Gold Award Spotlight: Two Hands Lacrosse Camp

Margaret, a Girl Scout Ambassador from Chesapeake, has recently earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor and award in Girl Scouting.

Margaret, who has been playing lacrosse since middle school, wanted to join a team at her high school. However, due to a low number of girls interested in the sport, there were not enough people to have a team. Recognizing that girls in Chesapeake are not familiar with the sport, Margaret planned and organized a free, weeklong lacrosse camp for girls in the area.

During the week, Margaret introduced 28 girls to lacrosse by teaching them about the fundamentals of the sport, practicing skills, such as tossing and catching, and providing activities for the girls to practice hand-eye coordination. By the end of the week, the girls were ready to play a full game of lacrosse. Each day at the camp, Margaret also took the time to teach the girls a health tip, ranging from the importance of wearing safety gear while playing sports to how to communicate effectively and exhibit the qualities of good sportsmanship.

“I chose this project because I hoped that enough girls would become intrigued by the sport that they would be able to form a team at their high schools,” Margaret said. “Lacrosse is slow-growing in our area, and I wanted to inspire girls to try a new sport.”

After the camp, Margaret shared her lesson plans for the camp with elementary schools in Chesapeake so that activities and games can be used in physical education classes. Margaret’s lacrosse coach has also agreed to continue to host the camp using her lesson plans in the following years to help grow the popularity of lacrosse in the area.

The Gold Award requires girls to identify an issue in their community and carry out a Take Action project to address the matter through leadership work. Nationwide, less than 6 percent of eligible Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award, which adds Margaret to an elite group of female leaders across the country with the honor.