Clinic Yields High Turnout for Women’s Lacrosse

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Author: Brenda McNary

On Oct. 31 members of the women’s lacrosse team took time away from their Halloween festivities to host a free lacrosse clinic for local girls interested in the sport. As this was the first time the lacrosse team has hosted an instructional clinic, it was an overwhelming success and a source of inspiration as the team begins preparing for its upcoming spring season.

The two-hour clinic offered the students training on the basics of lacrosse. Covering the fundamentals, stick work and also providing the opportunity to play some small games, the clinic offered a fun challenge for students of varying ages and ability levels. The majority of the clinic’s 17 participants came from local middle and high schools, and all were between the ages of 9 and 18.

While the Tigers provided one-on-one attention to the participants in the clinic, the team was grateful for the additional leadership of guest clinician Michele Uhlfelder.

Two-time World Cup Champion for Team USA in lacrosse and a decorated former player for the University of Maryland, Uhlfelder has an impressive amount of field experience. Additionally, she worked as a coaching assistant at Duke University, and, most recently, as the head coach of Stanford University’s women’s lacrosse program.

Oxy’s own assistant lacrosse coach Jacqueline McDevitt expressed the gratitude of the whole team for Uhlfelder’s help at the clinic. “We were extremely excited and grateful for Michele spending the day with us, sharing her knowledge of the game with the participants of the clinic and also the Oxy women’s lacrosse [team],” McDevitt said.

In addition to learning new skills, the clinic’s participants also got a unique introduction to playing lacrosse at the college level.

“I think the clinic was a great way to get younger girls even more excited about lacrosse and show that its something you can continue on with through college,” teammate Krystal Zayas-Wright (senior) said.

Mentioning her own background with lacrosse, Zayas-Wright stressed the importance of an early exposure to the sport. “I started playing my freshman year of high school and have played on and off since then,” Zayas-Wright said. “I wish I had had the chance to play when I was 9 years old.”

Fellow teammate Allegra Keith (first-year) was also excited to see the potential of the younger players at the clinic. “The best part of the clinic from my perspective was teaching, and learning, alongside younger players,” Keith said.

The clinic was a positive experience for both the team and the participants, marking an important step in lacrosse’s new focus on community involvement. Zayas-Wright mentioned that the team is looking forward to planning more community events next semester, but their focus at the moment is on training for the upcoming spring season.

Oxy women’s lacrosse begins its five-week preseason training sessions on Nov. 12. In addition to the community involvement, the team has a number of other exciting new developments. Lacrosse will be welcoming a new coach in the coming season, which will also be the sport’s first season as a varsity team.

After the success of the clinic, enthusiasm for lacrosse was infectious. Zayas-Wright, Keith and Lauren Wemple (first year) were anxious to begin regular practices and prepare for the spring. With a new coach, new varsity status and a tough practice schedule, Oxy lacrosse is shaping up to impress this season.

In her first year on the team, Wemple has a special drive to work her hardest next season to bring Oxy to victory. “I’ve been a part of very competitive East coast lacrosse for a long time, but it’s great to see it getting bigger in the West,” she said. “I can’t wait to be a part of it!”

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