Three students from the Revere women’s lacrosse team competed on club teams this past year, participating in competitions across Ohio and traveling to Florida for an ESPN lacrosse showcase.

Throughout their offseason, students Eliana Burlotos, Maddie Ray and Elysa Zablo all played for club teams. Burlotos and Ray both play for the same club program, Midwestern Force Lacrosse. Zablo played for Ohio Premier Lacrosse during their fall season. Burlotos and Ray both started playing for their teams when they were in eighth grade.

Ray described some differences between playing for a club team and playing for the high school team.

“[It is] a totally different atmosphere really. [It is] much more competitive than [high school lacrosse] because you are competing for scholarships. The pace of the game is also much more fast than [High School]. We [also] play college rules,” Ray said.

Zablo elaborated on the atmosphere of club lacrosse.

“Usually with club teams you get girls from different schools. Club team girls are also experienced, [and] you get a lot more experience with a club team. It’s definitely way more intense to play,” Zablo said.

Ray described some of the benefits of playing for a club lacrosse team.

“Scholarships [are a benefit]. My coach is a college coach herself. If I want to get in touch with colleges, she helps me and she lets me know of the people who are interested in me. I have [also] become a better player just in the few years [that I have] played on a club team. My stick skills have improved tremendously and I have a better understanding of the game itself. [I have] always played up with girls at higher skill levels, so they have taught me so much about the game. I get so many opportunities to talk with college coaches because they work very closely with [Midwestern Force Lacrosse],” Ray said.

Zablo expressed how playing for Ohio Premier Lacrosse prepared her for the upcoming high school season. She explained that playing with lot of new girls allowed her to focus on developing her skills. She also added that by playing for Ohio Premier, it exposed her to many different players that forced her to adapt to different playing styles.

Although playing on a club team can help players, it still has some drawbacks that players might want to be aware of. Ray explained some of the drawbacks that come with playing for her club team.

“[Club teams are] very costly and very time consuming. It’s $2,000 per year just to be on the team, [and] you have to pay for your own travels and board. Not only is it very expensive, [it is] also a lot of time. In the summer I have practice every week, a boot camp in South Carolina for 2 weeks, [and] I have tournaments. In the fall, I have a tournament every weekend starting in October and ending in November. In the spring and winter, I have practices three times a month in Columbus,” Ray said.

Burlotos also explained why she prefers playing with Revere as opposed to playing for her club team.

“[My preferred team] would probably be school… because [I am] with my friends,” Burlotos said.

Zablo finished by talking about Revere’s women’s lacrosse team. The coaches this year are head coach Kara Donahoe, the assistant coach Michael Paxton and junior varsity coach Brian Massey. This year’s captains are Caroline Edwards, Tori Holvey and Elysa Zablo. The team got new game uniforms this year and some warm-up gear too.

The Revere women’s lacrosse team will play their next game on April 12 at home against Hudson at 6:30pm.