Student Spotlight

The March student spotlight is Ally Deladoval! Ally is a sophomore who enjoys playing Travel year round on the Excelsior Suffolk Games.

When did you start playing lacrosse? I started playing across in third grade.

Why did you start playing? I started playing because I had just quit dancing and I did not like soccer so I needed something new. At first I didn't like lacrosse though. 

What position do you play? I usually play defense.

What is the name of your club?  Excelsior Suffolk games

What are the excelsior suffolk games? Excelsior Suffolk games are teams that are made within New York that separate into different parts like Suffolk, Nassau and Deerpark for example. 

What was the try-out process like? Basically I had gone to Stony Brook University and there was an indoor facility there, so they split the tryouts into two sections. The first hour was a bunch of drills for both defense and offense, the second hour was strictly scrimaching of the teams they cut in half to determine who fit in the best spot. After the tryouts they would notify you in 20-24 hours if you had made the team or not. 

Where do you play your tournaments? They are all over, some are in Pennsylvania, some in New Jersey, some in Maryland.

What do you like most about Lacrosse? The bonds I get out of it, I love how in each different team I play on there are different families you spend time with. It’s good to have those relationships with people.

How are travel and school lax different? Well, to start off you're obviously going to different states to play against really good teams and it is more of just to help you get put out there for college to show coaches what you are capable of. School lacrosse is not just for winning but for new experiences in playoffs. I wouldn’t say a different mindset but it is more of an individual goal than a team goal. Travel is more to just showcase what you are doing.

What is the most important life lesson lacrosse has taught you? Probably that with effort you can get to a lot of places with the right mindset, you're able to do anything.