Playing with the Krewhawks
Everyone remembers their first...
After the detour the other day, let’s get back on track, and talk more about me.
The first time I played (and for the first year or so after that) was with the Rochester Krewhawks - the team representing the Knighthawks fan club (known as the Krew).
The Krewhawks were a group of people, mostly (but not all) local to Rochester, and mostly (but not all) Knighthawks fans. Some were members of the Krew, some weren’t. (I was from time to time, but not every year). It was a really laid back game, with some rules in place to try to prevent injuries and make it so people of nearly every skill level could participate and have fun. It was the perfect place to start.
One of the great things about playing with the Krewhawks was the people. First, being able to play with generally the same people every week was fantastic - it allowed me to get to know them, and for them to get to know me. That was instrumental in my growth as a goalie. They are the ones that taught me the basics of the game - both actively and passively. I’d learn some things just by watching them, and others they would tell me what to do or not do.
Unfortunately, the Krewhawks aren’t really active anymore. A few years ago, those that ran the group came to the conclusion that they had better things to do with their time. And really, they did - running the team and running it as well as they did took a lot of time that they could have been spending with their families or other friends or doing other things. I guess some people want lives outside of lacrosse. I don’t know what that’s like.
Regardless, I still consider some of them friends, even if I don’t get to get out on the turf with them anymore. I still see some of them at Knighthawks games, or randomly out in public every once in a while, or when they’re making the most delicious BBQ I’ve ever had. And I’m grateful that our paths have crossed - I wouldn’t be where I am (or who I am) without them.
But also, everything I’ve done in lacrosse can be traced back to the Krewhawks. It’s where I met the people responsible for some of the milestones that got me where I am. Chris Crane is the one that first got me into playing at the Webster box, and I’ll never forget that one. It was the first week of January (I just went back and looked it up - January 2, 2020). For those that aren’t aware, the Webster box is located at Ridgecrest Park in Webster and is home of the Webster Lacrosse Club. And it’s outdoors. As in no roof, no walls, no heat, no protection from precipitation.
When I’m eventually questioned by mental health professionals to determine why I chose to play goal, my response to Craner would probably be used as exhibit A:
As I recall, it was actually a pretty decent night by January standards. In fact, I just looked up the weather that day - the high in Rochester was 48, the low was 27, but it would have been about 40-ish when we played. That was the night I learned that the cold isn’t so bad when you’ve got all that equipment on.
That night also allowed me to prove a point to my wife, not that it was a point that needed proving. As I mentioned in a previous post, when I started playing with the Krewhawks, I was using their gear. And that was fine - it fit me decently, and let me get started. But it also limited me to only playing with them - I couldn’t take it and go play elsewhere, like the Webster box. So one day I mentioned that I wanted to get my own equipment so I would have more opportunities to play. I didn’t get any resistance, but also knew I had to find the right equipment (meaning used and cheap). As luck would have it, on a break at work one New Year’s Day, I was browsing Facebook Marketplace, and someone in Chili had a full-ish set of gear listed (uppers, legs, and pants). I already had a helmet from a set of hockey goalie pads I had bought (and that helmet will be another story at some point down the road), so all I really needed were gloves. When I got home that night, I brought that equipment with me, and ordered a pair of gloves. I was good to go.
That night at the Webster box was the first I played with a group other than the Krewhawks, though there was a lot of overlap, which definitely helped ease me into it.
Next time we’ll talk about the Webster box - there are a lot of stories there, but many of them should (and will) remain there.
Thanks for reading, and follow along on my lacrosse journey on Instagram at @smokeylax. And be good to each other!