Sweden’s mother-daughter duo Teckla and Kjälla Jackson share fields at the world championships in lacrosse – Baltimore Sun
At 51 years old, Teckla Jackson is the oldest player at the 2022 World Lacrosse Championships for Women. At 17, Kjälla Jackson is one of the youngest.
Still, it is not the most remarkable thing about the two members of the Swedish national team. Teckla and Kjälla Jackson are the only mother-daughter duo to play among the 29 nations in the tournament, and it is an opportunity they have been looking forward to for a long time.
“This is kind of what I have worked for,” said Kjälla (pronounced SHELL-ah) Jackson after Sweden lost to Italy, 17-6, Friday morning at Towson University. “We wanted to play in the World Cup together and now that we’re here it’s kind of like, ‘Wow, we actually made it. So what now? ‘”
Teckla Jackson added: “It makes me really proud. It’s great that she’s finally playing with us.”
The news of the mother-daughter playing the duo has not exactly gone viral, but those who learned about Jackson expressed surprise and reverence.
“I do not think I could do it, but it’s an incredible story, and that’s what’s so special about lacrosse, such relationships,” said Marie McCool, a United States midfielder.
Jenny Levy, a graduate of Roland Park who coaches the Americans, joked that her “daughter would die” at the thought of playing together on the international stage.
“I could not get up and down the pitch if I was not the damn goalkeeper,” Levy said. “But it’s amazing. What an incredible opportunity to share a collective experience. No one is allowed to do that.”
Teckla Jackson’s introduction to lacrosse began during the 1986-87 academic year as a 17-year-old exchange student in Syracuse, New York. There, the Swedish football player became fascinated by a sport that emphasized the use of a stick and hands.
“I had no idea about the game,” she recalled. “I saw the game and thought, ‘Yeah, it looks fun. So I started playing and when the year was over I went back to Sweden with two sticks and got all my friends together and started with lacrosse for ladies at home.
In 1995, Jackson traveled to Melbourne, Australia, to spend a season with a professional club there. She then met her future husband, Mark Jackson, another lacrosse player who has represented Australia internationally, and a one-year trial period turned into a seven-year stay that culminated in the couple’s marriage in 2003.
A year later, Kjälla was born and she accompanied her parents when they traveled around Europe and played in tournaments.
“I kind of grew up on the field,” she said. “I really had no choice. I was born into it. When my mom played I was with my dad and vice versa. So I was just on the field all the time. So I’ve seen the game, but I never played it until I was 12. or 13, which was when I started playing with the seniors because we did not have a junior team. It’s a little cool. “
Holidays for the family, which also include 12-year-old Estyn, do not involve the usual trips to amusement parks or beaches.
“Every holiday we’ve played tournaments and gone here and there,” said Teckla Jackson. “So it’s just been a way of life.”
Source Jackson said she has not thought about more traditional vacations.
“The places we travel to are a bit unique,” she said. “We went to Israel for the 2019 qualifiers, and I had never been to Israel before. So it was a little cool. I’ve been to Prague and Amsterdam, and we cycle and so on. So it’s a bit like a holiday too.”
Like her mother, Source Jackson spent a year studying abroad at Hudson High School in Hudson, Ohio, and joined the school’s lacrosse program this spring. In addition to adapting to the large number of training sessions and matches that American teams play during a week and specific positions for each player, Jackson admitted that she was unprepared for the difference in aggression on the field.
“Just the rudeness and how everyone is on top of each other all the time,” she said. “In Sweden we are something like, ‘Yes, you can pick up the ball. It is okay.’ In the United States, it’s like ‘No! That’s my ball! ‘”
Kjälla Jackson could not return to Sweden for the national team test. So she trained in front of her coaches and teammates in Ohio and emailed the film to the Swedish coaching staff.
Teckla Jackson said she was relieved to learn that her daughter had been given a place in the squad.
“I was a little worried when she went to the United States about how the team would be selected,” she said. “But she played lacrosse over there and sent video to the coaches. So that was good. She was really eager to join the team.”
Against Italy on Friday, Teckla Jackson made his second straight start of the tournament in attack, while Kjälla came off the bench as a defender. Teckla Jackson did not score a goal or assist, which meant a draw, while Kjälla took a ground ball.
Sweden lost 4-0 and were defeated 10-2 in the second half by an Italian team that relied on eight goals from midfielder Stephanie Colson, a Westminster resident and graduated from Manchester Valley, and seven goals and an assist from midfielder Colleen Owen.
“I think we had a chance today, but it only takes so long for us to get started,” said Teckla Jackson. “We are realistic, but I know we can do much better. That’s the experience. We just need to play more games.”
Teckla Jackson said she is not sure how much longer she will play, noting that it is her biggest problem to avoid injuries at her age. She said that the family’s legacy in lacrosse is starting to move into Kjälla’s hands.
“She will continue, I hope,” said Teckla Jackson.
Source Jackson said she sees this tournament as a chance to lay a foundation for future appearances.
“This is just my first time. So it’s not my breakthrough this year,” she said. “There’s a lot more to come.”
SWEDEN VS. COLUMBIA
Saturday, 15.00
TV: ESPN +