The senior boys’ lacrosse team is starting up for its eighth year at Riverside. The team is a part of an informal league in the lower mainland where every season ends with a single provincial tournament with teams from the Okanagan, the Fraser Valley, Vancouver and Vancouver Island coming to compete.
“A new season always brings around new potential and talent for Riverside, whether the students participating already have experience or none,” said Mr. Rob Colombo, coach for the senior boys’ lacrosse team for three years now.
The team itself is made up players with different experience levels, according to Colombo. Most students participating are club players, meaning they already have experience with their own club programs, with a few other players just learning and adapting to the game. It’s about getting those newer players up to the same level as the others.
Jack Hamilton, a grade 12 who has been on the team since his first year at Riverside, is hopeful for this season and says the team might have a chance at Provincials this year. The midfielder also balances a spot on the AA hockey team.
“Our season usually goes from December to late February or early March, depending on the snow,” said Hamilton. “The Riverside season and the club season overlap, but our coaches are in sync and have good communication, so nothing gets planned on the same day.”
The lacrosse team has already played two games this year, with the first being an away game at Pitt Meadows which Riverside won, and a home game against Mission that was a close tie between Mission and Riverside, but ended with Mission winning.
“It’s always nice to see students trying something new,” said Colombo. “When we have students who have little to no experience with the game, it’s always about showing them not only how the game works, but it also gives them the experience of working with a team. And it’s something I hope they stick with.”
The team’s prospects are good this year, according to Colombo. The team hopes that Riverside will come out and show their support toward the senior boys’ team before the season is over, and that more students will get interested in the game.
