From the editor // I
DIGGING DEEP FOR DIVERSITY
grew up in homogenous surroundings. There was one black family in my neighborhood. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, not much has changed. Just 1.5 percent of the population of Holbrook, N.Y., today is black.
In that sense, the community of my childhood looks a lot like the lacrosse community. And neither of them looks anything like the real world. My 3-year-old son attends a school — calling it daycare would not do justice to the work his teachers put into his education — that is very diverse. It’s in north Baltimore City and resides near the campus of Sinai Hospital. Not only does it draw from an urban population, but we’ve also met several families from other countries. This really dawned on me after we received his class picture in the mail. At first, it felt strange to see my son as a minority. Then I felt proud. I hope he never sees a discernable difference between black and white, Asian and Latino, gay and straight. It won’t just happen naturally. It has to be intentional. That’s the word that struck me most in Matt Hamilton’s interview with Eboni Preston-Laurent (“Q&A on D&I,” page 37), US Lacrosse senior manager of diversity and inclusion. Intentional.
So if it seems like our coverage celebrating lacrosse people from non- traditional backgrounds (pages 32-42) is disproportionate, I’m OK with that. Ninety percent of lacrosse players are white. We’ll dig deep to find the other 10 percent, like Syrian sisters Lana and Yara Oudat (“Finding Refuge,” page 32), and tell their stories. Because diversity does matter. It’s essential to the vitality of our sport and the worldviews of those who love it.
— Matt DaSilva mdasilva15
2 LACROSSE MAGAZINE » June 2016 LM VAULT FINNISH STRONG SEPTEMBER 2012
Four years ago in Finland, the U.S. under-19 men’s national team rallied in the face of adversity. They lost two preliminary round games — to Canada and the Iroquois — the first two ever by a U.S. U19 men’s team in international competition. A players-only meeting and some tweaks to the Xs and Os fueled a turnaround that lasted into the medal rounds, where the U.S. beat the Iroquois in the semifinals and the Canadians for gold.
Members of the avengers squad went on to have stellar collegiate careers. Some are young pros in Major League Lacrosse now. Matt Kavanagh, the 2012 U19 World Championship MVP, earned a reputation over the last four years at Notre Dame as the King of Clutch and was the fifth overall pick by the Denver Outlaws in the 2016 MLL draft. Cornell midfielder Connor Buczek was the No. 2 overall pick in 2015, just behind a guy named Lyle Thompson, who was on the Iroquois U19 team in Finland. The tournament (page 22) cultivates future stars.
BILL BELICHICK New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick plays catch and shares lacrosse stories in a revealing interview.
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PUBLICATION
Lacrosse Magazine June 2016 Vol. 40 No. 6
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Contents ©Lacrosse Magazine 2016. Reproduction in whole or in part without written consent of US Lacrosse and the writer, photographer or artist is prohibited. LACROSSE and Lacrosse Magazine are registered trademarks of US Lacrosse, Inc. Lacrosse Magazine (ISSN: 1069-5893) is published 10 times per year in January, February, March, April, May, June, July/August, September/ October, November and December for $25 per year for youth players (youth players receive six issues), $35 for players age 18 and under, and $50 for adults 18 and over by US Lacrosse, 2 Loveton Circle, Sparks, Md. 21152. Periodical postage paid at Sparks, Md., and additional mailing offices.
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VP, Comm & Membership Mark Hogan
Director, Communications Brian Logue
Editor-in-Chief Matt DaSilva mdasilva15
Deputy Editor Corey McLaughlin Corey_McL
Staff Writers Megan Schneider mschneider713
Matt Hamilton Matthamilton92
Bill Tanton Art Director
Gabriella Ferraro O’Brien
Graphic Design Manager Heather Hughes
Video Production Manager Mike Wallin
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A Publication of US Lacrosse
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