The Cheetahs, a collaboration of District 202 high school students, kicked off girl’s lacrosse season on Feb. 26.
“We practice at Plainfield East and then we have our home games at Plainfield South,” coach Ashley Hornig said.
Coming off a solid season where they finished right around .500 and made the playoffs, they are looking to take the next step forward as a team as well as individual players.
“I will hopefully improve my skills at practices every day and push myself to be better,” East senior Gaby Paredes said.
In addition to representation from all schools, there is a mixture of players of different ages and experience.
“We have a lot of players who are really more advanced in lacrosse, and we have a lot of players who are brand new to the sport,” Hornig said. “ There’s a lot of teaching and learning at the beginning and having those upperclassmen help the rest of the team. I think lacrosse is in such a unique position right now where we do have so many new players, and it’s really awesome to get to see their growth from the start to the end of the season.”
Though the team is a combination of all four high schools, teammates still find ways to bond with each other.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone because I just moved here, so I’m just trying to get to know more people,” North junior Hana Syed said.
There are certain difficulties the team may face throughout the season. Developing as a player requires learning skills such as passing, throwing, catching and cradling and is complicated to master.
“I would say the biggest thing is just getting skills down just because we have a lot of new players, and lacrosse is kind of a new sport in this area,” Hornig said. “If we don’t have those basic skills down, it’s hard to successfully execute in game.”
The Cheetahs are looking to accomplish their goals this upcoming season as well as have a great team spirit.
“I think my biggest things are that my players are working hard, they are dedicated, they have some ambition and a will to learn,” Hornig said, “I hope they come into this season with a lot of positivity and energy. My goal is to have a really positive team who uplifts each other up.”
