Chiquilistagua Practice, Nicaragua

Age: 15

8th Grade

Favorite Subject: Science

Efren started coming to practice at the start of Chiquilistagua’s 2017 school year. He loved passing around and jumping into our scrimmages, but quickly learned that he was required to complete an entire warm up with the team before participating. Upon this discovery, Efren developed a habit of coming late to practices in order to “miss” the warm ups but still get his lax on. When Coach David and Program Director Dan let Efren know he couldn’t compete if he did not warm up and complete their conditioning, Efren’s attendance dropped.

A few weeks of not playing, Efren made the decision that stepping up to do some things that he didn’t want to do was a task he was willing to take on if it meant returning to play alongside his classmates and friends. Now Efren is in 3rd year of lacrosse, attending weekly tutoring with LtN’s coaches. Last year, his team won the LtN Cup, bringing the trophy back to Chiquilistagua school thanks for Efren’s defense. When asked about his thoughts on lacrosse, Efren reflected:

“Lacrosse is a sport that is very physical and helps us stay in shape. I like all the drills and techniques we learn every practice, and the coaches help us to become better people through the charlas (LtN’s life-skills discussions).”

Efren overcoming his distaste for warm-ups and conditioning may seem like a small step forward for some of us more attuned with the youth sporting requirements in the U.S. However, many times students in Managua lack an incentive to rise above a daunting challenge to achieve a hirer goal. At LtN, our programs work to provide children with an incentive to learn (lacrosse) and our coaches serve as resources for students to accomplish their short and long term goals.