By Tatum Love, Staff Writer
It’s a Wednesday afternoon and most students are eager to hang out with friends and relax after a long school day. But for some students, the only thing that awaits them is a long car ride – and the opportunity to play the sport that they love.
Students on the First Flight men’s and women’s lacrosse teams have decided to improve their skill levels by traveling to play in the Southside Fall Lacrosse League during September and October. Here, players join other high school players from all over coastal Virginia to compete in what is commonly known as “Fall Ball.”
Steve Morris has been coaching the FFHS women’s lacrosse team for four years and is excited that his players want to play in the offseason to improve their skills.
“It gives more game experience, which is a huge learning tool for new players, and they get to play with other girls rather than just their teammates,” Morris said.
Senior Simone Midgett has been playing lacrosse for four years and started fall ball last year when it was only the team’s first season.
“I like it a lot more than I thought I would because the games are a lot more fast paced, so the whole team can develop more skills before the regular season starts up in the spring,” Midgett said.
Along with playing the sport they love, one of the many benefits of playing lacrosse is learning the art of time management.
Sophomore Nick Gardill has been playing in the fall league for two years and has become more comfortable with managing school work and lacrosse because of the three-hour round trip every week.
“Honestly, driving an hour and a half isn’t that bad compared to how long the bus rides are for high school season,” Gardill said. “I don’t really mind it, and when I have homework I just use Empower Time and the car ride.”
Plus, driving to Virginia once a week does have its upside for the players – one of them being something that the Outer Banks doesn’t have to offer: Chick-fil-A.
“Chick-fil-A is the team tradition,” Midgett said. “After every game most of the team goes and it’s just really fun to hang out and talk about the game and just spend more time together.”
So with the vision of more Chick-fil-A visits in the team’s future, another year of having a 5-0 record looks as easy as ordering the No. 1 chicken sandwich, with extra pickles.
Sophomore Tatum Love can be reached at [email protected].
