March 3, 2009 — More than 100 women's college lacrosse players are on St. Croix this week, escaping the blizzard-wracked, frozen U.S. east coast for the breezy, 80 degree days of early March in America's Caribbean, accompanied by another forty or so parents, coaches, friends and support staff.
Teams hail from four stateside colleges including Mary Washington University and Roanoke College in Virginia, Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania and Oneonta State College in New York.
The athletes are spending their vacations competing.
"Because the season ends at the end of April, we are already into our season and to get 17 games in, we have to play on our spring break" said Dana Hall, lacrosse coach for Mary Washington, at a press conference Tuesday morning beside the tournament field at St. Croix Renaissance Park.
With such a short season, having very early outdoor competition and the chance for outdoor practice puts the teams on St. Croix in a good position heading out, said Jessica Pausewang, coach for
Oneonta State.
But it isn't all about winning.
"We've been coming for the past nine years," Hall said "This is the most fun trip we take. I love this place. Carambola (Resort) has done a very nice job of accommodating us … We're looking forward to doing some shopping in Christiansted and some swimming in the tidal pools."
The Oneonta team took the full-day snorkeling tour to Buck Island, Pausewang said.
"We went on Big Beard's Tour," she said, with her team gathered behind her. "They loved it. They said it was like swimming in a giant fish tank filled with bright colored fish. Some of the students had never snorkeled before, so they were pretty excited. One of my girls saw a turtle."
"It was as big as a pizza," the girl in question interjected.
While these schools began coming here to compete nine years ago, they only come every third year, competing in Florida the other two, Hall said.
"I'd love to come more often, but with the cost of air fare, of course this is our most expensive trip," she said. "We're working on it though."
These teams started coming to St. Croix to compete after Hall visited St. Thomas on a cruise ten years ago. She wanted to bring the spring break tournament to the Virgin Islands. The warm weather was a big appeal.
"Imagine if we were in Florida; it's in the 40s and 50s right now," she said.
Hall had trouble finding an appropriate field with proper accommodations on St. Thomas, but flying over St. Croix on a trip, "you could see how much green space there was just flying over," she said.
The first two times, the tournament was held on the grassy field of the University of the Virgin Islands' St. Croix Campus, which was very nice, but the field was not really level enough for competition, she said.
With help from the V.I. Department of Tourism, they worked out an arrangement to use the St. Croix Renaissance Park field, which suits the tournament's need much better, she said.
"This is great," she said. "The field is level. The restrooms are right here. We have water. Competing like this, we have to have plenty of water for them to drink. We had to buy hundreds of gallons of water and carry it around before, so water definitely helps."
Assistant Commissioner of Tourism Brad Nugent, Housing, Parks and Recreation Commissioner St. Claire Williams and Myron Allick, a partner with St. Croix Renaissance Group called the press conference with the coaches and students to hail the group as a perfect example of the type of sports tourism opportunities the territory would like to see more of.
"This is the exactly the sort of classic 'heads in beds' we want," Nugent said. "They are here all week buying meals, renting cars, staying in our hotels."
Williams and Nugent gave out canvas tote bags of gifts to the students and coaches.
"We're happy to have you here," Williams said. "If there is anything we can do to help you in any way please don't hesitate to call on us."
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