{"id":2458872,"date":"2020-05-27T00:05:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-27T06:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/aspen-lacrosse-club-launches-new-equipment-program-in-michael-goernes-name\/"},"modified":"2020-05-27T00:05:00","modified_gmt":"2020-05-27T06:05:00","slug":"aspen-lacrosse-club-launches-new-equipment-program-in-goernes-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/aspen-lacrosse-club-launches-new-equipment-program-in-goernes-name\/","title":{"rendered":"Aspen Lacrosse Club launches new equipment program in Goerne\u2019s name"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.7586206896552\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-326370-562\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled gallery-container\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/lacrosse-atd-052820-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/lacrosse-atd-052820-1-1024x1024.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy photo | Eleonore Elwell Sauder shows off the new gear she received through the Aspen Lacrosse Club's new\" goerne grows named after the late michael class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Eleonore Elwell Sauder shows off the new gear she received through the Aspen Lacrosse Club&#8217;s new &#8220;Goerne Grows the Game&#8221; program, named after the late Michael Goerne.<\/strong><br \/>Courtesy photo<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/lacrosse-atd-052820-1-1024x1024.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Eleonore Elwell Sauder shows off the new gear she received through the Aspen Lacrosse Club's new \" goerne grows named after the late michael><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/lacrosse-atd-052820-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/lacrosse-atd-052820-1-1-768x1024.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy photo | Anna Light, with older brother Casey Light, shows off the new gear she received through the Aspen Lacrosse Club's new\" goerne grows named after the late michael class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"12\">\n<p><strong>Anna Light, with older brother Casey Light, shows off the new gear she received through the Aspen Lacrosse Club&#8217;s new &#8220;Goerne Grows the Game&#8221; program, named after the late Michael Goerne.<\/strong><br \/>Courtesy photo<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/lacrosse-atd-052820-1-1-768x1024.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Anna Light, with older brother Casey Light, shows off the new gear she received through the Aspen Lacrosse Club's new \" goerne grows named after the late michael><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/lacrosse-atd-052820-1-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/lacrosse-atd-052820-1-2-768x1024.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy photo | Ansel Stokes shows off the new gear he received through the Aspen Lacrosse Club's new\" goerne grows named after the late michael class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Ansel Stokes shows off the new gear he received through the Aspen Lacrosse Club&#8217;s new &#8220;Goerne Grows the Game&#8221; program, named after the late Michael Goerne.<\/strong><br \/>Courtesy photo<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/lacrosse-atd-052820-1-2-768x1024.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Ansel Stokes shows off the new gear he received through the Aspen Lacrosse Club's new \" goerne grows named after the late michael><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/lacrosse-atd-052820-1-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/lacrosse-atd-052820-1-3-768x1024.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy photo | Eli Davenport shows off the new gear he received through the Aspen Lacrosse Club's new\" goerne grows named after the late michael class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Eli Davenport shows off the new gear he received through the Aspen Lacrosse Club&#8217;s new &#8220;Goerne Grows the Game&#8221; program, named after the late Michael Goerne.<\/strong><br \/>Courtesy photo<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/lacrosse-atd-052820-1-3-768x1024.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Eli Davenport shows off the new gear he received through the Aspen Lacrosse Club's new \" goerne grows named after the late michael><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/aspen-lacrosse-club-launches-new-equipment-program-in-michael-goernes-name\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/aspen-lacrosse-club-launches-new-equipment-program-in-michael-goernes-name\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">Thin and usually freshly shaven, Michael Goerne never looked like Santa Clause. But if the lacrosse world ever had a St. Nick, those who knew him would say Goerne\u2019s generous spirit would have made him the likeliest of candidates.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThey always talk in our sport about being a good ambassador to the game, and Mike was always the quintessential ambassador to lacrosse in the valley,\u201d Graham McMahon said. \u201cIf a kid didn\u2019t have something that he needed to play, Mike would go procure it for him, whether that was from his own stash of sticks and gear or it was from DICK\u2019s Sporting Goods. He would go get some kid something new he could play with.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">McMahon and Meredith Elwell co-direct the Aspen Lacrosse Club, the same club Goerne created in 2006. McMahon took over the role after Goerne and fellow area lacrosse coach Owen Green <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/family-friends-remember-michael-goerne-at-carbondale-memorial\/\">died in a backcountry avalanche<\/a> on Feb. 16, 2019, while training for the Grand Traverse ski mountaineering race.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">A year later and the club has recently launched a new program called \u201cGoerne Grows the Game\u201d that seeks to gift young lacrosse players in the Roaring Fork Valley a new set of gear to get them going in the sport. The \u201cG3 Gift\u201d is a way for the club to keep Goerne\u2019s spirit and love for the game ever present.