Colin Lee ’19 Makes U-19 Korean National Lacrosse Team

Colin Lee, who is finishing up his freshman year at Brunswick, was selected to play lacrosse for Korea’s U-19 National Lacrosse Team. Lee and his new team will take part in the 2016 FIL U-19 World Championship, set to begin on July 7 outside of Vancouver, Canada.

 

Lee, a Greenwich resident, flew the nearly 7,000 miles to Inchon, Korea, earlier this year for the national team tryout.  Traveling alone, he met up with his father, who was in Hong Kong for business, and his grandparents, who traveled from Los Angeles.

 

Despite his Korean heritage, there was a language barrier Lee needed to address, but according to Lee, his new teammates were strong English speakers. “I was happily surprised by their English fluency and how they quickly accepted me as a teammate. It made my transition to the new team and to life over there very smooth,” he noted.

 

The 15-year old midfielder will be one of four foreign-born players allowed to compete for Korea in FIL U-19 World Championship. Making the team as a 15-year-old also gives Lee a chance to compete for Korea in the 2020 World Championship.

 

“For my age, I am really happy to make the team for this tournament, “ Lee said. “If I am lucky enough to make the 2020 team, I hope my experience, as an older player, will help the team. But for now, I am just happy to learn from my new team and soak in this amazing opportunity to play the sport that I love.”

 

The Korean team, comprised of 15 players and three alternates, will get together in Korea on July 2 for final preparations and some practice before heading to Vancouver on July 5.

 

Korea, along with 14 other countries, will take part in the FIL World Championship. Lee’s squad will play in a five-team division featuring China, Ireland, Scotland, and Spain.

 

Following a four-game, round-robin divisional schedule, tournament play will follow for the qualifying teams.

 

The World Championship tournament will be hosted in Coquitlam, Canada, just outside of Vancouver.

 

To learn more about the tournament, click here.