Iroquois

[Matnum PI]

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/20 ... ght-racism

[Matnum PI]

Iroquois Nationals Accept Invitation to Compete

World Lacrosse, in cooperation with the International World Games Association (IWGA) and The World Games 2022 Birmingham Organizing Committee (TWG 2022), announced today the field of eight teams that will compete in men’s lacrosse at The World Games 2022 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. In alphabetical order, the participating teams are:

Australia
Canada
Germany
Great Britain
Iroquois Nationals
Israel
Japan
United States

The selection of teams is based upon the final placement of eligible teams from the 2018 Federation of International Lacrosse (now known as World Lacrosse) World Championship in Netanya, Israel.

The men’s lacrosse competition will be July 8-12, 2022 and will feature the new World Lacrosse 6 v 6 discipline.

The field of participating teams was finalized following:

Confirmation from the IWGA that the Iroquois Nationals are eligible to compete in TWG 2022;
Receipt by World Lacrosse of “no objection” letters from the Canadian Olympic Committee,
Canadian Lacrosse Association, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and US Lacrosse;
Ireland Lacrosse voluntarily withdrawing from the tournament;
World Lacrosse extending an invitation to the Iroquois Nationals to compete, and;
Acceptance of the invitation by the Iroquois Nationals
“This is a very good day, and outcome, for the sport of lacrosse,” said World Lacrosse President Sue Redfern. “We have arrived at an outcome that will create a true showcase for lacrosse at The World Games 2022 in Birmingham. This was achieved by our organizations coming together, listening carefully and working constructively to reach a shared goal.”

“We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the leadership of the International World Games Association, The World Games 2022 Birmingham Organizing Committee, Ireland Lacrosse and the Iroquois Nationals for their partnership and support in working toward an outcome about which we can all be pleased,” added World Lacrosse Chief Executive Officer Jim Scherr. “International sport has the power to unite and that has never been more evident than in how our organizations and the lacrosse community came together to find a solution.”

“We thank World Lacrosse for their work in bringing this matter to a successful conclusion,” said Joachim Gossow, Chief Executive Officer of the International World Games Association. “In addition, we note that Team Ireland has sportingly agreed to withdraw in favour of the Iroquois Nationals team. We are happy to see the eight best men’s teams qualified and look forward to seeing both women’s and men’s top-quality lacrosse in Birmingham in 2022.”

“The World Games 2022 Birmingham Organizing Committee has great appreciation for the actions taken by the International World Games Association, World Lacrosse, and most recently Team Ireland in creating a path forward under the qualification rules for the Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse Team,” said Nick Sellers, CEO of The World Games 2022 Birmingham. “This solution represents the best of humanity, as their collective leadership will now allow for the eight highest-ranked and eligible teams in the world to compete for gold in July of 2022.”

Sellers continued, “Birmingham, Ala. has long been an epicenter of America’s civil rights struggle, and we are proud that The World Games 2022 will usher in a new era of progress where our strength comes from mutual respect and our commitment to inclusion. The actions taken today reflect those values. Welcome to The World Games 2022 Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse Team. We look forward to seeing you compete.”

“Our goal is to share lacrosse with the world, as a vehicle for peace, friendship, and healing. On this foundation, equity, justice, and unity can be firmly seated. We worked very hard alongside our allies for this positive outcome,” Leo Nolan, Executive Director of Iroquois Nationals said. “We are thankful for their support throughout the process, as well as the support of organizations, coaches, players, and fans in the global lacrosse community who stood up for our right to be included in The World Games 2022. Most of all, we wish to express our deep gratitude to Ireland Lacrosse: their selfless decision symbolizes the reverence we share for the game of lacrosse.”

Also today, World Lacrosse confirmed the top eight eligible women’s teams based upon final placement in the 2021 World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship will be invited to participate in The World Games 2022.The women’s team representing the Haudenosaunee Nation is eligible for selection. The 2021 World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship will take place July 7-17, 2021 in Towson, Maryland, USA.

[Brooklyn]

the new World Lacrosse 6 v 6 discipline

https://www.uslaxmagazine.com/fuel/inte ... er-nations


Among the most notable variations in the trial rules (men and women) are a 6-on-6 format, a smaller field (70 x 36 meters), shorter games (four 8-minute periods of running clock), a 45-second shot clock, smaller roster sizes (10 per team), no backup rule for shots (possession changes based on team that touches the ball last) and draws only at the beginning of each period and overtime (with 5 seconds after each goal for the goalie to put the ball in play.)



I checked for videos of games featuring the new format but couldn't find any. Will be interesting to see how the new game is viewed by fans of the sport.

[Matnum PI]

Lacrosse legend Oren Lyons Jr. spoke to U.S Lacrosse about his version of the first game that was played between the land animals and the birds. Lyons said it’s an old story, but he has never told it the same way twice.

https://fanlax.com/2020/11/06/oren-lyon ... irst-game/

[Matnum PI]

Chesapeake Bayhawks midfielder Brendan Bomberry has emerged as one of the top players in Major League Lacrosse. But there's a deeper meaning behind the sport of lacrosse for Bomberry and his family.

Bomberry is from Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy.

Bomberry started playing lacrosse when he was just three years old. He was destined to play lacrosse.

"As Native American people, when we're born, we're given a stick," Bomberry said. "We're born into the game. The same thing happens when we die. We're buried with a traditional stick."

Bomberry said there's no other sport like the Creator's Game.

"With basketball, football and hockey, they don't have the cultural significance that lacrosse does," he said. "There's so much meaning behind it. And I feel the significance of being an Indigenous player carrying on that meaning and showing people what our game is about."

Bomberry said while most people grow up wanting to go to the NBA or the NFL, his dream was to play for the Iroquois National Team. Through hard work and determination, Bomberry now gets to live out that dream.

"As I got older, I realized the significance of being on the Iroquois Nationals team," Bomberry said. "It's not about the wins and losses. Obviously, we want to win a gold medal and be the best team in the world; but for us, it's about traveling to those countries and representing our people on our own passports."

Bomberry said that one of the biggest challenges growing up was leaving the Reservation to go to private schools, in order to better his education and lacrosse abilities. To help fill the need for great coaching for the next generation, Bomberry co-founded Turtle Island Lacrosse, with fellow MLL star, Randy Staats - providing opportunities he never had.

"We want to give them an opportunity to grow their game without leaving the reservation," he said."I think that's important. And we can provide that opportunity because we've been there and know what it takes."

Bomberry said the biggest thing he wants to educate people about is that the Native American's are still here.

"I've been around the world, and people don't even know that we exist," Bomberry said. "I think the growth of the game is helping educate people. I think everyone still should know what we went through. It's important to keep learning."

To support the mission of Turtle Island and growing the game from Native American roots, CLICK HERE.