LIFE AFTER BUCS BEGINNERS
Most people who start playing lacrosse at university say they fell into the sport totally by accident, never setting out to go to a taster session but simply tagging along with a friend; and as I explained briefly in my first welcome note, I am no different. Neither is Cardiff University graduate and Welsh international player, Isabelle Michelson, who began playing lacrosse at Cardiff because her housemate wanted someone to accompany her to the university club’s “Give It A Go” session; “I never set out to play lacrosse and discovered it almost by accident in my first year at Cardiff University [...] I knew nothing about lacrosse but was persuaded when [my housemate] described it as “that sport with a stick from Wild Child”. I haven’t looked back since!”
Having played with Issy on a number of occasions I can attest to her being an absolute star on the lacrosse field, and the fact that she started playing many years after her international teammates is testament to her natural ability for the sport. But Issy explained how lacrosse didn’t always seem like it would be smooth sailing for her.
“Growing up I didn’t play any sport outside of PE, and I tried to get out of PE whenever I could. Starting a new sport, shockingly unfit with barely any transferable skills, was daunting to say the least. Unsurprisingly, I was rubbish… but it didn’t matter, as we were all rubbish!”
And Issy went on to explain how even after months of practice she still wasn’t able to master the basics, taking two years to learn how to catch the ball - a skill which is essential in lacrosse for obvious reasons. But it was a moment in second year which Issy credits as being crucial in her deciding that lacrosse was a sport that she truly wanted to master.
“My stand out moment was not making the Cardiff University 2nd Team at the start of my second year. I was absolutely devastated. I sulked for a few days, but then I decided I needed to knuckle down and get good so there wouldn’t be any doubt next time trials happened. I took every opportunity to practise and play after that, and have tried to keep that up ever since. Not the happiest stand out moment, but it was absolutely pivotal for me.”