For Emma Savage, the past year has been relentless. From Japan to China, Portugal to Indianapolis, the England midfielder has barely paused for breath.
Now, as she juggles her first year working as a doctor with the demands of international lacrosse, she is fully focused on the next adventure - a ten-day US tour with England field squad that she believes will set the tone for the World Championship year ahead.
“I can’t wait to play tens (ten a-side) again,” Savage laughed. “The chaos of Sixes up and down, up and down. I can’t wait to just stop, with no shot clock, and take my time a bit.
“The team is in such a good spot right now. We’ve had a bit of a break, and now coming back together, everyone’s buzzing, it feels even more exciting to be back.”
For Savage, the tour is more than just another trip, it’s a rehearsal for playing the game on the biggest stage.
“The whole tour basically simulates a World Championship with six games in eight days.
“There’s nothing else like it. You’re exhausted, but every game matters more and more and then by the end we’re playing Maryland and UNC, two of the best programmes in the US.
“The question is then, can we sustain our level right through to those matches? That’s exactly what a semi-final or final at a World Championship feels like.”
Savage knows it’s a steep challenge taking on the best of the best in America’s formidable college system, but she relishes it. “We’re putting pressure on ourselves because we want to do well,” she said.
“But at the same time, it’s no pressure and this is the perfect time for things to go wrong.
“You learn what can happen when the stakes are at their highest and that’s why I love tour.
You can play freely, with no fear, but against some amazing players. It’s really cool to see where we level up.”
The final match against UNC has particularly drawn Savage’s attention, with the midfielder hugely relishing the opportunity to go up against the NCAA champions and show them what an England team is all about.
“I watch the streams and follow the college setup so it’s really exciting to play against them, but I don’t want to fangirl too hard, you can’t put them on a pedestal.
“They’ve got Chloe Humphrey, who’s probably one of the best players in the world right now, but I want to show them what we’ve got too.
“England bring a high-pressure defence, a ruthlessness and aggression they’re not always used to and I think it’s always fun to give those college girls a new challenge. They’ll enjoy it, we’ll enjoy it, and the standard will be so high.”
Life off the field has changed quickly for Savage, who left five years at the University of Nottingham behind this summer where she was a three-time BUCS national champion, for her career as a doctor.
“It’s definitely weird finding a new balance,” she said. “I was at Nottingham for five years, so that was just such a known for me where we had everything; coaching, structure, facilities all set out for us.
“I’ve joined Hawks Lacrosse club so I’ve got regular training and matches and a lot of the England girls play there too so that’s fun.
“We’re still fortunate to have gym speed sessions and conditioning sessions that are all set for us by Josh (Josh Wall, England’s Strength & Conditioning Coach) and so I've still got the structure, I know what I need to do, it's just now about carving out the hours to do it around shifts.”
Savage will also take on new responsibilities in the US as a tour captain, alongside Alice Ripper and Charlie Wilson, in which one of the roles is to manage the off-field culture and environment when the squad has downtime.
And to decompress from the high intensity of international lacrosse and the pressures of the day job, Savage is a self-confessed social media lover.
“I love TikTok! Tours can be intense environment together in this bubble for ten days so having some silly and goofy things, doing dances that can lighten the mood and bond the team. I’m a big fan.”
But looking forward to the aims of the team’s tour in the US and what success looks like, Savage is clear.
“If we can come away from the back end of the tour feeling like we were super competitive, that we stepped up to the plate, that’s a success.
“The score isn’t the marker but I know all of us will be gunning to beat these teams, and then if we come back having really gelled as a group, having had the best time, that’s just as important.
“This year is massive, and being a tight-knit team will make all the difference.”
She grinned when asked how she’ll handle the brutal schedule of games, travel and long shifts at work on her return.
“When we come back, it’ll be 6am and we’re all going straight to work on the Monday.
“But it’s all for the plot, it’s character building!”
