3 minute read
Sadie Ward ’23
Athletic Leader
Junior Sadie Ward loves to play lacrosse and was looking for a way to share her passion with others as part of her National Honor Society service project. So, this past September, she and her friend Greta Hines planned and hosted a lacrosse clinic at Grier Heights Community Center for 20 girls ranging from elementary to high school age. Many had never picked up a stick before.
“I have so much love for this sport, but I never would have found this passion if I hadn’t been given the opportunity for lacrosse to be introduced to me,” says Sadie, who has played on Country Day’s varsity team since her freshman year. “I wanted other girls to be able to explore a sport that may be new to them.”
During the clinic Sadie and Greta used games to teach the girls basic skills like catching, throwing, and cradling the ball while running. While it was challenging to keep such a large group engaged, it was also rewarding. “A few of the girls were super into it asking us for more skills and drills,” explains Sadie. “This moment was definitely the most rewarding because I knew that feeling when you are introduced to something you never knew about and now want to pursue it.”
Since age six, Sadie was very involved in ballet. But in seventh grade, she decided to pursue team sports instead. After making the Middle School lacrosse team, she remembers, “I would do wall ball after school and get my dad to throw the ball really fast to help me with my hand-eye coordination. Toward the end of my eighth-grade season I had seriously improved and could see how all my practice had paid off.”
Sadie’s passion for lacrosse grew even stronger when the eighth-grade team was invited to practice with Country Day’s JV and varsity teams. “I remember that practice so vividly and how impressed I was with the players and coaches,” she says.
Coach Kristy Boyles sent Sadie’s mom, Jenny, an e-mail that evening expressing how well the practice had gone. “I felt so grateful to have someone give me that confidence and support,” remembers Sadie. Later that summer, Sadie was invited to join the traveling team for the Queen City Stars, the lacrosse club team directed by Coach Boyles, where her skills improved so rapidly, she earned a starting position on the varsity team her freshman year.
"As a sophomore I felt more confident in my leadership role on attack; even though I was playing with girls one to two years older than me, I was voicing my opinions and strategies. This year, as a junior, I feel fully confident in my leadership role on the team, but also off the field in school settings and at club lacrosse. Coach Boyles has greatly influenced my confidence and leadership abilities while supporting my academic and athletic goals.”
In addition to Coach Boyles, Sadie is equally grateful to retired Coach Ed Burnam, who still supports the team regularly at practice. “He lifts me up when I’m having a bad game and knows how to get me refocused when I’m in my head too much.”
“Both coaches have equally influenced me as a player and as a person and I owe my lacrosse success to them both.”
