LGR 190: Important Lessons from the Women’s World Cup with Katie Greenwood

In this episode, Coach Damon Wilson sits down with Katie Greenwood, a standout goalie for Team England's lacrosse team. Katie opens up about her unconventional path to becoming a goalie, navigating performance anxiety, evolving her in-game style, and her thoughts on the current landscape of the sport in the United Kingdom.

"You have to be able to analyze what you're doing in real-time so that you feel confident that you can take those risks." — Katie Greenwood

Key Highlights & Takeaways
An Accidental Beginning: Katie reveals she didn't get serious about playing goalie until the 9th grade. After high school tryouts, her coach noted her enthusiasm but suggested she fill the vacant goalie spot if she wanted to make the team.

Shifting In-Game Styles: Reflecting on her early playing days, Katie jokingly refers to her former self as a "tap dancer" in the crease—constantly in motion. Over the last 22 years, she transitioned from a very flat arc to a higher arc, adapting her strategy contextually based on the opponent.

The Importance of "Grit": While save percentages are the default metric, Katie emphasizes looking at full-game contributions, such as ground balls, interceptions, and clears. She underscores that while physical mechanics can be taught, competitive "grit" and hustle cannot.

The Mental Side of the World Cup: Katie details the intense emotional and communicative challenges she faced during the 2018 World Cup. She recalls the vital lesson of practicing "adult communication" with coaches when managing expectations and roles.

Training with Tennis Balls: To build foundational muscle memory and movement without the fear of bruising from a standard lacrosse ball, Katie strongly advocates for using tennis balls in training sessions.

Lacrosse in the UK: Katie explains that while lacrosse is thriving at its best developmental stage yet in the UK, it remains an elite, mostly private-school sport that needs funding and expansion into state schools to diversify accessibility.