Catching Up with Rachel Lifson

2/4/2022

Lacrosse practice had ended a half-hour earlier, and Rachel Lifson was more than happy, at long last, to be inside.

The temperature on the University of Louisville campus was a frigid seven degrees, and she and her teammates, who were eagerly anticipating their season opener at the University of Colorado in Boulder 16 days hence, were both honing their craft and acclimating to the weather.

Still, it was cold, really cold, but Rachel, a 2019 Collegiate graduate, was undaunted.

How does one manage in such conditions? I wondered.

“Dress warm,” she said with a laugh. “Make sure I have gloves on because my hands were definitely cold today.”

Of course, but there’s more.

“I take pride in having a good attitude,” she continued. “Even if it’s the worst conditions of the year, I find

someone to make laugh. I try to think about other people rather than how bad whatever we’re doing is. We all have to be out there, so it’s keeping a good attitude.”

That, folks, is the essence of Rachel, a three-sport (field hockey and basketball in addition to her specialty) athlete who committed to the Cardinals as a high school sophomore and never wavered, despite a coaching change (from Kelly Young to Scott Teeter) a year before she arrived.

At Collegiate, she was recognized as All-League of Independent Schools, All-VISAA, and US Lacrosse All-American. As a senior, she was cited by US Lacrosse as the Central Virginia recipient of the Jackie Pitts Award, which honors athletes “who go above and beyond in service to their team, school, and community.”

Her Covid-truncated freshman season at Louisville, she appeared in four games, all as a midfielder, her position since she first played the sport as a first-grader. As a sophomore, she played in 14 (including two as a starter), mostly as a draw-control specialist, although her overall playing time increased as the spring progressed. A junior who’s on schedule to graduate in 2023 with a major in exercise science and minor in sports administration, she has three seasons of eligibility remaining.

What follows are her thoughts about her Collegiate experience, her transition to a Power 5, Atlantic Coast Conference lacrosse program, and life in general.

Why Louisville?

When I began my recruiting process, I emailed pretty much every school in the top 25. Louisville was one of those schools I emailed because they’re ACC and I’ve followed the ACC my entire life. Louisville definitely wasn’t in the forefront, but they reached out to me. My family and I really thought about it. When we visited, I fell in love with it the minute I stepped on campus. It had a big sports feel for me. It also has one of the best programs for what I want to study in the country, so it checked all the boxes.

Speak about the transition from the LIS and your club team (Capital Lacrosse) to DI.

I’ll be honest. I thought I was prepared. I did everything in my summer packet for working out. Nothing can prepare you for the first few weeks of workouts. It was definitely the toughest thing I’d ever had to do.

What made the transition so hard?

Definitely the speed. The speed of ACC lacrosse was so much higher than I’d ever seen before. The expectations for just how you carry the ball were so much higher. Now I’m totally comfortable with it, but those first few months, especially when you don’t know anything about the drills or the plays, were a little overwhelming. They throw a lot at you those first few weeks, on purpose. They want to see if you can handle it, but you just have to grind.

Coming back for my sophomore year, I knew what to expect. That was so helpful. I was totally relaxed because I knew what I needed to do to come back prepared. Now, it’s awesome being an upperclassman. I’m just there to help these freshmen, which is great.

Is culture shock a fair term to describe your entry into college lacrosse?

Absolutely. Your freshman year, you spend a lot of the time trying to prove yourself. Now, my coaches know me, my teammates know me, and I know what I’m capable of. I’m still working on improving myself every day, but it’s not as nerve wracking as it was freshman year.

Did you ever have a what-am-I-doing-here? moment?

I always knew I was in the right place. I had multiple meetings throughout the year with my coaches, and I got really close with them. Any time I had any kind of doubts whatsoever, they confirmed they wanted me there. I had a few older girls ahead of me in my position which is tough going from high school where you’re playing every minute of every game to sitting on the bench pretty much freshman year. They told me to keep working hard and be ready when my number’s called. They never made me feel like I wasn’t in the right place, which is amazing to feel.

How about your preparation academically?

Collegiate was the best preparation I could have had coming into college. I was challenged, but my freshman year was mostly gen ed classes, and I never had any trouble with them and haven’t had trouble since. My freshman year in English class, I knew how to write a paper and a lot of people didn’t. It was that kind of thing I never really thought about in high school. I’m so thankful for that every day. I’d also mastered my time management skills. A lot of people had trouble with that, too.

What makes lacrosse fun?

I just love the game: the fast pace, the camaraderie, the team aspect. I’m surrounded by girls who not only push me to be a better athlete and person, but they’re also my best friends. To be able to spend three to four hours a day with them is something I really love.

At Collegiate, you were with people you’d known almost all your life. How was the adjustment to new teammates?

It was definitely a change, for sure, coming in as a freshman and having people from literally all over the world on our team. I’m so extroverted. Always have been. I was so excited to meet new people. It was another reason that was drawing me farther away and out of my comfort zone. I love meeting new people touching all parts of the globe. Our entire coaching staff is Canadian. It’s pretty cool learning about everyone’s background.

What would you tell a kid interested in playing at the college level?

Don’t specialize too soon. Play all the sports you want through high school. Just make sure you never lose track of the fun of it. There’re days when I feel like it’s all too much and it’s so hard and we’re going six out of seven days in a row or it’s seven degrees outside and we have to practice. Just remind yourself you’re doing it because you love the sport.

~Weldon Bradshaw

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