Attacking goals

Andrew Bromley could’ve made the easy choice. Could’ve made one of eight easy choices, actually.

Bromley, a lacrosse whiz and Grade 12 student at Earl Marriott Secondary, had his pick of different NCAA university lacrosse programs – from Yale to Denver University to Whittier College in Los Angeles.

Nearly all had offered lucrative scholarship packages, of either the athletic or academic variety, but no team captured his attention quite like the small school in Rhode Island – the one that didn’t offer athletic scholarships to its students.

Not the type to settle for second best, and never one to shy away from a challenge (a lesson he says he learned from his dad, Dave) Bromley left all the offers on the table and instead picked the school that he truly loved, deciding to play – and pay – at Providence College.

In the end, it was Providence’s academic reputation that cemented Bromley’s decision.

“When I sat back and thought about the numbers, it was hard to give the other ones up,” he admitted, adding that he’ll major in finance, with an eye to becoming a stockbroker, like his father.

“I’m paying this much more to go to school now, when I could have it for free, but how much more will I make with a degree from Providence than from somewhere else? That’s how I look at it.

“But it was still a really hard decision – they’re all good schools.”

Bromley, a five-foot-six left-handed attackman for the South Fraser Stickmen, says adjusting from box lacrosse to field lacrosse in the NCAA will be a big challenge, although he has plenty of field experience with the Burnaby Mountain Selects’ senior elite team, of which he is a key member.

The team has travelled across Canada and the U.S. for a variety of tournaments, and this summer will be in Coquitlam for the U18 World Youth Field Lacrosse Championships.

“Field lacrosse is a totally different game. The strategies are 100 per cent different, and the contact is different,” he explained.

“There’s no fighting in field lacrosse, but box lacrosse is more like hockey – you can get beat up pretty bad.”

His Canadian box lacrosse style usually surprises his American counterparts, he said.

“I play so differently. When I go down there, I’m like an alien to them.”

He’ll have adjustments to make in the classroom, too. To enroll at Providence, students have to have score at least a 1,900 (out of 2,400) on their SATs. Bromley, though a strong student, admits he fell just shy of the mark, but his lacrosse coach went to bat for him.

“I’m up for the challenge. I see what my dad has built for himself, and he’s come from a really hard life, worked hard, and now he’s where he wants to be,” Bromley said.

“I didn’t get any academic money to go there. I’m probably not even supposed to go there, but if I work hard it’ll turn out great.”