CHATTANOOGA, TN :: There was a ton of practicing this summer with the ATL. And, between interclub scrimmaging and club team play days, ATL members saw a lot of the field from May – July. But, it was a little trip to Tennessee that bonded many opposite pairs across school, age and experience lines.
HIGH SCHOOL RIVALS
Let’s start with the coaching staff. Allie Ware (Milton ’10 – Richmond ’14) + Kelly Arnhart (Chattahoochee ’10 – UGA ’14) were rivals at the top 2 high schools in Atlanta battling it out during the state tournament for most of their 4 years. With the arrival of the ATL club team and then membership on XTEAM, they actually got to play on a team together. Now, as ATL coaches returning home to give back to the lacrosse community as well as share their talent + expert knowledge of the game, these two stood on the same sideline and coached as a unit as the ATL team took to the fields of the Chattanooga Challenge.
Ware explains: “We all played for XTEAM, so we know the game and how to teach it. And, we know what is expected from us as coaches.” The expectation she speaks of is the cornerstone of the BOUNCE program and therefore embedded into all BOUNCE club teams is all about creating community, teaching positively and encouraging the girls to have fun. “We like to laugh a lot and show the girls that, through hard work, improving your game and competing – win or lose – is fun,” says Ware.
SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW
You never know what you’ll get when you mix the young with the old (if 16 is old!). But as it turns out, it’s an awesome blend for the heart + the field. Smith Sheehy (2013 - St. Pius HS) and Sascha Reynolds (2016 - River Trail MS) got a lot from playing with each other despite their 3 year age difference and experience levels. The “old” humbled the young, and the young pushed the “old” into leadership roles. Here’s what THEY said about playing at Chattanooga Challenge.
What was it like playing with the younger girls?
SS: I loved playing with the younger girls! It made me wish I had started laxing before high school. The girls were so talented - I was so impressed! Seeing how hard they worked and how well they played made me want to step up and work just as hard.
What was it like playing with the older girls?
SR: It was much harder than the middle school game, but I loved it! The fierce checking and level of aggressiveness was different to what I was used to, but the older girls provided me with good advice about my game, which helped a lot. Between games they were so nice to me, which made the tournament really special. I had a lot of fun playing with them!
What was it like to have the little girls look up to you?
SS: I just had fun talking with all the girls on the team. I really enjoyed getting to know them and watching them play. Being around them made we want to step up as a player and a leader. They are a great group of girls and I had so much fun being around them.
LIFE LESSONS
Sports are always a great place to learn life skills that prepare you for the world outside. Bringing different kinds of people together is a good thing – for the diversity of ideas, the experience of collaboration, the power of sisterhood and the fun-fun-FUN of laxin’.
PICTURED: Smith Sheehy giving a little stick attention and lax advice to Sascha Reynolds at the Chattanooga Challenge.
