Warriors' camps at Rogers Arena offer kids a taste of pros
Standing near his team's logo at centre floor in a barren Rogers Arena one day last week, Vancouver Warriors head coach Chris Gill was asked what his 12-yearold self would have thought of coming to a lacrosse camp at the downtown rink.
That version of Gill would have been elated, as you'd expect. He also contends that these big-league arenas haven't lost any lustre for the current 48-year-old incarnation of himself, one that's getting ready for a third season guiding Vancouver's National Lacrosse League squad and one whose experience in the circuit dates back to his rookie season as a player in 1996.
The Warriors are holding development camps at Rogers Arena starting Tuesday, open to three age groups: 18 and under (ages 16-18); 15 and under (13-15); and 12 and under (10-12).
“This would be something special,” Gill said of his 12-year-old self having the opportunity to participate in a similar endeavour back in the day. “You come here and you watch lacrosse players run up and down the floor and watch hockey players skate up and down the ice. When you can get out here, it's a dream come true.
“You get out here and you feel like this is what you could be one day: a professional lacrosse player. You're in the big rink, on the turf, sitting on the benches where a Mitch Jones sits or a Matt Beers sits.
“It's different than your community arena. It's not normal. It's a special occasion. And that's even for me now. You have so many memories in this place. I remember sitting up there in the stands, watching Team Canada (at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics).” The camps, dubbed the Warriors Academy, are eight, one-hour, oneday-per-week sessions that start this week and run into December. There are camps on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at Rogers Arena and on Thursdays at the Langley Events Centre. That camp will have its final session at Rogers Arena.
Single registrations go for $349 (plus taxes), while groups of 10 or more are $299 (plus taxes) per player. Families with Warriors season tickets can also have a player take part for $299 (plus taxes).
Check out vancouverwarriors.com for more information.
Gill points out box lacrosse, which is run during the summers and mainly indoors at the youth level, was one of the minor sports hit hardest by the novel coronavirus shutdowns. He figures there may be camp participants who haven't played with any regularity since last season.
“I think kids are missing this game right now,” said Gill, a Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame member who won two NLL titles as a player and scored 482 regular season and playoff goals over his 13-year career in the summertime Western Lacrosse Association.
“There have been field lacrosse camps, but there haven't been indoor box lacrosse camps. So this is special for them.”
The camps also bring attention back to the Warriors brand. That's at play here as well.
Their last game was March 7. NLL commissioner Nick Sakiewicz told Teddy Jenner on his Off The Crosse Bar podcast last week that the league is looking at starting its upcoming season in a “March, April time frame." To go a full year without a game is a marketing challenge for a sport like lacrosse that has its troubles getting traction at the best of times.
The crowds at Rogers Arena seemed to be getting louder and more engaged as the past season played on, even though the Warriors lost their final four games before the COVID-19 pandemic shut things down with five games left in Vancouver's campaign.
The Warriors finished with a 4-9 record. Their announced paid attendance average for six home games was 6,769. The average for the 13-team league was 8,035, highlighted by the Calgary Roughnecks and their 12,677.
In an email interview with Postmedia, Sakiewicz explained league proceedings this way: “We will have a return to play plan very soon and our goal is to launch our 35th season in early 2021. We are currently planning with our clubs and intend to play a full season with fans. Season ticket sales at most of our clubs are up over last season, which shows how much our fans want to come back and we are deeply grateful for their passion and loyalty.”
Warriors general manager Dan Richardson says that he's working toward a March or April start currently.
There are the standard COVID-19 issues for the league to deal with, like the border restrictions and bans on large gatherings. There's also the fact that the league is the second or third tenant in some of its buildings. For instance, the Warriors are owned by the Vancouver Canucks, and the Canucks' schedule will take precedence.
The Warriors Academy does give the team some visibility for the time being.
“It's important to keep ourselves in the community,” said Mitch Jones, a Warriors sniper who is slated to be a part of the instructors group at the camps.
The NLL has traditionally run from December to May, and its players routinely have spent the remainder of spring and summer playing club lacrosse, like the WLA. Assuming the NLL goes ahead with its spring start, that will be a major change for the sport.