BROOKLYN, NY :: Jane Bunn - XTEAM, 2012 (FL) - candidly gives her take on joining XTEAM + her membership experiences. Jane spent a week in Brooklyn, NY interning in the BOUNCE offices as a copy writer + editor.
What makes you LAUGH? What do you FIGHT for? Can you RISK it all?
It’s time to figure it out.
Welcome to your first inside scoop of what this crazy XTEAM family will do to/with/for you. As you read into the articles and testimonials about XTEAM on this website, they will give you the frosting on the cake of what this program is all about. This article, the one I write as an insider, will be the batter. I’ll take you through the ingredients that make it a perfect recipe: long nights, tears, sideline chatter, and lessons you learn sitting in a room full of girls who let everything go to experience their own winding journey down the XTEAM path. Now, let’s bake!
Who am I? I’m Jane. Jane Bunn – XTEAM 2012 (FL). My email address is jane.bunn@xteamlax.com. My place is here at XTEAM. As me – just me – Jane Bunn. I’m a goalie and I joined XTEAM heading into this summer. Some said it was “late” compared to the girls that had been members for a while. But, as I would come to find out, I was right on time.
Whatever way YOU might have come upon XTEAM – word of mouth, internet, magazine, famous alumni, etc – I can tell you that the XTEAM experience will be different from anything you have yet to try. And that statement is not to be taken lightly, so I will repeat it for dramatic affect: the XTEAM experience will be different than anything you have yet to try.
This is because of the passionate staff that Crista Samaras handpicks to make sure you really understand the vision of XTEAM. Never ever – EVER! - think for one second that you will only be playing lacrosse at an XTEAM event. Aside from the impromptu games you may make up with your new best friends and cool handshakes you learn in a heartbeat, it would be an understatement to say that you “get a lot out of this”. No, you get a fresh start, a new leaf, a blank hard drive (whatever analogy floats your boat, wets your whistle, etc) with a team of people that are focused, loving, and intelligent. Did I say team? I meant ARMY.
This new family/team/army you jump into dedicates their time and energy to making you into a proud XTEAMER – for life. And they wouldn’t rather be anywhere else. Oh, and “XTEAMer” is code-word for YOU.
Who is Crista Samaras? You could read her lax bio on www.thebomb.com, but let me just say quickly to give you context for the company + the people she hires, Crista is, and was, a tiger. Literally. She earned her stripes at Princeton, still holds records and stuff, played in a few World Cups and lives an artist’s life in NYC. She’s real with you. No fluff or flower beds full of BS. Through the eyes of all those she has touched, she’s a goofy goddess and powerful businesswoman - all in the same Alexander Wang maxi dress and oversized sunglasses. Her hair is huge and she has a lisp, she would also want me to say.
But, I digress.
So, before you even show up, there is someone dedicated just to explain the ins/outs and crazy process that is XTEAM. It’s a sleepover camp? Yes, kinda. It’s a self-help seminar? Um, sure! It’s a lacrosse team? Awww, YEAH!
Cassie Westman is the answer-giver and the person in charge of introducing you to the XTEAM system. Cunning and awesome define this woman. So, you arrive to see her cunningness and awesomeness in person. After receiving your room assignment and any needed gear, you will find out when/where you need to report to next. Cassie will be the one that gets you to where you need to be, when you need to be there. She also makes sure that everyone is in the correct uniform sporting the fashionable XTEAM logo wherever we venture to during our long days. The idea of being in uniform at all times is a rule in the XTEAM program. This creates a feeling of UNITY that can never be removed so long as you are wearing the X. When you go home, you wear the X. It becomes your way to feel the same things you did when you were there.
But, because you are here, you feel them tenfold. So, after you meet new teammates, engage with the old ones, and jump jubilantly into your team coach’s arms after not seeing them for a few months, the excitement of your upcoming event starts to sink in. This does not take long at all so be prepared for a full throttle into the environment of XTEAM. Don’t forget to buckle your seatbelt!
