BY KUSH KHAROD
Sweat poured down our faces like it was never ending. This was the conditioning of the 2014 season. Conditioning was coached by our three coaches, Coach Hafer, Coach Pizzini, and Coach Thompson. It involved running, ab exercises, and the worst of all, stairs. As a freshman, I was new to all of this, and was always tired halfway through. I would see all the seniors doing it like it was nothing. This really encouraged me. Most of our conditionings were coached by Coach Hafer, the new coach for everyone. Coach Hafer brought with him his knowledge of the game and his teaching ability. He has gone to the top of the games and wants to bring it to Watkins Mill. He brings the best out of everyone. The same goes for the other coaches, Coach Pizzini and Thompson. When I went to the first conditioning, I was nervous and excited to meet the people I would spend most of my summer with. I hoped they would be as supportive as the coaches. I was right. Many players helped me be a good player like how to catch, throw, and shoot. It was so much easier with them. Back to conditioning, the first ones were incredibly tough and tiring, but as the days moved on, we got faster and stronger. The team can be called a family now.
The season was on. This is what we as players wait for all offseason. The entire group was split into 2 groups, JV and Varsity. I was on JV. I first started as attack then moved to goalie. Let’s skip the attack part for my personal opinion. The JV team was not doing well in the season until the Wheaton game. The team did not trust each other and trust is really important in the game. In the Wheaton game, we finally won. As the game ended, everyone jumped on me and went wild. This was a turning point for the JV team. We go on to win one more game in the season.
For me being a goalie, I started out with big bruises in the shins, thighs and the arms. It hurt but it hurt more when you let one in. As a goalie, you have to keep your cool during tough times and be a leader for the defense. The goalie position is considered as the most important position in lacrosse (at least for me).
In total, WM lacrosse is not all about lacrosse, but the person you will become. Varsity and JV both had great seasons where there was blood, sweat, and some vomiting for some people.
