As Team USA prepared to play for a gold medal Sunday at the World Box Lacrosse Championships in Utica, it did so with the steady leadership of alternate captain Joel White. A regular for Team USA in both box and field lacrosse, White was a superstar at Cortland High School. After racking up 103 points as a long-stick midfielder in 2007, his senior season, he stayed in Central New York to win multiple championships in an All-American career at Syracuse.
Now, in the twilight of his career, White welcomes the world to his home state with open arms.
“It’s a full circle moment,” White said. “Obviously, any time that I get to play for Team USA is an honor, so being able to put the jersey on again is something I won’t take for granted. To have the games here in Utica, not far from where I grew up and from where I played in college, it’s something special. And for me, I have two young boys now, so for them to be able to come with my family, it’s definitely special.”
While White is the most decorated player from Central New York on the team, he’s not the only one. The team also features Ithaca’s Eli Gobrecht, Baldwinsville’s Charlie Bertrand, Jamesville’s Tim Edwards and Cazenovia’s Joe Nardella.
The USA squad also features two young guns attending college in Central New York. Joey Spallina, from White’s alma mater of Syracuse, made the roster, as well as Cornell standout CJ Kirst.
“They’re high energy,” White said of his young teammates. “It’s great to have them buzzing around out there and bringing the competitive nature from battling every day in college. For them to learn and be around some of the veterans, I think it goes both ways. We’re certainly grateful to have them on the team and their skills speak for themselves. We don’t look at them as young guys, we look at the whole team as leaders. They’re high character guys and great role models for kids watching them play, and we’re lucky to have them on the field.”
While the future of the team looks to be in safe hands, White plans on making this tournament his final one.
“There’s no long term,” White said. “This is the end of the road. It was always a pin on the map for me to try and get back here, and I’m fortunate enough to be on this team with these great players and be a part of this thing. So hopefully we can do something that the USA has never done and change the history books. We want to do what’s never been done and win gold, so that’s the expectation. I’m looking from now until the gold medal game on Sunday, and then we’ll see what happens after that.”
Since White first started his professional career in 2011, he’s seen the landscape of professional lacrosse shift dramatically. With the birth of a new professional field lacrosse league in the PLL happening in the middle of his decorated career, White has appeared in three different professional leagues alongside his Team USA duties.
“It’s been a crazy ride. Over the last 15 years, professional lacrosse has certainly grown, both indoor and outdoor. Specifically for us, indoor lacrosse has grown and become popular with the United States players. Everyone on the team plays in the (National Lacrosse League). With the outdoor league, what Paul Rabil and his staff have done with the PLL is unbelievable. I think as you continue on and see the young kids play as the generations go on, that’s the goal. We want to continue to see kids pick up a stick at a young age and continue to grow their love for the sport and eventually look at it as an option to play professionally like they do with the big three or four sports that they look at now.”
Canada defeated the United States 13-7 Sunday to win the gold medal. White recorded an assist in the game and ended his box lacrosse career with a silver medal.
