Focus: On and Off the Field

Kara Long

2.5.20

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Any student-athlete is always asked the same question. “How do you balance your sport with school? How do you have the time?” As a lacrosse goalie, there’s another question I always hear: “How do you be a goalie? I would be so scared of getting hit with the ball, and I just wouldn’t be good.” These two questions seemingly have nothing to do with each other, but the answer to each is more related than you would think. To successfully balance schoolwork with a sport, you need to always be focused on the task at hand. The same is true for lacrosse. 

I first learned the importance of focus when playing lacrosse. During the summer going into 7th grade, I joined a travel lacrosse team called PaExpress. There, I met my current goalie coach for both travel and school, Coach Runyon. From the first day I met him until now, he has always told me the same thing before each game.

“See the ball, save the ball”. This was his way of telling me to always focus on the ball. Even if the play was happening 90 yards away from me, that play should be my main focus. 

When I play, it's easy to tell when I’m not focused. If I’m not seeing the ball I’ll get hit, or worse, the other team will score. This fact serves as a painful reminder of why I can’t let my mind wander. Often times I find myself during practice or games thinking about other things and zoning out. I have dozens of painful bruises on my body that remind me of why I can’t let this happen.

I started playing lacrosse in 5th grade and, since then, I’ve slowly been improving my focus and learning why concentration is so important. When I started at STEM, I barely even knew what STEM was, let alone how the lessons I was learning would impact my time at the school. Now looking back on my freshman and sophomore years, I can see just how much lacrosse has helped me succeed here. In addition to lacrosse, I am also a member of the West marching band. This means I have almost no time to do any school work. However, one thing my friends all know about me is that I never fail to complete assignments. 

This feat may seem miraculous to some, but it just comes down to focus. I normally get home from practice around 5:30. I eat a quick snack and go right to my room. Then, I just have to work. No matter what subject I’m working on, whether I’m doing a math worksheet or studying for a chem test, my entire focus is on what I’m doing. I can’t think about my next assignment or worry about running sprints tomorrow at practice. I just need to fully concentrate on my work. This task is even harder on Wednesdays because I need to watch “Survivor” at 8 and then “Jane the Virgin” at 9, but I still manage to get it done. That’s possible because of the focus I learned to have from lacrosse.