Amy Fox started playing lacrosse in her backyard against her brother, then she moved onto the North Okanagan Legends, but in Whitby, Ont., she will finally get to play against other girls.
“My brother got into it because his friends were playing. We started playing around in our backyard and I was beating him. He was like ‘you’re good. You should start playing’,” said Fox.
Fox has been named to the junior girls Team B.C. box lacrosse team headed to National in Whitby in early August.
Fox, who turned 15 on June 16, got cut from the midget team, but was then scooped up by the junior team, which is normally for girls 17-21 years old.
“She is a strong player in the offensive zone and a very physical one from playing with boys all these years,” said Team B.C. coach Jason McDole.
McDole coached Fox last summer when he took the B.C. Bantam team to nationals in Halifax, where they won silver.
“I really enjoyed the people last year. They were all there for the same reason and working towards the same goal,” said Fox.
Fox is coming off a disappointing season with the North Okanagan Midget A2 Legends.
“We didn’t win a lot,” said Fox.
McDole coaches the girls Ridge Meadows Burrards and never saw Fox play with the Legends this year, but is taking her based on what he saw a year ago in Halifax.
“When I first met her, she wasn’t too experienced and didn’t know too much about lacrosse. But she took what we taught her last year and ran with it,” said McDole. “She is very talented.”
Fox will enter Grade 10 at Pleasant Valley and loves to play hockey, soccer and basketball. Whenever she isn’t training or in school, she loves to veg out and crush some of her favourite shows such as: Pretty Little Liars, Community, the Big Bang Theory and Duck Dynasty.
Fox didn’t score but recorded a lot of assists with the Legends this year. However, she lit the lamp several times during the four-day tryout camp at the Langley Events Centre at the end of May.
“I normally only score when I play against the girls,” said Fox.
Added McDole, “She brings a lot to the table and we are expecting her to score. She played great at tryouts and scored a few times.”
Team B.C. is practicing every weekend in the Lower Mainland leading to nationals, one in which Fox will be dedicating for her lost friend and teammate.
“Whatever I do at nationals I am dedicating to Miles (Wohlford). He was a good friend and I played box and field lacrosse with him over the past two years. His sister and I are really close,” said Fox.
Wohlford, a highly popular 14-year-old, died July 4 after suffering massive head injuries in a boating accident on Okanagan Lake.
