It was a hectic but extremely rewarding summer for a local brother and sister duo.
Colsen and Kaya Maracle, Grade 9 and 11 students respectively at Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School discovered what can happen with hard work and dedication.
In April, Colsen attended tryouts for the Team First Nations (TFN) Bantam Box Lacrosse team that would be competing in the Canadian National Championships. Tryouts occurred over three consecutive weekends in Akwesasne (near Cornwall), Onondaga (Syracuse, NY) and Six Nations (Brantford).
After receiving the great news that he earned a spot on the roster, the travel and commitment increased. Beginning in July the team practised once a week in Onondaga, leading up to their attendance at the National Championship in Coquitlam, BC.
After finishing second overall in the round robin part of the tournament, TFN dropped a close one to Team BC in the semi-finals. TFN squared off against Team Saskatchewan in the bronze medal game and finished in style with a convincing win.
Kaya’s journey began in October 2018, which was the beginning of a very long and stressful tryout process.
Kaya attended four two-day camps that were held in Rochester, NY and a tournament in Albany, NY.
In July 2019, Kaya was notified she made the roster for the U19 Haudenosaunee Women’s National Field Lacrosse Team and would be competing in the World Championships being held in Peterborough.
After another team camp in Rochester and a tournament in Philadelphia, PA the team headed to Peterborough in August for 14 days.
The opening ceremonies was an extremely proud moment for all of the players and family members in attendance.
Playing against women from around the world and to see the impact that the game of lacrosse can have was inspiring. After 10 games in 11 days, the Haudenosaunee Women placed 10th overall out of 24 countries. Kaya was one of just two on the roster that will still be eligible for the next U19 World Championships being held in four years.
Colsen and Kaya are members of the Mohawk Nation of Tyendinaga and had the opportunity to meet and play with other indigenous athletes from various Haudenosaunee communities such as Kanawake, Akwesasne, Onondaga, Six Nations, Tyendinaga, Seneca Nation and as far as BC.
The experience was filled with culture, songs, friendships and some excellent lacrosse.
Colsen and Kaya want to thank their local Orillia coaches, Scott Balkwill and Pat Morris, for helping prepare them to compete at this level.
