[Student Reporters] Female High School Lacrosse Team, "National League is Ours"

Minji Jang / <11th, Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies>

It is 7 in the evening. The gymnasium begins to fill with heat and noise. Opening the door of the huge gymnasium are the thirty girls with long sticks in their hands. They are the female lacrosse team players of Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies.

Lacrosse the new American sports is popular among Koreans. Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies is the first to make a female high school lacrosse team. Unlike other female sports club the team has kept its status as one of the most popular and active sports club. This year they received more than a hundred freshmen applicants.

"Many of them could not endure the tough practice. Only those who realized the true fun of the lacrosse remain who regard lacrosse as the core of their high school lives." Kwon last year's team leader said. Kwon began playing lacrosse when she first entered the school. She became the team leader and a key player in her second and third year. This year she participated in Czech Olympic 2009 as the Korean national player.

The team practices three times a week during Self-Study Time as well as during the weekends. They begin with warm-up exercises running around the gymnasium 5 times. They practice line drills-passing cradling and ground ball. Afterward they play a full game; while freshmen are playing the game senior players and the team leader are coaching and advising them.

"Lacrosse is a vitamin of my life." Jung a newly joined sophomore player said.

"Spending an hour per week for Physical Education is not enough for us. We need more time for exercising rather than sitting on a chair all day long. Lacrosse fulfills this need."

The team has also participated in several competitions including the High School League the Summer League and the ASPAC Lacrosse Tournament. Despite the small number of teams that participated the team has shown fair results. They have earned the second place award and individual MVP award.

The team is preparing for the National High School League next week. Kim currently the team leader and the MVP player of Kyung-Hee National League showed her confidence in winning the championship. "Our goal is to win other schools with a gap of at least 7 points as the first high school female lacrosse team in Korea. This National League will show that we are no longer standing in the shadow of male players - we are the Lacrosse players."