The evening of Tuesday, July 11 found nearly one hundred current FGR lacrosse players, alumni, and parents gathered on the field for the first annual FGR Lacrosse Alumni Game.
Sandy Montgomery, the mother of former team member Matt Montgomery ‘20, had the idea in June, and was delighted that Athletic Director Mickey Redmond was on board. With a team of helpers, including Coach Robert Finn and Steve Polycn, they pulled together the event in just a month.
About 40 players showed up and took the field; Sandy estimates they had about 22 alumni and 17 current students. Graduation years ranged from 2013 to 2026, and the atmosphere was collegial. “No one wanted to get hurt, but they played hard and had a lot of fun,” Sandy says. The final score was close: current students 7, alumni 6.
About 40-50 parents also showed up to cheer players on. Alumni parent Jeff Kaiser, father of Griffen Kaiser ‘21 says, “I think it was amazing to have that level of participation in the very first year. It was great to see so many alumni from different years and to see so many college helmets on the field. At one point, Griffen and two of his former classmates took the field all together, it was really neat.”
The players themselves enjoyed the event immensely. Matt says, “I had a blast playing with my former teammates and seeing old friends. It was a great event.”
“It was a great time getting back out and seeing some of them for the first time since high school and catching up with the ones I had seen,” Griffen says. “I think the best part about the alumni game was how much variety of classes there were, with the oldest guy graduating in 2013, which shows how close the FGR lacrosse community is.”
After the game, many of the attendees gathered in the parking lot to enjoy each other’s company at a tailgate party. As the event was organized almost entirely by word of mouth, the organizers were very happy with the turnout. “We have big plans for the future,” Sandy says; they’re hoping to make the game a yearly tradition, a growing opportunity for past and current FGR lacrosse families to gather to celebrate the program.
Any players who missed the event and would like to be included in the future should contact Athletic Director Mickey Redmond.