Leaders hope that Worlds are a stepping stone to the Olympics as they also honor a giant of the sport.
2WGRZ
By Pete Gallivan
SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — The Haudenosaunee Nationals will play in the semi-finals of the World Lacrosse Championship on Thursday. And while they take on Canada, they are playing for several bigger things — the hope of making it to the Olympics and the memory of a giant of the game.
“It was amazing, you know. It’s very heartfelt,” said Haudenosaunee legend Rex Lyons as he reflected on the tribute video that opened the tournament.
It was a tribute to Alf Jacques, a legendary figure in both the Native and non-Native lacrosse world who passed away of cancer two weeks ago. Over the years, Jacques made thousands of lacrosse sticks that are used around the world. He also taught the traditional meaning of the game. The belief is that it was a gift from the creator to the people of the Haudenosaunee.
The stick reflects that. The hickory being a gift of the land, the leather strapping from the animal world, the weave representing family, and the ball is the medicine.
“When you’re dealing with indigenous nations, everything is tethered to the natural world in some way, shape or form,” said Lyons.
It was a tribute that has certainly inspired this team, but also the entire lacrosse world.
“It was a bit of a last minute thing that they made it. They made sure that [it was in] the opening ceremony so that everybody could see Alfie and hear his voice and see the smiles and how many people he has touched around the world,” said Lyons.
As the team continues to roll through this tournament, taking on the best teams in the world, their eyes are set on a bigger prize — a return of lacrosse to the Olympics in 2028, including the Haudenosaunee.
“It’s been a culmination of 40 years that we’ve been working on it, and we’re getting stronger. The program is getting stronger. The athletes are getting stronger. It’s just getting better as we’re moving in the right direction,” said Lyons.
Team member Randy Staats spoke to 2 On Your Side’s Pete Gallivan about the Olympic dream during training last year.
“It would be surreal, you know. You see all those other countries and for us to be up there with that, I think it’s a big step forward for our people,” said Staats.
His teammate Lyle Thompson added, “Lacrosse is much more than the game. It’s much more to us. It has a higher purpose and much more meaning to it.”
Back to the task at hand — they play Canada for the second time in the tournament tonight at 7 p.m. (eastern). They lost the first time by a single goal, so they hope this will be a revenge game with a trip to Saturday’s gold medal game on the line.