Romina Erhardt is the first MIS teacher to be featured as an "M Story". As you might know, an "M Story" is the story of how MIS has nurtured a student through challenge to discover what inspires them. (Nurture, challenge, and inspire are MIS's three mission keywords.) Naturally, we like to tell the stories of our students; but this time, MIS is proud to tell the story of how Ms. Erhardt; in her 12th year of coaching and teaching Middle and Senior School Physical Education at MIS, is both a nurturer and also being nurtured by her own students and the MIS community in preparation for the World Lacrosse Box Championships.
As Ms. Erhardt goes off to the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships in Utica, New York next week, one of her biggest fan sections will be cheering her on from here on campus.
The MIS faculty and staff community has mobilized efforts to ensure that everyone gets to see Erhardt in action as the goalie of the German Women's Lacrosse Team. An internal communications channel has been created to follow the television programming, the social media, and the press coverage of the World Championship. This world championship is truly special, serving as a powerful showcase for women’s emancipation and inclusion. Box lacrosse was exclusively played by men until a few years ago, and the journey to this first Women's World Championship has been a long and challenging fight for female players globally.
This particular championship is even more significant because it is being held in the heartland of lacrosse - Upstate New York - The home of the top three lacrosse nations, Canada, the USA, and the Haudenosaunee (Native Americans competing under their own flag).
Romina Erhardt is no stranger to Championships. Her professional athletic career has spanned multiple sports including lacrosse, ski racing, track and field, speedskating, and biathle.
In 2012, Erhardt joined MIS after concluding her career as a pole vaulter and track and field athlete while working as a sports scientist at the Olympic Training Center in Munich and the Technical University. At that time, she was also completing her master’s in training science and biomechanics.
A significant turning point came around 2014 or 2015 when she was covering a PE class with a lesson plan on lacrosse. Curious and eager to teach effectively, she visited the Munich Lacrosse Club, instantly drawn to the sport's speed and skill demands. The resilience required to master lacrosse paralleled her experience in track and field and pole vaulting.
By 2018, Mrs. Erhardt found herself playing lacrosse herself in the position of goalie, a role she embraced following the tragic loss of a friend who previously held that position. Her dedication to the sport grew, especially fueled by her memory of her friend and her deeper appreciation for her time on the field.
Mrs. Erhardt’s involvement with the German National Lacrosse Team began in 2019, initially as a manager and then as a goalkeeper for the Sixes National Team, the Olympic version of lacrosse.
Romina and Germany’s Women’s Lacrosse Team has had support from Middle and Senior School students in the Maker's Lab to create the team’s logo patches, even learning to use the embroidery machine to brand the team's sneakers. Taking advantage of MIS’s Maker’s Lab facilities, 7th grade students such as Freddy have helped Erhardt to master the embroidery machine, laser cutter, labeling machines, and the 3D printers.
The German women's team has a clear and ambitious goal: to win a medal, something Germany has never achieved at the world level in lacrosse. One of the biggest advantages Erhardt has compared to goalkeepers from other nations is years of training with the men's national team.
“We will face the best players in the world, and I am working every day to play my best game in the final game of the tournament, leading my team to a medal.”
Click here to see more information about how you can watch the Championship matches or follow on social media!