New Kids on the Block

The 2009 season is starting to get interesting; teams are playing to prepare for the NCAA playoffs, playing to get into the playoffs, or they are simply playing for pride. Last week, as a part of the University of Denver coaching staff, I was reminded of why I love lacrosse and how far the sport has come. We travelled to Fresno, California to play Fresno State in their inaugural season. Like any young program, they have found their first year to be one of tremendous challenge and also tremendous growth. Roughly six players from their program had played lacrosse before, while the rest of the team is comprised mostly of young athletes who had barely even heard of the sport before.

Watching this team play made me appreciate the fact that even though their skills may still need some fine tuning, they were out on the field for the love of the game and pushing themselves to grow. Too often, lacrosse can seem like part of a routine; workout, wall ball, drills, drills, drills. However, in watching a first year program like Fresno State, it is easy to appreciate the reasons why they play and to remember the reasons why we all play individually.

Being born and raised in Colorado, I know first hand what it is like to live in an area where lacrosse is still “new” in popularity. Yet, each year, the sport continues to expand and grow, across geographic boarders and among sociological boundaries.

I feel like the upcoming World Cup is vital in exposing lacrosse to all those budding lacrosse communities around the world. I feel lucky to be a part of it and am so excited to have it finally arrive in June.

98 days and counting…

It’s been a long road to get to this point but it’s final- the team has been chosen and we have one goal in mind-  Bring Back The Cup!!  It was only a couple of weeks ago when we were first introduced as the 2009 World Cup Team.  It was probably one of the most proud moments of my life.  I’m sure my teammates felt the same way.  We were playing in the South of the Border tournament in North Carolina.  That weekend was filled with great competition against collegiate teams Duke, UNC, JMU and some international competition against England and Wales.

We took the field on Friday night at Koskinen Stadium on Duke’s campus to face our first international match against England as the 2009 World Cup Team.  As we took the field to start our warm up there was an overwhelming feeling of pride.  If you look at this team from the stands there is no way that you can’t notice the love of this tight knit group.   We put everything out there for each other every second of every play.  As we were warming up I remember looking at the scoreboard-  USA v ENGLAND  and I thought to myself- Wow!  That is US, we are the national team, we are representing this great country.  It was and always will be one of the greatest moments for me.  I feel so fortunate to be a part of this team and to play with the 17 other greatest teammates in the world.  We are ONE!

Download Devon Wills’ Interview Now If You Missed It

If you missed Devon Wills’ interview on monday on TPS Radio/Play Like A Girl Sports you can now download it off of the website.

http://www.tpsradio.net/podcast/archives/2346

Devon Wills to appear on Sports Radio Show Tonight @ 8:00pm EST!

Devon Wills, Team deBeer and USA World Cup Goalie will appear tonight on a Sports Talk Radio show hosted by Play Like A Girl Sports. This radio show is streaming on the internet as well as being podcasted. You can check Devon out as she talks about lax and Team USA @ www.tpsradio.net. Click and listen tonight at 8:00pm EST!