Athlete of the Week: Hannah Rudge

Hannah Rudge, 10, has been playing lacrosse for seven years but has been handling a lacrosse stick pretty much since birth.

She has always participated in the Huntsville Hawks girls development program but there are no girls Rep field lacrosse teams yet in Huntsville. To be able to play the sport she loves and to play competitively, she and her family have to travel to Orillia twice a week for her team practices with the Orillia Lady Kings and to her league games on Sundays in various communities in southern Ontario.

Nicole Marwick, assistant coach for the Lady Kings, says, “Hannah comes to the field every single practice and game, bouncing to the field with her positive energy and enthusiasm. Her commitment and dedication to lacrosse is outstanding—her skills make her shine on and off the field. She is a team player and an absolute delight to coach.”

Even though she has to play outside of Huntsville she still enjoys playing lacrosse. “I get to practice with my teammates, work hard and I always have lots of fun!”

Hannah’s long-term plan is to continue to practice and play competitively to achieve an exceptional goal: “I would love to represent Canada on the first Olympic girls lacrosse team,” she says.

During the off-season, Hannah trains in other sports to stay active. Dance at the Muskoka Dance Academy is her second passion. She also plays a little basketball and downhill skis at Hidden Valley Highlands Ski Area. Being active with her peers is what is enjoyable and most important to her.

Hannah’s team travelled to Kitchener last weekend, July 26-30, for the Women’s Field Lacrosse Provincial Championships. The Orillia Lady Kings played in the B Division and battled through two very close games with one win and one loss on Saturday. On Sunday, they were victorious against the two teams they played, earning them a berth in the gold-medal game. The Lady Kings played a solid final and came home with the silver medal.

It’s Hannah’s best lacrosse moment so far. “It was a really close game. I was so proud of my team,” she says.

Hannah isn’t the only local female lacrosse player to travel to Orillia to play. Alexis Roberson, Ryan Bionda and Julia Caswell compete as Lady Kings for the U19 and U15 teams.