A legendary lacrosse player inspired girls to aim for the stars with her ‘crazy stick skills’ and incredible life story during a busy day of masterclasses.
International sportswoman, Australian-born Jen Adams, coached 75 lacrosse players, between 11 and 18-years-old, over three sessions during her visit to Haberdashers’ Monmouth School for Girls on Friday, June 12.
The head of women’s lacrosse at Loyola University, Maryland, was a three-time national player of the year and the first ever winner of the Tewaaraton Trophy, given annually to the nation’s top player. She is regarded by many as the finest female lacrosse player of all time.
“Spending time with HMSG girls has been great,” Jen said.
“I loved the enthusiasm and willingness of the players to try new things and have a laugh. Their level is good and it’s been a lot of fun.
“My number one tip for the girls is to not be afraid to try new things and never be afraid to fail.
“You should never be scared of not being the best.
“Number two would be to always enjoy what you play.”
Jen says the highlight of her career was winning gold with Australia at the 2005 World Cup and playing alongside her sister to win gold at the U19 World Championships in 1995.
The masterclasses, which taught the girls about what it takes to play sports professionally, were held in conjunction with SixBySix Performance lacrosse courses.
Sabrina in Year 10 said: “Jen has inspired me to continue with my lacrosse, hopefully at a higher level, because she showed us that you can achieve anything if you work for it.
“I will most definitely continue to play lacrosse for my whole life.”
And Laura in Year 12 added: “I most enjoyed being encouraged to try completely new things that I had never seen on the lacrosse pitch before.
“I think that we all enjoyed the opportunity to just give something a go, despite the fact that it looked impossible.
“It was amazing to have such a talented player demonstrating some crazy stick skills. It definitely made me consider lacrosse as a possible career.
“From being an incredible player, Jen moved on to being an incredible coach proving that a career in sport can be successful in the long-term.
“There aren’t huge numbers of female role models in sport nowadays and she is one who can inspire many.”
