The Assist

The Assist is a work of art, not a science. It is important to make this distinction because science is objective; and as we all know, art is subjective. Art is ambiguous, messy, and sometimes hard to recognize. Despite these characteristics, art is captivating, it takes us to special places, it has the power to unite. 

The Assist is captivating, it takes us to special places, it has the power to unite. 

After dedicating 10 years of my life to the game of lacrosse, I have come to realize that thinking in terms of art is important. During college, I was nationally ranked in all of Division II lacrosse for assists and assists per game. At the time I graduated, I was UVA-Wise's all-time leader in points with 195 - of those 195 points - 110 were assists. I worked relentlessly at the art of The Assist and even on the days my passes were too high or too low, I kept making the pass. 

Over the years, I realized that some will see how your pass led to the scoring of a goal, while others are too distracted by the goal to care about the pass. Not everyone will recognize The Assist. Assists do not always get counted like they should in the game's stat sheet. Stat keepers miss who made the pass or the goal scorer takes too many steps. The Assist can be thankless, but keep making the pass. 

One of the greatest gifts the art of The Assist gave me is the ability to recognize when others make the pass. Simple gestures, words of encouragement or affirmation, completing a task for you - The Assist. Some of the best work comes when a pass is made and all of these lead to the goal. I am grateful for those who keep making the pass. My time as an athlete has since ended, but I carry the art of the assist with me wherever I go. I keep making the pass.  

The Assist shows up in my personal life.

The Assist shows up in my work life. 

The Assist is deeply rooted in who I am, so I keep making the pass.

So now that you know a little of the backstory behind the name, let's talk intentions. I intend to use this blog to share my experiences. While my initial plan is to share lacrosse stories - be they full of elation, heartbreak, or hardly notable - who knows where this journey will take me. 

My intention is - as it always has been and as it always will be - to keep making the pass.

Keep Making the Pass.