LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Izzy Scane was used to hopping in the car with her parents, Joseph and Patricia, and her little brother, Griffin, and driving for hours to the closest high-level lacrosse tournament. She spent much of her childhood in her father’s 2013 minivan, driving across the country to chase her lacrosse dream.
The van is still humming along at 385,000 miles. Yes, you read that correctly.
One of Scane’s favorite family adventures came in the form of a 10-hour trip to the Lake Placid summer tournament — an annual ritual for youth lacrosse players and high- profile alums from all over the Eastern Seaboard.
As they traversed the rolling hills of Upstate New York, Joseph Scane recanted a similar story about the history of the grounds on which she’d be competing.
“He retold the same stories of [Lake Placid] being where they held the Olympics and where Miracle happened,” Scane said. “It’s crazy thinking about this being an Olympic town and having that many people here in a small space.”
Before she became one of the most prolific scorers in college lacrosse history, Scane was a historian. There was plenty of time to learn about the significance of the 1980 Olympic Games on American sports.
After completing one of the best season’s in the history of the sport — a 98-goal, 26-assist line that helped Northwestern advance to the NCAA final four — Scane returned to her roots this summer. Already a member of the U.S. women’s training team, the Northwestern star joined the USA Lacrose Sixes Evaluation Camp this week hoping to be part of the foundation of a new discipline of lacrosse.
The Scane family made the same 10-hour trip to Upstate New York in the same 2013 minivan. Tuesday, less than a mile away from the Olympic torch that burned during the 1980 Games, Scane tried out the version of lacrosse that World Lacrosse hopes will allow it to make its first appearance in the Olympics since 1948.
Joseph Scane’s stories felt a little more real this time around.
“I think it should have been in the Olympics a while ago,” Izzy Scane said. “It’s awesome seeing it get closer and closer. It’s a bit surreal watching Olympians growing up, and you never think that could possibly be us. All of us here are lucky enough to be in a position where that could be a possibility for us.”
Scane made her Sixes debut during Tuesday’s Blue-White exhibition in front of hundreds of fans at the Lake Placid Summit Classic, scoring twice in a Blue Team (nickname “Blueberries”) 22-14 loss.
As one of the top offensive weapons in the world, Scane was not accustomed to running back to play defense in the Sixes discipline. But she pulled from past experiences in order to adjust on the fly.
Scane, the state of Michigan’s record-holder for career points, initially started her Northwestern career as a defender. Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller liked Scane’s aggressive approach and physicality on her back line.
She played half of her freshman season at close defense before working her way up to the Wildcats offense.
“I was a liability,” Scane joked about her defensive skills. “I was very aggressive, which is good in some sense, but also as a hothead freshman getting penalties left and right was really something.”
The skills learned in her six months as a defender were useful, as Scane adjusted to the speed and duality of her role at the Sixes Evaluation Camp. After one practice, she started picking up concepts like the importance of substation and transition.
“It definitely helped having a little bit of experience there, but it was a couple years ago,” she said. “It was helpful knowing what I learned on close defense, so I tried to translate that to what we did this week so I could play with such amazing defenders and not screw up.”
Scane hadn’t played small-sided lacrosse since a few 5-v-5 tournaments in her home state during high school. Those weekends were some of many when the Scanes and their minivan were on the move.
Almost a decade later, Scane and her family continue the tradition. Whether the minivan will withstand a trip to Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympic Games — where lacrosse could potentially make an appearance — remains to be seen.
TYRRELL SISTERS STICK TOGETHER
Meaghan and Emma Tyrrell have spent little time away from each other this summer, living on Long Island.
In fact, they haven’t spent much time apart since Meaghan spent her freshman season at Syracuse while Emma played out her high school career at Mount Sinai (N.Y.). The two Syracuse stars live together, play lacrosse together and haven’t gotten sick of one another quite yet, with a few exceptions.
“Sometimes when she grinds my gears a little bit, I’m like, ‘I have to get away from you,’” Meaghan Tyrrell said. “She asks a lot of questions. ‘Does this outfit look good together? What are you doing?’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know; figure it out.’”
“Honestly, I love hanging out with Meaghan,” her sister said. “She’s a lot of fun. I do ask a lot of questions, and I get how annoying that would be.”
However, when the two sisters who combined for 86 goals and 52 assists in Syracuse’s national title game run got the call to join the Sixes Evaluation Camp, they were separated. Emma Tyrrell was on campus at Syracuse, while her sister was coaching at a camp back home.
Meaghan Tyrrell got the notification from USA Lacrosse on her Apple Watch but was busy coaching and left it for later. Emma Tyrrell gave her a call shortly thereafter, letting her know what she had missed.
“Emma calls and asked, ‘Did you get the text?’” Meaghan Tyrrell said. “She told me it was Sixes and we got invited and I was like, ‘Oh, I can’t believe I looked away from that.’”
Neither Tyrrell looked away when on the field during the Sixes Evaluation, where the speed of the game had the sisters staying alert at all times.
“If you turn your head, someone is cutting behind you,” Meaghan Tyrrell said.
The Tyrrell starred for the Long Island Yellow Jackets, then at Mount Sinai, before making the leap to Syracuse. It was only fitting that they put on the red, white and blue together this week. Both rank the Sixes experience as a top three moment in their lacrosse careers — included alongside a Mount Sinai state title and Syracuse’s 2021 NCAA tournament run.
“Those three are in the mix,” Emma Tyrrell said. “This is an unbelievable experience. This is where I want to be.”
ALDAVE AND DETWILER BACK
Andie Aldave and Katie Detwiler watched from the sidelines as the U.S. senior women’s tryout pool became a training team. Both players were working their way back from injury but weren’t 100 percent by June.
Aldave, who hyperextended her knee in Notre Dame’s first game of the 2021 season, played through the injury this spring. Detwiler sprained her foot after being stepped on during a late spring game for Loyola.
After extensive physical therapy — and weeks in a walking boot for Detwiler — the two college lacrosse stars made it back to the field in time for Sixes Evaluation Camp this week.
For Aldave, the summer allowed an opportunity to rest an injury that had inhibited her ability to play at a high level. She wore a brace for the duration of the 2021 season but walked onto the field in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., without one for the first time.
“I just needed to let my body heal a little bit,” she said. “I was cleared, but it was best to shut it down for a little bit and let my knee heal. I did that for the majority of the summer. I’m lucky that this was later in the summer because it gave me a chance to get out here and play with everyone.”
Detwiler sported a walking boot through the end of Loyola’s 2021 season and into the early summer. She worked in physical therapy to regain her strength and was cleared for full activities in mid-July.
Despite the lack of training this offseason, Detwiler was ready to compete at Sixes Evaluation Camp. The game shape will come as she transitions into the fall season at Loyola.
“I’m one of those people that wants to get back into it right away,” she said. “I was super excited to get back and play with everyone again. It’s always fun playing with new people. It’s literally the best of the best here.”