McIntosh senior Kelsie Alonso is a very athletic individual. Last semester she finished her last season of basketball as part of the varsity team and this semester she is currently playing on the varsity lacrosse team. She has a good bit of experience in both sports, having played basketball since she was young and starting lacrosse in eighth grade.
“I would say that a lot of stuff from basketball translates over to lacrosse, especially defense. It’s really similar in the [movements]. Same with offensive plays. I would just say, I don’t know how to explain it, but in lacrosse we do zone defenses and it’s kind of similar for basketball too,” Alonso said.
However, there are some differences between the two sports that Alonso points out.
“I think basketball is a lot more quick paced. But with lacrosse, I feel like you have to have more endurance. I play midfield and so I definitely have to have more endurance for lacrosse,” Alonso said.
She describes balancing sports and other aspects of her life as hard sometimes.
“[Managing my time] has definitely gotten stressful, but I feel like as I’ve gotten older, it’s been easier,” Alonso said.
So far, Alonso has enjoyed playing this season because of her dynamic with her team.
“I think our team is really close this year, so it makes it a lot more fun. So practices can be fun and then we have a lot more tough games this year, so just moving past those and continuing on [is our goal],” Alonso said.
To anyone who has not seen a lacrosse game before, Alonso’s advice is to just enjoy the ride.
“It can definitely be confusing with the rules and stuff, but it’s really fun to watch,” Alonso said.
The team has had some highlights of this season, including a goal that was recently reached.
“We beat Starr’s Mill [in a game] for the first time in ten years, which was a really big deal. We haven’t beat Starr’s Mill in any sport. And so it was really cool because my last time playing [against] them, we beat them,” Alonso said.
To anyone who is looking to get into the sport, Alonso advises to just try it.
“There’s nothing to lose. You might as well try. I think that the lacrosse and basketball teams are really fun. All the girls that play are really nice and I didn’t start lacrosse until I was way older, but I’m doing completely fine now,” Alonso said.
