Lacrosse has been a big part of Lucie Poulin’s life. The Marblehead High standout and her mom, Margaret Poulin, had spent a lot of time traveling for tournaments, and Margaret was emotional after Lucie’s final tournament last summer.
“After the last tournament of the summer, (my mom) said ‘you know, this doesn’t have to be the last one,’” Lucie, who graduated from Marblehead in the spring, said.
Margaret had one more trip in mind, and it was the biggest of all. In October, the two headed for Dublin, Ireland so Lucie could try out for the Irish National women’s lacrosse team. If she made the team, she’d represent Ireland in the 2017 Women’s Lacrosse World Cup in Surrey, England.
The World Cup hosts teams from every corner of the world, and the eligibility requirements vary from country to country. For Ireland, players must be a maximum of two generations removed from the country. Poulin’s grandmother (Margaret’s mother) was born in Waterford County, Ireland, and Lucie says she grew up with strong Irish influences.
“Heritage is really important to my mom and I,” Poulin said. “I grew up with my grandma’s Irish accent and her Irish tendencies. It never crossed my mind to take action with it and explore Ireland and all it has to offer, though.”
So Poulin agreed to give the tryouts a shot, despite not feeling too confident.
“I thought I was never going to make it,” Poulin said, who’d only been outside the country once before her first trip to Dublin. “But I didn’t even care. It was a great weekend. I met the Irish team’s coaches and some players. I ate eggs and sausages and went to Trinity College and saw the Book of Kells. I was happy and content to leave it at that.”
But a couple of weeks later ,Poulin got an email saying she’d made the team.
“I was over the moon, I expected to never hear from them again,” Poulin said. “I was so elated, I was going to go to the World Cup and see my idols on the U.S. team.”
From that point, Poulin had to keep the news under wraps for a month and a half for confidentiality purposes. Naturally, it was a challenge, but had its benefits as well.
“I think it was important because I had time to soak it in. People had a lot of questions, and I could answer those with confidence,” Poulin said. “When I did tell people, they were proud, even my teachers. I have such amazing people surrounding me.”
And naturally, people were curious. ‘Do you have to go to Ireland to practice?’ people would ask.
“The answer is no, I don’t have to fly to Ireland every weekend,” Poulin said with a laugh. In fact, the team didn’t practice together until five days before the World Cup started. Instead, the athletes were given guidelines to physically and mentally prepare themselves for the grueling schedule and level of play.
On July 4, Poulin flew out to Dublin for a five-day training camp with the team. There, she encountered the difficulties of playing with a group of strangers. While the group needed time to click on the field, off the field, Poulin said she couldn’t ask for better teammates.
“It’s the most amazing group of players. I actually enjoy the company of every other person on the team, and that can be rare in sports,” Poulin said. “There’s so much gray area when it comes to getting a team together. But we are all on the same page. We’re goofy and fun, but when it comes time, we work our butts off and put the pedal to the metal.”
Poulin is the youngest player on a team that is mostly comprised of women in their 20’s (the oldest is 32), some from the U.S., some from Ireland.
“They’re really mature people. One is an orthopedic surgeon. Others live in New York City and have amazing careers,” Poulin said. “They have their lives figured out. It’s been an eye-opening experience. They’re amazing role models with so much kindness and generosity, I wouldn’t trade this group for the world.”
The team also features coaches from Northwestern, Boston College and Cornell.
“They’re perfect mix of inviting and caring, but come game time, they do everything they can to make sure we get the W.”
After five days of double sessions in Dublin, it was off to Surrey, just outside of London, for the tournament. The teams had three days to scrimmage, get used to their surroundings and visit the local supermarkets. Opening ceremonies were on the 13th.
One of the most interesting aspects for Poulin has been the culture of different teams. Each country has its own personality. Poulin’s team sings Irish folk songs and wants to be “the team everyone wants to be on.” And it’s played teams like the Netherlands, Colombia and Italy. The New Zealand team performed a haka, a Maori traditional war cry and dance, before taking on Ireland.
“They looked possessed,” Poulin said. “The goal to make the other team pee their pants, and it worked!”
Ireland went 5-2 in the tournament, capping it off with a 14-8 win over Germany Friday. Poulin said the biggest challenge was finding on-field chemistry.
“We all have the tools, we just had to put it together,” Poulin said, “but what are the odds we play together and get along as well as we do?
“For me personally, it’s been different because the game is so fast,” Poulin, a defenseman, added. “Defense is all about communication, and a lot of times I’m not great at that, even on a team I’ve played with for years. I’m one piece of a puzzle.”
The tournament wraps up Saturday with the closing ceremonies, but the experience is one Poulin will never forget.
“This is the most amazing thing I’ve ever done,” Poulin said. “My parents and little sister came to watch me play, and when I talked to them, everything spilled out. I’m just having the time of my life.”
She also credits her mom with pushing her to reach new heights.
“She’s a big role model of mine, and she’s always pushing the limits of what’s possible. She instilled that in me,” Poulin said.
Poulin, who will play lacrosse at UMass Amherst next year, said the experience was the perfect way to prepare for the transition.
“I was so nervous about going to college and getting along with other players and coaches, being on my own,” Poulin said. “But now that I’m here, I’m feeling like I’m capable of it.”