Lacrosse Day in Niagara
Celebration of our national summer sport goes Saturday
Quick question — what is Canada’s national sport? Or how about, where is the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame located?
It’s more likely that people will get the first question correct than the second.
While hockey is Canada’s national sport of winter, Lacrosse is this country’s national summer sport. As for the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame – it proudly calls St. Catharines home.
Since 1992 the Hall has been housed inside the Welland Canals Centre on the Canal Parkway.
In fact, while lacrosse artifacts dating back hundreds of years are on display, 31 individuals from St. Catharines have been enshrined in the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
There is no denying lacrosse’s rich history in St. Catharines and, for that matter, the entire Niagara Region.
That’s why Harry Erskine, and the St. Catharines junior A Athletics came up with “Lacrosse Day in Niagara.”
This year is not only Canada’s 150th birthday, but it’s also the 150th anniversary of summer’s national sport, and the 140th anniversary of the Athletics franchise.
“Seeing that the St. Catharines Athletics were established in 1877, which makes the club one of the oldest sporting traditions in Canada, and that St. Catharines is the home of the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame, it made it very easy for our board (of directors) to unanimously support the creation of Lacrosse Day in Niagara,” said Erskine, the current vice-president of the St. Catharines junior A Athletics.
“The goal of this event is to create a family, friendly, festival-like atmosphere that promotes and helps grow Canada’s national summer sport, lacrosse.”
The second annual Lacrosse Day in Niagara will take place this Saturday from 4 to 9 p.m. at Jack Gatecliff and Rex Stimers arenas.
While the junior A Athletics offer the highest level of lacrosse in Niagara, there are three junior B teams as well.
The St. Catharines Spartans, Welland Generals, and Niagara Thunderhawks — who play out of Niagara-on-the-Lake – are part of the almost 700 individuals who played or are playing lacrosse this year in Niagara. Add in coaches and volunteers, and you’re comfortably close to 1,000 people directly involved with the sport of lacrosse.
That includes the St. Catharines Minor Athletics, Welland Raiders, and Niagara Thunderhawks Minor Lacrosse associations.
Kellie Bousfield, the box lacrosse registrar for the St. Catharines Minor Lacrosse Athletics, reports 438 kids signed up in the Garden City in 2017.
Welland and Niagara-on-the-Lake boast very similar numbers as around 130 youngsters took to the floors and fields this year for their respective organizations according to registrar’s Spencer Tanguay and Allison Price.
It should be mentioned that the Welland minor lacrosse program will be moving to Pelham in 2018 and playing out of the Community Centre and twin-pad arenas currently under construction there.
“Initially founded as a Pelham Centennial Project, it was fitting that the Raiders announced in Canada’s 150th year that they will be returning home,” Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn said.
“We are absolutely delighted that the Raiders have signed a five-year binding agreement to use the Pelham Community Centre.”
And while, at a grass roots level, the game of lacrosse continues to grow it’s also expanding exponentially south of the border.
The United States is indeed known more for field lacrosse, and Canada its box (arena)game, but many Canadian teenagers are earning lacrosse scholarships south of the border.
No fewer than nine St. Catharines junior A Athletics are on or will be on, NCAA Division 1 scholarships. That includes Hunter Garlent, Logan Munroe and Owen Friesen at Canisius. Alex Simmons at Denver, Brett Erskine at Detroit Mercy, Bryan Hancock at Hobart, Carter Zavitz at Princeton and Percy Booth and Mason Kaminga at Hartford.
Add in the three local junior B teams, and players from Niagara attending U.S. colleges and universities easily exceed 20.
And the ones not plying their trade in the states are staying to play field lacrosse at the Canadian University level.
Brock University, for instance, features 10 local players from all over the Niagara Region and all four local junior clubs.
They include Cree Blakely, (St. Catharines – Jr. A Athletics) Adam Kirchmayer (Welland – last club St. Catharines Spartans and former Welland Warlord/General) Drew Popadinac (Niagara Falls – Jr. A Athletics) Alec Tamas (St. Catharines – Jr. A Athletics) Luke McLeod (Grimsby – last club St. Catharines Spartans) Josh Wood (Welland) Connor Smith (Beamsville – St. Catharines Spartans) Kyle Pedwell (St. Catharines – last club Niagara Thunderhawks) Josh Harris (St. Catharines – former Jr. A Athletic and Welland Warlord) Nico Be au do in (Welland – former Jr. A Athletic and Welland Warlord )
All of these junior players are trying to get to the next level by either playing in the NLL – National Lacrosse League (box lacrosse) or MLL - Major League Lacrosse (field lacrosse).
Many have already made their mark and continue to do so.
Billy Dee Smith a St. Catharines native, and former Jr. A Athletic and Spartan junior B player is the current captain of the Buffalo Bandits, while Danny Coates, a longtime St. Catharines resident, is the captain of the Colorado Mammoth.
Matt Vinc, a teacher at Denis Morris high school in St. Catharines, is arguably the best goaltender in the world.
Smith, Coates and Vinc also represent the country on the national level playing field lacrosse for Team Canada.
Players from St. Catharines or Niagara that have donned NLL jerseys include Steve Priolo (Buffalo Bandits), Corey Small (Vancouver Stealth), Joel McCready (Vancouver Stealth) Zac Reid (New England Blackwolves), Tyson Bell (Calgary Roughnecks) and Latrell Harris (Toronto Rock).
So if you’re not doing anything Saturday perhaps head down to Jack Gatecliff and Rex Stimers Arenas and take in Canada’s national summer sport on the second annual Lacrosse Day in Niagara.
Perhaps Steve Priolo recently said it best.
“Wearing the double blue of the St. Catharines Athletics to me meant playing with so much heart and passion, that I would inspire someone in my community to become great, like the players that inspired me.”