“We don’t accomplish anything in this world alone… and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one’s life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that creates something.”
- Sandra Day O’Connor

The 24-player US World Cup Training Team convened in Baltimore, MD for training camp this past early December.  And we were met with yet another weekend of weather!  But you wouldn’t know it if you watched us running, if you saw us playing, if you were there to witness our togetherness.

The elements couldn’t keep this group of 24 from getting better, together.  When we were in the classroom, we were learning, together.  For the few hours we were able to get out on the frozen tundra of NDP’s lacrosse field, we made the best of it.  We played TOGETHER.  We got it done.  The level of competition between us is unmatched, and it is because of our love for each other that it is so.  We competed against each other and with each other to make each other better players, and a better team.  So that when we go to World Cup in June 2009, we KNOW that we won’t play anyone better than ourselves.  And while we anxiously await that opportunity, we fill our time with training, laxing and love huddles…

Hello again. Happy Holidays! I am sure that the young players out there are setting their sights on the upcoming preseason! I know that I am!

I am always amazed at how quickly the seasons come and go. I am not talking about your standard Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer seasons; I am talking about LAX SEASON! After just having returned from a very chilly–dare say–freezing December practice with the US Training Team, I am reminded that training can be a nine month commitment, while the season consists of three months of practice, and roughly twenty game days. Those competition days are what make each day of training worth it. And your teammates can be the reason you push yourself with an extra sprint.

Prior to the December practice, I saw the DeBeer advertisement with a countdown of the days remaining until the World Cup. Now, I realize that I am not merely training for a season of games. Rather, I am training for the chance to compete throughout ten, very competitive and intense days. But there is more to our motivation than just playing in games. In training through the snow and cold temperatures that winter poses, it is easy to find inspiration from those around us. As US player, #28 Erica Lagrow has said, each day she picks a different teammate and trains with them in mind. Though we may be separated by distance, our team members motivate us daily.  So, with the some-odd number of days until the World Cup begins, we are working hard, together. No matter what level one plays, the anticipation of game day and the feeling of taking the field with your teammates make every drop of step worth it. It is all for the love of the game and each other. GO USA!