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Rochester Knighthawks

Smokes Add Stick to Knighthawks Collection

March 5, 2015 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release


The Rochester Knighthawks signed lacrosse stick that Shelly Smoke won for being the Season Ticket Holder of the Game Saturday will join the family's collection of Knighthawks gear in their sports room at home. It will accompany the Cody Jamieson cutout that her husband, Jim, won a few years back, among other things.

"We're so excited to put this into the room. It means so much to us," Shelly said. "It's not just a lacrosse stick to us. It's part of our family. So, I can't even tell you how much this means. I'm ecstatic."

Shelly, Jim and their son, Jim, have always felt like the Knighthawks were a part of their family since they became season ticket holders in 2011. Receiving recognition for being a part of the "7th Man" every game only reinforced those feelings.

"It's great, it's like they're part of our family," Shelly said. "It means a lot to us because it's not just a matter of coming to a game. We support this team 100 percent. It's amazing to us. We take time off from work to make it to all of the celebrations and parades. We're there for them and they're there for us."

Jim and his son feel an even closer bond to the game of lacrosse and the Knighthawks because they are of Mohawk decent.

"We really like the origins of the game and having that connection," said the younger Jim.

Before becoming season ticket holders, the elder Jim had access to free tickets from his employer which allowed the family to attend games once in a while. He was unable to keep getting free tickets, but the family knew that they enjoyed the games way too much to stop coming.

"They started giving the tickets to other people so we said, 'We have to become season ticket holders,'" Jim said.

Lacrosse wasn't always the family's favorite sport, but that quickly changed after a few games.

"We were hockey fans at one point, but the first time I saw lacrosse it was like, 'Oh my goodness, this is crazy. It doesn't slow down,'" Shelly said.

The environment and the fans add to the excitement for the Smokes, who got some cheers from the crowd after they were presented with the lacrosse stick in their seats in Section 119. The men loved the attention, but Shelly shied away from the spotlight.

"We loved it, the comradery of the fans is great," said Jim, who is 27.

The family has sat in that section since they became season ticket holders, and they wouldn't want to sit anywhere else in the arena.

"We sat there one game and we absolutely loved it," said Shelly. "Two years ago, we were on the field talking to Dan Dawson and we told him that we're season ticket holders. He turned around and pointed right to our seats and we thought it was crazy that he knew where we sat."

Each game day has become an all-day event for the family and a few other season ticket holders who attend the games together.

"There's about 12 of us that meet for dinner before the game," said Shelly. "It's our time to kind of get together and not only support our team, but be around our family. It's a great experience every week for us."

The Smoke family also still tries to recruit new members to the group each season to share the great experiences that they have every game.

"We add at least one new season ticket holder every season," Jim Jr. said.

"Everybody loves to come to the games," his father added. "Slowly but surely, the games are so much fun that we're adding more every year."

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