Rebecca Cottam: Living Through Survivor, Orlando Edition

Rebecca Cottam - Senior, Women's Lacrosse
Stonehill Student-Athlete Blog

Living Through Survivor, Orlando Edition 

The 2009 Lacrosse season is in full-effect.  It began with a trip to Orlando, Florida, which included trips to Disney, tanning by the pool, and lots of practice of course, and unexpectedly a game of survivor for the Stonehill Women's Lacrosse team.  We loaded up the vans everyday with everyone in high spirits and zero complaints.  Thankfully we got in a scrimmage and all of our team events with 24 healthy girls and just 2 sprained ankles.  The weather was perfect!  We were playing everyday, sweating up a storm and finally not having to deal with wearing Under Armor!  It all seemed too good to be true...and you know what they say about that. 

Thursday morning, approximately 24 hours before take off back to Boston, the 24 laxers began their game of survivor.  Four went down early Thursday morning and there was no bringing them back as throwing up was everywhere and they were certainly feeling the pizza hut from the night before.  The food looked good at the time, but it was not sitting well anymore. 

The rest of us questioned how we felt, but proceeded to get in the vans and head to our last practice in 80 degree weather.  As practice wore on, girls were in and out of the bathroom and freshmen began to cry that they weren't feeling well.  We cut them some slack...it was still only their second semester away from home.  On the way back to the resort, we made sure to show Orlando's highways how much we hated Pizza Hut.  

The healthy players didn't want to get too close but we made sure none of our teammates were going over the guardrails.  Practice ended and we had lost six players total and it was confirmed that it was from food poisoning.  We were probably dehydrated anyways, because let's be honest, when you're a 22-year-old, who has time to eat or drink anything when you only have one day to run around magic kingdom and see how many times you can ride space mountain?  

On our last day in the sun we hit up the pool...well most of us...the sick ones stayed in bed or in the bathroom.  We all thought we were in the clear.  We survived and it was all a mental game.  Drink water and eat a good meal and we'll be all set.  Not so much for two seniors, who figured out right away to get out of the bathing suit, into the sweats and curl up in bed.  A freshman let them get the best of her and went down shortly after the seniors.  We had 15 survivors left...until dinner when the juniors (who had the only surviving class at the time) were ultimately disappointed and lost one of their own.  

Coach Katie Lambert-Conover got a little dose of motherhood on the final day as she aided to all 10 sick players.  Getting on a plane was questionable and the healthy players were aware they would have a lot of bags to carry.  We had 14 survivors total but it felt like we only had eight left! The flight attendants even commented on how half of us had smiles on our faces and the rest looked miserable. 

Obviously I wasn't sick and lived to tell this tale...so I had a great time, but I might never eat Pizza Hut again.  I was curious when it would be time to laugh at the whole experience, but the pukers weren't ready to hear about it last time I last checked. 

Overall, it was most definitely the best spring break yet.  We rode about five roller coasters, got all tanned up for the season, and got some great efficient practices in warm weather.  I'm already trying to get Lambert to take me back on the trip for next year.  I'll carry the balls or drive a van if I have to after all, what's better than hanging out with Stonehill College athletes for a week?!