Local lacrosse players Jordyn Vaughn, Carolynn Barashkoff, Sydney Landdeck, Aenne Thom and Hailey Carlin have traveled over the years to numerous tournaments in the Pacific Northwest and across the country.
But none of those experiences quite compare to the trip they took last month.
As part of the Puget Sound Select girls lacrosse program, the five Snohomish County players journeyed to England for the World Cup Lacrosse Festival, a mid-July event held in the London suburb of Guildford that included an under-19 tournament with teams from around the world.
The festival was held in conjunction with the Federation of International Lacrosse Women’s World Cup, which offered participants a chance to meet some of the world’s greatest female lacrosse players and watch them compete at the highest level.
“It was an opportunity of a lifetime,” Vaughn said. “I’ve never left the country before, so getting to travel like that and see a bunch of different things was a really cool experience. It was more than just a tournament. And seeing the U.S. women’s (national) team — that was amazing.”
Vaughn is a recent Snohomish High School graduate, while Thom (Glacier Peak), Barashkoff (Archbishop Murphy) and Landdeck (Everett) will be seniors this fall at their respective high schools. All four players competed on the PSS “Elite” team, which took third place out of 18 teams in the festival’s under-19 tournament.
PSS also brought a younger “Devo” team that played in the same tournament and included Carlin, an incoming Meadowdale freshman.
“Both teams did really well,” said PSS coach Tami Tommila, who played in three World Cups with the Canadian national team and served as team captain in the 1997 Cup. “The East Coast (American) teams that we played — they were so impressed that we beat some of them. I think that our program represented really well.”
In addition to facing several teams from the United States, the PSS squads played teams from countries such as England, Wales, Germany and Japan. Facing competition from around the globe allowed them to experience different playing styles — such as England’s proficient close-quarters passing attack.
“It was cool, because it was a different type of play from playing teams from the states,” Vaughn said. “England would make passes that we wouldn’t expect them to make, so we had to adjust pretty quickly to that.”
Another difference was the international rules, which allow for more contact. The PSS teams also had to acclimate to some opponents communicating in a foreign language.
“You’re used to being able to hear the other team, what they’re saying and adjust to that,” Vaughn said. “Not being able to hear them at all was pretty interesting.”
Though much of the trip was spent playing lacrosse, some of the most memorable moments came from attending the World Cup matches, which took place in the same complex as the festival.
“I stopped and looked at my teammates’ expressions when we first entered the World Cup and saw all of the nations’ flags, the fields and just all the different people,” Barashkoff said. “And I think that was my favorite moment — to see everyone’s face just light up and see their dreams come to life.”
The PSS teams attended several World Cup matches and had front-row seats for a pool-play contest between the United States and Canada, which turned out to be a preview of the gold-medal match.
“It was almost unreal to see them, how they play and (be) so close to them,” Thom said. “The way that they play is so pretty, but still has a sense of power to it.”
PSS players got to meet players from various national teams, including Canadian team captain Dana Dobbie. Some players, such as Vaughn, met a few members of the eventual champion U.S. national team.
“I was kind of star-struck and didn’t really know what to say,” Vaughn said of her encounter with U.S. players. “I was kind of quiet when they were talking, because I was just like, ‘Oh my goodness. These are my idols and they’re standing right in front of me.’ It was pretty cool.”
Thom even struck up a lengthy conversation with a player from the Israeli national team, which was staying in the same hotel.
“I ran into one of the players in the hallway and we had this long talk about where she’s from and how she got into the sport,” Thom said. “(We) sat on the floor for like an hour — just talking. It was just amazing to connect with someone who, without (that) opportunity, (I) would never have met.”
Even with the busy lacrosse-filled slate, PSS squeezed in time for sightseeing. The teams spent an evening touring London, hitting landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, the Big Ben clock tower and London Bridge. They also made a short jaunt to iconic Stonehenge, an ancient circle of massive, standing stones.
“You see this stuff on postcards and in movies and stuff,” Thom said. “Seeing it in reality was just such a shocker.”
Barashkoff said the entire trip was “surreal” and an “amazing experience.”
“I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” Barashkoff said. “We got such a rare opportunity to do this. (The World Cup) comes every four years, and we’re only in high school once. I was so grateful and blessed to be able to travel to a foreign country and be there with such an amazing team.”
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