They step on the practice field. Wielding a 40-inch long stick with a knitted pocket on the end.

If you have never seen a lacrosse stick before, you might be a little confused.

They throw a smooth, hard, rubbery ball back and forth between teammates. The sharp whoosh of the ball shoots back and forth with seemingly little effort. They cheer each other on and their supportive remarks ring out.

The girls put their sticks down and head off running for the next 15 minutes.

Practice starts.

They begin to throw the ball back and forth, the sharp whoosh continues. Soon, they work on cradling. This technique is used when players run with the ball, they cradle the stick to keep the ball in the pocket. Then they move to scooping, a skill that includes picking up the ball in one move.

Rachel Myers, North sophomore, is in her second season with the lacrosse team. She loves how supportive the team is and how diverse all the girls are, in terms of skill level. There are girls who have never played a sport in their lives and there are varsity athletes playing games since they were five.

According to Myers, there is a strong sense of community on the team which allows the girls to cheer each other on and be friendly with each other. No one is shamed for messing up because they are all still learning the rules.

“Getting better, having fun, and working together are the most important things to us,” she said.

Being on this girl’s lacrosse team has many benefits for Myers, from forming strong friendships, to forming strong muscles and forming a stronger mind.

“We play against teams who are stronger and faster than us, but we give it our all, and even when we don’t win, we still stick with it,” Myers said.

The hardest game was last year when they played against Zionsville. With cutting wind and heavy rain, the team did not have its usual pep. However, they fought on and despite losing, they finished the game as strong as any other game.

Another hard part which affects the team is playing lacrosse in a town where people do not know about the sport. Even though there are girls from both North and South, the fan basis is only made up of parents.

The minimal amount of support for the sport means there aren’t many programs to start children off young. Players start off in high school when their competition has been playing for years. This is a central reason why the team has its challenges.

However, the team members stay loyal to the sport and to each other.

Jenna Newland, South sophomore, loves the strong team dynamic they had last year and are beginning to have again this year. The supportive dynamic allows Newland to try new things without the fear of embarrassment from failure. 

The times when they do criticize each other are out of love instead of anger.

“We often laugh at each other and ourselves when we mess up, so we’re almost always laughing,” Newland said. “It’s okay though because we all mess up.”

The girl’s lacrosse team in Bloomington helps high school girls to gain confidence and friends. Running on average three miles a game, it also helps them to stay in shape. They are hopeful that interest will grow and that their fan-base will grow too.