Overall registration numbers were down for the Thompson Lacrosse Association this year, at the same that quality appears to be on the rise, as 13 local players were chosen to play on Manitoba's provincial teams in three different age divisions, including five on the peewee team alone.
"Our numbers decreased a bit," said lacrosse association past president Glenn Laycock on June 22, as house league teams celebrated the end of the season with a banquet and team photos at the Royal Canadian Legion.
The reason is mainly people power.
"We have a fairly decent bank account, it's just volunteers," said Laycock. Prior to the season, the association's first attempt at an annual general meeting was unsuccessful because it didn't attract enough people to fill the board.
Ironically, the decrease comes as TLA players are being recognized by the Manitoba lacrosse community. This year, Thompson's Scotty McIvor, Garrett Szeremley, Kruz Mitchell, David Saunders and Tyler Sylvester will represent the province at peewee nationals, while Isaac Babulic, Jayden Bayer, Taylor Ritchie will make appearances as members of Team Manitoba's bantam team after playing in the peewee championships last year. Goaltender Shatford, who was on the peewee squad in 2009 and 2010, returns for a third time with the bantam team as well. At the midget level, Justin Paulic, Jonah Babulic, Tyrel Charlton and Kyle Hohl will play at nationals.
Jonah Babulic, who has played lacrosse for eight years, downplays his achievement of making the team in his first year trying out, noting that the coaches didn't have the option to make a lot of cuts.
"They were okay but we didn't have that many people," he said, which made him fairly confident that he would be picked for the squad. "They could only take like five off."
Although he hasn't experienced it, Jonah says he understands the odds that Manitoba is up against at provincials, where Ontario, British Columbia, Iroquois Nation and Alberta are the undisputed top four.
"The bottom four kind of fight for B-side," he said.
Last year, Manitoba's bantam team emerged at the top of the second-tier heap, says Isaac, who was on the squad and can vouch for the quality of the contenders.
"Ontario is an amazing team," said Isaac, rating the national championships as a positive experience. "They were pretty good. We got B-side gold, which is fifth."
What is he hoping for this year?
"Hopefully the same, but better," said Isaac, counting getting new equipment and meeting new people among the other highlights.
Jayden Bayer, another bantam team member who was also on the provincial team last year, says playing with players from outside Thompson helps him improve his game.
"These other kids down south know lacrosse more," he said, and he is optimistic about the upcoming championships. " I think we're actually going to do pretty well."
Jonah has also noticed a difference when playing with the provincial team members.
"More people will know the game and where to go for picks and stuff," he says. "They play with their sticks more so lots of them can catch and shoot better."
Although they're brothers, the Babulics have different approaches to the game, with Isaac rating "getting away from people" as his number one skill. Jonah meanwhile, is more of a sniper.
"Mostly all I do is shoot," he says and the less he carries the ball, the better. "I'll have it in my stick for about one second."
Laycock says the TLA is rightfully proud of the players who made the provincial teams and knows they'll represent their province well. Shatford, he says, was probably the best goalie at the national championships last year, while Paulic and Charlton are two of the better players at the midget level.
With next year marking the 10th anniversary of the TLA's second incarnation, after it shut down in 1993, Laycock says the development of the sport in Manitoba will help them attract players away from competing interests like summer league hockey.
The fact that Manitoba has a team which competes in a junior B circuit - the Manitoba Gryphons of the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League - is a big plus for the Thompson organization, as it provides a possible destination for competitive lacrosse players who've outgrown the Thompson house league.
"That's huge for us," he says, as one of the questions TLA players face is this: "What do we do in between masters and midget?"
He hopes to see a few TLA players make the junior B team in the next few seasons and also hopes to expand the local association to include field lacrosse.
There's still more action ahead this season, with peewee, bantam and midget teams competing at the Canada Day tournament in Calgary.
