Two Semiahmoo Peninsula lacrosse players have their sights set on sunnier skies in the new year.
Makena Kumar and Caitlyn Sears, both 10, play box lacrosse with Semiahmoo Rock and also, field lacrosse with the Surrey U11 Warriors. In addition, the pair, who attend Grade 5 at Ocean Cliff and Peace Arch elementary schools, play with the Lower Mainland Fusion Lacrosse team, a squad that is headed to a field lacrosse tournament in Palm Springs in January.
Accustomed to playing in rain, sleet, slush and snow, the girls, who were playing in such weather in South Surrey when temperatures turned colder recently, said they’re looking forward to experiencing the warmer climate of southern California – especially in January, when it’s usually pretty chilly in B.C.
“I think it’s going to be fun to see what the different temperatures are when you’re playing and what the different fields look like,” Sears, who started playing lacrosse this year, said.
Kumar, who has been playing for three years, agreed.
“I think it’ll be good to see just to see how good the other teams are, and is it different from our teams or how we play here,” she said.
Although the pair attend different schools, they enjoy the camaraderie they share with their lacrosse teammates, and the opportunity to travel, like they did when they went to a Seattle tournament with Fusion Lacrosse in November – and won, beating several U.S. teams from all over the Pacific Northwest.
“We won that one! It was so great,” said head coach Carolyn Mukai.
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Mukai said she enjoys coaching players at this age.
“I really like this age group – it’s kind of one step above the youth… I like the personal development, and how we can use lacrosse to learn really valuable life skills like personal responsibility, teamwork, how to play nice with others… it’s great,” she said.
“This is a really good group of girls. Right now there’s about 17 on our roster – they’re from all over B.C.”
While co-ordinating field time and practices for the tryout-based squad can sometimes be challenging, and finding times that work for everyone and their families and their busy schedules, the team usually plays two tournaments per season (spring and fall), Mukai noted.
A transplant from the U.S. East Coast, Mukai has lived in B.C. for 10 years now and admits her American friends and family tease her for her Canadian ‘twang’ and apologizing for everything.
She’s also looking forward to the Palm Springs tournament, the Sand Storm Lacrosse Festival, which is scheduled for Jan. 13-14, 2024.
“We did really well in Seattle, toward the end of the tournament more so than in the beginning,” Mukai said.
“The girls were passing really well and communicating really well and really actually starting to look a little bit more what I call ‘pretty lacrosse’ – stringing some passes together versus having one person running up and down the field, and that was starting to happen way more towards the end of the tournament, so I’m hoping we can pick up where we left off.”
Mukai noted the pair will both be with the U11 team for another season, “which is great!”
“McKenna was with us (in) Grade 4 as a practice player, and from then she’s grown hugely in terms of her skill and communication with her teammates, so she’s going to be great,” Mukai said.
“Caitlyn is new this year and she’s already doing really well – I think she’s going to grow a lot as well in the next season. They’re a really good group.”
Kumar and Sears like that the Palm Springs tournament gives them something to look forward to after the excitement of the holiday season ends.
“It’s pretty fun. I like going outside and meeting new people and you get to do that a lot,” Sears said.
“You should try it,” Kumar encouraged anyone who might not have tried lacrosse, noting that there’s always Fusion camps that can help newcomers learn the rules and basics of the game.
With Team Canada player Megan Kinna as team manager, who helped Team Canada win a gold medal at the U-19 World Games and won a Big Ten title while playing for Northwestern University, both girls have considered eventually, playing lacrosse at a university – or even Olympic – level.
“Growing up, there wasn’t many options for girls like myself – I was the only girl playing on the boys team,” Kinna said in a Fusion release. “The options to join a community of other lacrosse players, that were also girls, was minimal or non-existent. I think that having this representation now and having girls see that it is possible to succeed in this sport as a female is significant for the future of lacrosse in Canada.”