MY BEGINNING
Now I felt misunderstood and was confused within everything lacrosse + recruiting, yet still pretty good at my position. But, I squeezed through the doors extremely “late”. Being a worry-wart my entire life, coming to the realization that I had slipped so far behind in the recruiting process that my shot at D1 was basically gone, donzo, out the window, may have been the freakiest and most confusing feeling in the world. Because of the swirling and aggressive recruiting process of today’s game, I was due for an XTEAM wakeup call. I needed to swallow a gulp of honesty from my coaches to realize the kind of player and person I was. Considering that I was a goalie - coming from the farthest thing from a powerhouse high school team in St. Johns, Florida - I didn’t know what I wanted.
BRRRRIIINGGGG! Hello? Hi, it’s XTEAM.
Leaving my previous club team, where I had found fabulous friends, convenient practice schedules and a comfort zone that had me moving nowhere, it was a little more than nerve wracking coming into such a strong and reputable program. One of my main reasons for making the switch to XTEAM was Olivia “OD” DiCarlantonio – XTEAM - 2012 (FL) Ohio State - 2016. She sang the praises of the program, the coaching, and the philosophy till the cows came home. Eventually, after long and numerous talks with my parents, we decided that XTEAM was best for me.
I had heard about XTEAM from OD a lot over the previous year, so joining shouldn’t have felt so abrupt. XTEAM came up in conversation with another friend of mine as well. She said they were winning tournaments that they weren’t supposed to be winning. My subsequent research about XTEAM told me they were some players from Florida powerhouse Vero Beach HS. So the appeal was there. But already being on a reputable Florida club and having found the most amazing friends because of it, I was caught in a tight spot: Leave my comfort bubble – OR – RISK everything for a team that knows what it takes to win. The champion in me knew what was right.
I was right about them knowing what it takes to win. However, it’s not about winning the game at all – it’s about winning at life. Before experiencing this firsthand, I put my Nancy Drew cap on and fired questions to OD, getting everything out of this girl regarding her experience with XTEAM, her time with Crista, and the type of player/person XTEAM molded her to become. The time came to call to see if any spots were left. Mother goose and Poppa Bear were right on board with me. They worked it out and I was registered. I met Crista on the phone – she talked fast and told me to get her my college list. My college LIST?
AH - back to the story … The first night you are at an event is like the first day of Freshmen Year in high school. Forget what that feels like? Three words, Taylor Swift - Fifteen. As exciting as it is to be surrounded by so many lacrosse stars – being your coaches or your teammates - you can’t help having jitters. The night unfolded as I reached out to different players from numerous states. XTEAM is national, so there are girls that come from far off places like Utah, California and Arizona. The morning came and the vans driven by our coaches fit everyone but one. I was odd man out looking for opportunity. One brave soul got to ride in the van Crista was driving to the fields. Thinking back to the meticulous research I had done on this lacrosse legend nicknamed “Quadzilla”, I thought, why not?
She knew my face because I had introduced myself the night before and I was guessing she knew bits and pieces about me on paper. Other than that, I had been acquainted with this star just 14 hours before at our first night meeting. My gut told me I was ready to dive into CristaLand. She began asking me questions like where do you want to play, and who are you as of now? But I’ll never forget the question she asked me as we were driving down the hill to our first practice at Cabrini College: “What is success to YOU?” I froze, as the world stopped. Literally, my breath and time paused … I. COULD. NOT. TALK. OR. THINK.
I had no answer. It was embarrassing and humbling to come to terms with idea that I was really lost. It just took the right person, at the right time, to ask the right question, to show me that. And, it’s Day 2 of 6.
MY MIDDLE
You now know that this XTEAM stuff isn’t all lacrosse. But, let me take a second to say that you ARE surrounded by the top players in the country. The level of play is phenomenal, from stick skills to athleticism, from drills knowledge to game understanding. The speed? Incomparable. Practice 1 reinforced these things as I only saved, at best, 3 out of 15 shots in the first drill. The thought of playing behind girls I’ll be watching one day in their own national championship game, potentially against one another – WOW! What a feeling! Everyone brings their A-game to everything and all returning players know that being in tip-top shape will serve you well. I recognized the returning players were less afraid of messing up; that they played with an abandon untouched by the worry of making a mistake. And, I could see them improving in real time, right before my eyes.
