Tessa Boots '14 Recruiting Profile

As a lacrosse player, I have quite the history. My dad was in the Air Force, so we moved around a lot. While we lived in Maryland, my second grade Girl Scout troop started a team.  I thought it looked more interesting than soccer, so I gave it a try.  Two years later, we moved to Scott Air Force Base, in southern Illinois.  There was no lacrosse in the area, so my parents started the local lacrosse club, O'Fallon Styx, so my brother and I could play.  We traveled into St Louis to play other teams.

 After hurting my hip and not being able to play freshman year, I started to coach for Styx.  I discovered that I have a passion to coach and leading others.  I have attended US Lacrosse level 1 and 2 coaching clinics and completed the online portions as well.  My 3rd-4th grade girls’ team won their championship bracket 2011 and my 5th-6th grade girls’ team won their bracket in 2012.  This year, my little girls lost by one in their championship game. I am also a junior official for the local district.

I play varsity for my high school team and have been a starting midfielder since sophomore year.  I also have a lot of experience taking the draw.   I played for various local travel lacrosse teams in St. Louis for the past 5 years to include Brave, Speed, and True Lacrosse St Louis.  I was also a guest player for Team Stickhead, from Memphis, Tennessee.  Team Stickhead won the Warrior Vail Lacrosse tournament in the U15 bracket in 2010 - the summer before my freshman year.

Summer 2012, I played for the Central Team during the US Lacrosse National Schoolgirls Tournament in Stony Brooke, New York.   I also played with the True Lacrosse St Louis team which played in the Summer Slam in West Chester, PA and the Indian Prairie Showdown in Naperville, IL.   I attended the Penn Elite Lacrosse camp as well during the 2012 summer.   In addition, I was at the President’s Cup in Naples, FL last November.

This summer, I played for the Central Team again as well as MO22, a team of the most elite girls players in St. Louis.  In addition, I went to the Brine National Lacrosse Classic with the Illinois team.  For MO22, I went to the Derby City Showdown in Louisville, KY, and the Capital Cup in Richmond, VA.

I am involved in many extracurricular activities outside of lacrosse as well.  I am a third year attorney for mock trial and won an outstanding witness award at state this year.  I am also very involved in student council.  I started in 7th grade as a secretary and was president of my 8th grade class.  I served as a representative my freshman and sophomore year, and was the Public Relations Executive last year.  I work for the Parks and Recreation in my hometown, run the front desk part-time at a local chiropractic office, and volunteer over the summer as a secretary at a Junior High in my area.  This year, I also had the pleasure of attending Illini Girls State.

Lacrosse has truly changed my life for the better.  I know that no matter where I go in life or what I do, I will always be involved in one way or another.  Another dream of mine has been to eventually coach a team of my own at any level.  There is nothing I love more than helping other people and teaching them all that I know and love about the sport.