The annual Masters Championships were held in Nanaimo in 1998
, and we put together 2 Teams to travel over that great expanse of water to play there. Both teams didn't do that
well, but as always, all the players enjoyed the parts of the weekend that they remember. The "C" team had a new
player out this year that is worth a "well done" and that is Dr. John, who the team thought was right into the
tournament when he wanted our injured player to get off the floor so that we could continue playing. I will note
the Dave King, playing on the Hyack team scored his first goal that weekend.
July '98 in Baltimore
I think a lot of the New West players who were in Nanaimo that July long week-end had another Tournament on their
minds, the Grand Masters Field Lacrosse Championship in Baltimore set for The middle of July '98. This was the
first year that field lacrosse was discussed and the New Westminster Lacrosse Club was instrumental in forming
the first grand masters team to represent Canada at the championships held in Baltimore, Maryland. The talking started
in the winter months when Wes Stinson received information on the up coming tournament in July '98. Wes and Wayne
Bellwood put the word out to see who would be interested in playing for Canada. Over the next few months interest
levels rose and dipped and dipped and rose until in the beginning of June they thought they may have enough people
committed to go. Wes put in a lot of hours talking to the organizers, trying to get concession and reduced rates,
etc. Players had a hard time committing because some bigger names wouldn't, but in the end we went with 18 players.
Some of us, myself included, had never played field, but thought who would "in their right mind" miss an opportunity
like this, especially since it doesn't happen every year. One has to bear in mind that this was once in a lifetime
(for some of us) chance to play at this level. All the planning didn't always go right, but overall I'm glad I didn't
miss this experience. I have quite a few notes related to the trip; getting lost, meeting the Canadian National players,
getting yelled at by the coach ( joke), playing Modcrosse, the atmosphere and playing in Homewood Field at John Hopkins
University. Due to a death in the family Terry Mosdell, who was at the airport ready to leave for Baltimore, had to
return home and couldn't make it down.He and his stick were missed as we didn't generate a lot of offence.
The players on the first team to go to the tournament in Grand Masters Division were:
Dan Langham - Coach, Wes Stinson - Manager,
Wayne Bellwood - Captain, Dean Johnson - Goalie,
Al Benson, Rick Janssen,
Mike Miller, Peter Briggs,
Jim Canil, Rick Bruce,
Randy Fletcher, Bob McNeney,
Don Brown, Dave Wong,
Edd Chursinoff, Bob Williams,
Barry Bolton, Terry Mosdell.
This takes the history of the New Westminster Masters Lacrosse Club up to the end of the Summer of 1998. The Masters
Division is now putting together plans for a four-team field Lacrosse season that should start early in 1999. The
field league had one four team tournament in April and I'm happy to report that the New West field team played well
and defeated South Fraser in the final
