Feb 5, 2021 | SPORTS | By Zeke Lloyd | Illustration by Bibi Powers
The significance of sports in America is ever-changing; they have countless impacts on people’s lives. For young children, athletics are often used to inspire a myriad of qualities like confidence, fortitude, endurance, conviction, and teamwork. It is that last trait that many athletes find particularly useful in a larger context.
To true athletes, the idea of “teamwork” extends far beyond the camaraderie shared on the field. For those deeply invested in their sports, there is a recognition that there is a much larger bond that connects them to coaches, fans, and the community around them.
Such is the thought of the Colorado College Men’s Lacrosse team, where working for the community is an important part of the culture. Even when so much about the season is unknown, the team is ready to demonstrate that dedication to the people around them.
Brooks Brown ’22, a midfielder and co-organizer of their charity campaign with Denver City Lax, spoke on the importance of altruism to the team. “I think all of us on the team are very blessed to be Division III lacrosse players. We’ve had some great opportunities and doors opened for us,” Brown said. “If we can pass on knowledge and open doors for kids who traditionally wouldn’t have those experiences… I think that’s an amazing opportunity for us.”
Denver City Lax was chosen as the charity partner for a number of reasons. “Part of what Denver City Lax does, is it creates opportunities for traditionally elementary school kids in underserved neighborhoods,” Brown said. “They provide access through lacrosse, you pair that with academic guidance and counseling to other enrichment experiences: going on a hike and other things.”
The organization’s locality was also an important consideration for the team. “This one is obviously close to home for us,” defender Quinn Guevara ’23 said. “It’s right up the street in Denver, right up the highway.”
In the seasons before this one, that proximity was very practical. “Denver City Lax’s big annual fundraising opportunity is called the ‘Denver City Lax Dash,’” Brown said. “What traditionally happens, in a normal year, we bus our guys up to Denver, to Washington park … [kids] will come and participate in a 5k race.”
In a normal setting, players would raise money for the event. Unfortunately, the race itself is not as feasible. Brown did mention a potential alternative, though: “They’re going to do a virtual dash. Maybe we run that 5k, document it virtually, raise money that way.”
No matter how the campaign is executed, awareness is a key factor in raising money for the cause. “In the next couple days, in the next couple weeks, we’re going to be putting a lot more stuff out individually through social media to help spread awareness, explain where to donate and where to get more information,” Guevara said. Expanding the fundraiser’s online presence is integral to the event’s success, so the team is encouraging other students to help get the word out.
The pandemic certainly seems to make everything more complicated. Not even something as innocent as charity is left untouched by the virus. Nonetheless, the priorities of the lacrosse team remain clear, as best articulated by Guevara: “We’re trying to give back to the community, trying to give back to the sport.”