Maria Leonino
Senior lacrosse player, Amber Patterson is furthering her athletic and academic career at the University of Findlay in the fall of 2019. She is beginning her fourth and final season of high school lacrosse and is excited to move onto the college level.
Patterson’s journey with lacrosse began in sixth grade when she joined a team. She did not know much about the sport and decided to try it out and ended up loving the game. She plays defense for the high school varsity team.
Over the years, Patterson has improved and learned many different skills. Each year she has become stronger and more accelerated.
“I’m still obviously improving but the biggest change is how aggressive I was and the amount of fouls I got. I rarely get any anymore because I learned how to play the ball properly,” Patterson said.
The University of Findlay is nearly three hours away from Stow, and Patterson has been set on her decision to attend Findlay for a while.
Patterson’s motivation is her love for lacrosse and the joy she feels playing with her best friends. Having a sport that has both friends and something she loves makes lacrosse that much better for Patterson.
“I did a camp at Findlay my sophomore year and I loved the school. They also have my major which is Animal Science/Pre-Vet and that major is not very common,” Patterson said.
The process Patterson went to in order to receive an offer from Findlay was attending many camps, clinics and tournaments where recruiters and coaches have watched her. The coaches then decided they wanted Patterson to play for their university.
In order to prepare for her final lacrosse season, Patterson has been conditioning and lifting during the off-season to strengthen herself.
In addition to training for her upcoming season, Patterson also will be training over the summer at Findlay with her college team. Practicing everyday and following the guidelines and workouts Findlay chooses for Patterson will determine how she prepares.
One difficult aspect Patterson will need to adjust to is the difference between the high school and college level. Practicing for longer periods of time and more commitments are some aspects to the changes.
“I think the biggest challenge will be the pressure in college. It is a lot bigger than just a high school sport so that is what I’m mainly nervous for,” Patterson said.
Patterson will be graduating and heading to Findlay in a few short months, and she is ecstatic to see what the future holds.