Lacrosse is a team sport that consists of a lacrosse stick and lacrosse ball. It is similar to other sports including baseball or soccer. The four main positions played in lacrosse are attack, midfield, defense, and goalie. The goal in lacrosse is to score the most points. In order to score points, a player shoots the ball with a lacrosse stick into the opponent’s net.

This year, GALA’s lacrosse team is coached by Ms. McFadden and Ms. Eckel. McFadden, head coach, is new to coaching lacrosse. She has coached GALA’s cross-country and Students Run LA in the past.

This season, McFadden has a goal for the team members to be more confident in their lacrosse skills and, as always, to have fun along the journey! Her favorite things about coaching lacrosse are the student-athletes. She likes how both the experienced and beginner players are able to collaborate and learn from each other.

Fun fact, McFadden is from Maryland! She played lacrosse when she was growing up there. In Maryland, it is a popular sport where others usually play lacrosse as a kid. Just like McFadden, who played throughout elementary and middle school.

McFadden became interested in coaching this year for the lacrosse team since there are dedicated athletes who were having trouble finding a coach. This made her want to give athletes an opportunity to play, especially since there are seniors who want to play lacrosse for their final senior year. She also had fun playing as a kid, which made her excited to revisit the sport.

McFadden also wants others who are interested in joining the team to not be afraid to play the sport because it is different. She references how this sport incorporates skills from other sports like soccer, softball, baseball, or hockey.

This lacrosse season, ninth-grade player Smita Sarker’s goal is to challenge herself by taking on this sport. She hopes to learn more about the sport, since it is very interesting and appealing to her. Like others, Smita hopes to make new friends.

Two other team members, Nya Ponce (12th) and Selene Garcia (12th) have played in GALA’s lacrosse team since they were in ninth grade, though Nya stopped playing in 10th grade due to COVID-19. Their favorite positions to play in lacrosse are their previous positions when they were in 9th grade. Selene’s is defense, while Nya’s is midfield.

Ninth grade Scarlett Vidrio is another new team member. They joined the team to try something new. Smita joined so she could meet new friends and discover her passions, which allows her to challenge herself. As for Selene, she joined the team again since she missed the sport, which was fun for her in the past and also due to this being her last year in GALA.

Others joined the lacrosse team for their own personal reasons. The team members share how joining the lacrosse team is an exciting and fun experience, Smita shares how she recommends the sport since it allows beginners to express themselves and develop great skills from the team.