Derksen heads to qualifiers
Brad Derksen was part of Team BC which finished fourth at the Canadian Lacrosse Nationals.
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Updated: September 10, 2009 9:19 AM
By Carol Aun
and Marelle Reid
Mission Record
Brad Derksen came back this week from competing in the Canadian Lacrosse Nationals in Manitoba where his team just missed out on the bronze medal.
Team BC finished fourth out of seven teams, losing 11-12 to Saskatchewan.
“They didn’t get the results they were looking for, but they played well most of the weekend,” said Brad’s father, Neil.
Now the Grade 12 student has come home to a full schedule of studying, working part-time, and practising for the US Nationals this fall.
The U.S. National qualifier will be held in November in Baltimore, and the nationals will be in Florida in January.
“[The qualifiers] is one of the biggest tournaments in the US,” said Neil. “It’s a big display and there will be over 60 head coaches from universities looking to recruit kids.”
Coaches have to do their scouting at the qualifiers because the nationals are organized for kids to just play, not worry about being watched.
Two Canadian teams have won the U.S. National title in the last two years, and Team B.C. has a good shot at it, said 17-year-old Brad.
US coaches also watch Canadian players carefully, added Neil. “The U.S. plays a slow, controlled game. They hold on to the ball and look for mistakes to capitalize on. The Canadian style is very fast-paced. There is pressure to score all the time, and there’s a lot of ball movement on the inside. The U.S. plays mostly on the outside.”
Canadians are highly touted in the U.S. because of the style of play, he noted, and they can pass it tight quarters.
“A few Canadians that have gone down have been leading scorers on the U.S. team.”
But Brad isn’t worried about scouts, he just wants to play.
Brad has been playing the sport for 11 years. He has always been on a Mission club, but played on the South Fraser team last season because there wasn’t one for his age group in Mission. He plans to return to his hometown team next season.
“All the kids that didn’t play last year have said they will come back,” said Neil.
“I want to play with all my friends and have fun,” Brad added, who has played both box and field lacrosse in the past. Now he is considering only playing field in order to make room for other activities in his life, such as working at his father’s mill.
Box lacrosse is a short season with a lot of practices and games; field is about five or six months long with just one game a week. “It’s an easier schedule,” said Neil.
Brad is looking for sponsors to help get him to the U.S. nationals. Anyone interested in assisting his journey can call him at 604-826-6288.
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