Aug. 9, 2007

Note: This article was excerpted from the February 2007 issue of Lacrosse magazine, a member benefit of US Lacrosse. Become a member today to receive your complimentary subscription.

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by Rebecca Lestner, Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online

Katie Janian's resume of extra-curricular activities is as expansive as her lacrosse game.

In her senior year at Bryn Mawr (Md.) School, Janian, 17, served as the student president of Admissions, the Student Resource Center, Model United Nations and as president and co-founder of the Outdoors Club. Think that's enough? She's also a student tutor, Diversity Club facilitator and leader and head of the spirit committee. All the while she remained on the honor roll, was selected a National Merit Commended Scholar and a Maryland Distinguished Scholar.

Did we mention she likes to cook?

Her impressive list of accomplishments has left even her family and friends to wonder how she does it all.

"I honestly don't know how she manages it all," Lana Janian, Katie's mother, said. "She's our third child and has always been the independent one."

In addition to all of these activities, Janian has cultivated another passion outside the school building. She has been playing lacrosse since age 5 and has worked her way through a number of recreational teams. Now, as the former goalie for the Mawrtians who will attend Yale in the fall, Janian has extended her list of accomplishments with a place on the 2007 U.S. Under-19 Team now competing in the IFWLA U-19 World Championship in Canada.

Miller Hughes is a U-19 team alternate and has been friends with Janian since fifth grade. Hughes is no stranger to Janian's work ethic in school and on the field.

"Katie is a very hard-working and dedicated person," said Hughes. "At the same time, she is down-to-earth and always smiling and having a good time. She's just really a well-rounded person. She's a great athlete, but she is also a really good friend."

As with her school activities, Janian's history playing lacrosse illustrates her dedication to success.

"I started as a field player," she said. "I first tried goalie at age 7 and really loved it."

But it took a little bit of a rough touch from her two older brothers, Alex, now 22, and Chris, 20, to make Janian realize she was, at heart, a goalie.

"My older brothers used to put me in as a goalie in our backyard and they would shoot balls at me," Janian remembered with a laugh.

"It's kind of a funny story," Lana Janian said. "I'd always run outside to [tell them to] stop. They would be using tennis balls thank goodness."

Lacrosse was not always a case of girls versus boys for the Janian family. In fact, during summers spent in Italy while their father taught classes, it was quite the opposite.

"The lacrosse sticks were portable and they would take them along [for the summer]," said Lana Janian. "They would play in the parks, and it was the one thing they could do together."

When asked what it is about lacrosse that has kept her interest for the past 12 years, Katie Janian said it's "the pace of the game" that intrigues her. "It's always exciting, particularly as a goalie. It's great to see the whole field."

She also is empowered by knowing she can change the outcome of the game from her position.

"Katie is definitely into the game and she takes care of the people that are playing defense with her," said Hughes. "I've never seen her slack off in a game before. As a goalie, her main strength is that she is so willing to improve her game all the time."

Willingness to get better isn't her only asset. Her infectious personality has rubbed off on teammates and classmates alike.

"She is always having fun," said Wendy Kridel, head coach of the U.S. U-19 team. "She'll do the work, but she doesn't look at it quite that way... She's competitive, but she always has a smile on her face."

Throughout Janian's long history with lacrosse, what has appealed to Janian's parents, who did not grow up playing lacrosse, is the support it garners in Baltimore.

"She has been very lucky to play on recreational teams with coaches who love the game," said Lana Janian. "The mothers and women who have coached her are interested in developing not just the player but, the whole team."

So when it came for Janian to try out for the U-19 squad, she had all the support of friends and family behind her from the start.

"I think she always knew about the team because of the boys," Lana Janian said. "She does set really high standards for herself in everyway. And, I think is just another way her hard work has paid off in the end."

Janian remembered first thinking about trying out for the team as a distant idea. Then, when tryouts were upon her, Janian said the experience "becoming more tangible" to her.

"It was a big honor to even be nominated to try out for the national team," said Janian. "We all bonded immediately. We talk all the time and have a great connection that follows us on the field. Everyone just meshed so well so quickly. I think that's because everyone is just so thrilled to be [on the team]."

Janian's initiative will extend beyond her U-19 goals. She has been accepted to Yale, where she plans to pursue a business degree with an economics background. She plans to continue playing lacrosse and hopes to someday succeed in the Baltimore business community.