Gloucester lacrosse kids make pro player feel like a star

“Seeing the kids involved in the process of the tournament brought back a lot of memories,” says Crawford, who took part in a ceremonial faceoff and hosted a shootout for the young players. “Seeing all the parents and everything you grew up with, you kind of forget all that stuff as you reach the professional ranks.”

The 24-year-old Gloucester native began playing lacrosse in Novice and progressed into the Griffins junior ranks before eventually landing an athletic scholarship to Dowling College in Long Island, NY.

Crawford chose to turn pro after one year of school and completed his fourth NLL season this past April, where he scored 19 goals and 22 assists in 13 games.

The Edmonton Rush forward lives in Ottawa even during the NLL season, working Monday to Friday as an insurance adjuster and then flying to wherever the Rush are playing on the weekend.

“Eventually us lacrosse players have to get a full-time job elsewhere because it doesn’t pay quite as much as the other sports unfortunately,” explains Crawford, who also plays in a semi-pro league during the summer for Kahnawake.

Whenever he has the chance, Crawford also helps out with the Griffins Jr. ‘B’ team or another younger level.

“I try to help teach them things that unfortunately the coaches might not know just because the game’s evolved from when a lot of coaches nowadays have played,” Crawford says. “I try to help with little things that will help make the kids better and sometimes that’s just interacting, playing with them, laughing and having a good time. I’ve noticed how kids really enjoy saying they’ve played with a professional.”

Crawford has been involved with youth lacrosse across North America thanks to previous NLL stops in San Jose, Calgary and Chicago, although this year marked the first time he really came back to be a part of the tournament he used to play in.

“The kids are the ones who make us feel like we’ve made it. Lacrosse players are very grounded compared to other professional athletes,” Crawford notes. “All of us who play in the NLL, we know we’re not really stars.

“We know what we make and we know what the actual glamour of the sport is, but it’s the kids who really make you feel like you are. Their eyes light up, and they’re just amazed that an NLL player is there to interact with them.”

Crawford uses his own story as a message to young players who have their own dream of playing professional lacrosse.

“I wasn’t the best player when I was a kid,” he says. “It took awhile for me to actually get good at the sport. I sat on the bench my whole life until I reached a certain age, so just stick with it if you love the sport and everything else will come if you work hard for it.”