OHSWEKEN – Nicknamed “the blue track” as the normal hub for fitness fans on Six Nations; the Second Annual Three-on-Three Lacrosse Tournament was held at the inner field on Saturday, May 7 for some preseason fun.
The field was divided into four quarters for players to aim at red posts instead of goalies, and teams were able to have up to five players on their team, but only three players in play at any given time. Teams were also able to provide a name for themselves; as teams like the “Average Joe’s” and “Dubbed Out” played throughout the day in spite of the worry of rain.
Lacrosse star Roger Vyse, one of several co-ordinators for the tournament, said “it’s great to see the community out,” as many family and friends used the day to support the event.
“I was fortunate enough in my last two jobs to be able to put this on for the community,” said Vyse. “It’s kind of an outreach too to get [the kids] out and have a fun day of lacrosse.”
With last year’s tournament held within the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena, it seemed this year’s choice to be outdoors was one that brought a lot of participation.
“We had a wonderful turn out,” said Vyse, as he admitted he had played in the tournament as well. “I actually played in the 16 plus, just ’cause we kinda needed to throw some teams in and it’s good to play and just show the younger kids that the older guys can still play too.”
Vyse also mentioned that the age group with the most teams was the 10 to 12 year-old group, with a whopping eight teams.
“That’s where we got most of our good feedback with a lot of teams,” he said. “Everybody’s pretty competitive but for the most part everyone’s having fun.”
Although it was a day of fun, the teams that were ranked first, second and third received medals; and it was obvious that the success of the tournament was also because of many dedicated volunteers.
“I was just glad to be a part of it,” said Vyse. “There was only a few of us there as a part of work, so we kind of brought in a few family members and parents to come in, so the success of this tournament wouldn’t be without our volunteers coming out and I’d like to thank them for being here too.”
