Clamp for a Cause: The goal behind Trevor Baptiste’s faceoff wins and new PLL record
Baptiste said he will announce all the organizations receiving a donation at a later date, but one organization that will be on the list is Denver City Lax, whose mission is to create opportunities for youth in underserved neighborhoods by providing access to and equipment for lacrosse. Baptiste is currently a board member of the organization.
The 26-year-old’s pledge applies to each regular season game. Whether or not it continues into the postseason, if Atlas secures a playoff spot, is undetermined, Baptiste said.
“For Trevor, he’s about deeds. He walks the walk. He talks the talk,” Atlas coach Mike Pressler said. “He’s a man you can trust. Our guys think the world of him. For him to dig into his pocket and donate like this sends volumes to the man he is, his strength of character and his caring for people who are not as fortunate as he is.”
Mainly, Baptiste wants the associations with the game to reflect the “many great and different people” who play it, he said.
Lacrosse has long been thought of as a “rich guy, country club” sport, as Baptiste described in a June 7 press conference. But to Baptiste, lacrosse is a sport of toughness, skill and creativity. He wants people to look at it – and be able to access it – the same.
“What I really loved about lacrosse growing up was the creativity around it,” Baptiste said. “You could be any different type of player and you could fit on the field. Maybe you’re a big bruiser or a quick guy, you can customize your skillset to have success in all positions, which is really cool. There are so many different ways you could go about having success.
“It’s almost a paradox. You think about creativity and you can have so many different types of skills and players in different positions, but it’s stigmatized as an exclusive sport.”
