Alumni Spotlight: Lauren Crandall
10/29/2013 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Oct. 29, 2013
Former Demon Deacon great Lauren Crandall checks in to talk about her recent time playing with the U.S. National Team in the Pan Am Cup.
Not all of us are lucky enough to do what we love, and get paid for it - at least that is what Jen once told me; but now I don't believe her! Essentially I have been successfully avoiding the real world by putting my Wake Forest degree on hold...and have enjoyed mostly every minute of it playing for the Women's National Field Hockey Team.
I recently returned from Argentina where our U.S. team competed in the Pan Am Cup where the backdrop of the Andes mountain provided the perfect oasis for competition. Of course we all know that the setting never matters when the game starts - but we sure didn't mind the beauty while sitting in the hotel twiddling our thumbs.Tour tends to be interesting time - bare with me as I try to explain. It is a bizarre mixture of summer field hockey camp (except you're too old to stay up late and can't eat as much junk), re-season with the ice baths and achy muscles, and NCAA tournament time.
A silver medal never sits too well with me - but this tournament brought about something special: I got to compete alongside my fellow Demon Deacon teammates Michelle Kasold and Jamie Whitten Montgomery. This marked the first occasion that we stood side by side receiving medals around our necks since our 2006 season. As all of us who have been coached by Jen know, it is the ladies standing by your side through victory and defeat that make it all worthwhile. The high of winning the 2006 ACC Championship and the low of losing the National Championship that same year all seem to fade away with time. The memories we share, the photographs we wish were never taken (oopsies Freshman 15!), and the stories that we continue to tell replace the emotions of our past hockey seasons.
I am thankful for my experiences and friendships made at Wake Forest and am blessed to still be playing the game I love, and have the opportunity to compete with two Demon Deacons and 20 other teammates that I continue to create memories with.
-Lauren Crandall