"Talk about a meeting of the minds. The deal, if you want to call it that, was hatched over handshakes and a couple of beers 18 months ago at a watering hole in Grand Portage, Minn. Two executives from the Minnesota Swarm pro lacrosse team were in town for a meet-and-greet with members of the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council. Veteran Minneapolis cop Clint Letch, also president of the Native American Law Enforcement Summit (NALES), had long thought about introducing lacrosse — the Creator's Game, as it is known — to at-risk youths living in Minnesota's tribal communities. The two execs, Bret Miller and Tom Nemo, as well as the team's father-and-son owners, John and Andy Arlotta, were thinking along the same lines. The execs swarmed — pun intended — all over the 17-year cop's idea. The first "Lax-4-Life" camp was held last summer. A second is planned this year. The kids learned about the spiritual meaning behind the game American Indians invented hundreds of years ago and how it's played today at the high school, collegiate and pro level. They also learned about the dangers of gangs, drugs, alcohol abuse, diabetes and other issues. "These kids were amazing," said Aime Caines, an assistant Swarm coach and former pro player who instructed at the camp. "In all of the camps I've ever done, especially with beginners, these kids picked up the sport the fastest." " Get the Story:
Ruben Rosario: For Indian youths, lacrosse is more than a game (The St. Paul Pioneer Press 1/17)
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