This past spring break the STHS girl’s lacrosse team took a trip down to Clearwater, Florida to practice and play some lacrosse in the warm Florida weather. A company down in Clearwater runs a program for several weeks, corresponding with the many spring breaks for high school teams across the country.
Highlights of the Trip
Although the entire trip was filled with very fun adventures, the best part for senior, Frankie Rizzo was “getting closer as a team while staying right next to the beach. We spent great time together outside of lacrosse which made the trip really fun and memorable.” The idea of enjoying each other outside of lacrosse was added onto by sophomore, Lauren Gibson when she explains how her favorite part “was just being able to have fun and do something other than playing together.” Another highlight of the trip was their big 16-5 win against a Florida high school. Frankie highlights how everyone “played really well even in the Florida heat.” Coach Borzelleca’s favorite part was during “the last full day in Florida [they] decided to do a team bonding morning.” This included “a photo scavenger hunt. The winner was awarded a drink and pastry the next morning from the local coffee shop.”
Lacrosse Gameplay
The team participated in practices and games during their time in Florida which “prepared [them[ for the season by helping everyone improve [their] teamwork and adjust to playing in tough conditions like the heat” explains Rizzo. She adds that it “also gave [them] confidence and showed us what [the team] was capable of.” Gibson agrees with Rizzo and says how “it was the first time that a lot of the team played together and because [they] haven’t played a team from another state.” She admits how they “definitely all felt nervous playing a Florida team.” But by winning, they “grew in confidence.” The games weren’t just beneficial, but through the practices, they were able to learn the “actual lacrosse X’s and O’s of [the team’s] game.” The team was able to “really grow in their team’s confidence and their chemistry” with the game and practice aspect of the trip” explains Gibson.
Team-Bonding
Although the whole trip was based around lacrosse, to Gibson “the team bonding was extremely special.” Coach Borzelleca explains how “the girls are put into rooms at the hotel, usually with friends or kids who are in their same grade. However, on any day you could find a mixture of them together- taking morning walks, heading over to the coffee shop, searching for shells, or just heading to the beach.” In Rizzo’s eyes, “By spending so much time together, [they] learned how to communicate better and learn more about each other.” It allowed the girls to find new friends and strengthen the old ones as well. Gibson focused a lot about how the group “got to see others more than the player, and more about the person which made the team a lot more comfortable.” Coach Borzelleca ends off by saying “the fun and the team bonding part happened in all times of the trip which was the most important part of it all.”
