Lacrosse wasn’t even a sport that was on Caroline Davey’s radar until she happened across it at a family pool party. Eight years later, the game has not only overcome her playing field hockey and running track, but has become her go-to sport; one that will allow her to attend college on a scholarship.
“We were at a pool party in Connecticut, lacrosse was really big there, and my cousins were all playing it,” Davey said. “I picked up a stick there, began playing and found that I was a natural at it.” When I got into third grade, my mother knew that I enjoyed the sport, so she signed me up for Norwood Youth Lacrosse. Now here I am a junior already committed to play lacrosse at Stonehill College.”
Between the third and eighth grade, Lauren Desharnais, a Norwood Youth Lacrosse Coach, had a big impact on Davey’s game. The coach made playing lacrosse fun and enjoyable and was a main contributor to the Norwood resident hooking up with a club team.
As a sophomore, Davey began looking at colleges that would be a fit academically as well as athletically. Having played for club team Boston Laxachusetts out of Weymouth, she got invited to participate into a giant lacrosse showcase. While doing some drills with the Coach from Stonehill, she felt a vibe working with the Skyhawks Coach. Upon returning home, she immediately emailed Coach Katie Conover thanking her for the experience. Sometime later, Conover invited Davey to an overnight at the school where the Norwood High School student was able to practice with the team and then watch them scrimmage.
“About three or four days after the overnight, I got a call from the Coach saying that they would love to have me play for Stonehill,” Davey said. “Obviously, I needed time to talk with my parents as well as reach out to the other schools I had been talking to. During the overnight, I found out about her coaching styles and the girls told me that she was tough but considered the team a group of sisters. I also realized that Stonehill was right for me.”
Despite having her collegiate plans set in stone, the Coronavirus that’s sweeping the country has put a damper on her junior season. This spring, Davey was looking to not only have fun with her teammates on the field but wanted to work on her skills.
“This season was to be a big stress off my chest as I had already committed and didn’t have to worry about impressing anyone,” the Norwood junior said. “When they suspended the season, I was devasted as lacrosse is my main sport, one that I live for. Playing with my friends while playing a sport that I love, it’s the part of the year I look forward to the most.”
With the season on hold, (hopefully it will resume the second week of May), Davey has had to work by herself to stay in shape. As a sprinter on the track team she loves to run, so needless to say she has been staying in shape by running through her neighborhood. In addition to running, she has worked on her skills in her backyard with a bounce back.
“Unfortunately, with everything that is going on, I’ve been forced to work by myself,” Davey said. “I’m someone who would prefer to practice my throwing and catching with a partner, instead I’m using a bounce back alone.”
The junior year for a high school athlete is very key as it is the time most college coaches begin scouting a player to see if they fit their system. Luckily Davey had already been scouted and was committed to play in Easton in a year and a half.
“For other juniors it’s definitely a real big roadblock as they’re looking for coaches to notice them on the field,” Davey said. “However, if your serious about playing college lacrosse, I believe that you’ve already made that contact with coaches prior to your junior year
Playing for Laxachusetts, Davey finds herself playing midfield or attack, while at Norwood, Coach Chuck Allen uses her anywhere he finds a need. When she gets to Stonehill she’ll begin working as a midfielder so later on down the line the Skyhawks Coach can use her either as a defender or an attacker.
As the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) hopes to have all spring athletes back in school on May 4, and their seasons beginning a week later, no one really knows what is in store for the 2020 spring seasons at this point, but Davey is optimistic.
“All hope is not lost yet for the upcoming season,” Allen said. “If we do have a season, it will be a shortened one with a lot of pressure on making tournament (Coach Allen’s first goal every year). The pressure will increase as we won’t really have too much room for mistakes.”
As Davey and her teammates, as well as every other spring athlete, awaits the word on the season from the MIAA, she knows she must continue to work hard to be ready for the season when it begins. If the worse case scenario pops up, the junior will be disappointed but knows she still has one more high school lacrosse season to go before packing her bags for Stonehill.
“I’m still optimistic that we will have a season, but if we don’t, I’ll still have my senior year,” Davey said. “As a senior, I’m hoping that I can become a captain and share my expertise, while having a strong year both academically and athletically. All the pressure will be off my shoulders, so I’ll be able to go out and just have fun.”
Issue Date:
May, 2020
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