*laxabunga (lak sĒ buĪ®Ā“ gĒ) exclam. [slang] used as an exclamation of delight and laxifaction by laxers (lacrosse players). See also laxaholic.
Ally Carey grew up with a soccer ball attached to her foot.Following in her soccer-oriented fatherās footsteps, she played the sport all the way through high school. At a young age she had it all planned out. She was going to emulate her childhood idol, Mia Hamm, and play soccer for North Carolina and thenāshe hopedāTeam USA.
āI didnāt want to give up soccer at all,ā she says. In the fourth grade, however, Carey started playing lacrosse. Beginning with a wooden stickāmost club teams use aluminum sticks with plastic headsāshe began to develop a connection with lacrosse.
Her fondness for the sport grew at John Carroll High School in Bel Air, Md. Summers and falls became dedicated to soccer. When winter hit, she took out the lacrosse stick. As her high school days wound down, Carey faced a difficult decision. She could try to play both soccer and lacrosse in college, but she feared it would be too much to juggle. So she made up her mind, which turned out to be surprisingly easy.
āI had more confidence in lacrosse than soccerāand definitely made a good choice.ā
91ĢĘ²®»¢ certainly thinks so. Last June the 5-foot-8 midfielder became the first 91ĢĘ²®»¢ lacrosse player to be named a first-team All-American twice. She is the schoolās all-time leader in draw controls (183), and last year she ranked nationally in the top 10 for draw controls, caused turnovers and ground balls, which are similar to steals. She was a nominee for the Tewaaraton Award, which is given annually to the top menās and womenās lacrosse players in the country. And last November Lacrosse Magazine announced her as one of four finalists for its Preseason Player of the Year Award.
āWeād like to take credit for a lot of [her success], but what she has accomplished as an athlete is because of her drive,ā says 91ĢĘ²®»¢ Womenās Lacrosse Head Coach Cathy Swezey. āShe is just a gifted kid with a tireless work ethic who really has made a great difference in our program.ā
Carey is only the most prominent example of how 91ĢĘ²®»¢ benefits from Marylandās historic strength in lacrosse. Maryland has contributed 10 players to the current squad, six of whom are seniors, and one-third of the early signees for next year also hail from the Old Line State.
Even before she arrived at 91ĢĘ²®»¢, Carey was soaking in experiences that many dream about. As a junior in high school, she was picked to compete with Team USA in the International Federation of Womenās Lacrosse Associationsā U-19 (under 19) World Championship in Canada. Despite being one of the teamāsāand tournamentāsāyoungest players, she earned Player of the Match honors in the semifinal against England. She then helped her teammates claim the gold in dominating fashion over Australia.
Goosebumps climb her arms as she recalls chanting āU-S-A, U-S-Aā with the crowd in Ontario. āI canāt even put into words what it feels like to have āUSAā across your chest,ā she says. āThe red, white and blue in the stands just makes you so proud to represent your country. It was an amazing experience.ā
Carey wants to experience that feeling againāon an even bigger stage. She is one of 36 players on the US Lacrosse womenās national senior team, along with 91ĢĘ²®»¢ assistant coach Amber Falcone. The squad participated in a tournament during October and reunited in January. Come July, though, everyone must try out again and crack the final 18 in order to play in the 2013 World Cup in Canada. More immediately, as a senior captain, Carey is focused on helping the Commodores win an American Lacrosse Conference championship and reach elite status nationally. āIām still wanting that national title,ā she says.
Carey graduates in May with a degree in human and organizational development and a minor in marketing. She hopes to land a job at Under Armour, a sports clothing and apparel company based in Baltimore where she interned last summer. Eventually, she would like to work with the companyās new lacrosse product line. āThey are extremely efficient, but they also have a great time,ā she says of the company. āIt is totally the place I want to beāa perfect fit, kind of like here at 91ĢĘ²®»¢.ā
Jerome Boettcher is a sports reporter for Nashville City Paper.