Standing Buffalo lacrosse adds Rush player to coaching staff
- Kaitlynn Nordal | June 16, 2019
For many communities, sports can be something that brings people together and helps build a sense of comraderie. In Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation, lacrosse has done just that.
Russ Matthews, who is now the Director of Lacrosse on Standing Buffalo, has been playing the sport his whole life.
When he moved to Standing Buffalo in 2009, he introduced the sport to the community as he noticed nobody played it and it took off from there.
Standing Buffalo has five lacrosse teams starting from novice (7 to 9 years old) going up to Jr B (ages out at 21) playing in the Queen City Minor Box Lacrosse League (QCMBL). Eighty youth play on the Standing Buffalo Fighting Sioux lacrosse teams.
They now have nine certified coaches and three referees and are the only First Nations community in Saskatchewan to have a full set of lacrosse teams.
“It’s been great for kids. It’s given them something to do and something to be proud of. It’s given our families something to hold onto and it’s helped to create an identity for the community,” said Matthews.
Since he was putting on camps at the time, Standing Buffalo contacted Jeff Shattler to come do one for them. Since everyone enjoyed the camp, they developed a good working rapport and asked Shattler to come back and coach another camp. After the success of that camp, Standing Buffalo approached Shattler to come and work for them full time as a coach, which he agreed to.
“I am looking forward to working with Standing Buffalo Lacrosse program and passing down the values and skills I have received,” said Shattler in a press release.
Shattler has played lacrosse professionally for the last 13 years, playing for The Calgary Roughnecks and Saskatchewan Rush. While playing for these teams, he has helped win National Lacrosse league (NLL) championships among other awards.
As Director of Player Development and Coaching, Shattler will be responsible for helping coaches, parents, and teachers. While working three days a week at the school, he will work with all the kids in the program.
“He’s an outstanding lacrosse player and he is interested in pursuing that and becoming a lacrosse instructor. We were lucky to get him to come to Standing Buffalo and work with us,” said Matthews.
Sandis Laswisse started playing lacrosse 10 years ago on Standing Buffalo.
Now at 18, he plays on the Jr. B team and is looking forward to having Shattler as a coach. Laswisse is looking forward to being coached by a professional player and everything he can learn from Shattler.
“I can’t wait for the new season to start with him,” said Laswisse
A formal contact was signed at Standing Buffalo School on Wednesday June 12, where Shattler signed a four-year contract with Standing Buffalo Nation to become Director of Player Development and Coaching for the Standing Buffalo Fighting Sioux lacrosse program.
During the ceremony, Standing Buffalo also formally announced they are moving forward and applying to form their own Lacrosse Association in 2020 within the Saskatchewan Lacrosse Association (SLA).