Sophomore exploring options for CF lacrosse

Sophomore Marika Yang first started lacrosse while living in Chicago after her friends convinced her to attend an introductory clinic. She instantly fell in love with the sport and joined her local team soon after.

However, things changed for Yang when she found out that her family would be moving to Iowa later that year.

“I went searching for a team that I could play for in Iowa and was disappointed to find out that the school I would be attending in Cedar Falls did not have one. I kept looking and found a women’s club team in West Des Moines, also known as the Tigers. I joined and have been practicing with them ever since,” Yang said.

While Yang said she enjoys playing on her club team, she said she hopes to eventually establish a local team at the high school.

“Starting a team at CF is my ultimate goal right now. I am determined to make it happen and will keep working for it to be a success,” she said. “There are and will be some bumps in the road, but nothing that will stop me from doing my best to bring this amazing new sport to Cedar Falls.”

Yang’s plan to start a lacrosse team centers mostly around educating the students about the sport as a whole.

“My plans to recruit players at the high school involve a lot of clinics. I would like to set up specific days where girls can just come out and grab a stick and see what they think. No pressure, just a chance to learn a little bit about the sport and if they think that they would like it. Spreading the word by mouth is also how I’ve been gaining a lot of interest at the moment. I hope that when girls step out of their comfort zone and just toss the ball, they’ll love it just as much as I do,” Yang said.

Even if she can’t start a lacrosse team, Yang said she still hopes to spread awareness about the sport.

“I believe that lacrosse receives a lot of good recognition in most other states when it comes to being a sport; however, Iowa is definitely lacking this due to the low number of teams. Most people that I have talked to in Iowa have never heard about lacrosse or what it entails, so one of my goals is to change that,” Yang said.

Her passion for lacrosse has not only allowed her to meet new people, but it has pushed her out of her comfort zone.

“My favorite thing about being in lacrosse is the excitement that comes along with playing and the truly fun nature of the sport,” Yang said. “It’s such a unique game that not a lot of people get to experience, and I want to change that. I think that lacrosse is a blast and that everyone should be able to try it and love it if they want to.”

Those with questions about lacrosse, playing on the team or how they can help, should contact Marika Yang at 17maryan@student.cfschools.org.

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