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06/28/2018 12:00 AMIn a high-octane sport like lacrosse, athletes have to think fast and move even faster in order to score goals for their team. This spring, sophomore attacker Catherine Larrow used her speed to find the back of the net with regularity as a member of the Guilford girls’ lacrosse squad.
Catherine developed her fancy footwork by doing gymnastics and ballet while growing up. When she was in 6th grade, Catherine was encouraged to try lacrosse by Baldwin Middle School physical education teacher Wendy Epke, who is now head coach of girls’ lacrosse at the high school. The decision has paid off quite well for Catherine as she netted 55 goals during the 2018 season, while helping Guilford advance to the semifinals of both the SCC and Class M State tournaments.
“It starts with my teammates. I always got the ball from them off of assists and draw controls,” says Catherine. “Our defense also helped out big time. My team helped me make plays with their sticks. I also had an amazing coaching staff here at Guilford that helped me out with my dodging.”
Last summer, Catherine decided to broaden her horizons by joining the Nor’easter Lacrosse Club. Catherine’s skill set came a long way as a result of her offseason training, particularly her ability to allude defenders on the turf. The experience paved the way for Catherine to put together her prolific season this spring.
“At the end of last year, Coach Epke thought it would be a good idea to play for Nor’easter, and it helped me a lot in learning the fundamentals of the sport,” Catherine says. “I’m known for my dodging. I’m small and just over five feet, so I can quickly dodge people because of my height. In the offseason, I worked with my coaches on dodging versus stationary players.”
The decision of whether to shoot or pass the ball can be a difficult one in a fast-paced game like lacrosse. Catherine feels that it’s all about having confidence in both your teammates and your shot.
“Making the decisions is about where your teammates are. In fast transitions, you have to make split-second decisions,” she says. “I usually go for the shot, but it’s about trusting your teammates and making quick decisions.”
Coach Epke describes Catherine as someone who’s constantly striving to perform at a peak level. She adds that Catherine is an excellent teammate, as well as an influential person in the Guilford Youth Lacrosse community.
“Catherine is an exceptional athlete. She has such quick movements that she is able to duck and dive around all sorts of tight defenses,” says Epke. “Catherine is always pushing herself at practice and on her own time. She has a bounce-back wall and goal set up in her yard. She is outside every day, training on her own. Catherine sets high standards for herself and a great example at practice of how hard work and determination pay off. She’s the kind of player that takes a new skill or some coaching advice and really works to improve herself and her field play. Catherine gives back to the sport by volunteering in the youth program and refereeing youth games.”
Guilford went through an adjustment period early on this season, but still saw a great deal of success by recording 14 victories for the year. Catherine says the team meshed well as a unit as the campaign unfolded, resulting in a pair of Final Four appearances for the Indians.
“It was all about mentality for our team this year. We lost key players from last year, so we had to rebuild our team chemistry early on,” says Catherine, who thanks her family, along with all of her Guilford and Nor’easter coaches, and her youth coach John Ireland. “We learned how to work together and, in states, we focused on what we wanted, which helped us go far.”