(photo obtained from the Skidmore Athletics Website)
Even though she considers lacrosse a big part of her life, especially because her dad played throughout his childhood and high school career, Emily Hirsch ‘21 never expected to play at the collegiate level. It wasn’t until she visited Skidmore and met the lacrosse coach and the players on the team did she decide she wanted to play in college. Now a senior on the Skidmore Women's Lacrosse team, Hirsch reflects on her experience playing at Skidmore and how the pandemic and an injury required a change in her role on the team.
Becoming a stand out player her freshman year, Hirsch quickly got to work. That season (2018), Hirsch finished third on the team with a total of 46 points, with 39 goals and seven assists. She earned Liberty League Rookie of the Week twice, made the All-Liberty League Second Team, was Liberty League Co-Rookie of the Year, and earned a spot on the IWLCA All-Empire Region Second Team.
This success continued her sophomore season where she made Liberty League Honor Roll, All-Liberty League First Team, and IWLCA All-Empire Region First Team. And her junior season was promising. However, like many spring athletes, Hirsch didn’t get a chance to play her junior season because of the pandemic.
When asked what it felt like to hear that students will not be returning to Skidmore after spring break, she responded, “that was insane. I think everyone was so heartbroken. I feel like everyone on my team, when we heard athletics and the school were on a hold, we were all confident that we were going to be able to get back on the field.”
As for this season, Hirsch describes how, because she had hip surgery over break, she had to switch her role on the team from a player to more of a leader. “We have a really interesting dynamic this year. We only have a few upperclassmen, so there are only three seniors and one junior and the rest of the team are very inexperienced underclassmen. So I feel like I've just taken on a new mom role helping out.”
This new role has been important in integrating the underclassman onto the team and also allowed Hirsch to have a different perspective about lacrosse. “I would say that patience in general is a big thing. Also, realizing that things don’t always work out the way you want it to and there’s a reason for that. I remember in high school, one of my friends tore her ACL and she was just miserable through it all. And she definitely took it out on the team and I knew I didn’t want to do that.”
However, Hirsch still feels disappointed to be missing her senior season, especially since she went abroad Fall 2020, and was only on campus for a couple of weeks before being sent home last spring. “I was really upset that I wouldn't be able to play my senior year and I missed most of my junior year. Our team has always been very close and last year we lost about 11 seniors, I believe. I've played with those girls since my freshman year and just knowing I would never play with them or see them again definitely hit home.”
But that didn’t stop Hirsch from enjoying her senior season and having fun with her team, which she acknowledges has to happen in a different format than years prior. One of the hardest challenges, as Hirsch explains, is getting to know everyone on the team, due to the restrictions. “I was expecting that the team would be a lot closer, but there are just so many rules, and you can have only so many people at your house. I'm just trying to get the team involved, but building chemistry is hard, and I think in the fall they'll definitely be able to do that better.”
Looking back at her past four years playing at Skidmore, Hirsch recounts her favorite and most memorable moments for the team. One such moment came her sophomore year in a game against Haverford College in Florida. “The team became nationally ranked after that game. And I think that was our best year. Our chemistry was amazing. We were just playing really well as a team. And I think that was just a super exciting time, you know, I think it was the first time that the Skidmore Women's Lacrosse team has ever been ranked and yeah, that just helped us with the rest of the season. And we made it pretty far that year.”
She also mentions how she also found value in games where the team lost. She describes a game her sophomore year where the team lost to William Smith at home on senior day 15-4. “I think we just picked it up after that and learned from it. We really figured out what we did wrong and then we actually had to play them the following week for Liberty league. But, we ended up having a much closer game. So I would say that game was just super important. Just learning how we could play better as a team and listening to each other.”
In a game, Hirsch tends to focus on herself and makes sure her head is in the right place. “This sounds super selfish. I don't know. I try not to be nervous. I just try to remind myself that I'm starting for a reason, but to remember to play as a team. But if I go in with nerves, it's hard to get them away. So I just try to remember to be confident.”
Further, the past four years and her entire lacrosse career has taught her skills such as time management, leadership and communication, as well as how to be a better teammate and friend. These skills, as Hirsch explains, were important for success in the classroom and balancing her life throughout college. “I would say each lacrosse period, whether it was middle school or high school, it's like a stepping stone to my next path of life. I've created great lasting friendships through it.”
As for her future plans, Hirsch plans to work in a financial services business consulting program with Ernst & Young starting in the Fall. As for lacrosse, Hirsch doesn’t have any immediate plans to play. “I would have loved to play lacrosse in graduate school because I have 2 years of eligibility because of covid and my hip surgery, it would have been my back up plan if I didn’t get a job. I would have loved to have gotten the opportunity to play lacrosse again with friends from my hometown if it worked out.”