OLDS — Two youths -- Keane Howlett of Bowden and Alex Swann of Innisfail -- are on Alberta’s U17 box lacrosse team which is competing in the 2023 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) July 15-23 in Halifax.
Both players responded to questions emailed by the Albertan.
Howlett, 15, is a player (a minor lacrosse position) and has been playing the game for six years.
“My strengths in the sport are probably passing and reading the play. I am really good at that,” he wrote. “My weakness is my height. I am five feet (tall) and almost everyone I play against tends to be 5’4” and taller.
“Making it to NAIG is a huge accomplishment of mine, I didn’t think I'd make it especially due to my height.”
“What I like about lacrosse is that it is a team sport. It's a physical sport where you always have a role to play and have to keep moving,” he wrote.
Ideally, Keane would like to rise up through the ranks to play pro in the National Lacrosse League (NLL), but if he doesn’t get that far, he’d like to at least play junior lacrosse for the Mavericks.
Swann, 16, has played lacrosse for "four active years” and been a goalie for three years.
“I'm very strong in my overall goalie technique and movement,” he wrote. "I do very well in passing the ball and moving up the floor at a fast pace.”
He said his weakness is a need to “motivate my teammates when we are down in scoring during our games.”
Swann likes the social aspect of the game.
“The amount of new players I have met from Edmonton all the way to the south border of Alberta is amazing -- just from the sport,” he wrote.
He added that the aggressiveness, determination and effort that’s required to play the game “just makes me love it even more.”
“It feels great (that) I have made U16 NAIG and U17 Team Alberta,” Swann wrote.
“To me personally it feels amazing to be representing my province at the North American Indigenous Games and Canadian Box Lacrosse Nationals.”
After the summer is over, Swann hopes to get into the junior prep camp hosted by the Senior B lacrosse Mounties “so I can progress at a high pace in the newly sized nets.”
“I'm also looking forward to the Jr A combine that takes place during the wintertime so I can get closer to my junior A goal,” he added.
He figures he has a “just a small hope of going into NLL.”
Both players were asked what they believe it will take to win the tournament.
“To be successful in this tournament I believe that we need to keep a positive attitude and mindset and work together as a team and not (be) a one-man show,” Keane wrote.
Swann said the key for him will be to be focused and “on my best game,” especially going up against the powerhouse Ontario team.
He added that another key will be for all players on the team to trust each other “so we can play as a team and win as a team.”
