The Best Story in Lacrosse
This is the story of how I produced my first YouTube documentary…
My early twenties have been a roller coaster of growth, opportunity, and challenge. Over the past three years, I've been fortunate to encounter some of the most meaningful opportunities of my life, while simultaneously experiencing lower mental states than my younger self could even comprehend. As I reflect today, I am filled with a renewed confidence rooted in these experiences.
My personal struggles with mental health have revealed a niche within the Sports Media industry that aligns with my core values and fuels my passion. These years have taught me the importance of hope, an often spiritual concept, which I’ve come to understand through my own lived experiences, is manifests independent of religious context.
Hope
Hope became especially important to me during my period of transition to post-grad life. I found myself disconnected from the communities and pursuits that once provided purpose and belonging. I was working jobs for bosses who only wanted to serve themselves, completing an online graduate program from the solitude of my home desk, and was subject to consistent isolation in comparison to what I had grown accustomed to. For the first time in my existence, I wasn’t a part of a community, campus, or sports team.
The turning point for me was reading Greg Twietmayer’s article, “Hope & Kinesiology: The Hopelessness of Health-Centered Kinesiology.” It highlighted that hope isn’t just an abstract idea—it’s tangible and ingrained into the fiber of our being. It can be observed through the way we move. Twietmayer writes, “For such a critic, to say hope is necessary for kinesiology, is as insightful as saying ‘soccer requires a ball.” I started trying to see the soccer ball (hope) everywhere I could. For example, the existence of hope in sports can be seen through athletes’ consistent willingness to put the goals of the team above their physical health OR it can be seen in the Hampton Men’s Lacrosse Team.
This video about the Hampton Men’s Lacrosse team was an easy story to identify because the men who are a part of this program represent hope at the highest level. Historically dominated by white players, Hampton became the first ever HBCU to field a varsity men’s lacrosse team. However, starting this program has been no easy task. In the first 7 years of the program, they have not won a single game! Yet, these players approach the sport with an incredibly unique mission and sense of joy, truly representing HOPE at the highest level.
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