16-year-old Strathmore lacrosse player Ryder Endall is joining the Jr. Roughnecks program to compete at the Jr. National Lacrosse League (NLL) Championship. This national competition pits the country's best young lacrosse players against each other in a tournament hosted in Oakville, Ontario.
This will be his second time joining the Jr. Roughnecks, and Endall is excited to once again compete for the national championship and also spend time with teammates he doesn't usually play with.
"I find just hanging out with the team in the hotel and like games and stuff is really fun, being able to share a room with one of my teammates is also a really great part of the tournament."
Despite being 16 years old, Endall has an impressive amount of experience that few can match, he's been a lacrosse player since he was just 3 years old. Endall has always been driven to be the best he can be, and he explained he took a big jump forward last year as he continued to hone his craft.
As a result, he no longer plays for the Strathmore Venom and is a part of the U17 A HOKs team, a team comprised of players from Calgary and surrounding communities like Strathmore, Okotoks, and more. For Endall, he says his improvement is all about just being dedicated to the sport.
"I find it really is all about the mindset. You got to really believe in yourself, to be able to push yourself harder."
To help further his development, Endall explained he's joining camps and development programs wherever he can, as having the chance to work with high-level coaches helps him improve at a rapid pace.
"Making Jr. Roughnecks last year also really helped. I have really great coaching there and just it's a very developmental pillar in my career."
Endall hopes his hard work translates into a NCAA lacrosse scholarship at a post-secondary school in the United States, as he said his main ambition is to take lacrosse to the highest level he can. His ultimate goal is to join the pros, which could mean a return to the NLL and maybe even playing for the hometown team Calgary Roughnecks. For now though he's getting ready for an exciting Jr. NLL championship and his grade 11 school year, so he has time to think about the specifics of his lacrosse future.
The Jr. NLL Championship will take place from August 17-20 in Oakville, Ontario.
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Fri, May 3, 10:00 AM
