Lacrosse Is Alive And Well In Wallaceburg

While the Wallaceburg Griffins and Wallaceburg Red Devils aren’t on the floor this summer competing against athletes and teams from other towns, young lacrosse players in Wallaceburg are still working hard to improve.

Wallaceburg coach Jamie Knight is working hard to make sure that when the next generation of lacrosse stars are able to return to competition in 2021, that they’ll get a step ahead.

“We are running small group sessions for 2 hours with a group of 10 total on the courts at a time,” said Knight of his Leave Your Mark Lacrosse training sessions.

“I actually love the small group sessions as the kids get a ton of coaching during their time slot. “

While the small groups aren’t the norm of the past, they’re the new norm amidst COVID-19.

“We are used to having 50 kids at Kings Courts (Glen Mickle Park), but we have changed our camps into small group sessions.  We need to practice safe distancing on the courts, but I loved the small groups because we are able to give much more attention to the athlete.”

Hopefully, that individual attention pays off for the kids and community of Wallaceburg, where lacrosse means so much.

“Lacrosse means so much to this community so it is really hard to see so many kids not get to do what they love,” said Knight. “I feel awful for kids that graduate this summer from junior and for the kids that were in their last year of minor.”

Although the summer was different, and disappointing for many, Coach Jamie Knight hopes local athletes and families have found the silver lining.

“I hope that they are having fun in these difficult times. With it being so unbearable lately I’m enjoying the water a lot more than the hot arena. I think we live in one of the most amazing places in the world and when people that are accustomed to running from arena to arena actually slow down and are home with their families more, we can all appreciate everything that our area has to offer.”