Ladies lacrosse is not only identified as a club sport at White Station, it is a club sport all over Tennessee. This provides the Lady Spartans with a motive: a point to prove and a whole lot of determination.

Currently, the TSSAA classifies women’s lacrosse as a club sport with no state funding being allocated to the sport. According to senior captain and starting goalkeeper Sydney Jones (12), this has somewhat of an effect on the team. Because there are no truly strict rules to follow, there can also be a lack of commitment by the players as it is not an official sport.

“As lacrosse gets bigger in Tennessee, and teams get better, I feel we are fighting to prove to the school that we are legit athletes,” Jones said.

Co-captain Kate Yelverton (11) also feels passionate about the team’s status as a club sport.

“We have to work a lot harder than other schools to build our ranking. They also have been playing longer, and we are newer. So, we are behind some schools,” Yelverton said.

On the other hand, the boys’ lacrosse team was discontinued at White Station last year, resulting in more pressure and expectations placed on the Lady Spartans

“I think if we had a boys team, it could be good for lacrosse [at White Station].We’d have a bigger voice, and the more students that are a part of the sport, the more people would pay attention,” Jones said.

The Lady Spartans started the season off strong, achieving a 3 win, 2 loss, 1 tie record in a tournament in Little Rock. This was one of the best starts of the season for the team of recent years, as reliable upperclassmen leadership has emerged. The varsity team is comprised of more than 40 girls, so the team is not lacking depth. The junior varsity team is also relatively large, with many young, talented underclassmen. It is obvious to any observer that these girls play with a chip on their shoulders and are the sole representatives of the school in a sport overlooked by many.