Sacrifice

August 21st, 2008 by Teddy Jenner

Whenever the finals come around the trash talk gets more intense but more importantly it’s the actions of 40 lacrosse players that back their words right the hell up! Obviously with a round trip ticket to Ontario up for grabs there is no shortage of unbelievable lacrosse action in the West. This is the time of year that everyone should be grabbing their neighbour and taking him or her to the game so that they get hooked; Resulting in more diehard fans for next year! This is what it’s all about.

For close to four months, all the boys in the WLA have been sacrificing their bodies, their mind, their jobs and their families for a shot to represent the West—and a shot at our Stanley Cup! Revolving your life around the game of lacrosse can be very punishing on people. Not just because at the end of the season most people’s bodies feel like they just went 3 rounds with Brock Lesnar. But more importantly, because of the toll that it takes on them mentally as well.

Thank god for bosses that understand what you go through and realize that if you could be there you would and who give you a little more leniency. Remember the scene in Fight Club where Ed Norton shows up to work and his face is still leaking blood? During the play-offs, that’s what we feel like! Beaten, bloodied and bruised. But we battle on, with the hope of looking at the WLA trophy knowing you are one step closer to the ultimate goal.

Strapping on the pads every other night is an effort in itself. Extra slash-pads, wrist guards and tape make up what little protection we wear. As much of a beating as we take, constricting your body with extra padding can sometimes make the difference between hitting ‘top cheese’ and hitting ‘junction’. So we welcome the beatings, the slashes, the slashes to the shins and late shots after the whistle; after all it’s just plastic right?

With game one on the books last night we can already see the play-offs taking their toll on Coquitlam. Many of their players are battling nagging injuries and doing everything they can to help but sometimes the task is too great. But there is no excuse for giving up because after the first time you give up, it makes the second and third times that much easier. So the A’s will mount up and refocus for game two. Down one game is no big deal if you keep your goals in sight and understand that for a few more weeks the sacrifices may be straining on every part of your mind, body and soul but, the MANN CUP is just around the corner!

Jenner is a two-time Mann Cup champion with six years of NLL experience. Email him at ted.jenner@nllinsider.com also check out his favourite non-NLL site thespoiler.co.uk.

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