I caught up with Washington Stealth captain Kyle Sorensen over the weekend about how he feels on the team’s move.1. How do you feel about the move to BC?
1. I;m looking forward to the move to Vancouver. Keeping a pro lacrosse team on the west coast is great for the sport and I can speak for the guys on the team when I say we are all extremely excited to play in Canada and keep this team together.
2. Does this change your off season planning at all?
Yes, it does change. I was planning on moving back to the Seattle area sometime in August to coach and do some work for the team. I haven’t sat down with Doug Locker yet to discuss our plans for me in the Vancouver area, but I do plan on relocating back out to the west coast in the near future.
3. Is it tough to leave Washington?
Our fans in Everett were awesome, loud and dedicated. It’s unfortunate they won’t have the Stealth playing at Comcast arena anymore. But on a positive note, it is not far north up the I-5 if they want to make the trip. Its just over a two hour drive to Langley from Seattle and I hope they take advantage of us not moving too far away. Playing in front of the Washington Stealth fans is something I will remember for the rest of my life and I thank them for their support during our time the Everett.
4. Do you think the move will affect what kind of players stay or leave the team?
I don’t think it will affect the players movement too much. We only had three American players and two of them live in the Seattle area. Luckily I don’t have to worry about that as a player, but player movement happens all the time in this league and I am sure it has been thought of by the management and I time will tell.
5. Are you surprised by the move?
Not surprised by the move. Our amazing owner Denise Watkins poured her heart and soul into the Washington Stealth and did everything she could to keep in the area. Unfortunately the crowds didn’t grow as we wanted them to and financially it didn’t make any sense to keep it there anymore. After playing the finals in Langley and the excellent job they did with the game, it seemed like a perfect fit for the Stealth and I look forward to playing in that arena again.
6. How long has it taken to get over the loss to Rochester?
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Still not totally over it. It was a good lacrosse game to play in and from what I heard, to watch as well. We came out a little slow and battle back to make it close and just ran out of time in the end. Everyone in our dressing room did everything they could have to win that game and I was proud to be a part of that team. A few posts here and there and the game could have ended a little better for us, but thats lacrosse. We battled through a lot of stuff throughout the year and looking at the bigger picture, we were one goal away from winning that title after a last place finish the year before. I just can’t wait to get back at it with those guys to see if we can make it back to the finals again and hopefully have a better result on the scoreboard.
