Walk With Us campaign brings lacrosse to Edmonton kids

EDMONTON – The Arrows Express Sports’ ‘Walk With Us’ campaign, powered by Under Armor Sports Clothing, went on the road with the National Lacrosse League’s Rochester Knighthawks last weekend to Edmonton.

The ambitious program aims to introduce youth at selected reserves and urban centres a chance to discover the Creator’s Game, maybe for the first time.

Former Carolina Hurricane’s Brandon Nolan, son of Ted Nolan and brother of L.A. King’s Jordan Nolan, along with lacrosse stars, Jeremy Thompson, Jared Davis, and Mark Matthews, with help from Chrystal Styres, visited with an assembly of 150 kids at a local school the day of the Knighthawks’ game against the Edmonton Rush, to talk about the importance of education, healthy life styles as well as the history, strength and power of the game of lacrosse.

Twenty-two of that group, 11 boys and 11 girls, were selected to also take part in a lacrosse clinic to teach them the basics of lacrosse, as well as the spiritual significance of the game given to the Haudenosaunee to settle conflict in a peaceable manner.

The “Arrows Express Sports’ Walk With Us” campaign has an aggressive goal to put a lacrosse stick into the hands of as many at-risk children, as possible, both Native and non-Native, across all of Turtle Island. The program is also designed to offer young boys and girls the fun and exercise of lacrosse an alternative to sitting around and playing computer games.

“Oh, it went just great,” said program coordinator Nick Rothwell. “The kids really had a great time and so did the players.”

Making positive change in the lives of young people is what the Walk With Us, program is all about.

“One kid named his stick ‘Woosh’,” laughs Rothwell. “Because that’s the sound the stick makes when you throw a ball. That made the whole trip worth it to me.”

The “Walk With Us” team will travel with the Knighthawks on the road and make contact with kids in every National Lacrosse League city as well as host two special “Torch Bearer” mentoring sessions a year at Six Nations, at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena, to train other Walk With Us teams to go out and carry the message to their home reserves and home towns.

[The Arrows Express Sports Walk With Us campaign went on the road with the Rochester Knighthawks last week to speak with elementary school aged kids about the importance of education and a healthy lifestyle through the game of lacrosse. Walk With Us team members Brandon Nolan, Jeremy Thompson, Jared Davis, and Mark Matthews, with help from Chrystal Styres, spent some quality time with about 150 students at an assembly at a local Edmonton school. 11 boys and 11 girls were selected to take part in a basic lacrosse camp later in the day, before the NLL game between the Knighthawks and the Edmonton Rush. (Submitted Photo)]

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