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The fact that Penticton didn't have any female lacrosse teams for Olivia McGill to play on growing up didn't stop her from becoming a star athlete at 13.
With no girls' league in the Okanagan at the time, her mom, Staci McGill, shared that Olivia started playing with the boys' team at age 5. She had watched her older brother play the game and wanted to join in herself.
"As she got bigger and fell more in love with the game, we started travelling to the coast for girls' leagues," Staci said, noting that her daughter is a goalie in field lacrosse.
"With playing here with the boys team and on the coast with girls teams, her love for the game turned into absolute passion."
There has been great progress for the girls league in Penticton, Staci said, noting that it is growing strong and getting closer to being able to field teams locally.
"Olivia is so thankful for the Interior Female director Penni King introducing her to Girls Field lacrosse and really growing the game so girls like Olivia have the same opportunities as the boys do," she added.
She continues to play on the boys team and started playing with travel teams on the coast. She has four practices a week in town and one practice a week in Langley, plus games.
"It's a very male-dominated sport, and to come up in Penticton where there's not a lot of girls doing it, I'm just really proud of her. It's a big, it's a big thing."
Last year, Olivia was the only girl in the South Okanagan of her age to make Team BC, and this year has made the first-ever U15 Team Canada development team.
"[We are] over the moon...This is a huge success as it sets her up for being a part of the next Team Canada and hopefully representing Canada in the Olympics in the next few years," her mom added.
"She is one of 44 players across Canada to make the team and one of only four goalies."
She said Olivia has already picked her top three universities she hopes to attend, based on their lacrosse teams.
"She eats, breathes and lives lacrosse."
Olivia will join the U15 Canada West for the inaugural season of Lacrosse Canada’s Development Teams.
Check out the gallery above to see her play in some of her first games as goalie, games with the Penticton team, with the travel team and with Team BC.
