This year my classmates and I got the amazing opportunity to check out the inner workings of how Rogers Arena runs its broadcast and media for the different sports and events that host. And with that opportunity the Vancouver Warriors, our local Lacrosse team gave us a shot at being a part of their social media and watching the game. Mind you I had never watched a game of lacrosse in my life. Up until that point, I only followed F1, hockey, football, and basketball mainly but lacrosse not so much. I guess I never had an appeal to it. In high school, I knew a lot of people who played it but again it was never occupancy in my mind. Up until this year. If you had told me a year ago around February that I would be in the broadcast section of Rogers Arena working for a professional sports team I genuinely would’ve laughed in your face and gone back to studying for my biology exam. But there I was a year later with my fellow BCIT classmates jumping at the opportunity to volunteer to do a piece on the Vancouver Warriors Lacrosse Team.
February 10, 2024
Getting into a new sport always seems very daunting at first especially when you didn’t grow up playing them. I’ve always been a sports fan but I mainly swam all my life I wasn’t too intrigued in watching competitive swimming on the regular unless it was the Olympics. But Lacrosse was surprisingly easy to become infatuated with. It has a close vibe to Hockey as the rules are quite similar so that helped me understand it a little more, the aggression and excitement also grew my appeal to it as we were watching that first game. After the first game, we had the opportunity to speak to a couple of the players and the Coach (Curt Malawsky) to grab some sound bites and key points for articles we were making for the Evolution Website and Socials. And that was nerve-racking for sure the amount of imposter syndrome that was racing all over my mind and body was insane. But I did try my best to stay in the moment and just truly live it because at the start my classmates and I were under the impression that this was the only game we would be able to attend. Little did we know what journey was ahead of us as the season went on.
March 1, 2024
Our Instructor had sent out the invitations to another home game with the Warriors and I took the chance as soon as I heard the news. Never did I think I would be excited to see a Lacrosse game but this was also a great networking opportunity as well. This time I was extra happy getting ready to go and don’t be fooled as a girl getting ready is one of the funnest parts of going out no matter where your destination might be. From picking out the outfit, choosing what kind of makeup look I was going for, and what hairstyle made the experience all more worthwhile. For this game, I had chosen a pink ribbon in my hair because what says Lacrosse is like a pink ribbon. This night was special because it was the First Nations Night as the Vancouver Warriors gave recognition to the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. It was a beautiful cultural celebration filled with traditional First Nations song and dance and a bonus The Vancouver Warriors beat the defending Champs the Buffalo Bandits! I was so invested in the game I almost forgot to create questions for the players for the post-game conference. Regardless it was such a memorable night and the second game was a lot more enjoyable and I was getting a better sense of the game.
March 15, 2024
The third game came along and again I jumped at the opportunity, however this time I decided to take pictures for the St. Patrick’s Day celebration. With that, I was finally understanding how the game works and was an avid watcher as well. And becoming familiar with the staff as well was super nice. They all recognized us and greeted my classmate and me. It was super comforting. I also had gotten to know the girl who worked for the Warriors social media and she was so excited to see us as well. The environment was less intimidating for sure. Lacrosse is such a funny sport but so entertaining like hockey the aggression level as I mentioned earlier was quiet, however, it’s the way this game could keep you on your toes consistently. It did help that the Warriors played phenomenally and had some extra Saint Paddy’s luck in the game. Along with the game itself, I always forget how electric a Vancouver crowd can be. Although Rogers wasn’t at capacity as a Canucks game would be which is obvious of course Kat there’s a different popularity status. The crowd was soaring and roaring with noise and cheers to support this team. That win was well deserved and it set up a fun post-game conference for sure.
April 13, 2024
This was the last home again my classmates and I would be attending. The Warriors faced off against the New York Riptides in a very exciting game. Coming into the media section felt like we had been there all season saying our hellos to people and having great conversations with the staff. It was a lot more relaxed and bittersweet since it was our last game to volunteer for. So my classmates and I tried to enjoy every bit of it. I was once again doing some photography for the team so I could enjoy watching the game instead of analyzing it. But I enjoyed editing the photos and adding some nice touches to them. They all turned out pretty amazing. Moreover, this game as I remember was quite intense. Both teams were playing hard. New York’s defense was quite tight, especially in the first half. But with the Warrior’s aggressive offense, they beat the Riptides 16-10, and after overcoming a rough start to the season and becoming the bottom team the last leg of the regular season came in favor of the Warriors and they were very close to clinching a playoff spot. They didn’t but their performance build back up from the bottom was quite admirable. After the game, we shared our gratitude towards the Warriors staff and media team for the opportunities we were given and left with an extra pep in our step. It was a great ending to the season for us and the memories we made were truly unforgettable.
All in all, getting into a new sport is such a thrilling thing and Lacrosse surprised me. And again I never thought I would be able to say now that I am a lacrosse fan. The opportunity that the Vancouver Warriors Media gave us was such an experience and I am forever grateful for it I do have hopes to be able to do it all again in my second year. It would be even better now that I have an understanding of how the game works and I would love to pursue a career in sports media and expand my knowledge of the inner workings of how media is run for professional sports teams.