“The game has important lessons for everybody to learn, and it frustrated me that it was being played in one demographic,” one lacrosse coach said. “I really disliked that, to be honest with you, and felt like it needed to be played by everybody.”
Youth and high school lacrosse coaches affiliated with East High School have for years tried to introduce the sport to communities on the west side of SLC, and it’s working. Edward Tonga runs drills, during East youth lacrosse practice, on Wednesday, June 22, 2022.
“The game has important lessons for everybody to learn, and it frustrated me that it was being played in one demographic,” Freedman said. “I really disliked that, to be honest with you, and felt like it needed to be played by everybody.” “In all honesty, it was designed to focus more on some of those areas — like Glendale or Kearns that [are] a little more on the west side of the valley — that historically haven’t really had any lacrosse programs,” said Collin Madsen, a director for the organization.
Pearson said it was Tonga’s participation and skill that gave them the idea to recruit other children from the west side of Salt Lake. His initial intentions, he said, were to build the most talented teams possible made of reliable and committed kids. Diversifying the program has been a positive, if unintended, consequence.
Freedman, who also coaches the junior varsity team at East High, said that about four years ago, his team took the field for a game and heard from someone in the crowd, “What are you doing to our sport? Is this what this game is becoming? You’re ruining it.” He held back tears as he recalled the incident.
Players for the most part said they try to ignore people who make racially insensitive comments. Taulanga said the racist comments he heard only pushed him to play harder. Cruz said the comment direct toward her team pushed her to play harder as well, but also frustrated and bothered her. Petelo Tafisi said he considers the comments he has heard “childish” and “dumb.”“We can’t stop hate,” Freedman said. “We can’t stop small vision. It’s always going to be there. But we can repudiate it.
“I feel like some of the west side kids learned that it’s OK to live a little,” Tui Tonga said. “We learned from the east side kids that it’s OK to be open and it’s OK to express how you’re feeling, what you’re doing.”
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