Christmas
visits Guanella lacrosse squad
By Joe Backer
Special to The CS&T
Professional lacrosse player John Christmas paid a special visit to the
Don Guanella School in Springfield, Delaware County, last week, in order
to give back to the community where he grew up.
Christmas hails from Ardmore, and attended Lower Merion High School. He
played college lacrosse at the University of Virginia, and has played the
sport professionally both indoors and out, for the Philadelphia Barrage,
the Boston Cannons and the Philadelphia Wings.
On Wednesday, June 20, he conducted a special clinic for the 15 members
of the Don Guanella School lacrosse team.
“We’ve had the lacrosse program for three years now [and] this
is the biggest thing that’s happened for the team,” said Bob
Neely, the activities director at Don Guanella School. “The boys really
enjoy learning from a professional — especially someone like John,
who cares about the game and about our students.”
Don Guanella is a facility operated by Catholic Social Services of the Archdiocese
of Philadelphia, for boys ages 7 to 21 who have a wide variety of disabilities.
For Christmas, the clinic is a labor of love, and a chance to give back
to the community.
“That's what it’s all about,” he said. “I mean,
we’re not making millions of dollars like other athletes. We’re
playing for the love of the sport.
“We’re hoping that the sport grows, so that 10 or 20 years down
the road, the kids that are playing now will have the opportunity to make
a good living.”
Christmas will be conducting lacrosse camps all summer long, until the start
of the next professional season this fall. But visiting Don Guanella is
special to him.
“Seeing these kids with big smiles on their faces, and teaching them
how to throw and catch and shoot — that’s what it’s all
about,” he said.
Jordan Pierce is on the Don Guanella team, and he said he can’t wait
for games, or even for practice. “At first it was hard, but then it
became a little easier, and I like to get outside and run around,”
he said.
His teammate, Mercedes Corbin, thought at first that he wouldn’t be
able to learn the sport. “But now I have tried several positions on
the field, including goal keeper — and I almost scored a practice
goal on our instructor, Johnny Christmas,” he said.
According to Neeley, Don Guanella’s lacrosse team was started in 2004
by former Philadelphia Wing player John Nordstrom.
“To my knowledge, we’re the only special needs school in the
country that has a lacrosse program,” Neeley said. “Lacrosse
is not too easy to learn, so the boys are excited when someone like John
comes to visit.
“After Nordstrom began the program, we all got our sticks, nets and
other equipment, and honestly, I’m surprised how quickly and well
everyone has learned this game, and it’s great for the kids,”
Neeley continued.
The visit by Christmas was arranged by Access Sports, a non-profit company
in Philadelphia that also provides tickets to games by professional teams
of all types — including the Philadelphia Wings — to agencies
and schools that serve at-risk children and young people with all types
of disabilities.
“Lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in America right now,”
Christmas said. “I’ve done clinics and programs all around the
country, and it’s great to be out here with these young adults, to
teach them about the game I’ve been fortunate to play in college and
on the pro level for the past three years.”
Christmas said he’s not surprised that baseball and other traditional
spring sports are taking a back seat to lacrosse.
“I don’t think some baseball coaches are too happy about that,”
he said, “but I think lacrosse is a much more exciting sport, because
it’s got the contact of football, plus the running around of soccer.
And it’s just a lot of fun to play.”
Joseph Backer is a sports freelance writer for the CS&T, covering
Delaware and Chester counties. He is a member of St. Catherine of Siena
Parish in Wilmington, Del., and can be reached at woodland1015@verizon.net.
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