Recently, the Men’s Lacrosse team took time out of their week to volunteer at the BMW Championship at the Aronimink Golf Club that took place September 6th to the 10th. We wanted to hear about their opportunity and experience from the coach himself, Coach Kevin Wallace, the Associate Athletic Director and the Head Lacrosse Coach here at Eastern. He states that “both positions here on campus allow me to be very interactive and bring many different opportunities.”
A question of opportunity that many of us asked, was why the lacrosse team would be at a golf tournament out of all places. Coach Wallace laughed and said “the team went to the Championship in order to fundraise for their spring break trip to Florida.” Not many students realize but sports teams are not allowed to stay on campus during breaks, which creates the dilemma of having to fundraise to travel as a team during that time. And to be able to get a team of fifty to Florida, it will take some hefty fundraising.
Out of all the ways to fundraise, I asked Coach Wallace how this opportunity arose. He stated that there are organizations who look for volunteers when large events come to local communities. Local college sports teams are usually the first to accept. The Men’s Lacrosse team worked at a concession stand on the course which kept them on their feet at all times, an average of 16 players per day volunteering.
For those readers who do not know what is the BMW Championship, it’s a very large golf tournament where 75 of the world’s top golfers compete. Many people already know that Tiger Woods was at the Championship. With that many well-known players, it brings a rather large crowd. Coach Wallace mentioned that “Tiger Woods had a four thousand person wave to come along with him to every hole. We took these large crowds in stride as it is a big way to advertise Eastern and the Men’s Lacrosse team.”
By fundraising in a public sphere, it allows openings to advertise for Eastern, and Men’s Lacrosse. “People would ask us where we are from and why we’re at the Championship. This created conversations about Eastern, why the boys decided to play there, and what they plan to do in the future,” stated Coach Wallace, “The conversations we had with customers were probably the most important thing about our fundraiser as we were representatives of our university. We had a great group of guys who have a passion for service without having to be told twice.”
They play as a team and they want to make sure they travel as a team.
“We are the largest male team on campus and are trying our best to integrate our guys into the community, and a great way to do so is by fundraising,” said Coach Wallace. When asked whether he encourages off campus bonding, such as fundraisers, he stated, “God has given us a gift of service and we should use it. Helping others and the community is important. It is also a way to fight the lacrosse culture on a daily basis. We want to be different from other lacrosse teams and Eastern has helped with the Christian atmosphere and passion for service.”