Celebrating Five Special Seniors!
Lucia, Gloria, Clarisa, Ariam, and Nini were all part of the 1st generation of our youth teams. They were the first ones at their middle schools to take the brave step of trying out a new sport, and cleared the pathway for other girls at their school to join. They all continued to play in high school and continued to support the growth of the sport in Oakland by serving as coaches in our Summer Ambassador Program and High School Coaching Council. Check out the interviews below to learn about their experience in the OLC and their plans for next year.
Lucia
Oakland Technical High School
When did you start playing lacrosse?
In middle school, in sixth grade.
What inspired you to start playing?
OLC came to Claremont during PE and I was curious about what the game was and I started playing and asked a bunch of questions. It seemed fun and I really liked the coaches
What are some of your favorite memories from playing lacrosse?
My first game I think I scored a goal at one of the Treasure Island play-days and that was probably one of the biggest things I remember, I saw all my work paid off. This year I had a really good fast break where I took the ball from the draw and scored with my non-dominant hand.
What does Oakland Lacrosse mean to you?
Oakland lacrosse is like a big family where everyone is cheering for each other and you can't really go wrong. You have a bunch of support and everyone believes in you and it's also really fun!
How have you approached the challenge of balancing school work and lacrosse?
It has been somewhat difficult balancing school and lacrosse during high school. The amount of school work just keeps adding up, I have also been doing theater so that takes up a lot of time also. I have been able to manage just by scheduling, maybe waking up earlier, or staying up later. I see what I can do and if I can't do something I talk to someone (teacher or coach) to figure out a plan and I make sure I get school work done before everything else.
How do you feel you have helped grow the game in Oakland?
In middle school I got a few friends to play, in high school I started doing the OLC High School Coaching Council and Summer Ambassador programs. Through those programs I have been able to reach out a lot to the Oakland community.
What was it like to be one of the first girls from your school to play?
It was interesting, most people don’t know what lacrosse is. You have to explain to them what the game is like. I would always say it's a mix between basketball, soccer, and hockey. I think it was great knowing you were doing something other people weren’t and seeing how much it could help change lives. I enjoyed playing on the same team as people from other schools because you go to see their perspective and you got to see how the sport helped everybody.
How would you like to see girls lacrosse grow in Oakland over the next five years?
For high school I think it would be cool to have another team and a JV team and varsity team at Tech. For the youth level I would like for kids that weren’t playing with OLC to get access to the sport and for more students at more schools to play. It would be great to have teams at Skyline and McClymonds and the other Oakland high schools that don’t have lacrosse.
What advice would you give to girls in OLC during middle school?
Do what you really like to do, don’t feel stressed about things you think you should be doing just do what you like the best!
Same question but for entering High school?
Stay focused and remember what YOU need to do, don’t get caught up in what other people think should be done.
What are your plans for next year?
I am deciding between a few colleges right now. University of Puget Sound, I am also looking at UMass Amherst, Cal Poly and Arizona State.
Would you rather be able to fly or teleport?
I think fly because you get the wind in your hair.
Would you rather live without TV or Music?
I would live without TV.
Would you rather be a dragon or unicorn?
I would rather be a Unicorn.
Gloria
Oakland Military Institute
When did you start playing lacrosse?
I started playing in 6th grade, when I was 11.
What inspired you to start playing?
I like to try new things to expand my knowledge. Also, the way that it was super welcoming it was such a cool new thing I wanted to learn what it was about.
What are some of your favorite memories from playing lacrosse?
My championship when I first got to a new team in high school, it showed all of my hard work paid off. My favorite part of away games are the car rides and lunches after games, that's when you really bond with teammates.
What does Oakland Lacrosse mean to you?
Honestly it's a huge part of my life, I used to be shy and OLC broke that shell for me and I was able to be happy in that environment. It helped me be the person I am today. I am always grateful for OLC and I hope it does that for many more people as well.
How have you approached the challenge of balancing school work and lacrosse?
Sometimes it's challenging because I take hard classes like AP and honors and college courses. I would make sure I found the time, sometimes I would study on the way to games and stay up late after practice. I take every moment that is free to do work and not just sit around.
How do you feel you have helped grow the game in Oakland?
I constantly talk about it with my friends because it's my favorite thing to do. I feel I made an impact with coaching during the summer and fall with OLC. I haven't seen many Latina players in my career and I feel I give younger players that image of ‘hey there are people that look like me that play the sport.’
