Nate Golding is a standout midfielder from Sacramento who is committed to realize his dream of both playing DI lacrosse and pursuing a military focused education at Virginia Military Institute this coming Fall.

As a kid, Nate described himself as being very physical, but his parents would not allow him to play football. “I was playing soccer and riding BMX, but when I discovered lacrosse, I liked it,” said Nate. “It was a little more interesting than soccer. I could be creative with my game and create my own path and do my own game.”

Nate joined his first lacrosse team when he was 8 years old, playing for the Sierra Foothills rec league team in the Sacramento area. “We could tell he never really liked soccer,” said Nate’s dad, Scott Golding. “But lacrosse, he couldn’t wait to go practice. He’d set up his own dodging drills and it was obvious he really enjoyed it right from the beginning.”

“You couldn’t help but notice his love for lacrosse,” said Nate’s mom, Jackie Golding. “He was always excited to play and practice. He never complained about it and just loved it from Day 1.”

Nate and his family had heard about a new lacrosse club in Sacramento called ADVNC. One weekend, after leaving another soccer tournament frustrated, Nate asked his dad if he could still make it over to the ADVNC Lacrosse tryout that day. They went, and the rest is history.

“Playing with ADVNC was a big step up for me from my rec league team,” said Nate. “I was able to meet some amazing coaches and take my game up. I met Coach Dave Gravlin and had him for many years. He’s one of the biggest inspirations ever for me. He helped me learn how to deal with my very big temper.”

“From an early age, it was clear to me that Nate had a fire in his belly,” said Dave Gravlin. “Some people were annoyed by the fact that a young boy could not better control his emotions, but I viewed it as an opportunity to help him channel those emotions towards more productive ends. As he learned to do so, Nate became one of the most intense and focused players that I've ever coached. He's harder on himself than he ever is on anyone else. In recent years, he's channeled that focus and intensity to develop his body through relentless hard work in the gym.  What you see on the field today from him is the result of hours and hours of his own hard work, with a boost from some very supportive parents.”

“The higher skill level of his teammates and competition along with the knowledge of his coaches, specifically Dave Gravlin, was so much higher than before for Nate,” said Scott Golding. “His skills jumped dramatically.”

“Dave taught him a lot,” said Jackie Golding. “Nate did a lot of growing up with ADVNC. He learned how to respect others, how to work as part of a team and how to work hard to get what you want. On top of that, Nate met his best friends through ADVNC.”

Nate’s life goals off the lacrosse field were also helped by ADVNC. “Ever since I was young I’ve wanted to go into the military,” said Nate. “My grandfather was in the military, and I’ve watched so many movies and heard so many stories about it. It’s always pleased me to give back to those who gave me the ability to live free.”

“One of the first years with ADVNC NDP, we went back East for Tournaments and part of the trip was lacrosse training with the coaches at the Naval Academy in Annapolis,” said Scott Golding. “Coach Gravlin and Coach Mike Faby were with Nate’s team and I still remember Faby turning to Nate and saying, ‘I could see you here.’ That solidified to Nate that his coaches believed in him and knew what his goals were. That solidified in Nate’s mind that he could pursue his dream of being in the military. That was big.”

When Nate started considering what college he wanted to attend, military schools were at the top of the list. “I was fully focused on military schools,” said Nate. “I didn’t even consider normal college life. My uncle told us about Virginia Military Institute (VMI). At first, I didn't know anything about VMI. But he told me they have a good lacrosse program, so I checked it out. It looked amazing. It has everything I wanted. I applied and talked to the coaches.”

“He was looking at Navy, Army and Air Force,” said Scott Golding. “But they wanted to take more time. Nate was meeting with Chris Rotelli (ADVNC Founder & CEO) about his college choices. I appreciated Coach Rotelli because he had a 1 on 1 relationship with Nate. I stepped back. Rotelli was a big part of Nate’s ADVNC career from the beginning. Rotelli was always giving Nate opportunities to do more. He brought up VMI and said it was a great school. He reached out to the VMI coaches and in just a few days the coaches called Nate. Then shortly after that they made an offer. The ball rolled so quickly because of Chris and his efforts.”

Nate and his dad flew to Virginia for a visit on the VMI campus. “The school is like a brotherhood,” said Nate. “I got to spend the night in the barracks. The keydets are so close.  They are bonded through their experience. That was really cool. I love the environment there.  

Everyone at the school is very positive. Everyone is there to better themselves. It’s everything I’ve been looking for since I was young.”  

“It’s an amazing college,” said Scott Golding. “It’s different and not for everyone, but it’s exactly what Nate wants. The discipline and leadership and history, you can’t get that everywhere. We are super excited. We won’t be able to get there for every single game but luckily we can stream all the games and watch.”

“On the lacrosse side, they just got all new coaches,” said Nate. “The program is very fired up and ready. They want to make a mark for themselves, and show that VMI lacrosse is something to be worried about. It’s going to be fun.”

Reflecting on the journey, Scott Golding said, “When Nate started with ADVNC, I knew nothing about lacrosse. Now everyone knows ADVNC. It is the premier lacrosse program on the West Coast and gets national notoriety. That’s a testament to the work Coach Rotelli has put in. The coaching staff he has put in place is amazing. I would tell any kid, this program from top to bottom has the best coaches and best players. Surround yourself with good coaches and good teammates and just soak it all up and good things will come.”

“It takes a lot of focus and you have to know what you want,” said Nate. “I’ve always been driven and knew what I wanted. I would tell young kids, know what you want and chase it.  Chase your dreams. No matter what adversity comes your way, you can always get through it if you have passion.”