Lethbridge Sport Council, Lacrossing Barriers team up to provide lacrosse for all abilities

By Lethbridge Herald on September 14, 2023.

Herald Photo by Justin Seward Seven-year-old Oliver Harker catches the ball with his lacrosse stick from his wheel chair duing All Abilities Lacrosse Come Try It event at the Sik Ooh Kotoki Society on Thursday.

By Justin Seward

Lethbridge Herald

In the month of September, Lethbridge Sport Council ,in partnership with Lacrossing Barriers, has been hosting a free All Abilities Lacrosse Come Try It event.

Lacrossing Barriers offer opportunites to play sport for those that wouldn’t otherwise get a choice.

“So my position with Lethbridge Sport Council, we’re wanting to help make sport more inclusive and accessible in Lethbridge,” said Keegan Brantner, Lethbridge Sport Council’s community coordinator for sport for all and volunteer management.

“So there’s limited options for certain people and we want to give more people a choice to participate in sport. So we’re working in partnership for this project with Lacrossing Barriers, an organization from Calgary, to provide all abilities lacrosse to anyone of support needs, ability or experience and age to get to participate in lacrosse.”

Participants are learning skills such as throwing, catching and passing of the ball.

During the first two Thursdays, the event has had blind, cerebral palsy and spina bifida participants.

“So we’ve had a decent range, which is nice to see that we can target different abilities and different needs of participants,” she said.

“And it actually has been very cool to see how quickly they can pick up on lacrosse from never playing or maybe not having participated in a sport like this before.”

Emily Lawson was a 65-year-old legally blind participant on Thursday.

“It’s been amazing,” said Lawson.

“I have a lighted ball and a goalie stick and I didn’t think I’d be able to catch a ball. But, yeah, it’s all in the coaching and learning technique, and yeah it’s great to get out and do something other than what I’ve been doing.”

Lawson is also a blind dragon boater and bowler.

“If they don’t want to play lacrosse, don’t, if you don’t want to box, don’t, if you don’t want to play hockey, don’t,” said Scott Godfrey ,of Lacrossing Barriers

“But it’s our national summer sport (lacrosse), and to provide anybody in Canada an opportunity to play, we should all have that choice. It’s a fundamental freedom. So it means the world that I get to come down here and get to drive down and we have amazing supports. The Lethbridge lacrosse community and the Kainai and Piikani lacrosse communities, it really is why this sport is our national summer sport is because people have just come together and said let’s do this.”

The last event will be on Sept. 21 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Sik Ooh Kotoki Friendship Society.

It’s free to join and there is no registration required.

Brantner hopes to continue with this event in the future.

Lacrossing Barriers will be offering a blind lacrosse session later in the year.

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