What was it like to be one of the first girls from your school to play?
It was cool because I felt like everyone was always asking me what the stick was for and I would try to teach my friends and it was a bonding experience. It was also kind of annoying because I was the only girl who had a stick. I wasn't allowed to use it for wall ball during free time and had to check it into the office. But it was a fun way to meet new people because just having a lacrosse stick would start up conversations.
How would you like to see girls lacrosse grow in Oakland over the next five years?
I would like to see 3 competitive high school teams. I would also like to see elementary school teams, to help transition to middle school and by the time they are seniors they are a strong team that has been playing together forever.
What advice would you give to girls in OLC during middle school?
Keep playing! A lot of girls stop after middle school and it's saddening to me, there are such great girls that could play but they don't have the resources or the access. I was about to stop playing in high school but found a new team. So don’t give up, try to find a place to play online, keep being active cause those are the most memorable times you will have.
Same question but for entering High school?
Two things, keep your friend group small and for lacrosse if you are playing the sport put your whole heart into it, if you're not then don't waste your time or your teammates time.
What are your plans for next year?
It’s still iffy, my most likely plan is to stay at Merritt College (Gloria is already enrolled and taking classes as a high school student) then transfer to Cal Berkeley in two years or less.
Would you rather be able to fly or teleport?
Teleport.
Would you rather live without TV or Music?
I would rather live without TV.
Would you rather be dragon or a unicorn
Dragon.
Clarisa
Oakland Technical High School
When did you start playing lacrosse?
I started in 8th grade in 2015
What inspired you to start playing?
My older sister played on the Tech lacrosse team and a bunch of my friends were also playing so I decided to pick it up and ended up loving it.
What are some of your favorite memories from playing lacrosse?
What made me want to continue playing was the atmosphere of Oakland Lacrosse. I saw how it was run through my teammates and my friends, they were always saying how great it was. I like sports for the team bonding and sense of community and to see that there was an organization that was focused on that aspect of community got me really interested in playing.
What does Oakland Lacrosse mean to you? OR What does Oakland tech lacrosse mean to you? (depending on who is being asked)
Oakland lacrosse means a good start. It means a lot to me, in a lot of other sports you have to start when you're young but with OLC it is so easy to join and start at any level. OLC also reminds you that you can do whatever you put your mind to.
How have you approached the challenge of balancing school work and lacrosse?
I think I have balanced it by taking them both equally as seriously because I enjoy both. I know when I am on the field I don't worry about school work because it's already done. At tech you have to have good grades to be on the team and I know that if I don't do well in school I won't be on the field. I think the balance is putting your time into both because one correlates to the other.
What was it like to be one of the first girls from your school to play?
It was kind of a mix of things. It was really exciting cause no one else was doing it which also made it nerve racking. People had no idea what lacrosse was, which also led to a proud moment when I got to tell people what it was and encourage them to try it.
How would you like to see girls lacrosse grow in Oakland over the next five years?
I would like to see more younger kids playing lacrosse just so it has a larger span of people playing and I would like to see the OLC PE program expand and see it be built into normal PE programs. I think this would allow people that may not have access to at least try it at school or somewhere else.
What advice would you give to girls in OLC during middle school?
Stay with lacrosse even if it seems really tough. When I played my first time everyone on the team I was playing on had already been playing longer than me and were better than me. I had a couple times when I thought I wouldn’t be good like them but you should stick with your team and stick with your sport. You have to build up and grow to a level of confidence and OLC will help you.
Same question but for entering High school?
Find your group of people that understand what's going on in your life. OT lacrosse is a step up in competition from OLC and a little more intense so you have to stick as a team and push yourself if you want to continue playing.
What are your plans for next year?
I just decided I'm going to Southern Oregon University!
Would you rather be able to fly or teleport?
Fly.
Would you rather live without TV or Music?
Music.
Would you rather be a dragon or a unicorn?
I would be a dragon.
Ariam
Oakland Technical High School
When did you start playing lacrosse?
In 7th grade.
What inspired you to start playing?
I think it was just because I saw the sport and it seemed fun but what kept me going was the community.
What are some of your favorite memories from playing lacrosse?
My best memories come from team bonding moments and at OLC it’s the snack time before practice when we had the time to talk and get to know each other. In high school it was doing things like getting ice cream or pizza together outside of games or practice.
