As part of England Lacrosse’s new monthly guest column, current Spencer Lacrosse Club player who has also had spells at Clapham and Hillcroft Lacrosse Clubs, Hannah Royer, speaks to us about her relationship with lacrosse and the organisational side of the game.
When I was asked to write a guest column for England Lacrosse, I wasn’t too sure what I could fit into the 300-500 word limit as I have a long list of things I could write for hours on end about. But, since I've joined a brand-new club this season, I thought it was fitting to talk about lacrosse from the perspective of a player and ex-club committee member, and the effect this has had on my relationship with the sport.
I didn’t start lacrosse – or even really know what it was – until my second year at university. As it turns out, lacrosse had been in my family a generation before me when my aunt played for the England Women’s team in the 1970s. She then went on to coach at various schools across the country, yet I had never focused on lacrosse as a sport that I might be interested in. At school we played hockey, netball and tennis, but never lacrosse.
Here in London where I live, there are a handful of women’s lacrosse clubs offering a variety of benefits depending on what you’re looking for. In the five years since I left Loughborough University, I have tried three of these clubs, captaining the first and being social media manager for the second. I left the first two clubs for different reasons, both being to do with the fact that I was a part of the committee helping to run the club, as well as a player trying to play enjoyable and competitive lacrosse.
In short, I didn’t enjoy the pressure that came with holding a position of responsibility within a club full of my friends and teammates who looked to me for answers on various issues. It seemed that nothing I did or said was right because it often meant a change within the club, and no one likes change. Playing took a back seat and being able to focus solely on having fun and playing my best just wasn’t achievable. It made me question whether I wanted to continue playing lacrosse at all.
The #LAXISLIFE hashtag is thrown around a LOT in our sport because for many of us, lacrosse really is a huge part of our lives. It’s when the lines between our love of lacrosse and our personal boundaries for what we are willing to sacrifice for the sport become blurred that we all need to question whether we are sabotaging our relationships within and with lacrosse.
Since taking a step back from the organisational side of lacrosse and focusing solely on playing the game that I fell in love with eight years ago, I’ve found that I am genuinely enjoying playing lacrosse again which is a wonderful feeling.
We’re always on the look out for guest columnists from the lacrosse community to speak about a topic they’re passionate about. If you’d like to be featured, please contact [email protected].