Strong On and Off the Field

For three years in a row, the all-female Grand River Attack lacrosse team has won the Women’s Senior Ontario Lacrosse Championship. While a large part of that definitely has to do with the team working together to score goals against their opponents, another important key to winning is in the strength of their goalie, Kristen McCulligh, who prevented the opponents from producing more points against them. 

Born in Kitchener, ON and raised in Guelph, ON, 26-year-old Kristen grew up in a lacrosse family. Her father taught her brother as he coached the team he played for. After attending games, a year later Kristen decided she wanted to take a shot at participating in the sport. Her father taught her the skills that she now uses today on the field. “I was 8 years old when I first joined a lacrosse team,” says McCulligh. 

Of course being a female in a generally male dominated sport does not come without its difficulties.  Kristen faced many issues with being the only girl on otherwise all-male teams growing up. “I was the first girl on my team. In those days they didn’t have separate change rooms, so I would have to change with the boys,” explains McCulligh. That was until they got older and started showering. 

“I could no longer be in the change room.  I would end up having to change in an old school two stall bathroom,” says McCulligh. “It was difficult because I needed a bench to put my pads on and didn’t have one. There was never a place for me. Once I even had to change outside.” 

Not having an appropriate place for changing was not the only issue Kristen had to deal with. She explains that when she first started playing she would hide her hair so that the opponents would not know that she was actually a girl. Being a goalie she would fear coming out of her goalie cress, as there was always a problem with guys coming up and hitting hard. She remembers one time when the opposing team realized she was a girl. 

“I remember we had a match in Owensound where we won,” says McCulligh. “It was after the match, when we went to shake hands and I remember one of the members of the other team punched me in the chest. I remember crying and asking my dad why he did that. He explained to me that it was because I am a girl and that he probably hated the fact that he lost to one.” 

When Kristen was 18 years old, she found her first all-female team, the KW Thunderbirds. While on that team, she was often an opponent to her current team, the Grand River Attacks, who tried to lure her over during her time with the Thunderbirds. It was not until the Thunderbirds folded that Kristen went over to Grand River, the team she has now been with for four years. 

Kristen sums up their success as a team being based on “dedication, hard work and great communication.”  In 2010, Grand River Attack won their 3^rd straight Provincial title. At the time, they were the only team to win the title due to their dominating performance in all aspects of the game, including having a strong goalie in Kristen. “We’re all friends. We have lots of respect for each other,” explains Kristen, about her Grand River Attack teamwork. 

Lacrosse is not the only thing that Kristen is focused on. After attending Conestoga College in Kitchener, ON, Kristen is now working toward her university degree at Wilfrid Laurier University. Luckily, with the lacrosse season starting in April for the summer months, there is little conflict between her dedication to school and the sport she loves. 

“Having to drive an hour to practice which usually starts at 5 P.M. and goes until midnight, it would be hard to have school and play,” says Kristen. “I do start my season when we are going into exam time at school though. There was even a time where I had to leave practice at 9, because I needed to get a paper in that was due at midnight. School comes first though. Education is way more important.” 

So what advice would Kristen give young girls wanting to get involved in sports? “You will face obstacles, but you need to turn those negatives into positives. Just because you’re a girl and we are told we can’t do certain sports doesn’t mean that’s so. You can do it. Do what you want. People will eventually respect you if you keep at it. It gets better.” 

Written by Lauren Ward

Edited by Kristine Scarrow