Strength through pain

Lacrosse team comes together as a family

Parkland – When the rain suddenly poured down on the Stoneman Douglas players, it felt strangely emblematic of the week that was.

Having experienced unthinkable trauma just five days prior, the boys lacrosse team’s first step back to a return of normalcy was met with a near monsoon in the middle of practice. But as the heavy rain poured down on the teenagers, it didn’t faze them.

They kept throwing the ball around and shooting on net. They rolled with it.

For the first time since the Parkland shooting that claimed the lives of 17 people, the Eagles had their helmets and pads strapped up as they practiced under the lights at Calvary Christian. the Fort Lauderdale private school offered up its facilities to the team with Douglas’ campus still closed.

On Monday night, there was laughter, kids joking around with a sense of much-needed camaraderie. Hitting the field was a cathartic and uniting experience for the 28 players who’ve lived through a nightmare.

“I think we definitely need to be out here as a family,” senior Sam Bailin, 18, said. “No one at this age or any age should have to deal with what we are right now.”

“If we’re going to get through this, we need to get through this together.”

Stoneman Douglas has traditionally been one of the area’s top programs as fifthyear coach Ryan Burton, 34, has helped build up the Parkland program. Over the past week, Burton said he’s marveled at how resilient and strong his players have been through the tragedy.

“I’ve had some kids who have been to three funerals a day,” Burton said. “It’s heartbreaking. I was at [a funeral] today and our players are carrying their friends out in wood boxes. It’s surreal.

“Parents, boyfriends, mothers, trying to deal with this. Truthfully, when I see these kids, I get choked up with these guys thinking, ‘It could have been them.’ But they’re extremely strong. I’ve been trying to act like a big brother to them, but they’re actually helping me out with a lot of things.”

Adam Brodsky, 17, said he was on the other side of the school during the shooting, but said he “heard everything” and remembers everything “vividly.” He lost two close friends that day — Joaquin Oliver, who shared the same birthday, and Meadow Pollack, who he had known since preschool.

“It hurts,” Brodsky said. “It really hurts. Thank God some of my friends came out alright.”

The school remains closed through Wednesday and students won’t return for classes until next week. For the senior, being surrounded by his teammates and doing everyday drills are a crucial part on the road to recovery.

“It’s step by step,” Brodsky said. “We’re going to have baby steps. Kids are still in shock. Kids are still feeling it. They can’t even believe it happened. It’s going to take some time. We’ll get back as soon as we can, but we’re not going to rush anything.”

The team already has plans to honor the victims from the shooting. Before every game, the team will wear white shirts that read “17 Strong.”

While the team’s first game hasn’t been finalized, the Eagles want to return to the field and honor the friends they’ve lost.

“We’re going to come out with a lot more power because we have someone to play for,” Bailin said. “It means a lot to represent all 17 victims of the shooting. We’re going to play for them and we’re going to play our hearts out every single game.”

AMY BETH BENNETT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Stoneman Douglas boys lacrosse players are wearing shirts with the names of the 17 people who lost their lives at their school last week. They held their first practice Monday.