Rhys Goes to Israel!

Rhys Hanson is from the small mountain town of Evergreen, Colorado.He has been playing lacrosse since 1st grade (age 5) and has played goalie, midi and attack. He got his first stick for his first birthday and has not stopped playing since! 

Four years ago, he attended the FIL Lacrosse Championships in Denver. Colorado and while he was there he became friends with some of the players from Team Wales. They adopted him as their unofficial team mascot and allowed him to carry their flag on and off the field and was even included in some of the team pictures after the game. They gifted him with a Team Wales gear bag that he still proudly carries to practice and games! While at the Championships in Denver, Rhys asked the Team Wales guys what he should so to make it to the FIL tournament in the future. Most of them told him WALL BALL! They encouraged him to attend FIL 2018 in Israel but he never dreamed he would be playing! 

Rhys has helped grow Mountain Lacrosse by encouraging friends and classmates to try the sport. Many of his teammates have played together for multiple seasons and have become a family on the field. 

He has three lacrosse moment highlights. 

1. Winning the Warrior Lacrosse Jamboree his first season. The trophy was taller than the 5-year-olds holding it for photos! This was memorable and something he looks forward to accomplishing again. This time, he will be taller! 

2. The CYLA State Championship Tournament was raining so hard that the players could not see the other team's goal and we would all cluster under the official's tent when they were not on the field. Rhys learned that no matter how hard conditions may seem, you can always fight through the rain or cold and play a great game of lacrosse. 

3. Steamboat Lacrosse Tournament in 2016 where the field was covered in 1-6 inches of mud due to severe rainstorms. They played 4 games ankle deep in mud and sludge. At times player's shoes would be sucked into the glop and require an official time out to recover. Some games were canceled due to the storms and hundreds of lacrosse players played wall ball and catch in the hotel hallways. 

Rhys is excited to play in Israel because it is a once in a lifetime experience and is going to be a great learning opportunity. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take so Rhys is ready to take his shot at FIL 2018!