If you’re a lacrosse player in Kelowna, the Raiders are calling your name.
After sitting out the 2018 season, the senior lacrosse team is looking to resurrect the roster with some fresh blood for this coming summer.
The Raiders play in the Thompson Okanagan Senior C Lacrosse League, an amateur league sanctioned by the British Columbia Lacrosse Association.
It was once a four-team league, but after falling on tough times it was down to just the Armstrong Shamrocks and Kamloops Rattlers in 2018.
With the Vernon Royals looking poised to rejoin the league, the Raiders are hoping to do the same and make it a four-team affair once again.
However, with an internal deadline of Jan. 21 to submit a team into the league, the Raiders are hoping that one last push can get them the new recruits they need to do so.
"We really just need some new blood, as our core group of guys is getting older," said one of the team's veterans. "And without the feeder system of a junior team in Kelowna, we’re having trouble finding some younger (faster) players."
“We’re looking for anyone with lacrosse experience who wants to play, typically people that have moved to Kelowna from another area or just haven't played in a few years.”
The league runs from mid-April through July, with games being played on Friday nights and typically one practice a week.
When a champion is crowned in July, that team will have the chance to represent the TOSLL at the provincial tournament in August.
The team operates with the support of many volunteers and community support, with many of the players acting as coaches and mentors at the minor lacrosse level as a way to give back to the community.
If the Raiders are successful in getting some player interest over the next few days, tryouts will be scheduled soon and the team will also look into finding volunteers, sponsorship and fundraising.
Anyone with interest can contact the team through Facebook or send an email directly to Kelowna’s GM Jules Morris.
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