RJ Corba knew from a young age that he wanted to play lacrosse at the collegiate level. From middle school, he was doing research and working to make the high school lacrosse team, as well as a club team in the offseason. The only issue? The politics within the teams.

During his freshman year in high school, RJ decided to try out for a club lacrosse team. Throughout the whole process, the coaches were cryptic, and overall poor communicators, all for personal reasons that RJ preferred not to disclose. This put RJ in a difficult position because by the time tryouts would be done, all opportunities to try out with other clubs were also off the table. After being told he didn't make the club lacrosse team, RJ was stuck entering showcases as an independent player, limiting the amount of individual interaction he could get with college coaches. 

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This is when RJ realized that the recruiting process for him was going to be very different from the average person. The difficulties would not stop as he progressed through high school, facing some unavoidable roadblocks when it came to playing for the high school team, but he didn't let this get him down. Despite not having many team connections, RJ's perseverance and passion for lacrosse pushed him through this struggle.

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Ultimately, RJ decided to take initiative, reaching out to college coaches himself, and eventually found a home at Hamilton College. As a senior at Hamilton College, RJ is finally a part of a team where politics and connections aren't the top influences on a team, and he's loving every bit of it.

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* Originally published on October 11, 2022, by Brayden Koch