Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05
May 1, 2008 issue
Watauga High School Lacrosse Team Finishes Season With Girl Power
Story by Celeste von Mangan
“Peace, love, lacrosse” reads the back of Mary Jo Grubbs’ T-shirt. Grubbs is just one of the parents rooting for her daughter during the last game of the season for Watauga High School’s lacrosse club. Her shirt says it best as she and the other parents socialize with one another and cheer for their girls, watching the team finish the season playing four back-to-back games this past Saturday.
It’s girl power all the way for the players who calls themselves Watauga Ice and chant their theme song, “Ice Ice Baby,” because more often than not they play the sport they love in icy or snowy conditions. Aside from their all-weather conditions, their intense game playing is another unique feature of the Watauga Ice team.
“I don’t know of any other sport that does that,” said Coach Ray Cameron of the back-to-back games.
The girls are separated into the junior varsity team—composed of players new to the sport—and the varsity team for girls who are more experienced players.
“This is our sixth year,” said Cameron. “About 60 kids show up each year for the first interest meeting and we have anywhere from 30 to 50 who play regularly.
Lacrosse is a club sport with the high school and it is the fastest growing sport in the country. We have 50 women’s clubs in the state and there are over 100 boys teams. Lacrosse is also played internationally at all different levels and we have two professional leagues in this country.”
For the girls of Watauga Ice, lacrosse forms a large part of their life from mid-February through April each year. With the support of parents, the dedication of two coaches, and the friendship and loyalty between teammates, they make the club work, year after year.
“Because we are a club team, we are totally self-funded,’ said Cameron. ”We buy our own sticks, uniforms and professional gear. We have to pay for a referee, as well as travel expenses. There is a fee to join the team, but that does not begin to cover expenses. Parents step up and help, and we are looking for sponsors.”
One of Cameron’s daughters played on the team throughout high school—she is now in college—and his youngest is currently a Watauga High School sophomore playing lacrosse for the second year.
“I think also one of the interesting things about the team and very important in this community is that the lacrosse club gives them something to do,” he said. “There are not enough opportunities for young ladies in this area. It’s also interesting that we have kids play all four years. Some play as juniors and as seniors as well. We start them all as beginners. In all these years, there were only three kids who had played lacrosse before. Some had never heard of the sport before they began playing it.”
The second coach for the Watauga Ice team is Lyndsey Capone who took over the helm in the 2008 season when Cameron stepped down after five years as head coach.
“We thought it would be good if Lyndsey was head coach this year,” said Cameron.
A graduate student, Capone played lacrosse in Boston and became involved with the club after she met Cameron at a local gym and told him about her lacrosse background. Now, at the end of the playing season, Capone looks to the future.
“I think this has been a great season for the girls,” she said. “We are losing five seniors, but we continue to build our team. We’re looking forward to another strong season, trying to get recognition and to get a fan base.”
Not making it into the tournament this year did not in any way diminish the team’s spirit.
“We needed to be in the top 20 to make it into the state tournament,’ said Capone. “I think this team has developed great camaraderie; they are just the best of friends. It’s a great support system for them. They pat each other’s backs and greet one another in the high school hallways. It’s nice to see the team on the field and off the field. It’s really built self-esteem for the girls.”
Averaging 10 to 12 games per season, Watauga Ice travels to cities like Charlotte to play against private school teams. “We’re in the North Carolina High School Conference; that means we have to travel to fields,” said Capone.
Developed by Native Americans, lacrosse is the oldest sport in the United States. Despite its history, the sport is not as well known or as recognized as football, baseball and soccer.
A major hurdle stands in the way of lacrosse being able to compete with more well-known sports. “We are waiting now for the state to sanction lacrosse as a sport,” said Capone.
Meanwhile, the club is hoping to stay active this summer by attending tournaments and camps.
“I think we have a great start,” said Capone. “Lacrosse is growing in popularity for women in high schools. We’re selecting captains in the next week.”
For more information or to help sponsor Watauga Ice, call Coach Capone at 336-380-0637 or Grubbs at 828-295-5070.