Grassroots training session at Portsmouth Naval Base

My idea of sport is iPod on and a long run on a treadmill.  I never have been a sporty person and team sports never interested me in the slightest.  On deployments I would moan through a whole game of netball I’d been persuaded to play or lie to the Physical Training Instructor that I was duty on the gangway when the female sports fixtures came out – talk about miserable!

When I joined Navy Command, I was happy that my boss was keen on fitness and would give me plenty of time to go to the gym.  Every lunchtime I would put in my iPod and off id go in my own world, just me, my music and no one bothering me, again how miserable?

During my joining interview with my new boss he came up with a bright idea (I could actually see the light bulb above his head); there was a buzz of excitement in his voice and as he explained his big plan I could feel myself melting into my chair.  Lt Cdr Dan Weil is a very keen lacrosse player and chairman of the Royal Navy Lacrosse Association and thought it would be great to give me a project of introducing the sport to women in the Navy.  I was unconsciously smiling and nodding away however all I could think of was “what on earth is Lacrosse”?  His sell was “you don’t have to do it but I really would like you too”.  How could I have said no, I was new to the office and had to be all keen and ready to impress.

So I agreed to take on the challenge of organising a whole afternoon for ladies in the Royal Navy to come along for a couple of hours and play a sport that I had to Google to find out what it was.  After some research about Lacrosse and phone calls the English Lacrosse Association I started to enjoy the task that had been set.  Posters were distributed across the Fleet, messages where placed online and I had great support from local gym staff who agreed to have the afternoon on a Tuesday when Portsmouth Flotilla sport take place.

A professional Lacrosse coach from the English Lacrosse Association, Rachel Campbell, was booked to come along for the taster afternoon and I was getting slow but good response from women who wanted to come along and have a go at something new.  When things started falling into place I was getting as excited as my boss about Lacrosse and looked forward to the afternoon instead of dreading it.

On 31st January we had a good turn out which was surprising because I had nightmares that after all the effort I had put in no one was going to turn up and I would have been really gutted to have let Lt Cdr Weil down.  About fifteen ladies turned up and we had so much fun; Rachel taught us the rules of Lacrosse, showed tricks with the equipment and got some fierce competition going.  She was very good at teaching the basics and we picked up the game pretty quickly.  Ok, at first there were sticks and balls flying all over the gym, people crashing into each other and tripping but it all added to the fun of the afternoon.  There were some players who were better than others – LH Claire Naylor had no hand-eye coordination at all but she did get stuck in on the final match and surly by fluke caught every ball to score four goals.

By the end of the session there was some showing off by some of the girls which was quite impressive.  Near the end of the day there were some red faces and huffing and puffing after the two hours but we all still had big smiles on our faces.  The afternoon was a brilliant success and greatly enjoyed by all of us who took part, including myself.  None of the girls really knew each other before the session but by the end we were all laughing together, it was a nice way to get people off their ships or from behind their desks and mixing with each other.

I would describe Lacrosse as a fun, energetic and hugely enjoyable sport.  People who didn’t know about the afternoon or just couldn’t be bothered (like the old me) definitely missed out on the chance to learn something new, meet new people and have fun.

As for me I would really like to encourage women in the Navy to volunteer in the sports that are organised you never know you might just enjoy it!

Post event note from Lt Cdr Dan Weil:

Lacrosse in the RN is a growing sport.  A fun yet physical game that can be played by men, women and mixed teams, the RN Lacrosse Association provides grassroots coaching and Inter Service and Combined Service opportunities to compete in various tournaments and leagues.  Beginners are especially welcome with all kit, coaching and encouragement provided free of charge!  To find out more about RN lacrosse contact Lt Cdr Dan Weil ([email protected]) or go to www.pdevportal.co.uk/sports/lacrosse.