What does Oakland Lacrosse mean to you? OR What does Oakland tech lacrosse mean to you? (depending on who is being asked)
OLC is my second family and that’s where I have the most support and some of my closest friends it's really a supportive family
How have you approached the challenge of balancing school work and lacrosse?
It can be hard to stay motivated because you're tired after practice and games, but I want to play so I need to get the grades, I make sure to focus to get everything done and if there is a problem I make sure to talk to all of my teachers and coaches.
How do you feel you have helped grow the game in Oakland?
The biggest one is volunteering to coach during fall, teaching new players, recruiting people to help grow the game. Also what we did last summer with OLC when we went to rec centers all over Oakland and introduced the game to a lot more people.
What was it like to be one of the first girls from your school to play?
I think it was exciting, it was fun. I got to tell my friends I'm playing this amazing game and I love it. At the same time, I wish more people played so we could share that and talk about the experiences we were having but it was always exciting.
How would you like to see girls lacrosse grow in Oakland over the next five years?
I want OLC to have a lot more teams and younger teams, it would be nice to have elementary age or younger lacrosse teams.
What advice would you give to girls in OLC during middle school?
Enjoy the process of growing up and maturing, it can be hard to see the positive things when transitioning from MS to HS and having lots of responsibility but try to be positive all the time.
Same question but for High school?
Enjoy the small things, high school is hard and sometimes you are going to school and feel like you’re doing everything. Enjoy the small things, it could be family time or going out with friends, just enjoy the small things. Don't be afraid to reach out for help, you can always talk to OLC coaches and friends they are always there for you so always ask for help.
What are your plans for next year?
I am planning to go to Saint Mary’s College of California.
Would you rather be able to fly or teleport?
Teleport.
Would you rather live without TV or Music?
I have to go without TV.
Would rather be a dragon or a unicorn
Oh dragon definitely, they’re so cool and powerful!
Nini
Oakland High School
When did you start playing lacrosse?
I started playing lacrosse in middle school in 8th grade for OLC.
What inspired you to start playing?
My friend in middle school introduced the sport to me and I wasn't sure at first but I wanted to try something new.
What are some of your favorite memories from playing lacrosse?
Meeting a new family of OLC that encouraged me and inspired me to play the sport and continue being motivated to play. One of my favorite memories was the very first game I played with my team.
What does Oakland Lacrosse mean to you?
What OLC means to me is a great way to meet new people and it's diverse. I fell in love with the sport, people were always there to motivate me and push me to my limit, OLC taught me it’s all about playing from your heart.
How have you approached the challenge of balancing school work and lacrosse?
What I found challenging was when I would have a test coming up and practices end kind of late. On weekends it can be hard to manage your time. I try to find time when I go home from practice or before practice to get my work done.
How do you feel you have helped grow the game in Oakland?
I feel like I spread positivity throughout all the teams I have played with and players I have coached, having that energy, uplifting others and spreading a good mood and always staying positive. I love working with younger kids and it brings me back to when I played lacrosse for the first time. When coaching it makes me happy to see players happy and I enjoy teaching kids it's always about practicing and not giving up.
What was it like to be one of the first girls from your school to play?
The first time I played lacrosse I was nervous and kinda scared but having people around me to encourage me and share that experience. I ended up falling in love with playing lacrosse and I realized all the mistakes I made really helped me at the end of the day. I take pride in being on the first ever Oakland High girls lacrosse team, having that sport there made me happy because after not being able to play in 8th grade, the energy in lacrosse is different and having the team there, meeting new people and hearing their experiences brought that energy back.
How would you like to see girls lacrosse grow in Oakland over the next five years?
I would like to see having lacrosse in a lot more schools. Not that many people are introduced to lacrosse right now and having that program would be good because it’s a place where kids are welcome and able to enjoy having that time and OLC teaches them about wellness, nutrition and other things that can benefit them.
What advice would you give to girls in OLC during middle school?
Never give up! It may seem that right now you can’t get to your goal but if you keep practicing you will get it right. If you put your head in the game and stay motivated you can push yourself to do whatever you want to achieve.
Same question but for High school?
Don't procrastinate on school work, try to manage your time between lacrosse and school work, you don't want to pile up on work. Always feel confident and bond with your teammates that you have around you, all the resources are there don’t be shy to ask.
What are your plans for next year?
My plan is to go to a four year college and major in biology or chemistry to become a veterinarian.
Would you rather be able to fly or teleport?
I would rather fly.
Would you rather live without TV or Music?
Probably without music.
Would you rather be a dragon or unicorn
Dragon.