The Vancouver Warriors equal selflessness, commitment and athleticism

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“Take a hit before you give a hit.” Vancouver Warriors head coach Curt Malawsky is one of the most quotable people I have ever interviewed. Lacrosse is Canada’s national summer sport, but beyond grade five gym class, we all seem to have let go of this sport to cheer on hockey and basketball teams. Under Malawsky’s leadership, the sport is growing, rapidly.

For university students, especially those with aspirations in sports, and leadership, Malawsky’s philosophy is a masterclass in being a hardworking, competitive, yet selfless athlete, while creating real change off the field. He appreciates the fans every chance he gets, at every single media interview and that smile while praising them remains genuine every time.

The man is real life Ted Lasso. So, skip the show, just watch his interviews and the games. You will learn a lot. Don’t just take my word for it — let’s learn from the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Famer himself.

Manraaj Grewal: Considering lacrosse is the national sport of Canada, it’s grossly underestimated in the Canadian culture. What do you want people to know about the sport?

Curt Malawsky: It’s really exciting. It’s kind of a mix between basketball, football, hockey. There’s a lot of goals scored, constant action, never a dull moment in the game, and it’s just absolute excitement.

MG: What motivates you most about coaching lacrosse, and how does that compare to the passion that you felt as a player?

CM: I’ll be honest with you, it’s winning, not win for myself, but win for the players, to let them experience things that I was fortunate enough to do as a player and as a coach. The best thing is to see the guys that are playing the game excel and achieve the ultimate goal, that’s my reward at the end of the day. The other part is making sure they’re good people off the floor, which we bring good people, good people make teams. It’s also making sure they’re out in the community.

They want to be out in the community. It’s not a chore. It’s not a job for them. They’re excited to grow the sport and send our message out there, and just to be part of the fabric of British Columbia. That’s one of the mandates we’ve done here in Vancouver now, is to make sure that our guys are very accessible. We want to be accessible in the community and accessible after games.

MG: Nine-thousand fans were coming per game on an average last season, and you guys had a phenomenal season. What do you want the fans to know about their importance to the way that you play?

CM: It’s appreciated, and we take it seriously. It’s a responsibility, when they come and spend their hard-earned money, we have an obligation to make sure that we’re putting a good product on the floor. We’re competing as hard as we can. We’re examples for the kids. Parents can really relate to our guys because a lot of them are first responders, in construction, banking and other jobs that put food on the table. They come in here and play, just for the love of the game and the passion and I think the fans can really get behind that.

MG: You’ve got new coaching staff, many new players last season, and it’s hard to adjust with a new team. What was key in making sure not only the team adjusted, but also thrived?

CM: You bring in a culture. We always believe in that, that sacrifice, that commitment, that trust, belief, that resiliency, all things we believe in. You have to make sure you get the right people to fit that culture. You find out pretty quick if someone’s kind of one foot in, one foot out, like either you’re in or you’re in the way. It goes right from our top of our organization, through the players, to our staff. The big thing is that we’re all pulling on the rope the same way, whether it’s our ticket people, whether it’s our communication staff, whether it’s our writers and anybody that’s part of it. We’re all in it to try to grow the game.

MG: Yeah, you talk about ego. Riley Loewen got the unsung hero award last season. It’s sometimes very hard to get players to leave their egos at the door. How do you work on making sure that they’re playing as a team instead of as an individual wanting to get those goals for themselves?

CM: They don’t play. You take their minutes. If they’re not going to buy into their team culture, then they won’t be here. That’s a nonnegotiable. If you’re not going to play for the front of the shirt, you want to play for the back, you will not be in Vancouver.

MG: You remind me a lot of Ted Lasso. He sees that a different approach needs to be taken for each player to get through to them. How do you evaluate what each player needs to succeed?

CM: You’ve got to build relationships. You can’t expect someone to go through the wall for you, if you don’t care about them. Belief is in a man’s eyes, I can’t fake that I care about someone. I can’t fake that what they do matters or what they don’t do matters. If they see how hard you work, they can’t help but work the same. You set the standard for them. You earn the respect, but keeping that respect is a big thing. It’s one thing about being there for them on the floor, but when you’re being there off the floor, something goes sideways, your phone is available, you have those tough conversations, and I think they’re appreciated. That just builds that trust and belief in each other, and it goes hand in hand.

MG: How important is to find individuals to fit into the culture cultivated within the Warriors already, for young athletes who are trying to work towards playing for this team? What is needed? What are the characteristics that are needed for them to get in here?

CM: I think work ethic is big. You have to be committed to working away from the game. You have to be committed to your fitness, your nutrition, your rest, your practice, your strength training. You have to really be passionate about the sport. It has to be important to you. You’ve got to be able to play whatever role has asked you. You have to be coachable. I just think being a good teammate, if you’re not a good teammate, you’ve got no chance. I always say, ‘What do you want to be known for?’ Everyone’s got championships. For sure, championships. But I think the biggest thing is, take away the goals, assists and all the accolades, its about being a good teammate. If you’re a good teammate, you can play anywhere.

Rapid fire

MG: Describe the following players and their performance on the field with one word:

MG: Keegan Bal

CM: Heart. He leaves it all out there every single night. If you play with the heart and your head, you’ll have success.

MG: Kevin Crowley

CM: Commitment. He’s been an elite player in the league for a long, long time, for a reason.

MG: Jonathan Peshko

CM: Athleticism. He’s got great feet, and he can confidently get to the net.

MG: Adam Charalambides

CM: Intensity. He competes really, really hard, and that, I love the intensity that he brings every night.

MG: Ryan Martel

CM: Savvy. He’s not a big guy, but he can get himself into key situations on the floor. He’s really smart, and he’s got a really deceptive shot.

MG: Riley Loewen

CM: Workhorse. Works right from the start of the shift the end of the shift for 60 minutes.

MG: Owen Grant

CM: Generational. He’s a generational talent. I do believe he’s the future captain of the Vancouver Warriors.

Malawsky has built an amazing culture in the Warriors organization where the success comes all the way through, and everybody gets credit, from the players to the fans. His want to create these players into amazing individuals off the floor as well, is commendable. He’s competitive, he’s a winner, so expect to see Warriors be champions very soon and we’ll be right alongside them watching, nodding our head and saying, “Well, this was bound to happen.” The pieces will fall into place, the ball will go into the net, and the trophy will be in our city.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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