USA Lacrosse Tour round-up

By Emilia Lloyd (captain) and Sophie Evett

In the Easter holidays, 18 girls from the Upper thirds and Fourths set off on what was to be an amazing lacrosse tour of the USA. The squad was accompanied by Mrs Reynolds, Miss Hearnshaw and Mr Gainer. The tour covered five east coast cities: Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston and included five matches, some sightseeing and cultural visits (as as a bit of shopping).

The first stop was Washington DC where we visited the Lincoln Memorial, the Capitol and the Smithsonian Institute. We also had our first match against St Stephen’s and St Agnes School and then stayed with the opposing team’s families for two nights, enjoying thei American hospitality.

We travelled to Baltimore by coach, driven by our friendly driver Moses, who was with us throughout the tour. We visited the National Aquarium and the National Lacrosse Museum in Baltimore and played our next match against Cobra Lacrosse Club and again stayed with the  players and their families. Our next stop was Pennsylvania and it was nice to see some countryside. We attended some lessons at the school and spent two further nights with the host families. Then on to New York for some sightseeing, including the Empire State Building (102 floors high), the Staue of Liberty, a picnic in Central Park and a ride in a limo. Mrs Reynolds even arranged for Godstowe’s name to appear in the lights in Times Square! We also managed to squeeze in some shopping.

We then continued along the coast through New England playing matches against Massachusetts Elite Lacrosse Club and Westwood High School and watching a varsity match, as well as staying with more families. We finished the tour in Boston, visiting Harvard University and enjoying a duck tour.

The lacrosse tour was an amazing experience. The different year groups bonded well and we had some really enjoyable lacrosse matches against excellent opponents - we won two, lost three. We were treated so well by our welcoming and hospitable US host families and really got a taste of what it’s like being an American teenager. We also had the opportunity of seeing some iconic sights and discovering some of the history and culture of the east coast cities we visited.

We were all so sad when the tour came to an end but it was an awesome experience that we will always remember.

Photos from the tour can be viewed in the Photo Gallery