Q&A with Columbine lacrosse player, UNC commit Betty Nelson
LITTLETON, Colo. — Betty Nelson plays lacrosse for Columbine High School, and is ranked in the top five goalies in the nation. She is a senior this year, and has already accepted an offer to play for the University of North Carolina next year. We were privileged to interview Betty and get to know more about her and the lacrosse team at Columbine.
Tell me a little about yourself and your interests.
Betty Nelson: I love to snowboard, hike, and spend time with my friends. I have one brother who’s also a lacrosse goalie, he plays at North Greenville University. I played for the u15 and u16 national teams.
What are some highlights from your lacrosse season?
Nelson: One highlight was the night when I reached 100 season saves and 200 career saves and the whole team cheered for me and made me feel special. Another highlight was when we won our first game of the season and all of our hard work had paid off.
What do you like best about your team?
Nelson: I like that no matter what happens, our team keeps pushing forward even with all the obstacles we faced throughout the season; everyone on our team always gets back up after they’ve been knocked down.
What leadership do you provide for the other players?
Nelson: A lot of our players are new to lacrosse and I think it’s really cool that I’ve gotten the opportunity to teach them the game that I love. I was able to help them learn how to play during practices and lead them on the field during games. As a goalie, I get to command the defense and that’s my way of leading on the field; I tell my defense what they can’t see and I have their back so we can work as a unit.
What are some of the life lessons you’ve learned from lacrosse or sports in general?
Nelson: I’ve learned from lacrosse how important hard work is and how anything is achievable as long as you work at it. Lacrosse is an east coast dominated sport and nothing was ever handed to me, so I learned that I had to put in twice as much work to compete with players on the east coast. I achieved my dream of committing to the University of North Carolina and playing for Team USA through my hard work and I use that work ethic in all aspects of my life. I also learned that it’s important to surround yourself with people that support you. I wouldn’t be where I am today without all of the coaches and teammates I’ve had throughout the years. They pushed me to be great and were there for me when things got tough.
What piece of advice would you give to new members of the team?
Nelson: One piece of advice I would give to a new team member is to never forget to have fun. There is a lot of stress in sports and it’s easy to get caught up in the frustration but the reason sports exist is to have fun. It’s important to enjoy every minute on the field because they go by fast.
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