Mar
28
Keio HS Team Visits STA
March 28, 2011 | Comments Off
On Saturday, March 19, the St. Albans junior varsity lacrosse team welcomed a squad of 23 lacrosse players from Keio High School in Japan for a scrimmage between the two teams.
Every two years, the Keio team makes a trip to the United States for lacrosse and sight-seeing. In 2009, St. Albans travelled to the Gilman School in Baltimore to play Keio and Gilman. Because that experience was so rewarding and memorable for both Keio and St. Albans, coaches from the two schools stayed in touch and vowed to play again.
Keio’s trip was in jeopardy due to the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan a week before the team’s voyage. In the days afterwards, the Keio coaches informed head junior varsity coach Kyle Slatery that the Keio players did not lose any family members in the disaster, but acknowledged that the devastation took a huge emotional toll on the players. After giving the matter much thought, the team decided to go ahead with the scheduled trip, which had been planned a year in advance
Keio had not been able to practice since the earthquake; therefore, by the time they played the games in the United States, they had not played lacrosse for more than a week. In addition to St. Albans, Keio played against traditional powers Gilman School, Loyola, and St. Paul’s.
Prior to Saturday’s friendly contest, Coach Slatery graciously welcomed the visitors and then conducted a moment of silence at midfield. The teams then exchanged t-shirts from their respective schools, and the opening face-off ensued. An official score was not kept, although most onlookers said it was a close contest that may have been a tie.
Following the game, Coach Slatery and his squad provided a pizza lunch to the visitors and host team, and then led the teams down to Georgetown University for a college game, which the Keio students and coaches were eager to see.
The Keio coaches and parents in attendance extended a warm invitation for the St. Albans lacrosse team to make a spring break trip to Japan in 2012. STA coaches are excited about the possibility of a St. Albans varsity trip to Japan in 2012 and hope to pursue it with vigor in the months ahead!
For an account of Keio’s trip to the U.S., read the Baltimore Sun article.