For Brock women's lacrosse head coach Laura Tober, one of the biggest weeks of her coaching career resulted in a pair of medal-winning performances. 

Tober first helped Team Ontario earn a bronze at the Jenny Kyle Cup, the U19 national tournament, before guiding Team Blue to gold at the Ontario Summer Games. 

"It was an absolutely amazing week," Tober said. "Watching both teams come together and seeing them connect right away from the start was awesome. They both fought straight to the end, and it was a display of good, fundamental lacrosse." 

The national competition took place in Saskatoon, Sask., from Monday, July 27 to Wednesday, July 29, as Team Ontario finished 2-2 in round-robin action before defeating Team Manitoba 23-4 to secure the bronze. 

"To me it meant so much to take these athletes to the Jenny Kyle Cup and watch them gel quickly as a team," she said. "For myself and my assistant coaches, the experience for the girls was one of the most important things we were hoping to get out of this. To see the 17 players go out there and play selflessly was so beautiful." 

Tober wasn't alone in the team's success as two incoming Badgers, Allie Arnott and Hailey Fennema, were selected to Team Ontario and gained valuable experience. Although they had never played together in Ontario Women's Field Lacrosse (OWFL), the tournament allowed them to build chemistry before arriving at Brock. 

"Something we really want to build upon at Brock is team cohesion and culture," Tober said. "Watching the two of them interact makes me excited for the upcoming season and I'm looking forward to watch them excel and working with the talent we already have." 

Fresh off the national tournament, Tober travelled to Kitchener, Ont., for the four-day Ontario Summer Games U17 women's lacrosse event at Alumni Field from Thursday, July 30 to Sunday, Aug. 2. 

Tober's Team Blue went undefeated in pool play with a 2-0 record before defeating Team Orange 17-4 in the semifinals and Team Maroon 15-13 in the championship game. 

Both events were made even more memorable for Tober by having Lisa Collee, one of the coaches who mentored her growing up, join her staff as an assistant.

"This was my first time experiencing nationals and the Summer Games, so to go through that with her was a really cool moment and a full-circle one," she said. 

Reflecting on the week, Tober said the opportunity reinforced the confidence she has gained throughout her coaching journey. 

"I've been working to develop my profile as a coach for a few years, and those imposter syndrome thoughts can sometimes pop into your head, so I'm just so honoured the teams took a chance on me and selected me for these opportunities," Tober said. "This has definitely been one of the highlights of my coaching career so far."