Brainerd Lacrosse Prepares For First Official Season

There’s a lot of excitement in the Brainerd lacrosse program, as both the boys and girls teams will play as an official school sport for the very first time.

“When I figured out that we were a sport, I was so excited,” says junior Sayali Blowers. “It was fun as a club but it wasn’t as competitive. You didn’t get as much recognition as if you were a sport, so I was really happy that we are a sport now.”

The program needed to make the jump as more schools adopted their own official lacrosse teams.

“We were only going to be able to play four teams if we weren’t a school sport, and now we’ll be playing thirteen games, which is pretty awesome,” says junior Alexander Engholm.

The program has grown a lot in the past few years, picking up players who joined because their friends play or because they’ve seen the sport while watching the TV series “Teen Wolf.”

“I actually watched it on TV, and I saw on the show that they played lacrosse,” says Blowers. “So, when I figured out they played lacrosse here, I was super excited and I played. It just stuck.”

Many of the new players play hockey as well, which allows for skills to translate from the ice to the field.

“I think one of the biggest things is that [lacrosse] relies on a lot of hand skills like hockey does,” says Zach Caldwell, who coaches the boys team. “Hockey correlates really well, and there’s not a lot of transition for those who play hockey.”

While the program may have its growing pains in the first year, new players are already improving, which should lead to a bright future.

“The development of these kids from the first practice to today, you can just see the improvement,” says Todd Brown, head coach of the girls lacrosse team. “They’re picking it up quick, and the older kids are really supportive and helping the younger kids. It’s going well.”

“When you watch them go throughout the season and you watch their skills get better and better, it’s something amazing to look back on,” says senior Kortny Villnow.

“You can really see them improve,” says Jayce Schroeder, a junior on the boys team. “With yourself, you didn’t really know when you were improving. With the kids who are just starting out, you can see them improve, and that’s also exciting.”

“In the years coming, we’re going to have those kids as leaders,” says Engholm. “We’re all going to leave and we’re going to have to have someone behind us. We have a good group of kids after us, so it’ll work.”