 |
| Austin Colish (Right) during the firs DeSales University Fall Ball Scrimmage |
 |
| Maria Colish with her daughter Ainsley and son Austin after his last HS game. |
Andrew aged 25 and working in CA, and Austin, the laxer.
I met Maria a couple of years ago, via Twitter. She was one of the only lacrosse moms around who was using social media and talked about the sport. Then I found out that she was from my home town, working-class Linden, NJ. What was so intriguing for me was the fact that her son loved and played lacrosse, even though Linden does not offer it recreation-ally or in the schools. However at age 10, Austin was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and a year later with Celiac Disease. So after a few years of figuring out proper health practices, Maria knew that getting Austin involved with a sport would help with his health challenges. Maria saw a flyer for a lacrose camp that was 45 minutes from home, so if Austin had a hard time with the sport his hometown peers would never know.
Maria and Austin ventured out to Bernardsville which is a lacrosse "hot spot". Austin played with boys who had been raised with lacrosse, came from families with money, and knew the game well. But as Maria says " on a field, things even out. It's about endurance, about drive, about guts, about passion. He felt less different, even with having to stop several times a day to test his blood sugar. He felt more in control of his Diabetes. Native Americans call lacrosse 'Medicine Game' because it is said to heal those that play. Essentially, lacrosse saved my son's life".
Maria is a mom who wanted to help her son overcome his insecurities and to be a part of something bigger than himself. His health issues motivated her to travel miles away to get him playing time, but other people's ignorance fueled her passion for the game. Austin was able to play pick up games and attended various clinics to gain lacrosse experience, but the high cost of club teams kept him from playing more frequently with higher level lacrosse players. As difficult as it was for the Austin, Maria wondered what boys of color with fewer resources were experiencing in terms of playing the game. In fact in 2012 Maria held a lacrosse clinic with professional lacrosse player Jonathan Christmas to introduce the game to the elementary and middle school children in Linden. Linden Leaps Lacrosse
This has encouraged Maria and Austin's mission to bring lacrosse to the under-served. They worked tirelessly to bring lacrosse to the Linden community in which Austin hosted a 5-week clinic as part of his Eagle Scout requirements in his senior year.
Maria moved her family to Clark, New Jersey so that both Ainsley and Austin could play lacrosse in their town to gain solid school team experience. Today Austin is a freshman at DeSales University where he is an Exercise Science major and a defenseman on their DIII Men's Lacrosse team. . A substitute teacher at Linden High School, Maria continues to spread the word about lacrosse on a daily basis to those who have not had the opportunity to be exposed to the game. According to Maria "I know Austin will always be there to keep at the good fight for the next generation of undeserved youth."
