In partnership with NCSA, the official responsible recruiting services provider of US Lacrosse, we are proud to highlight our Impact Athletes — boys’ and girls’ high school lacrosse players who are supporting their communities with special efforts.
We all recognize that these are unusual and unprecedented times, but great challenges also offer great opportunities, and US Lacrosse continues to receive and share some of these stories.
US Lacrosse has created an easy-to-use online submission form so you can share your stories and photos with us. US Lacrosse reviews all submissions and selects exemplary high school athletes to recognize. These are their stories.
This week, we highlight two students who have been active leaders in helping others.
Ryan Jardine, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Balancing his responsibilities in the classroom, on the lacrosse field, and in community service makes Jardine the type of young man who has gained the respect of his peers and adults. His hard-working attitude and commitment to being a team player are heralded and praised by those who know him.
In addition to being a student and athlete, Jardine serves as a volunteer member of the ski patrol at Seven Springs Resort, helping to provide First Aid assistance during emergencies on the ski slopes. This position involves a significant and rigorous training program, which begins in early fall and continues through the winter. The training has taught Jardine how to apply first aid to injured skiers and remove them from the mountain so they can be transported to a higher level of care. This is no easy task when working in cold windy conditions, on snow and in winter gear.
One of the ski patrol supervisors wrote, “Ryan is the quintessential great kid. He balances an academic load with playing sports and at the same time has thrown himself into becoming a skilled ski patroller. He is definitely someone who loves to help other people. He has earned the trust of his peers on the Ski Patrol.”
Ryan is a rising junior at Chartiers-Houston High School, which does not have a lacrosse team. He competes as a member of the Ultimate Lax Pittsburgh club program and hopes to attend a military academy after graduating from high school.
Sally Hooey, Syosset, N.Y.
Lacrosse has served as a central part of Sally’s life since kindergarten and has influenced her development as both a student and an athlete. Hard work, dedication, leadership and teamwork are some of the lessons she has learned through her involvement with lacrosse. She also has a desire to make a difference.
Two years ago, Sally was deeply impacted by the tragic suicide of a fellow student at Syosset High School, and motivated to help other students who may be suffering from mental health issues like anxiety and depression. She united a group of administrators and students to start a chapter of Bring Change to Mind, which seeks to end the stigma surrounding mental illness. In her role as chapter president, she has led multiple school-wide activities and coordinated educational presentations about stress reduction techniques.
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Sally has also helped to coordinate sending cards and baked goods to nurses and health professionals caring for COVID-19 patients in the local community. Sally and her family made "Hooey Bars" and crafted homemade cards filled with positive messages for frontline heroes.
Sally will be attending Cornell University in the fall, where she hopes to continue playing the sport she loves as a member of the club lacrosse team.