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13 June 2003
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Lacrosse team undefeatedDietrich wants to win for his late mother
Stephen Dietrich's mom's dream was to revive a senior lacrosse team in K-W and that her son would come back and play for the local team, but she died before she could see it happen. Ruth Dietrich worked in the local lacrosse community, first as a volunteer and later as a full-time executive assistant for the K-W minor and junior lacrosse leagues. She worked to bring a senior franchise back to the city and last fall her effort was rewarded when the Ontario Lacrosse Association announced expansion teams in Ajax-Pickering and Kitchener-Waterloo. She passed away on Christmas Day 2002, at the age of 58, after the team's return had been announced but four months before the season would start. Dietrich said that his mother's death changes this season for him. "It would mean so much more to win a championship this season." The team is on its way to achieving that. In their first season back after 17 seasons away, the Kitchener-Waterloo Kodiaks are unbeaten and leading the eight senior-B teams in the Ontario Lacrosse Association. In the winter, Dietrich plays professional lacrosse for the Buffalo Bandits. This spring he came back to keep goal for the Kodiaks. However, he hasn't seen much playing time as he is still recovering from a concussion he received at the end of the Bandits' regular season. When he was younger, he ended up with an ulcer from the pressure of stopping shots in this fast-paced game. "I've learned to handle the pressure," Dietrich said. "It's an exhilarating adrenaline rush." Dietrich credits Kodiaks coach Ian McGough as the biggest influence in his player profile for the Bandits. McGough has played lacrosse since he was five years old, and he has coached minor and junior lacrosse over the years. Many of the players he now coaches on the Kodiaks played under him for the Kitchener-Waterloo Braves, a junior team, where he coached in the early 1990s. In addition to luck, McGough attributes the Kodiaks' success to team chemistry. "We've got a great bunch of guys." This tight community is reflected in the organization and the fans that come out to games. Reading the common surnames in the team program show how the team is a family affair. "A lot of the players have uncles and fathers who played on the original Kodiaks team," McGough said. The son of the team president plays for the team and the 12-year-old "water technician" shares a surname with a vice-president. In the stands many families come out to cheer on the team. There are also members of the UW family present on the team; player Rob McMurren was on the 1997 Yates Cup winning Warrior football team and trainer Annette Vieira won OUA gold with women's Warrior rugby. "You could say we all play with a Warrior attitude," said McGough. With five games left in the regular season the Kodiaks can boast a two-and-a-half game lead going into their next game tomorrow. |