From the CEO: On a Sunny Day in Indy, Our Mission Came to Life

This article appears in our November edition. Join USA Lacrosse to start your subscription.

I have spent the last three months traveling the globe watching the best lacrosse players in the world compete in world championships. Two golds, one silver, unprecedented success.

At USA Lacrosse, it is our unique responsibility to field U.S. National Teams in international competition. It is part of our core mission. You will read a lot in this issue about our success and the athletes’ skill, humility and humanity.

But my most impactful moment during this recent stretch is from something different. At the recent USA Lacrosse Experience in Indianapolis, I spent 20 minutes in a wheelchair playing lacrosse as part of an adaptive lacrosse demonstration with Able Athletics. It was also the USA Lacrosse mission in action.

I jumped into the chair, as did several U.S. National Team coaches and athletes.  We joined the other wheelchair athletes, coaches and volunteers. It was heartwarming to see and experience the game this way. It was physically and mentally challenging. And it was fun.

Later that same day, the U.S. National Teams were competing. The men had some downtime after their game and before women played.

During that window, several men’s players were at the far end of the field, casually throwing the ball around in a spontaneous 4v4 game. No equipment, in socks and slides, flipping behind-the-back and other trick shots and passes to each other. These players had just finished six days of practices and games and were still hanging out with their sticks, tossing the ball around and having fun.

I was on the flight home the next day when these images popped into my head in succession. Athletes in wheelchairs having fun playing lacrosse. U.S. National Team athletes doing the same. Two feet or two wheels — it’s still a stick, a ball, your friends and fun.

At USA Lacrosse our mission is to make both scenes a reality. We are the constant that connects the dedicated network of local lacrosse programs across the U.S. We are the trusted, impartial resource for education, safety and equipment standards. We fund and support welcoming pathways to play in communities across America. We fund and field 12 U.S. National Team programs for international competition — and now the Olympics. We are lacrosse’s national infrastructure.

Thank you to the USA Lacrosse staff for their work in these moments. Thank you to USA Lacrosse members, donors and sponsors. We are all changing lives through our mission.

And that was never more apparent than on a sunny fall day in the Midwest.