By Megan Smith, Assistant Coach, Lee University @LeeUWLacrosse
Study abroad was never something really on my radar. When I played in college it was not an option available to me to play lacrosse and take time to travel the world and study.
So, in July 2018 when I got the job at Lee University it was so intriguing that we require a cross cultural trip to graduate. Amazing opportunity for the students but would it be challenging for the athletes? I soon found out the answer was a huge NO! As I have approached 5 years at Lee University, I have watched our soccer teams, basketball teams, softball team, and volleyball team take time during the summer and do a team trip. Filling the requirement for the cultural piece for graduation and adding to the team culture all in one. In early 2020 we embarked on the journey to plan a trip for our players that allowed us to play lacrosse and have fun. Little did we know our expected travel date of July 2021 would change due to Covid-19 and we would spend another year waiting in anticipation. The NCAA allows you to do a foreign tour once every four years with your program so we really hoped the whole team would buy-in and join us for a trip of a lifetime. Many would think the planning would be the hardest part, and as someone who have never been out of the country until now that was a huge fear. However, thanks to one of our IWLCA Event Sponsors, AIST, I did not have to do any planning. I joked on the trip that I would love for them to plan every away travel trip for me.
Photo courtesy of the author.
We spent 10 days traveling the United Kingdom with time spent in Ireland, England, and Scotland. First stop was Dublin, Ireland, where we drove up the coast and got to walk on the most beautiful beach that sits on the Irish Sea. We walked the City Center where we explored the many shops, saw the beautiful architecture, talked to the locals, and learned so much from the museums. We experienced an Irish night of dinner and dance where we had some participation from our very own Irish clogger. We did the most AMAZING hike of the Wicklow Mountains in Glendalough! Finally, we got to play against Eire Girls Lacrosse club in a friendly and get to know one another over pizza after the game.
After Ireland we embarked on a ferry which was more like a cruise ship minus the free food, drinks, pools, and elaborate entrainment, which brought us to our next location. A quick stop in Whales for lunch and on the bus to Chester, England! In England we ran a clinic for Oxton Lacrosse Club youth/junior team and then got to play their senior team with dinner provided by their parents! We explored downtown Chester where once again got to see the most beautiful architecture, cobblestone roads, and some awesome street performances. Finally, we got to participate in a tournament hosted by Oxton where we competed against U20 and U23 Team England Teams, learned a lot, and got to meet some amazing players.
From Chester we made our way to Edinburgh, Scotland. We first stopped in Gretna Green for lunch, which is noted as possibly the most romantic place in Scotland, if not the entire UK. It wouldn’t be Lee Lacrosse without some bus karaoke since the drive was about four hours. Every year there is a tradition where newcomers to the team do a performance on one of our away trips, and since we had some parents and the AIST team travel with us it was only suiting! In Edinburgh we got to adventure the City Center which including shopping, a Ghost Tour of the city, and exploring the Edinburgh Castle. We took a day trip to St. Andrews where we got to take a team picture and step on the same ground the first ever Modern Women’s Lacrosse Game was played at St. Leonards School in 1890! After our picture we then spent the afternoon to ourselves. Some ventured to watch people play golf at the Old Course and take a picture on the Swilcan Bridge landmark, some picked sea glass on the beautiful beach of Castle Sands which sits on the St. Andrew Bay right next to the St. Andrews Cathedral, and others just shopped all the golf memorabilia they could find. Our last day in Scotland and the UK brought a friendly against Capital Lacrosse Club with dinner after to meet and mingle with the players.
Photo courtesy of the author.
Since being back in the states now for about two weeks I have gotten to reflect on the trip. My first thought right away is DO IT if you can. Everyone should take their team to travel and play. The sights, the bonding, the culture, the memories… everything is SO worth it. Getting to experience some firsts for me with my players was amazing and getting to watch them experience some firsts and knowing I helped make that happen is even more rewarding. Finally, to play teams that had some members that had just played in the World Cup a couple weeks prior was incredible for everyone and something that my team will never forget! Through the chaos of 2020 and 2021 brought the best adventure in 2022. I encourage everyone to look into it, I promise you will not regret it!
BEHIND THE WHISTLE 