By Gretchen Teske
College athletes know that breaks do not often apply to them. Over Spring Break, the women’s lacrosse team took a trip to Minnesota then ended the week in Iowa. While the rest of the college began their break on Saturday, the team was hitting the field to get warmed up for the week ahead. The work did not stop there as they were back at it again on Sunday before the 7AM wake up call on Monday morning. At 8AM sharp everyone boarded the bus to get the week started.
The seven hour bus ride began as all 17 members of the team, coaches, trainer, and athletes, settled in. The first stop was made at Cracker Barrel in Wisconsin Dells for lunch before the journey began again. Later that evening, a trip was made to the Mall of America for shopping and rides. After several roller coasters and countless stores were visited, the evening ended back at the hotel.
Tuesday started off early with breakfast at the hotel before the cougars faced the Hamline Pipers at the Augsburg dome. Unfortunately the Pipers took home the victory with a 16-1 win. The evening continued with another trip to the Mall of America before re-uniting back at the hotel for games and laughter. The team bonded over performing skits and a pizza party before resting up for their next attempt at a victory.
Wednesday started off early again with breakfast at Denny’s before the lady cougars met the Northwestern University eagles for a strong matchup. The game remained close with the Cougars tying the score 10-10 late in the second half. With just over a minute remaining on the clock, the eagles scored, leading the game by one point. On the next draw, the cougars drew a yellow card giving the eagles the opportunity to score again with just sixteen seconds left on the clock. The game ended with a heart-wrenching 10-12 loss to the lady cougars before they were on their way back home to prepare for the next game.
Thursday was a day of rest before a day of practicing and competition on Friday. After their afternoon practice left several sunburnt, the group reassembled in the locker room to prepare for the first ever CUCCCC: Concordia University Chicago Cougars Chopped Championship. The team split into three smaller groups, team Twizzler, Hamburgler, and the Spice Girls, who were given $15, twenty minutes to shop, and an hour to cook. Team Twizzler was challenged to make an appetizer using apples, the Spice Girls a dessert using sour cream, and the Hamburglers a side dish with potatoes. After tough competition and confirmation from the judges, the Spice Girls were awarded first place for their marshmallow fruit salad.
Saturday started out much like the beginning of the week with an early wake up call and bus trip. However, this time the lady cougars were looking to take on the Wartburg College knights of Waverly, Iowa. After a tough fight, the cougars headed home with a loss of 5-20. With the week officially over, the team used the next day for rest before hitting the field again on Monday to prepare for the next game. Although the team faced challenges over the week, they refuse to give up and continue to work for each other until a victory is won.
