Inside scoop: What women’s lacrosse away game trips are like

From Wednesday, April 19 to Saturday, April 22, I traveled with the women’s lacrosse team on their two-game road trip against both Jacksonville and Stetson Universities. Fans sometimes get to watch their teams play at away games but rarely do they get a close look at what exactly happens behind the scenes on these trips. Here are some words and phrases with explanations of how I would describe a Division I sports trip.

Business.

The team is always preparing for their next game, whether they are eating, practicing, watching film or resting.

A Family Vacation.

The team is very close. Each day, the team eats lunch and dinner together either at a restaurant, on the bus after a game, or even in the conference room of the hotel reserved for their stay. Everyone is very comfortable with one another, and it is clearly a close-knitted group. They are constantly hyping each other up and supporting one another in anything they do.

Never-Ending.

On the six-hour bus ride to Jacksonville, Florida, the bus scene included but was not limited to many laptops, a cheetah-print blanket, the second-to-back seat of the right column that was stuck in recline, and a bathroom with a door that didn’t close. At one point within the first few minutes, there was a common chirp of “where are the outlets” throughout the bus as they talked to the teammates around them before they would eventually find them way below the windows, to their left side for those sitting in the driver side’s column and the right for those in the right column. From there, the team dropped their things off and settled into their hotel rooms before going out to get food.

The team had time to shop around for a bit before being back at the hotel by 8:30 p.m. From there, some of the players went to sleep, others hung out for a while in their friends’ rooms, and some did homework. Regardless of how they spent their time, everyone was pretty exhausted, so it was an early night.

On Friday morning, the hotel breakfast ended at 9 a.m., so everyone got up around 8 a.m. The team ate breakfast and then either hung around the hotel or went to Starbucks or Wawa for coffee, water, Gatorade and snacks for the day. Practice was from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. before returning to the hotel and showering and then heading to California Pizza Kitchen for lunch at 2 p.m. Then, the team headed to the field at 5 p.m. to get ready in the locker room and warmup for their 7 p.m. game against the Jacksonville University Dolphins.

These were just the first two days.

The last two were similar, including a two-hour drive to Deland, Florida, where Stetson is located, film, practice, and meals on Friday. This was then followed by a game and a nine-hour bus ride home to Conway, South Carolina on Saturday.

HOT.

With any far trip, there are geographical implications. This trip to Florida was very hot all of the days we were there, consistently staying above 80 degrees and even reaching 88 during the game on Saturday, April 22. It required a ton of hydration and the sun really drained everyone throughout the trip.

In this case, successful.

After each trip, the team either leaves with a positive or negative outlook on how the trip went and how it impacted their season.

The Jacksonville game on Thursday, April 20, was one the Chants really wanted to win—it was a bit of a rivalry. The team had won the ASUN Conference championship five seasons in a row, and the Chants wanted to show Jacksonville lacrosse that they don’t own the conference.

The game got off to a 10-0 start for the Dolphins over the Chants, with a score of 8-0 after the first quarter. The Chants made adjustments at halftime and started to fuel a bit of a comeback, outscoring the Dolphins seven to three in the second half, but ultimately lost 13-7.

On Saturday, the game against Stetson University got off to a similar start, with the team going down 4-1 in the first quarter and trailing 8-5 at halftime. This time, however, the Chants made major adjustments and ultimately won the contest 20-11 after going on an incredible 15 to three run to end the game. This win left the Chants with an optimistic feeling about the trip, as the win punched their ticket to the ASUN Conference Playoff Tournament.

Fun.

The competitive nature of the players, their humor, and the competitions at practice are among the many things that make away trips fun. They are especially fun when they come away with a win. Still, even away from Coastal, the team is always with one another. They genuinely enjoy each other’s company, getting even closer than they were prior to the trip.

Fun. The competitive nature of the players, their humor, and the competitions at practice are among the many things that make away trips fun. They are especially fun when they come away with a win. Still, even away from Coastal, the team is always with one another. They genuinely enjoy each other’s company, getting even closer than they were prior to the trip.

From a journalist’s perspective, the women’s lacrosse team earned even more of my respect than I had before for DI athletes after these four days. Beyond their dedication and hard work, they are working nonstop at their sport even when they are not technically playing it.