Neepawa introduced to lacrosse
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- Published on Thursday, March 29, 2018
Jerrett Smith teaches the basics of lacrosse to a group of youth on Monday, Mar. 19.
By Eoin Devereux
Neepawa Banner & Press
Local youth recently had the chance to learn about Canada’s national sport. No, not hockey; Canada’s other national sport. A lacrosse skills camp was recently organized by the Town of Neepawa and the Manitoba Lacrosse Association (MLA). The workshops were held on Monday, Mar. 19 and Thursday, Mar. 22 at Hazel M. Kellington (HMK) Elementary School, with the sessions split into Kindergarten to grade four age participants and grade five and older.
Town of Neepawa director of recreation services, Nicole Synchyshyn said the camps went really well, adding that for many of the kids, it was their first experience with lacrosse.
“In total, we had 84 youth participating. That’s a solid number to start off with, as many of these kids have not played the sport before,” stated Synchyshyn. “Once [the participants] were taught the basics of the game, however, they really took to it. I’d say that the response was overwhelmingly positive.”
The skills camp was operated by Jeff Michaluk and Jerrett Smith, with Michaluk serving as the local facilitator and Smith as an instructor. Michaluk said his son took up the sport in Saskatchewan, before the family moved to Neepawa. He said it proved to be a great companion sport, to go along with hockey or baseball.
“It’s a great sport for improving hand-eye coordination and cardio. It’s good for hockey. It’s good for baseball. Catching, throwing, running. And it’s just something new for the kids to try,” Michaluk said.
Smith, meanwhile, has been involved with the sport at a high level for several years, having played junior “A” in Ontario for several years. The Winnipeg native was also a prospect for the New England Black Wolves of the National Lacrosse League. He said introducing the game to a new generation of players is very fulfilling.
“For the past three, four years, I’ve been involved with these types of clinics. Showing the fundamentals of the game to youngsters. Trying the showcase the game in community like [Neepawa],” stated Smith. “ It’s good to see the enthusiasm of the kids for the sport.”
The long term hope is that a youth league could be developed for the area. A similar effort was put forward in Carberry a few years ago, and has seen several local teams formed there. Synchyshyn said it would be great to see something similar happen here.
“We’ve been in discussions with the organizers of the teams in Carberry. They’ve been very helpful in walking us through the process. What we’d like to do here is develop a similar program in Neepawa. Perhaps a couple teams to start and if there is enough interest, a youth league. But for right now, this is just the test run, to see what’s the interest. We’d need to purchase lacrosse nets, sticks and other equipment, if we decided to move forward. What we need right now, is simply to know whether or not, there is genuine interest in bringing lacrosse to Neepawa.”
Anyone interested in the establishment of lacrosse in Neepawa, is asked to forward their thoughts or support for pursuing the program to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
