The 16-year-old Kellett School student has just come off a successful debut on the HK Lacrosse Open Women’s Under 19 team
Caitlyn just moved back to Hong Kong from the UK last year, and competed in the Lacrosse Open this year.As her team’s defender made a swift pass, Caitlyn Whitton threw out her stick and caught the ball. Now her heart was really racing, because she knew her team’s effort had been leading up to this moment – for an attacker like herself to score a goal and narrow the four-point gap.
Caitlyn looked around to make sure no rival was in her way. Then she went for it, throwing the ball with all her might. This was the critical goal that brought the Hong Kong Women’s Under 19 team back in the game against Team Chinese Taipei at the Hong Kong Lacrosse Open last week.
It was an impressive performance for the 16-year-old, especially considering it was the first time she had competed at this level. The team lost 7:9, finishing in 7th place in the tournament.
Representing Hong Kong in a leading Asian tournament like the Lacrosse Open was something the Kellett School student had never dreamed of. When she moved back to the city from Britain a year ago, she thought it was time to say goodbye to her favourite sport.
“Lacrosse is really popular in Britain, but not here in Hong Kong, so I didn’t think I was going to carry on,” Caitlyn said. “Plus I wasn’t playing too well at the time, I thought I might as well just give up now.”
But when she was selected to play for the national U19 squad, she realised she still had the zeal for lacrosse, which she says “has to be the best sport”, as it combines two of her former favourite sports – rugby and badminton. She went on to explain that while women’s lacrosse is categorised as a non-contact sport, there is still physical contact between players.
This aspect of lacrosse reminds her of rugby, which is where Caitlyn developed her interest in contact sports. The stick work reminds her of her days playing badminton, which requires an equally high level of agility.
Caitlyn has noticed some girls have shied away from the sport because it’s highly likely that they’ll get a bruise or a scar. But to Caitlyn and her team, bruises are badges of honour showing off their hard work. She says when her teammates notice she has a new bruise they say, “oh you got a new one, well done, good contact!”
When she started playing lacrosse Caitlyn struggled to master her the position of defender. Though she felt unfit for the role, she trusted that her coach knew her abilities best, so she kept quiet.
She stumbled upon a chance to show her potential as an attacker in her last year playing for her boarding school in Britain, when her team was short of attackers.
She volunteered to step in, and surprised her coach by how naturally she played. Since then, Caitlyn has been playing low attack, making beautiful shots like the one she pulled off in the Hong Kong tournament.
“It is quite intimidating to be a low attack. After the defence and midfields have bought the ball down [the field] for me, it’s my job to take care of it, and choose the correct hand to score,” she said. “When I have to use my non-dominant hand, I am more likely to drop the ball.”
Caitlyn said she used to beat herself up for missing a goal, or blame herself for costing her team a game, but she has learned to accept her mistakes and remembers lacrosse is never just about one player.
“I used to think I should have scored this and that, but I know I can’t put all the pressure on myself. It’s a team sport and I have to remember that,” she said.
The Year 12 student has proven herself to be a key player of the national youth team, but says she may need to put a pause on her lacrosse journey in Hong Kong soon, with plans to return to Britain for university next year.
Caitlyn said she wishes to continue lacrosse at university, or at least be involved in some way. “I just want to be around it,” she said.
Edited by Nicole Moraleda
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