8th grader Victoria Pierro of Swampscott has always been around the game of lacrosse. From watching her brother play on the road, to discovering the “rush” of what the sport can bring her, she remembers every detail. Years later, Pierro has been selected to the Mass Bay Colonials girls lacrosse team.
Pierro was one of 23 7th and 8th grade girls selected from 71 lacrosse programs from Central and Eastern Mass. The team will travel to Houston, Texas on Dec 10-11 to compete in the Best of Texas tournament and face opponents from Texas, Okla., Mo., and others from across the Southwest. It’s the first time that Mass Youth Lacrosse, her community-based youth league, added a girls branch to the organization.
Beginning her lacrosse journey at just seven years old, she’s currently a 9+ year player with the Swampscott-Nahant Youth Lacrosse Program. The 8th grader plays attack, and it’s safe to say opposing goalies would agree.
Her favorite memory playing for Swampscott-Nahant occurred when she was a 6th grader playing with 7th and 8th graders. Despite the physical disadvantage, Pierro held her own and, more importantly, had a blast while doing so.
“[It was] the older girls telling me how much fun they had with me,” Pierro said. “They were obviously really big girls, everyone was taller than me, faster and all that, but I was still able to get a couple goals.”
Recently, Pierro was talking with her friend’s mother when she heard about a little tournament – the Best of Texas tournament.
Then came tryouts. She says it was initially stressful, but after representatives spoke about how everyone was there for a reason – both in regard to skill, and character – Pierro felt much better.
“You have to calm yourself down because sometimes it can be very intimidating,” Pierro said. “The way that they really encouraged us the whole time was a very less-stressful situation.”
Late one night, a text from her mother broke the news – a message reading “you made the team.”
“I was very excited. I was telling all my friends about it and, obviously, they were very proud – and I was very proud.”
Like most competitors, Pierro is counting down the days until she can match herself up against the Southwest’s best. She calls her competition “top-tier” and is anxiously waiting to test her capacity.
High school lacrosse – only a year away for Pierro – is “definitely” on her mind. She already goes to tons of Swampscott games, and loves seeing Big Blue players and coaches work together as a team.
The Mass Bay Colonials seek players who not only shine on the field, but represent the state well in regard to character. Jenn Kelleher, the Swampscott-Nahant girls lacrosse director, coached Victoria for many years and most certainly agrees with the decision to have Pierro represent the state.
“I’ve known Victoria since she was in second grade,” “I’ve watched her grow on the lacrosse field and watched her skillset develop, her love for the game, and all of that from a young age to where she is now.”
Pierro gets excited to play lacrosse, and even to talk about it. It’s been in her life for years now, and there’s no sign of that stopping.
“Everyone has pushed me, definitely, but in good ways and it definitely helps with obviously skills and athleticism, but also life,” Pierro said.
