NLD – Megan’s Story
With just a few days to go until National Lacrosse Day on Saturday, in the next of our ‘Lax for All’ stories we spoke to New Zealand international lacrosse player, Megan Archer, who now lives and plays the game in England, about playing for her country whilst living on the other side of the world.
When and where did you first start playing lacrosse?
I started playing Lacrosse when I was about 13 years old at my school in New Zealand - Whangaparaoa College!
What made you start playing lacrosse?
I was already quite sporty - playing netball, cross country running & a bit of athletics but one of my friends convinced me to give it a go and I fell in love with the sport - a life changing moment for sure!
Who has been the biggest influence in your lacrosse career to date?
I had some excellent coaches early on across all my sports - Jason Pocock, Lynda Hay, Guy Baldwin, G Scott to name a few. The influence they’ve had on me is less to do with skill but more to do with discipline, mindset, and what it takes to become a world class athlete.
I’ve also had the privilege of playing with and against many other international players, especially since I moved to the UK. They inspired me to train harder, smarter and try new things so I can compete with them on the world stage.
Where do you play lacrosse now, and for whom?
I play for and Vice Captain Centaurs Lacrosse Club in London. I joined there when I moved over in 2017. I’ve also played mixed lacrosse for the Home Nations Lions which really helped my World [Championship] build up, and for London City Panthers on the odd occasion (including this weekend at the Compton Cup!).
Have you come up against any challenges so far in your lacrosse career, and if so, what were they?
My most recent challenge was around training for the 2022 World Championship. Living in the UK but wanting to represent NZ, it involved a lot of Friday late night zoom calls to join their training camps (because of the time difference.)
I also struggled to feel like I was doing enough since I wasn’t with the team so jumped at any opportunity to play lacrosse. I Learnt the hard way that quality is more important than quantity when training for a WC! But on the flip side, since moving to the UK I’ve played different versions of the game and against so many different types of players which I was able to use to my advantage at the WC.
What aspects of lacrosse do you love the most?
Definitely the people! It’s a wonderful, global community. Moving to another country on the other side of the world was huge for me but I’ve made friends for life through Lacrosse. In terms of the game itself, the midfield running is probably my favourite part… crazy I know.