A sport that carried Logan Ip nearly 3,000 miles from home helped him connect with his family in a way he never expected.
Ip, who just completed his sophomore year at Harvard, is from Newport Beach, California. Last summer, he returned to his home state to represent Hong Kong, China in the 2023 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship in San Diego.
“My grandfather passed away last year, and he’s originally from Hong Kong,” Ip said. “For me, it was a sense of pride to represent him and play for Team Hong Kong.”
With the championship in San Diego many of his family members were able to attend the tournament and watch the team play.
“It was cool because a lot of my family live out in California, and they were able to come and watch the games,” Ip said. “It was cool to see them interact with individuals from Hong Kong, and I just felt like it was a big part of my heritage that it was important to represent. Something I’ll never forget is my grandma coming to the game. She hasn’t watched too many lacrosse games, but she had a smile on her face the entire time.”
Ip got a relatively late start to playing lacrosse as compared to many in the NCAA, not starting to play competitively until the seventh grade.
“I was really drawn to the competitive aspect of lacrosse and how it requires so many different skills, incorporating elements from different sports,” Ip said. “To this day, that’s still a challenge to me, to get better in all the aspects, as well as the IQ part. You’re not only trying to be the best individually but also trying to work together [as a team].”
“Lacrosse is a special sport in the sense you don’t have to be the tallest or biggest guy,” Ip said. “It’s really based on how much effort you put into the sport. There are so many skills in lacrosse, such as stick work and IQ, that you can really contribute without yourself being genetically gifted. It evens the playing field, having a stick in your hand, and so I think that’s something really special about the sport that really makes it unique.”
Ip has used his talent to make a big impact for Harvard and Hong Kong. He led his international team with 23 points on 15 goals and eight assists in seven games in San Diego.
He scored 25 goals and dished out 14 assists over his first two seasons playing against a difficult schedule in the Ivy League. At the same time, Ip is attending one of the most academically rigorous universities in the United States.
“Being at this university poses a challenge,” said Ip. “It’s really academically focused in the sense that it requires a lot of focus in school as well as lacrosse. Managing those two [commitments] have definitely been a challenge, but I enjoy it. I don’t think I’d change it for anything.”
The path he chose, and the sport, gave him something he never expected with his international experience.
“Having the opportunity to represent my heritage and play and compete against other international teams was a really great privilege,” Ip said. “I probably wouldn’t have expected myself to be playing there, five to seven years ago, but having that opportunity is something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. We really gelled as a team overall, and I felt everyone came together and played their roles.”
Hong Kong, China finished in 13th place at the world championship, but Ip has learned that the sport is about more than just the results on the field.
“Sometimes the message of playing lacrosse can be lost due to the stress of recruiting or trying to compete with all these club teams,” Ip said. “At the end of the day, you’re playing a sport that you really enjoy and you really love. It’s important to always be reminded why you’re playing and that you’re really fortunate to be playing the sport. Have fun with it, and I think the game will come easier to you if you think that way.”