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation at-donation-mobile p-0\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"handleDonationButtonClickMidArticle()\">Donate<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt was nice we kind of took our time and really felt our way around our emotions and our feelings and our memories. Where we landed, I think, really resonated Mike\u2019s spirit,\u201d Elwell said of finding a way to honor Goerne. \u201cThe mission of it is to make it as easy as possible for kids to fall in love with the game of lacrosse and make it as easy for them to share in the passion and commitment that Mike had growing the game.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Goerne came from Edina, Minnesota, and went on to play NCAA Division I lacrosse at Marist College in New York, graduating in 2004 with a degree in business administration and finance. Soon after he moved to Carbondale and became the driving force for the growth of lacrosse in the valley.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Not only did he start the Aspen Lacrosse Club, where he was co-director alongside Elwell until his death, but he helped launch the Aspen High School boys lacrosse program, as well. He was the Skiers\u2019 head coach through the 2015 season, when they won the program\u2019s lone state championship.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cMike\u2019s mother and his sister and his family gave this initiative their blessing and are wanting to support it. They are right in the mix with us,\u201d Elwell said. \u201cThe real launching pad in terms of funding was directly from Mike\u2019s memorial. So these first gift recipients really are extra special to the whole project.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The idea is to give kids in kindergarten and first grade, or anyone new to the Aspen Lacrosse Club, all they need to start playing the sport. For the boys, their gift package includes a helmet, shoulder pads, elbow pads, gloves and a regulation-sized stick. The girls, who don\u2019t play in all the padding, receive a stick and goggles. Kids that age don\u2019t need cleats and can play in basic tennis shoes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Elwell and McMahon began handing out the starter kits during the recent shutdown caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic, a time when most kids were stuck at home and desperate for something new. The spring is the busiest time of year for the local lacrosse scene, which also came to a standstill because of COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s kind of overwhelming when you start a new sport as a parent with these little guys and girls. What equipment do we get? Goggles, sticks, pads, helmet \u2014 there are a lot of pieces,\u201d Elwell said. \u201cThe second that package arrives on their door, boom, they can just become a lacrosse player. That\u2019s the spirit behind it and the goal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Elwell said the club gets about 20 newcomers each year and the hope is to be able to gift each one of them with one of these kits in coming years. This spring, McMahon handed out 12 sets to the boys and Elwell seven more to the girls. They had the kids submit photos of them wearing their new gear.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Continued fundraising will be needed to keep the program alive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cMike would approve of the program that bears his name,\u201d McMahon said. \u201cHe was always great about getting kids involved and this is the perfect way to kind of carry that torch for him, because I know he would still be giving kids sticks and gear and trying to get as many kids on the field as possible because it\u2019s a game we all love.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The Aspen Lacrosse Club <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/aspen-lacrosse-club-cancels-spring-season-calls-off-aspen-shootout-because-of-coronavirus\/\">had to cancel its spring season<\/a> \u2014 much as the high school\u2019s season was called off because of the coronavirus \u2014 but hopes it can put on some sort of programming this summer, which is usually a quiet period for the club. With both Pitkin County and Eagle County \u2014 home to Crown Mountain Park, the club\u2019s main hub \u2014 easing restrictions, McMahon believes they\u2019ll be able to make the most of the situation over the new few months.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWhatever form lacrosse takes this summer, it\u2019s going to look different for sure. But we want to make sure it\u2019s safe before we bring anybody onto the field and bring kids together,\u201d McMahon said. \u201cIt\u2019s still kind of a holding pattern, but I think we have a set of protocols coming from both our local governing body and our U.S. Lacrosse governing body as well, so hopefully that can start to mold something we can work with.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:acolbert@aspentimes.com\">acolbert@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/aspen-lacrosse-club-launches-new-equipment-program-in-michael-goernes-name\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eleonore Elwell Sauder shows off the new gear she received through the Aspen Lacrosse Club&#8217;s new &#8220;Goerne Grows the Game&#8221; program, named after the late Michael Goerne.Courtesy photo Anna Light, with older brother Casey Light, shows off the new gear she received through the Aspen Lacrosse Club&#8217;s new &#8220;Goerne Grows the Game&#8221; program, named after [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2458872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-17 07:05:39","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2458872"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458872\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2458872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2458872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2458872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}