Gaiters Lacrosse Star Drafted to the Pros

Annual motionball Marathon of Sport Held Virtually

David Rossiter Sports Editor

On Sept. 6, 2020, the organization motionball hosted its first-ever virtual Marathon of Sport. motionball is a Canadian not-for-profit that raises money and awareness for special needs athletes and Special Olympics Canada.

The Marathon of Sport is motionball’s best event. Held annually, it takes place in communities and university campuses across the nation. Participants join a team of about a dozen people and fundraise for a few months before the event. They then are teamed up with a special needs athlete from their community and participate in a day of fun competition in a variety of sports and games against all the other teams.

Bishop’s University has held the event with Gaiter students and Estrie special Olympians for years now. The 2020 Marathon of Sport usually takes place in the spring. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the events to be cancelled all across the country.

Those at motionball worked hard and came up with a plan to host a virtual event where participants could meet with their teammates on Zoom, and all the teams would watch a YouTube video simultaneously. The video was a pre-recorded home workout, filled with fun challenges, activities, and games. It was hosted by Canadian figure-skating legend Tessa Virtue alongside other famous Canadian athletes, such as Morgan Rielly from the Toronto Maple Leafs and snowboarding world champion Mark McMorris.

The hour-long event also featured many special-needs athletes who shared their sporting experiences and discussed the #nogoodway initiative created by motionball to help raise awareness about how damaging the casual use of the R-word can be.

The Bishop’s Gaiters motionball team was made up of students, student-athletes, and athletic department staff member Clare Webb. They were then joined by their Special Olympics athlete, Maxime Beaudoin. Maxime competes in soccer, swimming, and basketball.

The event was a success for motionball as well as for the Bishop’s squad. The games, which included basketball dribbling, hockey stickhandling, and balance challenges, were a blast.

The event was also a success in the fundraising department. The 2020 Marathon of Sport raised over $1 million for Special Olympics Canada, with a contribution of thousands of dollars raised by the Bishop’s contingent.

Bishop’s students and Canadians from all over are excited for the 2021 edition of the Marathon of Sport. Hopefully, it will be possible to participate in person at the John H. Price sports centre here in Lennoxville, but motionball will have the support of the Bishop’s community no matter what.

Photo Courtesy of the motionball website

Gaiters Lacrosse Star Drafted to the Pros

On Sept. 17, 2020, Sam Firth experienced an evening he will never forget. Selected 39th overall by the Georgia Swarm, Firth got to realize his lifelong dream of being drafted to the National Lacrosse League.

An all-star goal scorer for the Bishop’s Gaiters field lacrosse team, Firth also dominates in box lacrosse. The highest level of box (indoor) lacrosse in the world is the National Lacrosse League. The NLL has teams in 13 cities across North America and they play games in front of thousands of fans.

The Georgia Swarm, based out of Atlanta, made a decision that showed how much they really wanted Sam to be part of their team. Right before the Vancouver Warriors were set to use their 39th overall pick, a trade was announced. Georgia traded three of their own draft picks (44, 49, and 57) for the right to the 39th selection. They did this because Firth had fallen a bit down the draft board and they knew if they didn’t act fast they wouldn’t have a chance at grabbing him.

This gesture did not go unnoticed by Firth: “That was a great feeling to know that a team had enough confidence in me to move up and take me. Everything I’ve heard about Georgia is that they’re a really great organization to play for, I’m really happy with where I ended up.”

Here at Bishop’s, the type of lacrosse played is field lacrosse. This is the most popular style of lacrosse outside of Canada. It is played outdoors with ten players per side.

Box lacrosse is a style of the game that was created in Canada to use the ice hockey rinks in the summer. It is played on the cement floor of a hockey rink sans ice and it mimics the gameplay of hockey with 5 players and a goalie on each side.

Many elite lacrosse players, especially Canadians, excel at both forms of the sport. Sam Firth is no exception. While he has been an excellent field lacrosse player here at Bishop’s, box lacrosse has been his passion since he was young.

The draft was the culmination of over a decade of hard work and aspiration by Firth. “Getting drafted to the NLL is something I’ve dreamed about since I first picked up a stick at 4 years old,” he shared.

The 21-year-old sniper from Ottawa has dominated Ontario Junior B lacrosse action over the last few years. In 95 career games with his hometown Nepean Knights, Firth tallied an unbelievable 416 points (182 goals and 234 assists).

However, it was as a call-up with the Orangeville Northmen of the Ontario Junior A Lacrosse League that made Firth realize that making the NLL was a possibility.

“Up until the last couple years or so [the NLL] was always in the back of my mind but I didn’t really think it was possible. When I started having success in Orangeville and here at Bishop’s, I realized getting drafted was within my reach.”

Firth will continue playing with the Bishop’s Gaiters this academic year and next. He will work on honing his skills as he prepares for his future in the sport.

David Rossiter Sports Editor

Sam Firth sporting a Gaiters uniform Photo taken from Sam Firth’s Twitter account