Cradling friendship

The Baltimore Sun

The two lacrosse teams lined up across from each other at midfield. But instead of a scrimmage ending with a terse "good game," players from the Hero's Tournament Lacrosse Club and Caterham School taught one another their team cheers.

The Caterham Cats - visiting from the United Kingdom - giggled as their American opponents tried to mimic British accents.

And so it was Wednesday evening at Old Liberty Park in Sykesville, where the teams played for an hour, then began getting to know one another as a five-day international exchange began.

"Some teams that you play against, the girls are really mean and they're not talking when they're standing next to you," said Laura Lazas, 15, who attends Atholton High School. "But they were all talking and they were just really happy" to be here, she said.

The Hero's - 23 players from Howard, Carroll, and Baltimore counties - have gained a reputation as ambassadors of lacrosse. The 2010 team, all entering 10th grade this fall, hosted a British team for one day last year. This year's extended visit has several Hero's families putting up Caterham girls in their homes. Both teams are participating - in separate divisions - at the All Star Express tournament, which ends today at Kent Island High School.

Edwin Doran Sports Travel contacted Hero's assistant coach Maria Ruark about the exchange this year. "I jumped on that opportunity because the girls ... really enjoyed interacting with the team from England" last year, Ruark said.

Jess Roguski, head coach of Hero's 2010 team, said the exchange gives her players a taste of international experience. "If any of these girls, when they go onto college, want to play for the under-19 team or the national team, this [exchange] is kind of a mini version," said Roguski, who is an assistant coach at Loyola College.

Ruark and her 15-year-old twins, both players on the team, have Caterham players staying at their Marriottsville home. Daughter Brooke Carey, a sophomore at Liberty High in Eldersburg, said, "I'm actually really excited that they're coming here. ... Just learning more about them is going to be really cool."

While lacrosse does not have the following in England that it does in the Baltimore region, many British private schools have girls teams. "It's in pockets of the country. It's not that widely played, but it has a very loyal following," said Caterham head coach Anne Collins. "It's exploded over here [in the U.S.], and so many people would like to see it do the same in England."

Caterham School is in Surrey, south of London. The visiting girls will begin their senior year in the fall. With their lacrosse season starting in September, Collins said, "This is a good time to tour. It gives them a lot of motivation and enthusiasm."

The Cats' weeklong visit includes sightseeing, training and this weekend's tournament. The cost of the trip was about $4,000 per player, paid for by the girls' families and through fundraisers.

Before Wednesday night's scrimmage, Hero's Jenna Carey, 15, said, "I think it'll be very interesting because most of them are older than us. ... They could be more experienced, so I think it could be an opportunity to learn."

She complimented the British players who visited last year. "They had their fundamentals down. They could catch, throw. They knew the basics of lacrosse," Carey said.

Although the Caterham girls had the advantage of age, their hosts outplayed them. Collins, a physical education teacher who once played for England's national lacrosse team, said, "There were a lot of good things to take away from the game." Competing with a top American team "benefits our girls' play. It gives them a chance to play together, and they learn a lot from the competition ... [and the] slightly different style of play," she said.

The Cats were still getting used to their rented goggles, which are not required in England, during Wednesday's scrimmage. There was the heat to contend with, as well as unexpected surprises. On the sidelines, one Caterham player wondered if there were stinging insects in Maryland.

Anni Hickey, 17, is staying at Meghan Helm's home in Columbia. She said, "The lacrosse here is a lot better than in England. ... It's just so much harsher and quicker. No one drops the ball."

After the scrimmage, the girls had a cookout and pool party. "We were just kind of hanging out," said Hannah McKechnie, a West Friendship resident who attends McDonogh. "We talked about where they shop, what kind of stores they like to go to."

Helm, a sophomore at Notre Dame Prep, was surprised to learn that "they've never had a peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich." She added: "They were impersonating American accents, and we were impersonating English accents. ... We thought they sounded hilarious."

"We didn't really talk about lacrosse. We talked about pretty much everything else," said Lazas. "They listen to the same stuff we do. They do the same stuff in their free time. ... I wish I was hosting because they were all so nice."

Said McKechnie, who has two visitors staying with her: "They're really polite. They don't really ask for anything. You have to offer it to them. They're very reserved, but they're so sweet."

The Cats spent a few days sightseeing in the Baltimore-Washington area, and are scheduled to travel to Barbados on Tuesday to play. Collins takes her team on tour every other year. "For team cohesion, being away together - it's quite pressured traveling and playing, and it's quite good for team-building," she said.

Roguski said that hosting teams fits the Hero's philosophy. "It's a very friendly family atmosphere that this particular club presents," she said. Roguski singled out Ruark, who is also the club's administrative director, as "a big advocate for helping promote the game. So whenever hosting comes up ... she's always ready and willing."

Ruark already is planning next summer's exchange.

For the Maryland players, sharing time with their visitors taught them more about life than about the sport they have in common.

"The most surprising thing that I learned about them was how much they were just like us," said Lazas.

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