From Marine to Referree, one player's evolving relationship with the game of lacrosse.

By Raissa Wilson 

It never ceases to amaze me how far women's lacrosse has come since I was first introduced to the sport in high school.  Back then women's lacrosse was mainly an East Coast sport and had yet to cross the Mississippi.  Now lacrosse can be found in most regions, and as a result of groups such as the WDPCC, it is possible to move around the country with your job and help to build the foundations of the sport in new and exciting places. 

My route was a little different.  Player, Coach and then…gasp…a referee.  I played a bit in high school, but found my love for the sport in the collegiate arena at the US Naval Academy.  I was fortunate to be on the team from close to the beginning.  We took the sport from Extra Curricular Activity to Club (I was the Captain in 1994) and in case you missed it the ladies are going Varsity in 2008!  

Upon graduation I was commissioned in the US Marine Corps.  My first duty station was Camp Pendleton, California.  California lacrosse was still in its early years.  In 1995 there were very few high school teams let alone club teams.  By very few I mean probably 3-4 club teams on the whole West Coast. Chances are that you ended up playing on at least 2 of them to get tournament games in. Santa Barbara Shootout was the only tournament out there at the time.

Through San Diego Club I met Dot Harrop.  I mentioned to her that I was interested in getting more involved in helping to build the sport. She told me that a couple of transplants from the East Coast had put together a team at the high school the year before and they desperately needed some help.  So I sauntered out to practice one Saturday and the girls looked at me and instantly crowned me the coach.  I made some noise. How was I going to coach? I was a Marine.  I worked a full time job.  I could help them, but full time coaching? To which one of the young ladies looked at me and said, "Hi, my Dad is a Colonel on base.  You see those two girls over there?  They are the daughters of the base General.  Let's just say we know your name and our fathers will too… So, I guess you are our coach…got it?"  Pretty effective strong arm tactic, but I owe that young lady for giving me two absolutely wonderfully fulfilled years of my life.   

Dot also had one other request.  Refereeing…yikes. "We need folks who know the sport out on the field to help keep it fun and safe."   No one would ever have predicted that I would be wearing stripes.  Heck, I was the one in college who was probably voted the most likely to get a card.  The truth is I was an average player.  What I lacked in skill I made up in speed and sometimes aggressive "playing," and when that failed…argue with the ref.   

Unfortunately my playing days came to an abrupt end.  While in the Marines and training for an international military competition, I took a pretty serious fall that shattered my elbow.  The next couple of years involved 5 surgeries that have left me with limited use of that joint.  As a result I had to leave the Marines and give up some of the sports I enjoyed.  I got cranky and took a complete break from lacrosse for a couple of years.  When I finally realized I was being selfish, I returned in 2002 but could not play anymore.  I had a job that precluded me from coaching so I put my stripes back on.   

My stripes and a series of company driven moves around the country have afforded me a unique opportunity to see lacrosse across the country and to forge some pretty cool "tournament' friendships.  In the intervening years the landscape of lacrosse on the West Coast as well as the rest of the country has seen an explosion of lacrosse on all levels, high school, collegiate (club and varsity) and post-collegiate club.  Let me be the first to tell you that the East Coast does not have a lock on lacrosse anymore.   

Lacrosse is now a recognized high school sport in California, and the state boasts some really good collegiate programs from DI to the reigning WDIA National Champions (several years running.)  Some states like Texas are still building their programs at the high school level with the help of some very dedicated parents.  I don't know what they feed those young ladies in Texas, but they have a base athletic ability that is outstanding.  Once they get some more post collegiate folks coaching them, they will be a force to be reckoned with.  Then there is Florida, that has some solid pockets of lacrosse and is starting to cross county lines.  It's a tough fight in Florida as the sports seasons are different that the rest of the country, and lacrosse competes with some very popular sports.  But the sport continues to grow and the collegiate club teams have been doing well.   

So why am I telling you all this?  Because I want to share the excitement that I feel about how far women's lacrosse has come.  Take a look around you.  Heck…just take a look at our website.  On the post-collegiate club level, we went from a smattering of tournaments 10 years ago to a whole lot of tournaments all over the country with post-collegiate clubs to match.  You are part of the success of the sport, so don't forget to keep paying it forward.  The next generation is right behind us. 

Thank you for being a part of a great sport!