posted 05/21/16   

ADDISON  (AM News Net)  –  Texas lacrosse players from 14 schools gathered this weekend for the second annual One Love Foundation tournament to raise awareness of dating violence and the effects it has.

In 2010, George Huguely V, a University of Virginia lacrosse player, was found guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend, 22 year old Yeardley Love, who also played lacrosse at the University of Virginia. The tragedy prompted junior lacrosse player Kate Love from the Hockaday School in Dallas, Texas, to organize a tournament in her area to raise awareness. However, organizing a tournament like this was much easier said than done.

“The One Love Foundation reached out to my father and asked if we’d like to get involved in this,” Kate said. “They already had the idea of having a girls versus boys game, but it never happened before because they didn’t really know how to put it in place.”

In her sophomore year, Kate got in contact with Molly Ford, coach of the Coppell girls lacrosse team in Texas.

“[Molly] played lacrosse in high school with Yeardley Love, so she and I worked together and helped organize the tournament,” Kate said.

Kate and Molly have worked to almost double the size of the tournament since last year, and have been working to raise awareness and funds for the foundation. Multiple high schools are getting involved and showing “Escalation”, a 90-minute film based workshop about dating violence and abuse.

“I was really excited when Molly told me we would be doing [the tournament] again,” Kate said. “It’s amazing and impressive to know how we made an impact last year and how ‘Escalation,’ the program that comes with One Love, is starting to come to a bunch of high schools.”

Kate explains that relationship violence may not be noticed by most people.

“Relationship violence happens a lot more often than people think,” Kate said. “It’s not always physical abuse but it’s also emotional And even if it’s on the smallest level, it’s there, and people don’t really realize that until they take ‘Escalation.’ It’s really eye-opening for everyone.”

Students from Frisco explained that ‘Escalation’ is a valuable teaching tool.

“‘Escalation’ teaches you signs you can be aware of,” Liberty High School junior Sophia Eigo said. “I think that we have a passion in lacrosse, it hits harder. [Yeardley Love] is a serious case and it’s unfortunate what happened.”

Sophia also did not think much about dating violence until the program, a view echoed by others.

“It brought a lot more awareness,” Melissa Waicberg, a student from Frisco Wakeland High school said. “I wasn’t really aware of the signs of relationship advice.”

“You don’t know how to react to it if you’re friends with someone in an abusive relationship,” Wakeland sophomore Caitlin O’Neill said as well. “It’s kind of scary, honestly. [‘Escalation’] portrayed [dating violence] in a whole new way.”

The tournament, which started with eight teams, has grown to 14. Coppell girls lacrosse coach Molly Ford hopes the message spreads farther.

“Yeardley was a very close friend of mine,” Coach Ford said. “Something had to be done and this is a great way to remember her.”

To learn more about the One Love Foundation, their website can be found here.

All photos from the tournament can be found here.

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