women in the sport - including former Lakers and local coaches - to work with, serve and mentor Guatemalan children through lacrosse! For more information contact: CoachJan@winningforlife.org or visit www.winningforlife.org

Quotes

Emma Claire Fontenot (EP - 2013) -- committed to Notre Dame (DI)
 
"There are no words to describe this extraordinary experience in Germany . We played our hearts out until the final whistle representing Minnesota and our country. We wore the red, white, and blue with honor as we were proud to represent the growth of the game of lacrosse. We met other players from across the globe, continuously making friends and enlarging our Lakers sisterhood internationally. The memories that were made will remain in our hearts forever as we cheered for all of our fellow teammates as well as other teams with whom we shared the love for the wonderful game of lacrosse. In all honesty it was a trip of a lifetime filled with sweat, tears, and an infinite number of smiles. I am so thankful to have been a part of Germany 2011."
 
Coach Anne Moelk
 
"What I will always remember is seeing our team create life long memories with the lacrosse players from around the world with great team play and great sportsmanship."
 
Nadia Karg (Minnehaha Academy - 2012)
 
"I enjoyed mixing cultures together and coming together through the awesome sport of lacrosse. Plus playing and supporting other teams from around the world."
 
Marissa DiCecco (Rochester Lourdes - 2012) -- committed to Fort Lewis (DII)
 
"What I loved the most about our trip to Germany was making new friends with our opponents. I also enjoyed playing good competition and showing people what MN Lacrosse is all about. This has been the most amazing experience. I wouldn't change a thing."
 
Coach Janet Holdsworth
 
"What an amazing opportunity this was for our program's coaches, players and families! After watching the sport grow over the past 18 years in Minnesota, it was such an incredible feeling to board a plane with players to compete, finally, in the international arena! We learned so much about ourselves, other cultures, the sport, and met top coaches and players from the U.S. and around the world who share a competitive spirit and passion for the game. The girls positively represented themselves, their families, Minnesota lacrosse and the U.S. on the field and off. "

Roster

Head Coaches:  Anne Moelk and Janet Holdsworth

Abbie Ness, Lakeville South, 2013

Brooke Jones, Edina HS, 2011 - goalie

Paige Jones, Edina HS, 2011

Michaela Schwartz, Centennial, 2012

Emma Claire Fontenot, Eden Prairie, 2013

Lauren Storhoff, Lakeville N, 2013

Hannah Dick, Stillwater, 2013

Alex Lovaas, The Blake School, 2014

Nadia Karg, 2012, Minnehaha Academy

Lauren Brun-Byrant, St. Louis Park, 2014

Kiana Kelii, 2014, Bloomington-Kennedy

Hannah Hilden-Reid, 2012, Minneapolis Southwest

Ebony Pruitt, 2012, Armstrong

Katelyn Wilke, 2012, Blaine

Cailin Bordeaux, 2012, Blaine

Marissa DiCecco, 2012, Rochester Lourdes

Lyndee Boyce, 2013, White Bear Lake

Eloise, Hrusovsky, 2014, Orono