In Orillia, lacrosse and the Marwick family are like a ball and webbed stick — they seem to belong together.
That's been the case for three generations of the local family, represented these days by Jack, Riley, Ethan, Emma and Britney Marwick.
"We are a very lacrosse-oriented family. We all love the game," said Riley Marwick, 18.
The family's passion for the fastest game on two feet started with Riley's grandparents who loved the game, but didn't play. Her grandfather, Al Marwick, served as equipment manager for the Orillia Kings Junior B lacrosse team; he was a mainstay at local arenas for many years.
His three sons — Dave, Rich and Tom — virtually grew up in the sport.
All three Marwick boys played at various levels with Orillia Minor Lacrosse. All three went on to play for the Junior B team. Dave also played a year of Senior A lacrosse in Brooklin.
Dave, 50, returned to the game when his children — Jack, now 20, and Riley, 18 — were young. Rich also has a son (Ethan) and daughters (Emma and Britney), who have grown up with the game in Orillia. All four of them are currently playing.
Jack and Ethan played alongside one another every other year in minors with their dads coaching the teams.
Now, both boys are playing for the Junior B team. Jack is the team's captain. Both Dave and Rich are members of the team executive, helping to oversee the squad and its evolution.
And the team is looking good this year.
"The junior team is getting stronger. We recently beat the second-place team, the Orangeville Northmen," said Dave.
The Nepean Knights are the league's No. 1 team and reigning champs. The Knights beat Orillia in the playoffs the last two seasons. The Kings are working to have a better outcome this season.
Throughout wins and losses and ups and downs, the Marwicks will be involved — playing and coaching and cheering.
For example, Grandpa Al stayed involved in his grandchildren's games as much as possible, until his health failed and he died.
"Every Junior B home game, he would stand in the corner and watch the game. I think he watched every game. He was really involved," recalled Jack.
Jack said he has always loved the fast-paced game despite the bruises that come with it.
“I liked the game right away. I do think that having my whole family enjoying the game as well really made it so much easier to love the game," he said.
Jack has also played field lacrosse at Trent University for three years. His team won the Baggattaway Cup in the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association (CUFLA) in his second year.
“It was pretty cool. It was the first year Trent got to host, so we won on our home turf,” said Jack.
His cousin, Ethan, plays university lacrosse at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia.
Riley also started playing field lacrosse when she was young, joining the Orillia Lady Kings.
"I didn't love it at first, but I've played for 13 or 14 years now," she said.
Riley was the Orillia Ladies Kings U19 captain last season.
"It's kind of cool that me and Jack were both captains in our finishing year," she said.
Her cousin, Emma, is now the captain of the U19 Ladies Kings.
This past school year, Riley played with the Wilfrid Laurier University team. This fall, Emma will most likely be on the team as she starts her studies at Laurier.
Riley is following in her dad's footsteps; she is currently helping coach the U15 girls' team.
“We are really trying to develop our house league teams and our rep teams as well,” Riley said.
Dave says the game is in the family's blood and he says it's the same for many other families in the Sunshine City.
He says Orillia's dedication and support of lacrosse runs deep. It's common for former players to come back and give back by coaching, refereeing, organizing or donating to Orillia Minor Lacrosse to keep the game strong.
“The community of lacrosse in Orillia is just amazing,” said Dave.
“It’s incredible the number of people and families that have kept it afloat. It’s not easy. It’s a lot of work. I have new appreciation for how much work it is, but somebody did that for me and it’s nice to be able to do that for other people,” Dave said.
"I'm just really proud of the whole organization — of Orillia Minor Lacrosse and Junior lacrosse."
