To bring home another medal, like each of the 24 days beforehand, we had to follow proper game day protocol. First and foremost on our minds, food and coffee.
After happily sleeping in a little later than normal (our wakeup call the past few mornings had been 6:30 a.m.), the first stop of the day was the dining hall. We were a little disappointed that they weren’t serving the delicious pancakes like the morning before, but we made it work and ate our usual pregame meals instead. Afterward, the regular Starbucks goers ventured into town to get some much needed caffeine. I ordered my typical Starbies go-to, a venti skinny caramel macchiato, while Devon Wills and Kelly Rabil went to the local convenience store and bought the team pregame snacks. Breakfast at the dining hall would be our only chance for a pregame meal, but these two thought ahead and used some extra per diem to buy us treats.
After food and coffee, we headed back to the dorms for a pregame meeting on the front stairs with our coaches and staff. We went over a scouting report for Canada, discussing strategies and team goals for the game, before heading back upstairs to Normatec, chill, and impatiently wait for game time.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, we were able to load the bus and go to the field. A typical pregame locker room session followed, with DJ Gussie Johns playing all of the crowd favorites, from "Get Low" to "Come On Over." Once the dancing by Big Al and singing by our very own Christina Aguilera, or Michelle Tumolo, was complete, it was finally time to hit the field and play our last 70 minutes together.
Canada came out on fire, scoring the first two goals of the match. But once we settled in and nerves subsided, we played our game and fought together minute after minute. We focused on the little things and continued to battle throughout the entire match until the final whistle blew and we were crowned World Games gold medalists — a historic moment for the sport of lacrosse. What an amazing feeling that was, to win another championship and earn two gold medals in eight days with the best group of people on the planet.
After the game and medal ceremony, we headed into town for a celebratory team meal and closing ceremonies of The World Games. We hung out with our total of eight fans and reminisced on the amazing journey we had had over the past month. Some laughed, some cried, and some simply and silently took in the moment, realizing how special it all was.
We accomplished things in these four weeks that no other team has ever done. We are now World Cup champions. We are now World Games champions. And most importantly, we are now, and forever will be, a family of 19 heartbeats.
— Taylor Cummings
(Twitter: @tee_cee10, Instagram: @taylorcummings_, Snapchat: @taylorcummings)
