For the love of lacrosse
Michelle Race wasn’t quite sure she was the right person when approached almost three years ago about serving as lacrosse lead for the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games.
The 49-year-old Thorold native had two sons playing the sport and was serving on the St. Catharines Minor Lacrosse Association board of directors, but still wasn’t convinced she could pull it off.
“My son was out west playing for the national championship and I get this call saying we think you would be great as a lacrosse lead for the Canada Summer Games,” Race recalled. “My answer to them was that I was super honoured but I don’t know enough about the sport. I don’t have enough lacrosse knowledge to do this job justice.”
Race then suggested Dan Pilon would be a perfect fit.
“We worked together on the minor lacrosse board. Dan wears a ton of hats and has wide depth of knowledge,” Race said. “I told them I would work on his team.”
The pair have been working together since August of 2019 and Race admits there have been some challenges along the way, not the least of which was the COVID pandemic.
“We felt for a while like we were just in those starting blocks and kind of never came out of them,” she said. “It’s only been very recently where we felt like the wheels were turning and we’re actually making some headway.”
Another huge challenge was the venue.
“The other thing was planning for an event and not knowing the location,” she said. “We had the COVID issues and also for us are we planning for this building or this other building? And when you start talking details, it becomes an issue.”
Race said there is good news on that front with Canada Games Park in the final stages of completion.
“The building is almost ready now and so we will be ready,” she said. “Had COVID not happened, we likely wouldn’t have been in this building for the original Canada Sumer Games. That’s one positive thing that came out of COVID. It gave us the extra time.”
Race, who works as Sales Contract Co-ordinator with Mountainview Building Group, loves the new facility.
“To walk through there is spectacular,” she said. It’s going to allow us to up the experience of people here in Niagara and also allow us to bring so many people in for all kinds of tournaments at all levels.”
Race is most proud of the fact the facility will be able to be enjoyed for decades to come.
“Lacrosse already has a super-strong history in Niagara and St. Catharines. The Canada Summer Games Park is really going to give us a home base we don’t have. It’s really the most important piece for Dan and I and why we’re both willing to do this is because of the legacy piece that comes for lacrosse.”
Race grew up playing rugby and became familiar with lacrosse when her two sons began playing the sport.
Her oldest son, Julian, is at Western Reserve Academy in Ohio and will attend Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, N.Y., next year while Luca is in Grade 12 at St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute in Buffalo.
“I have fallen in love with the sport,” she said. “My kids have gotten so much out of it. They have both gotten some amazing experiences. They have already incorporated it into their education and that’s going to continue.”
Race also volunteers on the St. Catharines Junior Lacrosse Board which oversees the junior A and junior B Athletics.
“Someone has to be there behind the scenes for these young people to get these opportunities. It’s really rewarding to be part of a team that provides that opportunity.”
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