Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi once said, “If winning isn’t everything, then why do they keep score?” Although some may view this to be true, the White Station girls lacrosse team approaches their sport with a different mindset. To find the last Lady Spartans lacrosse win, one would have to go back to the 2013-2014 season, but the team does not seem to care about that too much.

“I would love for the team to play as a team, and I want the new players to know that this isn’t because we want to win, it’s just for fun,” Michelle Oropeza (11) said.

After the controversial merger of Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools that formed one unified district, the Lady Spartans lacrosse squad became the only girls lacrosse team in the district. Although this may not seem to impact the team at first glance, it has drastically affected the program. The Lady Spartans are forced to play out of district competition for the entire duration of their season, which includes matchups against much more established programs, including Hutchison, who has taken home the state championship five years in a row, St. George’s, Houston, and St. Agnes. The recurring themes with these schools and the others featured on the Lady Spartans schedule are funding, better resources, more practice time and most importantly, more players.

Girls lacrosse at White Station is a club sport, which means the school has no responsibility to provide funding for equipment or other resources, leaving the girls solely responsible for purchasing all equipment out of pocket. As if that were not enough of a setback, the girls have to play all of their games at other schools and the team receives minimal recognition from the school and student body.

The deck does seem to be stacked against the girls, but there are still various aspects of the program that call for excitement,especially in relation to the new freshman classes each year. The Lady Spartans lacrosse team sees a constant influx of first year players, and the roster continues to grow. Since the team has become such a large group and practices so

often, the Lady Spartans have grown to become a very close group of girls. Whether it be on social media, in the hallways or out in public, it is clear that the Lady Spartan lacrosse squad has a very strong bond, and team morale remains high regardless of the obstacles set before them. Lady Spartan lacrosse does not want to be defined by their problems and what they can’t do, but instead by what they can do and the real reason they play…for the love of the game.

The Lady Spartans look to grow as a team this season.