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NLL Rochester Knighthawks

Knighthawks will have their "Olympic Moment"

November 20, 2009 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Rochester Knighthawks News Release


(Rochester, NY)... Three members of the Rochester Knighthawks will have their "Olympic Moment" on Monday, December 21st as they assist the Olympic Torch in reaching its final destination in Vancouver.

Assistant Coach Jason Johnson and players Sid Smith and Craig Point will join 19 other sports heroes, past and present, from the Six Nations reserve in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay, presented by Coca-Cola and RBC.

"It still hasn't sunk in yet," said Johnson. "I think as the date gets closer I will get more nervous."

Right now Johnson, Smith and Point are preparing for the team's Training Camp on Sunday, November 22nd in Rochester. The Knighthawks open their 16th season in the National Lacrosse League on Saturday, January 9th against the Buffalo Bandits. Lacrosse has been one way that Johnson has been able to fight off the nerves of carrying the Olympic torch.

"I have been so busy with camp that I haven't thought about it," said Johnson. "I have been watching it on TV and where it has been. More people have been talking about it."

Johnson did say that his daughters are already in the Olympic spirit as they are divvying up dad's Olympic keepsakes. For his participation, he received the start of an Olympic coin collection, a track suit, tuque, mittens and other memorabilia.

The members of the Six Nations Olympic Team will depart at 3:45 p.m. from the Gaylord Powless Arena and travel through the Six Nations Grand River Territory. The torch involves 12,000 Canadians and will cover nearly 28,000 miles across Canada. The relay across Canada, which began on October 30th in Victoria, British Columbia; will end on February 12, 2010, in Vancouver for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games' Opening Ceremonies. Fans can follow the torch's journey on www.vancouver2010.com.

The three were selected because of their successes in lacrosse. Johnson, 37, who was recently named one of the Knighthawks assistant coaches, will carry the torch for his accomplishments as a player and as a coach. As a player, he was a member of the Six Nations Arrows 1992 Ontario and Canadian Minto Cup Junior "A" Championship team. Two years later, he played for the Six Nations Chiefs team that captured the 1994 Ontario and Canadian Mann Cup Senior "A" Championship. Additionally, Johnson was a member of the 2008 Six Nations Senior Men's Field Lacrosse Ontario championship team.

Point, 23, was honored for playing for the 2008 Six Nations Senior Men's Field Lacrosse Ontario championship team. In October he also helped Six Nations capture the 2009 field lacrosse title.

"Everyone that is running has won a national championship or played for one. I am carrying the torch for the men's field lacrosse team," said Point. "We also won the 2009 championship about two months ago and I was a member of that team. I am also running with one of my coaches, a cousin and some friends."

Point's lacrosse exploits also include a 2007 Minto Cup championship with the Six Nations Arrows. Additionally, the forward helped Onondaga Community College to a perfect 18-0 record and a National Championship in 2006 in his only collegiate season. Point, who was acquired by the Knighthawks last season, enters his third season in the NLL in 2010. In his NLL career, he has 46 goals and 51 assists in 30 games.

Smith, 23, was selected because he captained the Six Nations Arrows to the 2007 Ontario and Canadian Minto Cup Junior "A" Lacrosse Championships. Smith was the first overall pick in the 2009 National Lacrosse League Entry Draft by the Rochester Knighthawks. He also won back-to-back NCAA National championships with Syracuse University (2008-09). Further, his resume includes a 2009 Major League Lacrosse championship and a 2006 National Junior College championship with Onondaga County College. He also won four straight Ontario Championships while playing his junior ball with Six Nations (2004-07).

While playing junior lacrosse, Smith was the recipient of the 2007 John "Gus" McCauley Memorial Trophy as the Ontario Junior "A" League's Defender of the Year and was named a First Team All-Star. Further, he won B.W. "Bill" Evans Trophy as the top graduating player in the OLA Junior series after helping guide the Arrows to a 17-0-1 record. He capped that season with a championship and the Dean McLeod Award as the Ontario Junior "A" Playoff MVP. In 2006, he was named the winner of the Tom Longboat Award as the Canadian Aboriginal Male Athlete of the Year. Where does carrying the Olympic Torch rank among his career accomplishments?

"It's definitely up there with the sports things I've done," said Smith. "It is the Olympic Torch. It started in Athens and has been all over. It's pretty cool knowing that I'm helping get it to Vancouver."

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