Ever wondered what’s inside Riley Sterling’s camera roll?
“I have a lot of film from recruiting, and sometimes I’ll look through it,” she said.
Recruiting film. Pretty normal.
“I fall a lot. I have screen recordings of all of my falls saved on my computer because I think it’s hilarious.”
Ah. Classified footage.
Now, some people may be thinking to themselves, “What’s so classified about Riley falling?” Well, if you know anything about the Colorado College lacrosse commit, you know that when it comes to her sport, Sterling is the best of the best. Obtaining these never-before-seen videos would be incredibly valuable indeed.
If you want to get your hands on these clips, however, you should know that you would be going up against an Academic All-American lacrosse player and West Bay Athletic League MVP midfielder. Yeah, she is going to have a banner in the gym. No, it won’t be easy to get past her.
In the off-chance you do somehow acquire these videos, Sterling’s nationwide posse will likely come after you.
“My club team is a little bit weird because we have a lot of people on my team in different states: a few people from Utah, someone from Texas, and a few people from Washington and then a bunch of people from the East Bay,” Sterling said.
You can’t escape.
Sterling explained how her team practices individually in their home states, and then they will meet to play in tournaments together. Not practicing consistently with her team strengthens Sterling’s skills in communication and observation.
“It definitely taught me to notice things that other people need a lot more. I can’t see over the course of months. I have to just notice it right away,” she said.
So she also has extraordinary vision. Great. You’ve got zero chance of succeeding in stealing this footage now.
How did Sterling gain such superpowers? Cross-training.
“I played a ton of sports. Cross-training is so important. Water polo helped me a lot with my endurance. Soccer helps with footwork,” she said. “I don’t think I would be the player that I am today in any of my sports without any of the other sports. Triple-sport athlete for the win.”
Sterling did win herself a prized spot on Colorado College’s team, and she had some words of reflection on her recruitment: “It sounds cliche, but everything happens for a reason. Let other things make some of the decisions for you. Choose what’s important to you,” she said. “Because for me, my backpacking trips are really important and that pretty much made the decision for me once I’ve narrowed down my [college] list.”
Her backpacking trips overlapped with much of the summer lacrosse season, and her absence caused skepticism for many coaches, but not Colorado College’s.
“If you make sure you’re prioritizing what’s important, there’s going to be a school that wants you. It’s not about you fitting into them. They’re a fit for you as well,” Sterling said.
In case this little tangent about Sterling’s recruiting experience did not distract you from your mission, here is one final warning before you go sneaking a glimpse at Sterling’s camera roll:
The owner of your desired videos is armed. Beware: Sterling has a lacrosse stick.
“The shaft part of my lacrosse stick has a warning on it, that’s like ‘Warning! This object can be used to cause injury or even death,’” Sterling said. “And I think it’s hilarious because it’s been on every stick I’ve ever had. And I’m a little third grader like mwahaha.”
Sterling may find it amusing, but you sure won’t if you try going up against her.
You have been warned.
