The recipient of the Jeremy Richardson Memorial Trophy was honoured to be recognized as having the same attributes as the first St. Albert Ram to be drafted in the National Lacrosse League.
“This award makes me really awesomely happy,” said a surprised Jordan Gies of the midget B Red Deer Chiefs after Sunday's presentation at Northstar Hyundai Arena. “It shows that if you work hard you can go somewhere and that's what I’m trying to do.”
The St. Albert Rams Lacrosse Club’s most prestigious trophy is awarded annually at the Jeremy Richardson Memorial Baggataway Tournament.
Every year teams are asked to nominate a player who displays the same characteristics and dedication that made Richardson a talented runner in lacrosse and high-scoring forward with the St. Albert Saints in the Alberta Junior Hockey League before succumbing to cancer on Nov. 5, 2005 at the age of 23.
The Rams renamed their annual tournament in Richardson’s memory and dedicated a trophy in his honour.
“He is what this tournament is all about,” said Ron Simpson, the Rams’ co-president.
Richardson grew up in St. Albert playing lacrosse and hockey. He was part of the first junior lacrosse teams in the city and played a pivotal role in the Saints reaching the AJHL final in 2003.
Richardson also played three years of junior lacrosse as one of the top scorers for the Edmonton Miners and at the 2003 Minto Cup national championship earned game MVP accolades.
That same year Richardson was selected in the third round, 27th overall, by the Calgary Roughnecks in the NLL draft.
In August of 2003 Richardson was diagnosed with stage three malignant melanoma and underwent multiple treatments and surgeries at the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton. He later participated in numerous clinical trials over an 18-month span at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Md. He was nicknamed the Interleukin Superman for his valiant fight to successfully complete one of the most difficult treatment series available.
On Sept. 3, 2005 Richardson married Gillian Rauw and two months later he passed away.
“Ever since we’ve been making this his tournament,” Simpson said.
In 2006 the Miners dedicated their season in Richardson’s memory and retired his No. 23 jersey, the first number retired in team history. They also renamed the team’s offensive player of the year award after Richardson.
Gies, 15, knew of Richardson's reputation from previous Baggataway tournaments.
“I heard about him and I thought he was really cool,” said the Grade 9 student at St. Francis of Assisi school. “That’s why it feels really good to earn this award. It means a lot.”
Gies accepted the trophy while limping on his right foot, minus a shoe, after getting crunched into the boards in the 3-2 loss to the Westlock Rock, the eventual midget bronze medallists, to wrap up the round robin action.
It was the third straight loss by the Chiefs in the tournament, but Gies liked how his team played.
“We’re very aggressive. When we get down we like to really get back up there and hit some guys and pump our team up.”
Lacrosse is his main passion after giving hockey a shot.
“I love lacrosse. It shows me what I’ve got inside of me,” Gies said. “I’ve been doing it for about nine years now and I haven't stopped and I’m never going to stop.”
Gies, a defenceman who played forward on some A teams in the past, has medalled with Red Deer teams in the last four provincials, including gold in peewee A.
“I love the teamwork in lacrosse and I love playing with all of my friends.”
Gies also gives back to the sport by helping coach the youth team his sister, Jayme, plays for and also volunteers in the community.
“I go out to the food bank and help out sometimes. I go with my friends and it’s fun,” he said. “It’s good to help out. I know that I’m helping other people and it just makes me happy.”
Gary Gies, who also coaches his son’s team, said Jordan leads by example on the floor.
“He’s never a kid who sits in the dressing room and is a rah-rah kid, he just goes out every shift and works every time he goes out there. He listens to the coaches and listens to what needs to be done and he goes out there and does it,” Gary said. “He’s very sportsmanlike and very respectful and that's his biggest attributes.”
Gary is encouraged by the commitment shown by his son and other players he has coached who want to help grow the sport.
“It’s not about the wins or loses, it’s about making sure that kid continues on and stays on with the game.”
RAMS RESULTS: The 17th annual Baggataway tournament featured 73 male and female teams and the Rams were represented by 13 teams in the mini-tyke, tyke, novice, peewee, bantam and midget divisions.
The bantam female Rams won bronze in Sunday’s 7-1 win over the Beaumont Raiders, after losing to the same team the day before by a 2-1 squeaker. Assistant captain Jessica Dixon scored four goals and captain Hannah Clark added a pair in support of netminder Hunter Davis.
A combined St. Albert/Fort Saskatchewan team posted a 1-0 victory over Beaumont for bronze in the peewee female playoffs.
