The Rochester Knighthawks took a time-out from the
excitement of fighting for a post-season appearance on April 6 to celebrate
Native American Heritage Night and to deliver a check to the Boys and Girls
Club of Rochester.
Lacrosse
has its origins in a tribal game played by all Eastern Woodlands Native
Americans and by some Plains Indian tribes. Traditionally, each team consisted
of anywhere from 100 to 1,000 men on a field that stretched from about 500 meters
to three kilometers long. These lacrosse games lasted from sun-up to sun-down
for two to three days straight. The games were played as part of ceremonial
ritual to give thanks to the Creator.
Though the game of lacrosse has changed from the way it
was originally played, the Knighthawks, led by General Manager Curt Styres, who
is a Native American, have made sure to respect the Native roots and keep them
in the game.
As fans walked into the arena for the game, the Native
American Dancers known as the “Fancy Dancers,” who performed before each game,
were congregated in the lobby of the Blue Cross Arena to talk about the dances
that they perform and to interact with fans. The dances were originally
performed in eastern tribes to show respect for the Gods and are now performed
simply to bring some culture into the game.
The
Knighthawks have a handful of Native American players on the team, including
Cody Jamieson, Craig Point, Johnny Powless, Angus Goodleaf, and Sid Smith. They
find it important to take pride in the culture and share that pride with their
fans.
Adding
to the celebration of the Native American heritage, the Knighthawks commemorated
their 2012 championship alongside four other Native lacrosse teams from Six
Nations, Ontario who had also recently won championships in their perspective
divisions in a pre-game ceremony. The teams were able to show off their well-deserved
trophies to the fans.
The
Six Nations Rebels Junior “B” team, which successfully defended their Founders
Cup championship in August of 2012, was one of the teams welcomed to the game
and recognized by Knighthawks staff, players, and fans.
“On this night, when we have successful teams in our
community, it’s always good to give them applause,” said Sytres.
Following the Native American Heritage celebrations and
recognitions, Knighthawks President Lewis Staats teamed up with Southerland Global
Services to present a check worth over $6,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of
Rochester.
The Boys and Girls Club of Rochester is a group that offers
programs for disadvantaged youth that help them to develop qualities needed to
become responsible citizens and leaders of the community. The experiences and
opportunities that Boys and Girls Club members have help to prove the children’s
ability to overcome negative environments at home and move toward achieving
their dreams. Since its creation, the Boys and Girls Club has provided
mentoring and leadership designed to change the lives of youth who face challenges
such as poverty, broken homes, crime, unemployment, prejudice and difficulties
in school and at home.
Southerland
Global Services has a partnership with the Rochester Knighthawks and the Boys
and Girls Club of Rochester as well as many other local organizations and
teams. This season, Knighthawks sales representatives sold tickets at various
Southerland locations and took some of the money from those sales to give back
to the Boys and Girls Club of Rochester. Southerland matched the amount of
money donated by the Knighthawks to make the amount donated a grand total of
$6,015.
Along with the generous donation, the kids from the Boys
and Girls Club were also invited to the lacrosse game. It was a new adventure
for many of the members.
This was a successful night for the Knighthawks not only
because they won the game and are one step closer to a playoff berth, but also
because the team was able to bring the fans back to the roots of the game of
lacrosse and give back to the community in which they play.
