From California to Illinois to Mississippi

By Hunter Wilson
HottyToddy Intern

As a bystander, one would be completely lost while watching a lacrosse game. But the current Ole Miss sophomore, Tatum Rausch, isn’t lost at all. She knows her ins and outs of the game and could teach anyone around her a thing or two about the sport.

Lacrosse is an up and coming sport here in the south that was originated by Native Americans back in the day. It is now a popular sport in the states and Canada. The game consists of two teams of ten that use sticks with nets to throw and catch the ball. Lacrosse is a high contact sport that requires optimum strength and precision.

Rausch was a former Women’s Club Lacrosse team member here at Ole Miss but her journey playing attack didn’t start here. Her journey in lacrosse officially started in seventh grade. “I got into the sport because my brother played and we now bond over the sport as a family when we are at home for the holidays,” Rausch said.

The sport started as her older siblings’ sport but slowly became hers as she played throughout middle school, high school, and now at the collegiate level.

Rausch replayed some fond memories she had of playing with her siblings and learning the game at a young age. During her high school years, Rausch went to Costa Rica to play the Costa Rican team on their turf, but that is not all she did. The team was also involved in a service trip that helped teach young Costa Rican children to play lacrosse as well as help build a school for them.

“Lacrosse has taught me valuable lessons like leadership and teamwork,” Rausch said.

She has learned to give back to the community and others less fortunate as well as give to her team. Being able to grow up with lacrosse, Rausch has been able to open up and trust her teammates which in turn has affected her personal life tremendously. The sport has given her tools to succeed in sports as well as outside sports in college and personal relationships.

“This sport is something that I will always carry with me through life and will be able to fall back on with the community within it,” Rausch says.

As her collegiate years approached, Rausch decided to go to Lewis University to pursue a collegiate level team but decided that the school wasn’t for her. She transferred to Ole Miss her second semester of freshman year and joined the Club Lacrosse team to continue the sport she loved. She retired a year later to pursue her academics but still holds her lacrosse memories close to her and says she won’t ever forget the sport that molded her into the person she is today.