Minnesota Swarm Celebrates Native American Heritage Night Saturday

Published on January 27, 2012 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Minnesota Swarm News Release


SAINT PAUL, Minn. - The National Lacrosse League's (NLL) Minnesota Swarm will celebrate Native American Heritage Night this Saturday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. CST during its home opener against the Buffalo Bandits on Treasure Island Field at Xcel Energy Center. The Swarm will feature Native American Heritage Night for the third consecutive season, with the season presented by Treasure Island Resort & Casino.

"This weekend's game is a very important night for us, as it's the third year of our home opener being showcased as Native American Heritage Night," said Swarm Co-Owner & Vice President Andy Arlotta. "We are proud to be able to recognize the roots of the game of lacrosse and to incorporate the local Native communities into our efforts. We are grateful to our partners, Treasure Island Resort & Casino and Prairie Island Indian Community, for helping to make this night happen."

Native American Heritage Night will feature a ceremonial ball drop by members of the Prairie Island Indian Community Tribal Council, Swarm rookie F Corbyn Tao, who will represent the Nishga tribe, and a member of the Buffalo Bandits. To honor the heritage of lacrosse, a sport developed by Native Americans, the halftime presentation will feature a demonstration of the traditional game of lacrosse by the Oneida Warriors.

Native American Heritage Night will also pay tribute to local Native American youth lacrosse players by recognizing children from the Prairie Island Indian Community, Oneida Indian Nation, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe who participated in the in the "Lax-4-Life" lacrosse camp this past summer. The second annual Lax-4-Life Camp, a four-day overnight camp for Native American youth ages 13-15, was held in Fond du Lac, Minn. and featured youth from seven tribal communities. The camp was hosted for boys and girls from the Native communities and featured teaching on the sport of lacrosse, the heritage of the game, health tips and life skills, and has doubled in size since its creation.

In the fall of 2010, the Swarm in partnership with the Prairie Island Indian Community developed an after school program, where kids meet with Swarm coaches and players two days a week at Prairie Island. Teams have since been formed and are led by Swarm Assistant Coach Aime Caines and Native American Lacrosse Program Coordinator Brian Kimmell. Youth from the Prairie Island Indian Community will serve as the cheer tunnel during player introductions.

For its efforts in the Native American community, the Swarm was featured in today's sports section of the Star Tribune. To view the article by Michael Rand, please visit http://www.startribune.com/sports/138170919.html.

The first 5,000 fans to arrive on Saturday night will receive cow bells courtesy of Treasure Island Resort & Casino.

Tickets start as low as $20 and can be purchased by calling 1-888-MN-SWARM or visiting mnswarm.com. Swarm fans looking to lock up season tickets in 2012 can take advantage of a Buy 2 Get 2 at 50% offer. By purchasing two season tickets at full price, fans can add an additional two tickets for half the cost.

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