A former Okotoks Icemen likely hasn't had to pull an all-nighter since his final exams at Holy Trinity Academy three years ago. However, 21-year-old Wade Taylor was feeling a little groggy when he was in the 13th hour of the game he loves at 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning.
Taylor as well as several Okotokians and the Okotoks Senior Raiders participated in a 24-hour lacrosse game in Calgary to establish a Guinness Book of World Records and, more importantly, to raise money for Right To Play, an organization trying to promote the lives of disadvantaged children throughout the world through sports.
“ I have been playing since 7 p.m. (Friday) and it is getting progressively harder,” Taylor said at 8 a.m. Saturday. “ I'm a little bit better now that the sun is up.”
Taylor admitted he has stayed up all night in the past, but never running up and down the court for a long period of time.
“ At 3 a.m., that was the worst because it was just so quiet,” he said. Taylor, the former captain of the provincial champion Okotoks Junior B Icemen in 2010, already had a hat trick, but his squad, Team White was down 180-168 at the time.
The 24-hour game was organized by Okotoks Senior B Raiders Sean and Scott Cable.
“ Scott and I played a netball game last year in a fund-raiser where we met Martin (Parnell),” Sean said. “ Martin told us how he was doing all these different Quests to raise money for Right To Play. I suggested we try lacrosse and here we are.”
Parnell, 57, raised approximately $320,000 for Right To Play when he ran 250 marathons (42km each) in 2010. One of those runs included the Okotoks to High River Friendship Run.
Parnell was one of the participants in the lacrosse game.
“ I have only been playing for two months,” Parnell said. “ I've got two goals, I am aiming to get a hat trick.”
Sean Cable said it was decided to try and establish the Guinness record for the longest lacrosse game — a record that hasn't been established as of yet.
“ It will be the first box-lacrosse endurance record and Guinness had us set it for 24 hours,” Cable said. “ We are taping the whole game, we have log books and we are submitting all our evidence. We are working hard to meet the requirements and hopefully we won't make any mistakes.”
It was tough on some of the older guys.
Okotoks' Brad Banister was catching a few zzzzs at 8:30 a.m.
“ It's been tiring but fun,” the 48-year-old Banister said. “ Scott Cable asked me at the last Roughnecks game and I said, ‘ Why not?'
“ It's been a lot of fun and it's a good cause.
“ But I thought it was for Guinness beer not Guinness records… ”
The players, who played in shifts, did finish the 24-hour-game on Saturday at 7 p.m. They raised $28,000. To make a donation go to www.hotboxlacrosse.com
