Wilde Lake sports allow first-time athletes to explore new sports at a high level, building confidence and creating new opportunities. Before coming to Wilde Lake, freshman Natalie Morrissey had never held a lacrosse stick before. Now, she plays on the Varsity Girls’ lacrosse team.

Some Wilde Lake sports, including field hockey and lacrosse, do not cut athletes during tryouts. This lets incoming freshmen, or even some upperclassmen, to try out a new sport without the pressure of having to excel at the sport. Wilde Lake has allowed first- time athletes Natalie and Michelle Boukanov to explore new sports and achieve athletic success.

Natalie says she tried out for the lacrosse team because she had friends trying out for the sport. Having some experience playing basketball and soccer, she decided to try something new.

However, she says the beginning of her journey playing lacrosse wasn’t easy.

“I felt nervous because I had never used a lacrosse stick before and I was still learning to handle the stick,” she said.

Instead of giving up, she decided to put in the effort to improve. Natalie says she practiced her stick skills outside of scheduled practices and really improved her technique.

During scheduled practices, the Wilde Lake lacrosse team not only gave Natalie the opportunity to try something new, but it allowed her to form relationships with her teammates, making her more of a team player.

“Bonding with the team helped me grow comfortable with everyone, which helped me play better with the team,” she said.

Her team bonding efforts and extensive practice paid off. Natalie was quickly moved from the Junior Varsity team to the Varsity team, where she was able to show off her new stick skills on the field.

Wilde Lake gives opportunities to athletes beyond their freshmen year. Michelle Boukanov joined the Girls’ field hockey team at the beginning of her junior year.

Michelle tried out for the team because her friends encouraged her to join. Despite having the encouragement of her friends, she says stepping on the field was nerve wracking because she was scared of “disappointing others.”

Michelle says she felt like she was “behind everyone else” because she did not play her freshman and sophomore year.

Despite her fears, the Wilde Lake field hockey team made Michelle feel more confident in her skills as a player with its supportive environment.

“My coaches and my friends always supported me and they taught me [how to play],” she said. “They walked me through everything and when I did something good, they complimented me, and that helped me keep working towards my goals.” 

For Michelle, field hockey was not only a sport, but an opportunity for fun and growth at the same time. 

“I really have fun on the field,” Michelle said. “I also learned that everything is going to be hard at first, but if you dedicate your time to it, it’ll become easier the more time you spend working towards your goals.” 

Wilde Lake allows athletes like Natalie and Michelle to try out new sports, which Michelle says she is grateful for. 

“I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to play on a team with experienced teammates who encouraged me to work harder,” said Michelle. 

Unlike other schools, Michelle says Wilde Lake allows new athletes to learn and grow, which is an important aspect of the Wilde Lake community. 

“When students aren’t given the chance to play sports they are not interested in, they don’t have the chance to grow and learn,” Michelle said.