BROOKLYN, NY // SUPER-CAL-IFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS!
Breaking news came about in February announcing that the University of California Berkeley’s women’s lacrosse program would be reinstated after being cut in September by the Athletic Department. Along with women’s lacrosse, rugby and women’s gymnastics have been reinstated however baseball + men’s gymnastics were not able to meet the requirements.

Everyone was immediately affected. Players struggled with what to do – stay, transfer, give in or fight. Coaches were all-of-a-sudden without their jobs. The incentive to reverse the verdict was high for everyone. After 6 months + a judgment in favor of the laxin’ lady Bears, the passion, effort and persistence it required is now worth its weight in gold … and blue.

Theresa Sherry, Cal’s Head Coach, knew it would take a ton of fundraising, planning and determination to come up with the money to support the program long-term. And, the requisite financing was the kicker. “The biggest thing that mattered was coming up with the financial support that would help close the gap that the Athletic Department had after losing much of the subsidy from the campus. The gap was $4million, but what we tried to do was come up with enough to cover our program's costs, which is $400,000/year combining operations, salaries, and scholarships together.”

So, 4 mil total? $400,000 for the lax program alone? Yikes.

Methods to save the program ranged from making posters + t-shirts to running camps + clinics. Lacrosse is a sport known for its sense of community. Using that connection in the biggest effort of all to engage members beyond the immediate Cal lacrosse family was critical … for donations, pledges, and any support it might be able to offer.

Coach Sherry, a graduate of Princeton University, is proud of her players for all of their efforts, strength + courage throughout this difficult time and believes that it was because of their determination and cohesiveness throughout it all that they were able to save the program. You go, girls!

We are proud to report that 2 XTEAM ALUMNAE played a major role in the efforts to save the program! Tori Harrison (XTEAM ’08, TX) and Melissa “Mel” Humphrey (XTEAM ’09, CA), sat together in their dorm room struggling to accept this sudden reality. What could they do? What could be done?

If XTEAM taught them anything, it’s that passion is the first critical step of any process. And, they had passion. Next, they came up with tagline that articulated their feelings, frustration and resolve: YOU CAN’T PUT A PRICE ON DREAMS.

With this as their battle cry, they made posters + t-shirts for a rally. Then, they began to see the similarities between this fight and the game they were fighting to play. “We have been coached to play until the last whistle; that a game is never over until the last buzzer sounds,” says Tori, a solid defender and a born leader. “These habits spilled over into our efforts. As people were telling us there was no chance for us to get reinstated, we were still getting our message out and demanding to be heard until that last announcement was eventually made. It all came down to never giving up hope.”

The audacity.

As teams go, this team was already close. Players prepared not just to fight, but to fight together for each other. Melissa, a true original and former jump roping champion explains that aside from her “very obvious love for lacrosse, I really wanted to fight for my teammates.”

How did these 2 girls - best friends, teammates, roommates, and XTEAM alumnae hailing from different parts of the country – come to be champions of this crusade?

“It’s definitely not a surprise to me,” says XTEAM coach Crista Samaras. “Melissa + Tori still go down as 2 of the most independent and driven souls ever to play XTEAM. They impacted each of the teams they were on and each of the coaches that taught them. I hope that the heavy pursuit of playing lacrosse in college, the fact that they determined what they wanted for themselves and the confidence in executing a plan to reach their goals is what they got out of XTEAM.”

According to Melissa, “XTEAM not only prepared me for college and lacrosse, but it gave me lifelong lessons in friendship and the values of teamwork, and I wouldn't trade my experiences with XTEAM for anything in the world.” Growing up in SoCal (Coronado HS), Mel developed a love for the sport and became hungry for more options to learn and play. “I knew from the first time that I picked up a lacrosse stick that I wanted to play at Cal.”

Tori grew up in Texas (St. Andrew’s Episcopal School), where lacrosse was just starting to pick up some speed and her knowledge of the sport was limited. Aiming to help the girl from non-traditional areas, XTEAM was a great option to match Tori’s athleticism with skilled coaches that could help craft her abilities. “During my years on XTEAM, Crista and several other coaches helped me transform from a clueless little kid who didn’t even know how to cradle correctly, to a solid player and resilient defender.”

For both players, Cal was the right fit – itself a beacon for the development of the sport beyond traditional barriers. And, when that perfect fit of great academics + lacrosse was threatened, Melissa + Tori used their resources + their hearts to get it right again.

Now that everything is back to fabulous, there is no time but now to take advantage of the experience and reap the benefits of a fight fought well. Tori majors in media studies with a minor in theatre, is a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, and hopes to continue her passion for cooking by moving to Italy to study the art. She was also selected to participate in the 2011 NCAA Sports & Entertainment Summit, an event aiming to give student-athletes the opportunity to explore the sports and entertainment industries. “XTEAM really supported all of my interests off the field, especially the fact that I’m a die-hard theater geek, and helped push me to continue to pursue these interests at Cal.”

Melissa will major in Agriculture at Cal – one of the best undergraduate programs in the country. Although this and lacrosse take up a lot of her time, she is also in a sorority.

Both Tori + Mel participate on an intramural ultimate Frisbee team named Gaga4Gaga and in case there are any more droplets of time to spare, they check things off a “bucket list” they created together.

As players, parents, coaches + fans have worked hard to contribute to the program’s reinstatement, it’s critical to remind people that this is not set in stone. Head Coach Sherry explains that, at this point, they have only received pledges and will continue to accept donations for the program: “We are still going to sell those t-shirts [made by Tori + Melissa]. And, we will now need to collect on all of the pledges made to save our program.”

That is definitely something worth putting on your bucket list.

If you are interested in making a donation to the Cal Women’s Lacrosse team, check out their website http://www.calbears.com/sports/w-lacros/cal-w-lacros-body.html and click the box titled “DONATE TO CAL” in the bottom right corner of the page.