][lifestyles THE SCOOP
Steinhardt traveled to Uganda with the Fields of Growth initiative in 2011.
How did Shootout for Soldiers start? The original idea was to do a lacrosse game to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. Twenty-four hours came about a week into the planning process and it really grew last year. We wanted to do it again this year and it got even bigger. We thought it would be a small event that people would come out to, and it’s grown into something special, way bigger than we thought it would be.
Boy Wonder
Tyler Steinhardt, 19, has raised thousands for wounded warriors and has Uganda on its way to the 2014 world championship
T
yler Steinhardt is not a typical 19-year-old. In the past two years, the Shootout for Soldiers, a 24-hour charity lacrosse game he founded, has raised $231,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project. The 2012 Boys’ Latin (Md.) graduate and American University sophomore also is the general manager of the Ugandan men’s national team.
16 LACROSSE MAGAZINE August 2013>>
Why start an event like this? My friends and I had seen a video about the Wounded Warrior Project, read up on some of the struggles that our men and women face when they return home. There was not much done in the [Maryland] area to support our troops, and so we really wanted to do something special. This year’s event took on a personal component. I met a lot of guys who served, who are wounded and going through that struggle. Meeting these guys is completely perspective- changing. When you meet a guy like Ryan Major or Calvin Todd, who lost a leg or two and they’re walking on prosthetics and they’re going through this battle, mentally and physically, the event becomes special on a personal note.
What’s the crowd been like? The first year the biggest hour was 4 a.m. This year was around 1 and 2 a.m., as well as the MLL hour with Paul Rabil and those guys. It was really packed watching them play. It’s just special to watch lacrosse that late at night.
How did you get involved with Uganda lacrosse? It’s my first really true passion. I went to Uganda the summer after my junior year in high school. I went on a summer trip with Johnny Christmas, Chad Wiedmaier and his brother, Kiefer, and Hannah Nielsen, who won the Tewaaraton twice. It was a cool trip not only to meet those people but also to see Uganda in a whole different light. It was the first time I’d been to Africa. Fields of Growth is way more than just lacrosse. I’m excited to go back to really get things going for the world games. The Uganda lacrosse story is really something special for 2014. Their love of the game and their true passion for the sport will be refreshing.
A Publication of US Lacrosse
©JOHN STROHSACKER; © TYLER STEINHARDT
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