ERIC LAW’S VICTORY LAP
The MLL championship MVP is relishing his renewed life in lacrosse BY MATT DASILVA
Eric Law called it a “pinch-me moment.” As he warmed up on the brand-new Tierney Field at US Lacrosse headquarters in Sparks, Md., prior to a U.S. men’s team Blue vs. White exhibition Sept. 11, he saw Hall of Famer Mark Millon. “Being able to shake Mark Millon’s hand there on that day was a childhood dream come true,” Law said. “I had his Team USA poster on my wall as a kid growing up.”
That he now got to don the red, white and blue, on the 15th anniversary of 9/11 as part of the US Lacrosse Grand Opening, made the 25-year- old Law all the more appreciative of how far he had come since he lay on an operating table for the third time in a year Aug. 21, 2015.
After a breakthrough season with the Denver Outlaws in 2014 that ended with their first Major League Lacrosse
championship, Law had shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum. While rehabbing, he broke the fifth metatarsal in his foot, requiring another surgery to insert a
USlaxmagazine.com
screw in its place. Law tried to come back twice during the 2015 MLL season, reinjuring the foot both times before going under the knife again.
On Aug. 21, 2016, exactly a year later, Law hoisted the Steinfeld Trophy at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Ga., and accepted the oversized
“TO SEE THESE KIDS SUCCEED ON THE FIELD, WALK AROUND WITH LACROSSE STICKS IN THEIR HANDS, BE ENTRENCHED IN THE SPORT AND LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT, THAT’S WHERE IT IS FOR ME.”
Eric Law
$1,000 check from commissioner David Gross following an MVP performance in the Outlaws’ 19-18 win over the Ohio Machine in a wild MLL championship game. Law scored five goals, including the
game-winner with 12.9 seconds remaining, and added three assists to lead Denver to its second title in three years.
The Outlaws, who were 2-6 after a June 18 loss to Rochester, won six straight games to end the regular season. Seven teams finished in a first-place tie at 8-6. For Law, whose
victory lap included VIP treatment from the Denver Broncos, a local TV news interview conducted on a rollercoaster and his Team USA appearance, that parity in professional lacrosse is just another way to grow the game. Law, a Colorado native, also serves as program manager for Denver City Lax, which provides playing opportunities for underprivileged youth from urban environments and receives US Lacrosse aid.
“Lacrosse can change lives,” Law said. “To see these kids succeed on the field, walk around with lacrosse sticks in their hands, be entrenched in the sport and love everything about it, that’s where it is for me.” USL
Law scored five goals, including the game-winner with 12.9 seconds left, to lift Denver to its second MLL title in three years. A Colorado native, Law also serves as program manager for Denver City Lax.
STICK STORIES
WALL BALL WARRIORS More than 2,000 miles apart, William Cate and Gavin Jones made
their reps count BY BRIAN LOGUE
When Gavin Jones’ coach sent an email encouraging his players to try the US Lacrosse Wall Ball Challenge, Jones figured it would give him something to do over the summer to fight boredom. He got a lot more.
After 111,111 reps, he wore out the leather in his gloves, got blisters on his hands, found ingenious ways for his parents to pack his rebounder into the car for family vacations, met a new friend from across the country and accomplished exactly what his coach wanted. “I feel a lot more comfortable with my stick,” Jones said during an August visit to US Lacrosse, where he got the chance to meet William Cate, his rival for the top of the leaderboard (see page 20). The duo each topped 100,000 reps on the wall from June to August in the contest that was powered by a new app from SNYPR and sponsored by Lax World. More than 9,000 players totaled more than 3.8 million reps while helping to raise nearly $40,000 for the US Lacrosse First Stick Program, which fosters lacrosse teams beyond the sport’s traditional geographic and socioeconomic boundaries. “We are excited that our first-of-its-kind technology is able to combine fundraising with practice reps,” said Doug Appleton, SNYPR’s CEO and co-founder. “Inspiring players to improve their skills and give back to their team or community is at the heart of what we believe.” Jones, from Virginia, would wake up early to hit the wall while his mom wondered if the thumping would drive the neighbors crazy. Cate, from Nevada, would get his reps in at night, assuming Jones was already in bed.
They finally met in August, having a catch with each other on Tierney Field, home of the U.S. national teams, as their parents shared stories of the drive they saw from their sons. “He gained far more than 100,001 reps,”
said Tinley Schinault, Cate’s mother. “He gained field confidence along with muscle memory and the ability to put more pieces of the puzzle together on the field, which allows his love for the sport to come through and a lot more fun to be had.” USL
November 2016 US LACROSSE MAGAZINE 17
©PHOTO CREDIT
©BRETT DAVIS/PRETTY INSTANT; ©DENVER CITY LAX
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