Lacrosse the Nations: Lane Jaffe, Brendan Shook, Steve Anderson Reflect

Lane Played at Rutgers and is a Coach at UCSB.

A year ago, I met Brett Hughes.  I had watched him play lacrosse and admired the tenacity he brought to the game, but what impressed me more, was the kindness he carried in his heart.  One of our initial meetings took place in my office where the conversation was naturally geared towards lacrosse, but the focus quickly changed from the sport to how you can help people using the sport as the instrument.  It was definitely an "A Ha" moment.... After about an hour or so, Brett mentioned the work he was doing in Nicaragua with a group called Lacrossethenations...I googled it immediately after he left and was floored. Coincidentally, three years ago I had joined a charity called love, light, and melody and longed for the day I could actually help with something other then a financial donation..and low and behold, that opportunity was now staring me down.  Fearlessly, I called Brett and committed to going to Nicaragua and helping in the cause..I had no idea of how much it would cost, when it would be, and what sacrifices I would have to make in order to go, but I knew for sure I was in...Months creeped by and anticipation slowly built...and now it was the night before the trip...Truth be told, that fearlessness quickly turned into absolute fear and anxiety....The more research I did, the more scared I got..I was not going to surf or sunbathe in Paradise, I was going to teach lacrosse and spread hope in a city built around a garbage dump in a third world country where I did not speak a lick of the language and knew only one other person...thankfully, I fully believed in that person and was confident if I followed his leadership, everything would be ok...
Soon after arriving in Nicaragua, I met the team I would be working with.  I was comforted by the fact lacrosse the Nations put together an all star squad.  I knew working together, we would definitely achieve our goals.  However, I was unsure of what those goals were.  Our mission was to "utilize sport and play to provide education and mentorship, hope and opportunity, to children living in impoverished communities," but what exactly did that mean?  While we were debriefed on what we were going to do, no words could prepare us for what we were about to see.   
The van ride over to La Chureca (The Dump) was a jovial one.  Everyone was in good spirits and anxious to meet the kids....and then dead silence! Smacked in the face by the reality we saw..The van rumbled over the unpaved road, bouncing back and fourth, dodging people, dogs and the occasional cow...I am a dog lover, but there was no way I would pet or even approach the emaciated dogs that would cross our path....Speechless, with my jaw dropped, surrounded by trash, we reached our destination, The school of hope...
20 gringos piled out our safety net, the van, into a world words can not give justice...Since the kids were inside taking a test, we used the time to walk around the "neighborhood"...along the way, our group grew, as some little kids tagged along intrigued by the Americans who somehow arrived in their hood...Most people smiled and waved as we passed, but the rare few who looked at us like invaders, made me feel a bit uneasy..again, what was I doing here...
And then the moment arrived...The kids came storming into the play area with smiles that could go on for days...Lost in translation and engulfed in the moment, I began communicating with my heart, and High Fives were my means of connection...An impromptu soccer game broke out, but this was not an ordinary game...The passion these kids played with was did not matter that some had no shoes or that the "goals" were barely across from each other, these kids seemed to be releasing all the tension that had built up in them..They attacked the ball without fear and full contact would be an under statement... Kids got crushed into the wall or decked by the bigger kids, but getting hurt was not an option...These kids were the toughest little animals I had ever seen...and then amidst the chaos, a whistle blew, order was restored and the kids lined up to begin their lacrosse lesson....
I was impressed with the skills the kids had acquired..They could throw and catch and even string 14 passes together during a line drill....they obviously loved playing the sport and I couldn't believe the restraint they showed in not actually killing each other with the sticks..truthfully, I thought the soccer game was rougher then how they played lax..they really stuck by the rules given to them and even reprimanded me when I touched the ball with my hands..."No Manos, No Manos" they shouted..with the way they were yelling, you would think I just cross checked someone across the neck..rules are rules and I appreciated them upholding them....
We played a ton of lacrosse with the kids, with the Phrase "Top Cheddar" becoming the go to saying...Hearing Spanish kids yelling, Toap Chaeder Toap Chaeder, I will never forget it....
There is so much to say, but I realize I am becoming a bit long winded, so I will attempt to wrap it up...The bottom line is that I went down to Nica with hope of giving all I can, but truthfully, that amount I received far exceeds what I could ever give..The smiles on the kids faces and the vigor the carry for life, there is no way one could ever say they are poor...Life is all about perception and to see these kids and share moments with them, their richness has rubbed off on me and I hope I can influence others as much as these kids have positively inluenced me...I think the japanese say it best when they say, "lacrosse makes friends!"...yes, i just brought the japanese into this Blog...United we stand...
Live, Love, Laugh, Lax
—Steve Anderson

La Chureca
September 15, 2010

I ignored my alarm, took my time in the shower, stopped to get gas, waited calmly in the abnormally long security line and arrived at the gate 18 minutes after they'd started boarding my flight this morning. I didn't care or become frazzled. I felt like Peter Gibbons from the movie "Office Space". Only, instead of being hypnotized by a portly bearded man with a heart condition, I have been hypnotized by a boy named Henry.

Henry is a boy like any other boy. Only Henry lives in a trash dump in Managua, Nicaragua and has endured for his entire life what I could only endure for hours at a time while visiting.

Henry is a lacrosse player. He is a lacrosse player that doesn’t wear shoes, he eats a pre-game meal of what you and I would not recognize as food and he sleeps on the dirt floor of his home made of rusted oil drums and metal scraps. Yet, at the conclusion of our final day of laxing together, without hesitation, he offered me half of his package of crackers that were given to him as a reward for a job well done. Half of literally everything he had at that moment and possibly for the remainder of the day was to be mine, had I accepted.
Is Henry one of a kind? To me he is. He represents all that is pure and hopeful in this life. He is lightness, laughter and honesty. He installed a filter on my mind that will forever screen the noise that makes it to my true self. However, every individual that took that trip with Lacrosse the Nations came back with a similar story and was touched down to the core.

To that end, I have come to realize that there is a kid at every camp, clinic and on every team we coach that is willing to teach us all the same lesson that Henry taught me. It may be hidden under some sweet new gear or behind an All-American aspiration-but it is there.

We have all said it countless times..."the lacrosse community is a tight knit group"...I truly had no idea.

I am thankful for my new friends and yes Henry, I accept.

—Brendan Shook
Defenseman, LXM Pro

It finally hit me when I arrived home from the airport Monday night.  The build up could no longer be contained.  I had to let it go.  My 5 year old son wasn’t sure what was going on.  My wife put her arms around me.  I was crying.  

How does one begin to explain a trip to La Chureca, the Nicaraguan dump where families live and work?  Pictures can only say so much.  Words can’t come close.  What I saw and experienced firsthand was something that will be with me for the rest of my life.  

The common bond for everyone on the LtN trip was the sport of lacrosse.  However, what we all shared as a group ended up being so much more than just lacrosse.  It was newfound friendships, laughter, joy, teamwork, purpose, love, family…the list goes on.  

In all, it was an opportunity to be a part of something very special.  An indescribable experience that alters the way you think and do things.  Never have I felt so helpless yet helpful at the same time.  Making a difference in the lives of others is what many of us crave.  La Chureca enabled me to truly understand that ‘being’ and ‘doing’ for others can make all the difference in the world.

Receiving a hug from a child can be infectious.  Receiving a hug from a child in La Chureca is life changing.        

—Steve Anderson
Co-Founder & National Director
Xcelerate Lacrosse Camps