Bedrock
How Friday Night Lacrosse is a key pillar of Lacrossing Barriers
Every house must have a strong foundation to support itself. The structure depends on it for stability and longevity. It is no different with Lacrossing Barriers (LB).
The bedrock of our organization can be split into three parts. Our founder and executive director Scott Godfrey, the countless volunteers, students and staff that have brought daily energy, and the presence of a weekly lacrosse program right from the start.
All three of these pillars can be experienced weekly at Friday Night Lacrosse at the Calgary Soccer Centre.
For many participants, this is their first opportunity to learn Canada’s national summer sport in a supportive, non competitive environment.
Rachael experienced that firsthand herself. Coming into the session, she felt nervous, not knowing what to expect. Lacrosse was a new sport for her and she needed some guidance.
Scott saw this and introduced her to Liz Arquiza, who became her buddy for the session. Liz turned out to be the perfect teacher, teaching Rachael how to shoot and catch.
“By the end of the session, she was just running around everywhere,” said Liz.
“(She) was smiling and having fun.”
For Liz, this is the impact she loves making at Friday Night Lacrosse.
“It really warms my heart to see that I was able to sort of guide her and help her to come out of her shell a little bit, especially for a young girl.”
Owen Falk has been involved with Friday Night Lacrosse since the beginning. Both he and Scott Godfrey previously worked with the Autism Aspergers Friendship Society (AAFS) in Calgary.
Scott developed a six week adaptive try-it lacrosse session in 2018, which saw eight participants attend. The next year saw attendance more than double as 20 people came each week.
That was one of the programs that helped start LB, but many things have remained the same. Owen describes the formula as doing some shooting and playing a big game at the end.
He plays a mentorship role, helping those that are new to the game or just need a hand.
“My buddy Finn ... he's blind,” said Owen. “But that doesn't matter because we can bang on the net (and he) still gets a good shot in.”
A regular session starts and ends with Scott Godfrey gathering the group in a circle to explain the plan for the evening and make upcoming announcements.
The group then lines up in a U shape around Bryce Ripley, decked out in his box lacrosse goalie equipment and takes shots on him in order. Scott stands nearby and gives advice to Bryce on his positioning and movements.
Then the program either shifts to a game of Sharks and Minnows or shooting at J.P. Seguin in his field goalie gear. The field net that J.P. defends is bigger than a box net and he has significantly less gear on.
Sharks and Minnows is a game that pits two teams against each other. Before the game starts, everyone has a tennis ball in their lacrosse stick, except for the three sharks.
The Minnows must successfully run across the field without dropping the ball or getting it knocked away by one of the sharks. Every time a minnow loses, it becomes a shark, making swimming harder as the game continues.
The last few remaining minnows win the game.
The last event of the day is a field wide game. Sports pinnies are given to the opposing team and playful chaos ensues. The score isn’t kept, there isn’t a goal horn, but it’s an opportunity for everyone to showcase what has been learned in that session.
Owen summarizes it best.
“Yes, we can … basically just means anyone can do it.”
“Just pick up a stick and try.”
