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Lacrosse symbolises growth with top-10 finish, JLA

President, coach encouraged by U21’s debut showing at World Championship

Published:Thursday | August 25, 2022 | 12:07 AMSharla Williams/Gleaner Writer
File photo shows Raheem Pusey (right) on the offensive as he makes a play at goal while being marked by Matthew McLeod during a Jamaica College lacrosse team training session. Jamaica’s Under-21 team recently returned from the U21 World Championship, whe
Gladstone Taylor
File photo shows Raheem Pusey (right) on the offensive as he makes a play at goal while being marked by Matthew McLeod during a Jamaica College lacrosse team training session. Jamaica’s Under-21 team recently returned from the U21 World Championship, where they placed ninth. Jamaica Lacrosse Association President, Calbert Hutchinson, has expressed delight at the nation’s success, noting that the sport is poised for greater development.

THE JAMAICA Lacrosse Association (JLA) said the country’s ninth-place finish at their debut World Lacrosse Men’s U21 World Championship was a showcase of the growth of the sport on the island and in the diaspora.

Calbert Hutchinson, the JLA president, said that this accomplishment by the juniors put the icing on top of a hectic season.

“Indeed, this was a great accomplishment as the summer itself has been hectic, as there were a lot of accomplishments from the senior women, the senior men’s qualifier in Colombia and now the under-21 men in Limerick. A lot of headaches with the planning, a lot of ups and downs, but it’s a very successful summer indeed,” Hutchinson noted.

The U21 competition, he added, would have opened more doors for further growth of the sport in Jamaica.

“This was our first-ever junior World Championships and it has opened the doors for our players coming out of our high school competitions. These events are what our local players, along with our diaspora players, will be using as a form of matriculation towards our senior programmes,” Hutchinson advised.

Assistant head coach of the Jamaica team, Mark Wilson, said this is a proud moment for Jamaica, achieved by having a strong organisation behind the team.

BIG FACTOR

“Obviously, the players on the team are a big factor but before we even get to that, we have a very strong organisation,” Wilson said.

He said because of this organisation, they were able to go in the competition with high expectations.

“We are really proud of placing ninth in the world. We actually came into the tournament with high expectations, but also knowing that the competition was going to be very intense because we were one of the young countries to be a part of the World Championships process and one of the developing countries in terms of establishing lacrosse on the grounds of Jamaica,” Wilson explained. “We are really happy with the results and we hope that it helps us continue to grow what we started.”

Hutchinson said that the JLA is planning to provide more playing opportunities to facilitate the continued growth of the sport.

“We are in the process of conceptualising and fine-tuning our club leagues. We are also working on getting high schools and club teams to come and visit Jamaica for our junior training camps and this will provide them with additional playing opportunities to fine-tune their skills. And we are also looking to have our travel teams as well, who will have an opportunity to visit these teams in their respective countries to compete against them,” shared Hutchinson.

Wilson said these plans by the JLA will also help juniors who wish to try out for the senior team.

“The junior team is off for a bit. However, many of the players will be participating in the selection process for the senior men’s team, which will be at the World Championships in San Diego in June in 2023,” Wilson said.

The Jamaica senior men’s team qualified for the World Championships with a silver medal finishing at the PALA Men’s World Qualifiers that was held in Colombia in July.