A Year in Review
The University of Oregon’s lacrosse team went 7-11 on the season (3-3 MPSF), recording the first losing season since the program’s first in 2004-05. Although the team struggled this season, senior captain Kaitlyn Pasko looks at the positives and what she gained from her experience being a Duck.
A Year in Review
WRITTEN BY: KAITLYN PASKO
EDITED BY: KELLY GIBLIN
O-Heroes asked Kaitlyn Pasko to give us an inside look at a tough season, but also a very rewarding experience.
Hey everyone, Kaitlyn Pasko here possibly for the last time ever. With graduation coming up in a few weeks, I figured I’d write one last blog to recap the year. I can’t believe how quickly the past four years have gone, but they are filled with memories, teammates and coaches I will always remember.
The previous year began in the middle of September. Some players stayed for the summer to workout with our strength and conditioning coach while attending school and others went home. Regardless of what each player decided to do for the summer, we all had to be back by the middle of September, two weeks before school started. We spent the beginning of the fall lifting and conditioning. We had four set run tests and in order to travel for the fall ball tournament in October, each player had to pass all of them. Other than run tests, we worked in small groups together to try and get our connections with one another and scrimmaged at least once a week. We also had a team barbeque for a few hours which allowed all of us to get to know the new incoming players. The only tournament we had in the fall was at the United States Naval Academy and the entire team got to travel for that. I loved getting to play there because that is where I was raised and where my family resides. Therefore, all my friends and family came to see us play which was a great feeling.
After the fall ball tournament, we came back to Eugene and focused on our lifting and conditioning for the next few weeks. By the time Thanksgiving week rolled around, mandatory workouts were over until we returned in January. This year, along with previous years, we spent Thanksgiving week doing other sports together as a team during practice time. For example, Monday we all play soccer together, Tuesday we all play football, and Wednesday we all played basketball. Each day was optional, but usually a good amount of us show up and learn a lot about each other’s athletic ability in other sports. It’s actually amazing how some of us can be so good at lacrosse yet so awful at basketball. It was actually quite a funny week to watch us in action. Overall, the week was just a fun time to hang out and play other sports just for the fun of it! After Thanksgiving, we usually have about two weeks of school left before we all go home for Christmas break. There are no more mandatory workouts as I mentioned, but we have to make sure we are working out at home because we have run tests again upon our return in January.
Once everyone is back in January, typically the first day of school is the same as the first day of practice, also when we run our run-tests. This year, there were three tests and each player had to pass all three of them to play and travel. We did one every Monday of each week. The rest of the week we continued to work on our connections with one another so that once we stepped on the field in February, we would have connections all over the field.
Our season started in the middle of February with an opener against Jacksonville that went quite well. But overall our team unfortunately did not perform the way we had hoped. We worked very hard to try and change things and end the season with multiple wins but we couldn’t get it together. Regardless of the wins and losses, I truly believe that we all learned a lot about ourselves. Although it is always a lot more fun to win, I think that losing forces a player to learn a lot about him or herself and the people around them. I know that all of the experiences that my teammates and I were faced with this season will only make us stronger in the future, not only on the field but also in our lives after college as well. There were challenges I know that I faced, not only this year, but throughout the past four years that taught me more about myself than I ever could have imagined. All of those experiences not only helped me on the field, but also will now continue to help me as I enter into a new chapter of my life. I will miss my teammates and my coaches for they are all like family to me. I know that no matter what, I can call any of them and they will be there for me.
I have truly enjoyed writing these blogs for everyone. I hoped you enjoyed them and were able to learn a little more about our lives as student-athletes.
O-Heroes thanks Kaitlyn Pasko for participating in the blog section and sharing her experience with everyone.
