Article Origin
Volume
Issue
Year
Lacrosse Summit
A three-day lacrosse summit will be held this coming January in Six Nations, Ont. The official name of the event is the 2011 Native American Lacrosse Summit: Youth Lacrosse Revival and Amateur Lacrosse Skills Competition. The event will be staged at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena from Jan. 28, 2011 to Jan. 30, 2011.
Organizers have several objectives for hosting the summit. For starters, they want to allow lacrosse supporters a chance to take part in a forum which discusses how to support the development of existing and new lacrosse programs in Native American communities. Organizers are hoping coaches, players, community leaders, volunteers and supporters of the sport take part in the summit and share their knowledge and experiences.
Among the topics to be covered at the summit are lacrosse skills and drills, conditioning and training, as well as educational opportunities. Those who attend the summit will receive a workbook of resources, tips on budgets and administrations, coaching drills and conditioning exercises and a list of potential funding agencies.
Summit participants will also attend a National Lacrosse League game on Jan. 29 featuring the host Toronto Rock and the Buffalo Bandits.
More information is available by calling Kevin Sandy at (905) 765-9700 or (519) 732-0387 or contact him through email at kvsandy@rogers.com
Rabbit starring overseas
Wacey Rabbit is still playing in a hockey league called the AHL, but it’s not the North American-based American Hockey League, where he toiled the past four years. Instead, Rabbit, a 24-year-old forward, who is a member of the Blackfoot Nation from the Blood reserve, is toiling in the Austrian Hockey League. Rabbit is playing for a squad called Zagreb Medvescak, a Croatian-based squad that competes in the Austrian league.
Rabbit, who was selected by the Boston Bruins in the 2005 National Hockey League Entry Draft, is one of the top performers for his new team. During his first 18 games with the club he collected 15 points (six goals, nine assists).
Rabbit probably did not have that difficult of a time getting used to some of his new teammates. Of the 21 players listed on the Zagreb Medvescak roster, 13 are from North America. And 10 of those players are Canadian.
Rabbit had spent the majority of his junior career with the Western Hockey League’s Saskatoon Blades. After four seasons with the Blades he turned pro and joined the American Hockey League’s Providence Bruins for the start of the 2006-07 campaign, but after just 22 games in Providence, he returned to the WHL as an overager and suited up for the Vancouver Giants.
Rabbit ended up helping the Giants capture the Memorial Cup, annually awarded to the top major junior A squad in the Canadian Hockey League.
After his junior eligibility was used up, Rabbit returned to Providence where he spent the next two seasons. He also played in the American Hockey League last season, as a member of the Milwaukee Admirals.
Canoe in the works
Thanks to some federal funding, the Ontario-based Oshawa and Durham Metis Council will soon be getting a new canoe. The organization found out in early November that it would be receiving a total of $137,000 in funding from the Canadian government. The money will be used towards three new projects.
One of these ventures will be building a 25-foot voyageur canoe. Marcel Labelle, who is a Metis Elder and master canoe maker, will work with students from an Oshawa high school in the coming months to make the canoe. Upon its completion, the canoe will be launched at a community event.
Federal funding will also be used to provide free fiddle and dance lessons.
Registration opens
Teams are being accepted for the 40th Annual Little Native Hockey League tournament that will be staged this coming March. The tournament, which runs March 14 to 17 will be held in Sudbury, Ont.
A total of 10 divisions will be contested at the tourney. The boys’ divisions will be for teams at the tyke, novice, atom, peewee, bantam and midget levels. And girls’ squads will compete in atom, peewee, bantam and midget categories.
More information is available at www.lnhl.ca
Iroquois Nationals in Hawaii
The Iroquois Nationals did get to compete in a prestigious tournament after all, but it wasn’t the one they would have preferred. Passport issues prevented the men’s lacrosse team, comprised of players from Canada and the United States, from travelling to the world championships this past summer in England. But the squad was invited to compete in the 20th annual Hawaii Lacrosse Invitational Tournament, which ran from Oct. 29 to Oct. 31. The Iroquois Nationals, who participated in the men’s elite division, were eliminated following a semi-final loss.
- 2880 views