After a long summer, Lacrosse players are finally getting back to daily practices and work outs. Show casing, the promising season for lacrosse as it  kicks off.

“I’m excited for the season, coming right off the end of football, it’s a big change and I’m a little nervous because we want to do good,” senior Patrick Moran said.

After playing the last season of high school football, many athletes are taking on different sports, lacrosse being a popular one.

“A new season always brings up a lot of emotions and nerves” senior Sam Portillo said. “It’s exciting to see what the team is gonna be like this year.”

Lacrosse takes a lot of time and dedication, something which many athletes are willing to devote.  

“We spend a lot of time during practice trying to improve our skills and techniques,” said junior Kylie Parkins.

Coaches take advantage of practices during the off season to focus mainly on improving the weaknesses of the teams.

“We’re working on a lot of individual skill set stuff this fall. It takes a lot of time, focus, practice, and persistence to develop good stick skills and field awareness,” head coach Doak said. “If you can’t catch and throw, lacrosse isn’t too much fun. We’re building a strong foundation this fall to build on in the spring.”

Although Lacrosse is only preparing for the spring season, they have a lot to look forward to. As the players start coming together as a team and improving, the season ahead keeps looking better.

“I’ve been playing lacrosse for 3 years, so it’s exciting to see all the new girls joining and teaching them all the ropes and seeing how we’re going to end up working as a team,” junior Lexi Curtis said.

Many players have only been playing lacrosse throughout their high school years but they have been able to experience improvement through practice. Lacrosse is a lot like a hobby to some which makes it more enjoyable and fun.

“I think we’ll surprise ourselves this season,” senior Zach Manley said. “We’re all very close so it’s a lot of fun and it makes it easier to work together.”

The teams also take a lot of time to get to know each other and bond in order to be able to work well and function properly as a team. It takes a lot of dedication and sportsmanship to have a good relationship with the team.

“We all come together as a good unit and we just have a good bond so it makes a good practice,” Portillo said.

Many of the players dedicate themselves to becoming better athletes and doing the best they can. Two of the boys on varsity lacrosse, Moran and Portillo have already committed to colleges.

“I visited a few schools over the summer and attended show cases in the spring and over the summer,” Moran said.

Moran has committed to play at Ohio Northern University. It took a lot of extra work and dedication to get to where he is now.

“Playing at Bowie has definitely affected my teamwork because it makes a group of guys come together to achieve the same goal,”Portillo said. “You have to have team chemistry to achieve any goals we set in front of ourselves.”

Hard work, practice, and the help of club and school teams have brought Portillo to committing to St. Mary’s University. These athletes have been determined to be the best that they can be and have set themselves out to be good leaders and team players.

“We have many other players that are on the recruiting radar that are very hopeful to play lacrosse at the next level,” Doak said.

Both the girls and the boys on the lacrosse teams at bowie are making extensive efforts to be noticed by scouts and get recruited.

“Emily Haine plays some tournaments on a club team so that scouts can see her team play.”

The lacrosse team is very strong and is looking forward to a successful season. They are putting in a lot of heart into it and work in order to thrive and be as excellent as the team possibly can be.

“Every player is as important as the next,” Doak said. “We are only as strong as our weakest link.”