Women's U20 Field
Player Profile: Charlotte Smith - Dancing to the Championships
Charlotte Smith, current midfielder for the U19 Canadian team that will be playing this August at the Women's Field World Championships, never turned back after she was enrolled onto her first lacrosse team. She was in the fourth grade when she watched one of her younger sister's lacrosse games. At the time, most of her interest was directed towards ballet.
Charlotte can still recall her mother saying to her, "Why aren't you out there? You can run, you've played soccer before, why don't you just play?"
It did not take long after that first experience that Charlotte found herself playing on her younger sister's team. She has three sisters, two of which also play lacrosse, so it wasn't odd whenever her parents would watch the Lacrosse World Cup, stream the U19 Championships and would mention trying out for Team Canada.
"We never really thought of it as reality because we think there are so many incredible players, so it was never super realistic that I would be out there," shared Charlotte, who holds dual Canadian and American citizenship.
That elusive perspective quickly changed into something more tangible when the 17-year-old transferred to the Hill Academy in Vaughn, Ontario. Her new coaches at the Hill Academy repeatedly encouraged Charlotte to apply for the Team Canada tryouts. Despite not really knowing what was going to happen or if she was going to make the team, she headed down for the first November evaluation camp with a few of her Hill Academy teammates.
Charlotte said the experience was very nerve-wracking at first, but she was still able to enjoy playing with the other talented athletes and learning from the knowledgeable and supportive coaches. After the first evaluation camp, she felt there was a lot she could take away from the Team Canada coaches and the whole experience.
"I think some of the biggest things are what the coaches have kept saying: it's all for the experience and you can't just focus the whole time you're here on making the team otherwise you're not going to enjoy it," she said. "So many people would want to be in this position, and it's such an honour."
Charlotte said the last two camps were very focused on specific tasks and how the girls could implement the instructions they are provided with. While at the camp it was also important for the girls to look beyond the competition and for them to begin building the team dynamics.
"I think we've done a good job at stepping out of our comfort zone with meeting new people and opening ourselves up to others so that we can have that good chemistry," Charlotte said. "You can't have a good team if there is no chemistry and bond between the players."
In order for Team Canada to be as successful at the World Cup as they were in 2015 when they won gold, the 18 girls who made the final roster will have to continue to pull together and work towards their common goal—to become the 2019 World Champions.
In a year from now, Charlotte will be playing at James Madison, located in Virginia, after she completes one more year of her post-graduate studies. She will be focusing on continuing her development as a field lacrosse athlete and trying to obtain a national championship title.
With many opportunities ahead of her, Charlotte is currently focused on seizing the 2019 U19 World Championships to its fullest. Her dream to step on the field as a Team Canada athlete will soon be reality. Now all she needs to do is follow her own lacrosse advice to "enjoy the experience, be present and have fun with it because who knows whether you're going to have this experience again."
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
