It’s hard to believe the time has come to leave Surrey and embark on the next chapter of our journey.   

These past few weeks have been some of the most memorable of our lives. We leave this place and this tournament so proud of all that we accomplished and grateful to have had the opportunity to represent our country at such a special event. 

 

World Champs! #BUSA

A post shared by Jennifer Russell (@10janne) on Jul 23, 2017 at 11:30am PDT

With that said, we could not be more excited for what lies ahead – the international World Games in Wroclaw, Poland!

This is the first time in history that lacrosse has participated in a multi-sport event and we are so grateful that the International World Games Association included our sport in this year’s competition. It’s an important opportunity for lacrosse and our team is very thankful to be a part of it.

We began our journey to Poland bright and early this morning. Our bus arrived at 6:45 a.m. to bring us to Heathrow Airport for our first flight of the day. The team was ready to go. We had spent the night before packing up our belongings and taking down the many American flags that we had proudly hung around the dorm when we arrived in early July. It was a night of mixed emotions, but the team was ready and excited to get to Poland!

The ride to the airport was easy and consisted mainly of half-asleep players and a few excited coaches reading from books they bought on Poland. Once we arrived at the airport, we unloaded our excessive number of bags, which were filled with practice gear, balls, protein shakes, Normatecs… the list goes on. Both of our flights went by quickly with many players spending the time sleeping, listening to music or reading.

After a long day of travel, we finally arrived in Poland. We boarded the bus and began to make our way to our sleeping accommodations. As we drove up, it was a surreal moment seeing athletes from around the world in one location. I thought to myself, 'This is going to be fun!'

The rest of the night consisted of a quick meeting and then dinner at the dining hall.  Everyone was exhausted from a long day of travel and looked forward to getting some sleep before getting back on the field tomorrow!   

– Jen Russell
(Twitter: @JRussell3630, Instagram: @10janne, Snapchat: @jarussell)

Player Profile

JENNIFER RUSSELL

Nickname: Jen
Years with the U.S. Program: 9
U.S. Senior World Cup Teams: 2013 (Gold), 2017 (Gold)
Position: Defender
College: North Carolina 2010
Honors: North Carolina Team Captain (2010), Tewaartan Finalist (2010), Honda Award Finalst (2010), IWLCA First Team All-American (2009-10), First Team All-ACC (2009, 2010), All-NCAA Tournament Team, All-ACC Academic Honor Roll 
Hometown: Andover, Mass.
Current Residence: Boston, Mass.
Current Career: Associate Development Director, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

What does playing for Team USA mean to you?

It's an honor and a privilege to play for Team USA. I'm grateful for the opportunity and very proud to be a part of this team. I knew that being a part of Team USA would provide me the opportunity to continue to get better.  I'm so glad that I made the decision to try out nine years ago!

What other sports did you play in high school?

Soccer and basketball.

What is your go-to pregame meal?

Wheat toast with peanut butter and banana.

What is something that most people don't know about you?

I used to Irish step dance at weddings.

What's one thing that always puts you in a good mood?

It's hard to choose just one thing. Spending time with family and friends is definitely at the top of the list.

What is the best advice you've received from a coach?

Focus on the little things and the rest will fall into place.

What advice would you give young players who dream to reach your level?

Play as many sports as possible. It's the best way to develop as an athlete and the best lacrosse players are first and foremost great athletes.

What is your favorite inspirational quotation?

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou. It doesn't pertain to sports as much as it does life, but I think it's a good reminder for us all.

Follow the U.S. women's national team as it competes for gold in the 2017 Federation of International Lacrosse Women's World Cup in Guildford, England, and the 2017 IWGA World Games in Wroclaw, Poland. This "Mission Log" will continue throughout both events with each player providing insight on their journey.