- April 28, 2024
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Irea García has fallen in love with lacrosse. Photo by Jeff Dawsey
Irea García never played lacrosse until moving here. Photo by Jeff Dawsey
García tries to hold on for dear life on the mechanical bull in Bunnell. Photo by Julie Sabine
Irea García runs the ball downfield and scores her only goal for the Lady Pirates. Photo by Connie O'Connor
Pull quote: “Most people that come over to do the exchange student program say that the best way to make friends is to join a team. So, I wanted to try things I wouldn't be able to try in Spain.”
IREA GARCIA
Walking down her street in Galicia, Spain, Matanzas exchange student Irea García could easily find a worn-down soccer ball in a neighbor’s yard or in a local park. But, what she’d never find are lacrosse sticks and some of her new favorite American foods.
“Most people that come over to do the exchange-student program say the best way to make friends is to join a team,” García said. “So, I wanted to try things I wouldn't be able to try in Spain.”
After assuring her father that girls’ lacrosse was separate from the physical boys in the YouTube video she sent him, her family and friends encouraged her to try it, and she’s fallen in love with it.
“It has worked out really well for me,” she said. “Everyone on my team has been very welcoming. I wish I could keep playing lacrosse, but I don't think that's going to be possible.”
Lady Pirates’ team captain Bailee Hurd praised García, saying García reminded her of herself.
“She is doing extremely well for her first year,” Hurd said. “She has great speed; I gave her my old cleats, which I think is the secret. But, having her on the team brings a lot of positive energy, and she’s always eager to learn something new.”
As a defender, García rarely gets scoring opportunities, but her special moment came, when she took the ball downfield and tossed it right past the goal keeper.
“It felt so good, and all my teammates were screaming, ‘Good job, Irea,’” she said. “I could even hear the coaches too. That really made me feel even more attached to the team.”
Getting to play sports in school is unusual for her. In Spain, there are no school teams, only clubs in the city.
“There’s no school spirit in Spain,” García said. “All the activities that make people get more involved here makes school a lot more fun.”
In a few more months, lacrosse will be finished, and so will Garcia’s American, or more precisely, Palm Coast experience. She will get to reunite with friends and family, and she won’t have to depend on car rides anymore. But, Garcia will leave with foreign taste buds and, most importantly, a ton of new friends and a newfound love for a game she never knew existed.