I mentioned the infamous XTEAM meetings already, no? Well, after a long day or sometimes in the middle of them, after your 5 second shower and shave routine, you are to report to a meeting room prepared with your pen and XTEAM notepad. To give you an idea of the variety of meetings, they can be anywhere from a complete crying fest, a laugh-till-your-abs-hurt rendezvous, to a serious discussion about the way your team played that day. Good, bad, great, superb, you will always receive feedback on your play.
This is where the RISK part shines her light. In order for XTEAM to impact you to the fullest extent you have to buy into the idea that you are safe where you are, stable through the emotional expedition of the next couple hours. The meetings can last between 15 minutes to 5 hours. I can guarantee you will be so compelled by the questions that Crista asks that you will probably get so lost within yourself as the time flies and its 12:30 AM. Word to the wise: Don’t ask too many questions after she tells you what to write, she makes it slightly vague on purpose. Plus, she respects what YOU have to say, how YOU create your perspective and how YOU interpret the question. As much as I’d love to tell you the types of essays you’ll be writing, you need to be surprised, tired, homesick, a little weak, and completely open to write them in order for them to change you.
Turning in your essays should be a really prideful experience, even if it’s at 6am the next morning. And, even if you’ve written about your deepest darkest secret, you want to be confident and excited to show Crista the breakthroughs you have made. As she says, “Your S%*# is the real stuff.” So, essay after essay, you give her your S%*#. Sometimes you won’t even know you made a breakthrough, but the sole reader of your essays sure knows what is going on in your head. It’s the getting it out of you that starts making you feel differently. Only Crista reads what you have written. And, we write a ton. Every girl, every day.
A big piece of advice to get you through the meat of the event: Get used idea you don’t have a lot of down time. You just don’t. But there is a reason for this madness! Crista is obsessed equally with military training as she is unicorn mystical creatures. You are supposed to be TIRED and worn down so the crazy concepts you are learning soak in to your brain. Around here, they like spongy brains. And, they like new ideas. YOUR ideas. Any walls you have will come crashing down so you might as well start picking at the bricks before you get to your destination. I was definitely quick to learn that all the fatigue and soreness … is planned.
MY END (AND A NEW BEGINNING)
Long or short, rain or shine, you will leave your XTEAM event with a different grip on life and lax. Girl, the skills you thought you’d never posses soon show up in your everyday life. Just wait, one day you’ll be walking around Yankee Stadium picking up trash that isn’t yours. You’ll sit down in a mall food court with someone sitting by themselves and strike up a conversation. You will HIGH 5 the person running on the treadmill next to you at the gym. You’ll then chuckle and shake your heading thinking that you’re this person because of XTEAM. In the end, you can’t avoid being “changed”, even if you leave thinking, “I cannot believe they kept me up so late to write stupid essays when all I wanted to do is sleep”. You still wrote them …
Network, Network, Network. Crista’s three favorite words. Well, she likes “LAUGH. FIGHT. RISK.” a lot, too. And, Donkey, Penguin + Chicken Wing. But, you get the point. Part of the vision of Bounce, and all the clubs within it, is that you reach OUT to the girls you think can help you in any way needed. It might be calling someone that goes to a school you are researching. It may be XTEAM alumnae that are living in the city in France in which you are seeking to study abroad. Or maybe just a girl that lives in Dallas that can let you know some fun stuff to do on your visit there – or who will pick you up at the airport!
The point is you are part of something bigger than yourself or the local world you live in every day. And, that all the time you have spent learning the XTEAM language will actually give you access to a shorthand that all XTEAMers of the past and the future understand. What we go through together is valuable. What we get ourselves through in the company of other people doing the same is what makes the difference.
“The speed of the leader determines the rate of the pack.” As Crista says, “you are the leader, we are your pack.” The success of XTEAM is not in what I accomplish as a result of being a member. The success of XTEAM is that I keep discovering who I am and determine from that what I want.
I left my time with XTEAM feeling like I held the world in my hands and it was all mine in the form of a Life Remote Control. But, Crista, Cassie + the rest of the coaches didn’t want to push the buttons for me. That is for me to do on my own.
I got my army behind me, the world in front of me and my finger on the trigger!
