Mikey Being Mikey Mikey’s favorite athletes are Tim Tebow
and Dwyane Wade. He has met them both. Wade came to his house in Weston, Fla., and gave him a voice-activated touch- screen computer. Wade also invited Mikey to a Miami Heat game and gave him his jersey afterward. Mikey’s reaction at the time? “It smells,” he said.
He has done play-by-play and served as the announcer at Pine Crest High football and lacrosse games. “Guuuuu-tierrez,” Mikey says, pronouncing a name when asked to show off his skills on the mic. But Mikey enjoys playing lacrosse most. His brother Harris, a junior at Pine Crest, is a Division I lacrosse prospect and all- county kicker in football. Justin, the middle brother, is a freshman who plays JV lacrosse and football.
complained about his inability to write, Mikey deadpanned, “Figure it out.” Harris says Mikey has “a little trouble running.” but other than that, he’s good on the lacrosse field. “It’s crazy how he is able to do it with what he has. When he scores a goal, the feeling I get as the older brother is pretty crazy. I’m so proud of him.” No one can really say how Mikey holds or cradles his stick, other than that his technique was self-taught. “It seems impossible,” says Pine Crest head coach Doug Shanahan, a former Tewaaraton Award winner at Hofstra and two-time U.S national team member. “But you know it’s possible because you’ve seen him do it. He has more skill, given his circumstances, than a lot of other kids. His hand-eye coordination, without having normally functioning hands, is incredible. The way he moves to the ball, even with prosthetics, is more athletic than many other kids. He’s mentally tough, and his work ethic is contagious. He wants to be better than his brothers.”
Pockets & Sockets
Jennifer and Andrew Bolger met Mikey about 18 months ago. Harris played on the club team Andrew coaches, the Florida Swashbucklers. Jennifer could not keep her eyes off Mikey as he ate a taco. “I can barely eat a taco with two hands,” she says.
Prosthetic sets cost anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000 and are not covered by insurance. Because he is still growing, Mikey must be refitted for new prosthetics twice a year. The Bolgers and Stolzenbergs founded Pockets & Sockets to help offset those costs. More than 30 teams and 300 players participated in last year’s inaugural tournament, which also marked Mikey’s return to the sport. He played for the Florida Snipers.
Mikey in action at Pockets
& Sockets in 2011. For more info or to donate, email
pocketsandsockets@att.net.
Asked if he felt pressure to measure up to them, Mikey does not hedge. “By my middle brother [Justin], not as much,” he says. “By Harris, yeah.” It’s difficult to tell if it’s Mikey’s cutting wit or just brutal honesty. Either way, it’s typical, his brothers say. They insist nothing has changed. They still fight like brothers. But Harris and Justin respect, admire and love Mikey. Justin says Mikey, who is new at Pine Crest this year, already has more friends at the school than he does. When Justin broke his finger and
38 LACROSSE MAGAZINE May 2012>>
This year’s tournament will be May 12-13 at Delray Soccer Complex. More than 50 teams are expected.
The event raised $30,000 in 2011. Organizers hope to double that figure this year. Proceeds go to the Michael Stolzenberg Rehabilitative Trust, which will help the family purchase superior prosthetics so he can continue to participate in physical activities. Eventually, the families hope Mikey can receive a double-hand transplant.
“Hopefully he will get the hands of a great athlete,” Shanahan said. That would be fitting for Mikey, who already has the heart of a champion. LM
Championing the core values of our sport through the Keeper of Lacrosse Project
Dale Wood
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Wood, a 39-year- old youth and high school coach in Fort Lauderdale, describes coaching lacrosse as a platform to teach values and preserve tradition,
even encouraging players to try traditional Mohawk sticks at practice. He coaches 12-year-old Mikey Stolzenberg, a quadruple amputee and inspiration of the Pockets & Sockets tournament (May 12-13) in Delray Beach. “Giving kids like Mikey a chance to play, no matter the challenges, is what the spirit of lacrosse is all about,” Wood said.
Verina Mathis-Crawford Hampton, Va.
When her son Mike Crawford died in 2010 from an enlarged heart, Mathis-Crawford and her husband Errol took on his dream to establish lacrosse at
Hampton University — a feat celebrated April 14 when Hampton, a USL equipment grant recipient, united with Howard and Morgan State, as well as St. Thomas More (Conn.), Mike’s alma mater, for Lacrosse Day. Morgan State’s “Ten Bears” team was honored. “It is the Creator’s game,” she said. “You’re playing for someone, something bigger than yourself.”
Darren McGowan Bristol, Conn.
McGowan, who coaches boys in the Bristol Youth Lacrosse League, has them sign contracts based on the acronym “WAR” — work hard, accountability and
respect. “It’s a fun way to motivate our players to take accountability for their actions,” he said, and to build a sense of respect for the game.” McGowan shares stories of the sport’s Native American roots or from his playing days after practices. He also has used Keeper of Lacrosse resources to lobby for a varsity program at St. Paul Catholic High School.
The Keeper of Lacrosse Project is a grassroots movement to protect and promote the core values of lacrosse, safeguarding the sport for future generations. Join the movement at
uslacrosse.org/keeper.
A Publication of US Lacrosse
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