Savanna Smith

About Me:

I’m from North Delta, British Columbia, Canada. I am Blackfoot and Polish on my mother’s side and Scottish and English on my father’s side. Lacrosse is in my blood. I have been drawn to it ever since I could remember, wanting to play just like my three older brothers. After begging my parents to let me play with the boys at the age of 5, I haven’t been able to put the stick down. My passion for the sport has fueled my relentless pursuit of self improvement. 

I grew up playing with the boys, as girls lacrosse wasn’t a reality. Playing both field and box lacrosse (yes they are different) on co-ed teams but typically being the only female player. I was often found practicing wall ball and conditioning at my local high school. I made the the men’s Provincial U-19 field lacrosse team, and I am the only female to date who has accomplished this. At the age of 14 I tried out for the U-19 Canadian female lacrosse team, this was one of the first times that I had played the women’s version of lacrosse. I absorbed as much knowledge as I could. It became my dream to give other female players in my Province a better opportunity to make their dreams of playing for Team Canada and at the NCAA level a reality. With resilience, support, and hard work at the age of 16 I started a female field lacrosse league in the Vancouver area. 

My goal was to play Division I lacrosse. I went on to become the first female player from this league to play DI lacrosse. I played four years at La Salle University in Philadelphia.

During my freshman year I sustained a concussion and was out for the season. I was recruited to play attack and at the start of my junior year transitioned into a goalie to finish my remaining two years. I received the De La Salle service award in 2014, and went to the A10’s conference during my Senior year. 

Outside of lacrosse, I love being outdoors. Hiking and kayaking, at the beach or in the snow. Having that connection to Mother Nature helps re-charge my soul. I enjoy photography and taking my dog on adventures. I strive to make a difference in the lives of others by showing compassion, inspiring them, and being impactful to the next generation of female athletes. 

As soon as I found out you could go to University and play lacrosse it became a tireless goal of mine. It didn’t matter which school I went to, I wanted to play at that level and get an education. To accomplish my goal, I would spend my free time in the gym working out. I would use this time to become faster and stronger. If I wasn’t in the gym I was at my local high school playing wall ball and perfecting my craft. Instead of movies I would watch game footage and trying to absorb and learn as much as I could. 

I would coach, referee, and play lacrosse when ever I could. Typically I was playing on two teams at a time and didn’t have any days off. I was determined to make my dream a reality. One of the hurdles I needed to figure out was the recruiting process. My high school did not go over the information I needed to know. There were not any outlets I could go to find out information about test scores, or  how to get in contact with coaches. I was on my own to figure the process out. 

I took my SAT and put together a highlight film to send to coaches. I sent that film off to every school I could find, which took a lot of time. I had no idea what I was doing, but my dream fueled me and I didn’t care about the rest. I went on official visits and talked to many different schools, but I needed a scholarship to be financially able to go to school. I didn’t get a scholarship that was financially sustainable so I elected to do a year of community college. Before the start of my second year I remember standing in line to register. I got the phone call that made my dreams come true from La Salle. I was finally offered a scholarship. I accepted to go two weeks before classes started. I felt like I was on cloud 9, and all my hard work had paid off. Then the unthinkable happened.

One day while cycling to coach lacrosse, I was hit by a car. The crash left me with a few injuries and I didn’t have time to recover. I thought if I told my college coach I would lose my scholarship. I hid my injuries, and pushed through the pain. I wasn’t going to let someone else’s actions change my goals. Going from Vancouver to Philadelphia the weather is different, and the dry cold made it harder for me to practice at a high level, including the injuries I had suffered. This affected my mental well-being. I remember calling home in tears almost everyday and saying what a mistake I made. My mother reassured me that it was going to be ok, I am strong and I can get through this. 

The injuries kept piling up. My freshman year I received a concussion at practice, I was devastated. My first two years of College lacrosse were not the ones I wanted. It wasn’t until my Junior year that our team needed a second goalie after ours quit that my College career changed for me. I told my coach I would try goalie if we needed one, and she had me out later that day ripping shots on me. Changing from an attacker to a goalie at the DI level was a huge learning curve. The resilience I had built, and my passion for the sport fueled me to put in countless hours to get better and be the best goalie I could. Re-training my mind and focusing on the mental aspects of the game. The position was a better fit for me.

My experience taught me that anything is possible when you have confidence in yourself, and use your passion to propel you forward. Realizing that all the strength you need, you already have inside of you, it’s just waiting for you to unlock it.