Lacrosse players seek route to US universities | Sports

ASSISTANT COACH of the Jamaican under-20 women’s lacrosse team, Dale Walker, says his players have plenty of opportunities to impress scouts as they prepare for the Under-20 Women’s Lacrosse World Championship in August.

Walker said he has seen big improvements in the team since they began their training camp at the Stadium East complex.

“The preparation has been going well so far,” he said. “Thankfully we’ve given Stadium East the last week and a half to prepare and we’re very grateful for that. They’ve responded well and are showing improvement.”

He explained that before the camp the girls only trained on weekends, but the team now trains daily with longer sessions to increase Jamaica’s chances of winning the championship.

Jamaica, ranked 21st in the world, will face Hong Kong, ranked 12th, England, ranked fourth, Japan, ranked fifth, and Ireland, ranked 19th, in the group stage.

Walker said the level of competition demands the best possible quality of play from Jamaica.

“Preparing for a World Cup in the weekend with only two days and three hours a day, so six hours a weekend, is not enough. The last week and a half we have trained eight hours a day and we have seen improvement in their fitness, their stamina and their level of agility.”

GETTING EXPOSURE

Walker also said the international competition gives players the opportunity to experience the highest level of the sport.

This allows players to receive offers from scouts who come to watch their games.

He said that several team members have already received scholarships from American universities.

“Most of these girls are locally based and have not played internationally, but we believe they have the skills to compete with the best in the world. In fact, a significant number of these girls have been awarded scholarships to play in the US based on the skills they have demonstrated here.”

Head coach Taylor Erwin said much the same, explaining that these offers give the girls the opportunity to continue their education while competing at the next level of the sport.

“I will say that over 50 percent of them are already recruited to college to play lacrosse, which is great. That opens up opportunities for them to continue their lacrosse career and continue their education, and opens up a lot more opportunities for them when they get to that point.”

Walker said that while there are many offers, Jamaica Lacrosse also advises players on which offer is best for each individual athlete.

He explained that they work with the parents to ensure that the players get the best possible offers for their careers.

“We have to face the fact that in Jamaica we have a high school program, but nothing more,” he said.

“But we make sure that they, together with the parents, get good offers and don’t just go somewhere. We take that into account and we try to advise them to do research on the colleges that are sending offers to see if it’s a good place for them to go.”