ILWT began because I wanted to be a sports writer.
When I was 13 years old, I was “impatient” because I didn’t think I could be a sports writer until I was older. I had several pretend blogs I used to run on Microsoft paint just because I was interested in creating headlines and news stories.
I was in Florida when I saw a game between the Orlando Titans and Calgary Roughnecks; Rory Smith decked Tracey Kelusky and a brawl ensued. Obviously, I was hooked, and I wanted to know more.
I had just discovered several sports blogs on the Internet and couldn’t find anything to do with lacrosse almost anywhere. Frustrated, I started blogging myself on Blogspot, and called it The Lacrosse Blog, because I was a clever child.
From there, my life and thus my identity, revolved around this blog.
I posted daily and I reached out to blog networks to have a chance at exposure. I wanted more than anything to be on SBNation, and nine months after I started the blog, finally, it wa picked up under the name In Lax We Trust.
For over a year I ran that website, with a slew of amazing staff members. After about 15 months, it was time to grow even more as an independent blog, as it has been now for over five years.
From the start until the end there have been over a dozen combined professional champions, we’ve seen Loyola and North Carolina get their first titles, the rise and fall of so many different leagues. I gave my all to being a part of the lacrosse community.
Running ILWT is part of the reason I have grown as a journalist and broadcaster and made the connections I have to get those roles. It’s part of the reason I got to attend Boston University. In the spring, I will be graduating from BU, and entering the world as a sports journalist and broadcaster ready to do anything I want.
There’s a lot going on right now. I have so many amazing opportunities, and a lot of that is because of ILWT, the staff, and the readers. I am going to be able to work a job I want out of college and am able to make my choice because of what’s happened here.
Anna Taylor is taking over and is going to do a fantastic job and I’m so excited to see where she takes it. I’m not leaving lacrosse; in fact, I have more roles and opportunities in the sport than I’ve ever had.
Again, that’s thanks to ILWT.
The people that made ILWT so great? Everyone who has contributed- Anna Taylor, Brendan Staudt, Ian Neadle, Rocco Granato, Brendan Chamberlain, Brendan McDaniels, Chris Panos, Agnes Reis, Max Belmont, Chris Jastrzembski, George Fourlaris, Jim Flannery, Brian McLoughlin, Dan Pattison, Ryan Zunner, Brian Davies, Justin LaFleur, Matt Jacobson, Andrew Baker, Owen Munro, Jeff Werner, Chris Vale, Andrew Goldberg, Matt Schwedleson, Miles McQuinn, Zach Zielonka, Chris White, Joe Keegan, Tom Bovee, Tim Thomas, Joe Askerberg, David Ashby, Matt Caruk, Graeme Perrow, Mike Wilson, Avry Lewis-McDougall, Jack Goods, Mike Mackley, Pat Gregoire, Alex Urquhart, Jason Myers, Bill Kiser, Di Miller, Kerri Schreiber, Nicole Sulinski, Glen Carey, Charles Wanner, James Simmons, Kris Handley, Pete Crowley, Cam Ferguon, Jordan Hernandez, John Iadevaia, Kayleigh Hagenbuch, Nate Brown, Phil Shore, Josiah Kaan, Erik Tiner, Griffin Batten, Scott Arnold, Kyle Fletcher, Dallas Brown, Ian Pierno, Kevin Iwanusa, Dan Shirley, and everyone else who has helped along the way.
Thank you. I wouldn’t be where I am without you, and I will always, always, be a part of the lacrosse community.
