Women's U20 Field

Player Profile: Brooklyn Walker-Welch - Box Lacrosse to Field Lacrosse

In 2017, Brooklyn Walker-Welch had a background in boys field and box lacrosse, but she had never touched a girls field lacrosse stick before. Now at 16 years old, she is a member of the 2019 Canadian Women's U19 Field Lacrosse Team.

When Brooklyn Walker-Welch was four, her grandfather wanted to sign her up for lacrosse. Brooklyn's mother told him that he would need to coach her team. So, Brooklyn's grandfather drove from Scarborough, Ontario to Whitby, Ontario every week to coach her house league boy's lacrosse team.

Brooklyn played boys rep box lacrosse with the Clarington Gaels as a defensive player from Tyke to until her bantam year.

"I also played boy's field lacrosse as a long pole under the direction of Chris Edmondson who was instrumental in drawing out my talent for 11 years with the Ontario Lacrosse Association as one of the only girls playing with the boys," said Brooklyn. "During those 11 years, I joined the US Boys Field Lacrosse Travel Team ‘Hardcor' and spent free weekends throughout the year travelling and competing in the US as a long pole."

At 12 years old, she played for Team Ontario and had her first taste of female box lacrosse. When she was 15, she began playing for the midget girls team with Whitby Minor Lacrosse.

In the summer of 2017, Brooklyn tried out for Team Ontario's U17 field lacrosse team even though she'd never held a girls field lacrosse stick or played a women's field lacrosse game before. She made it to the final cut but didn't make the team because she didn't have a history of playing the game. She took this to heart and made it a priority to learn women's field lacrosse.

"By fall of 2017 I was playing for a US travel team, Team 51 under the direction of Carolyn Toll and Tamara Williamson and they taught me the game, the ins and outs and pushed me to my limits," said Brooklyn. "By fall of 2017 I was offered the opportunity to go to the Hill Academy to pursue women's field lacrosse and started my second semester in 2018 playing full time.  I then tried out as a minor for the U19 Team Ontario for women's field lacrosse and made it, and also brought home the gold medal in 2018."

Now she is hoping to bring home a gold medal for Team Canada.

"Making the team for me is the most exciting part of my lacrosse career yet. From two years ago, having never touching a girls field lacrosse stick to eventually becoming named a member of team Canada," shared Brooklyn, who will be wearing ‘lucky number seven' on the field.

"I am most excited to play new teams from different countries being able to compete and play among them. Also creating lifetime memories that will never be forgotten."

About the Canadian Lacrosse Association     

Founded in 1867, the Canadian Lacrosse Association (CLA) is the governing body responsible for all aspects of lacrosse in Canada. Our organization is comprised of 10 Member Associations representing nearly 85,000 individual participants, including coaches, officials, and athletes of all ages and abilities. The CLA's mission is to honour the sport of lacrosse and its unique nation-building heritage, by engaging our members, leading our partners, and providing opportunities for all Canadians to participate. The CLA oversees the delivery of numerous national championships and the participation of Team Canada at all international events sanctioned by the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL). The CLA is proud to be affiliated with partners that share the same vision and values, including our corporate partners - New Balance Athletics, Warrior Sports, NormaTec Recovery Systems, Canadian Red Cross, Westjet, RockTape, OPRO and Baron Rings - as well as our funding partners the Government of Canada, the Coaching Association of Canada, and the Canadian Lacrosse Foundation. For more information on Canadian Lacrosse Association and the sport of lacrosse, visit our website at www.lacrosse.ca and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

For more information, please contact:
 

Victoria Klassen

Communications and Marketing Coordinator
Canadian Lacrosse Association
Phone: 613-260-2028 ext. 302
Email: victoria@lacrosse.ca