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As lacrosse continues to develop in non-traditional areas, Justin Porter plays a key role in the Chicago area. The former MLL champion and Hobart midfielder created a club program named The Lacrosse School to provide players an authentic lacrosse and life experience.
Porter, a Geneva (N.Y.) native who won an MLL championship with the Rochester Rattlers in 2008, aims to provide a tight-knit, family-oriented environment with The Lacrosse School, which is a year-round school program. There are only about 40 kids each year, so everyone can get the necessary attention.
“Being a Black coach from Upstate New York, I know what the grind is and these kids aren’t from that,” Porter said. “So when they learn my background, they begin paralleling in relation.”
Blaxers Blog caught up with Porter about his way to give back to lacrosse. You can learn more at TheLacrosseSchool.com.
JUSTIN PORTER
Hometown: Geneva, N.Y.
College: Hobart (‘07)
Prep School: Salisbury (‘03)
High School: Geneva (‘02)
Notable Accolades:
2015 US Lacrosse Keeper of Lacrosse Award (Vail Shootout)
2008 MLL Champion (Rochester Rattlers)
2009 MLL Supplemental Draft pick (16th overall, Boston Cannons)
WHAT IS THE LACROSSE SCHOOL?
The Lacrosse School is a year-round school program based out of the Chicago area that I came up with on my own. Our team mascot is known as the Rotten Apples.
I started off with Team ONE Lacrosse when I first moved to Chicago 10 years ago under John Combs. I learned under him, one of the legends of the game. In 2015, I decided to break away on my own to start my own lacrosse club, The Lacrosse School.
Growing up in Upstate New York, I was the rotten apple as a kid in the classroom. My profession before lacrosse full-time was serving as a primary school instructor in Manchester, England, and boarding school art teacher and dorm parent at Northfield Mount Hermon School (Mass.). Those experiences helped shape our branding theme.
I taught myself how to create printable logos for apparel application as I hand-drew the logo of our mascot, Skrappz. If you closely look at Skrappz, there’s a bite mark that resembles Illinois’ silhouette.
When I started the company, the kids who followed me from the six years at Team ONE decided to take a break and moved to us. We had a good following at first as we fielded a team of sixth and seventh graders and a strong 2018 team. From that point on, things took off as we hit the ground running. They had coaching from me and a skill set base by playing for some of the top programs in Illinois. Since our inception, we had some tough kids that were hungry and ready to play.
WHAT EXPERIENCES DOES THE LACROSSE SCHOOL PROVIDE?
We provide a family-oriented, mom-and-pop shop type of program in which we are tight knit and very transparent. We are a program that focuses on lacrosse IQ and building fundamentals from the bottom up because the sport is still fairly new to the Chicago area. I’m teaching kids the correct mechanics that I learned at home back in the East. As they gradually mature, we begin incorporating heavier and advanced lacrosse concepts.
I run the program more as a mentor than a coach. It’s more of teaching these kids about life lessons through the sport of lacrosse. So when I’m able to coach them up, there’s a much different feel compared to their accustomed experiences in the Midwest.
Being a prep school kid in the past, I grew up with that type of discipline like the military. I think the parents like it because it’s a discipline they can’t necessarily give their children at home.
We only have around 40 kids a year and average two teams as we gel. We compete in tournaments within our competitive level which involves playing up two levels. For the past two years, my 2023 team got whooped in the 2021 brackets, which happens. I’m transparent with parents on that we will get beat up at times. Building our program for the next level involves taking your lumps now in order to be prepared for that varsity-like atmosphere.
I was raised by a single mother who worked two jobs, and I learned a lot under my coaches growing up whether it was wrestling, football or lacrosse. I tell my players and their parents that they are not just a number or a name here at The Lacrosse School. I want to know who the kids are on a personal level as they share interests like their favorite subjects and video games. I want to know my players and parents more so that we can have a mutual understanding.
On the field I’m tough, but off the field we’re cool. I think that helps their development of becoming advocates. Playing with the kids at practice keeps them on their toes. You don’t have a coach just telling you want to do, they can show you how to do it.
WHAT IMPACT HAS THE LACROSSE SCHOOL MADE ON PLAYERS?
Life-changing. Being a Black coach from Upstate New York, I know what the grind is, and these kids aren’t from that. So when they learn my background, they begin paralleling in relation.
I still get a number of former players who text me from college. There were kids contacting who didn’t make it all the way through the program because it was tough and explored other routes. My former players say, ‘There were things that you taught me in lacrosse that actually helped me out in life and what to expect. Things that correlated to what I experience in my college settings right now.’
It’s a good feeling to know that it’s not just lacrosse, it’s something that’s transformational in their development as student-athletes.
HOW DO YOU CONNECT WITH CHICAGO’S LACROSSE COMMUNITY?
It’s been tough for us out here because I’m the rival program and underdog. When you have big programs in the area, I focus like mom-and-pop businesses. Parents who advocate for me understand the perspective and say, ‘Coach Porter teaches our boys how to be men.’ That’s how we grow and develop together in lockstep.
I still have an uphill battle and I’m built for it. I’ve been out here for some years and the recipe is keeping us where we need to be.
Lacrosse in the Midwest has really blown up as an abundance of talent resides here. As the sport booms, parents are starting to get away from football due to head injuries. Midwest kids are already built large. Once you start converting kids from other sports and show them the intra-sport parallels, they pick up the sport rapidly. Lacrosse talent isn’t exclusive to the East Coast anymore. The sport is centering towards the non-traditional gaps as we have flavor to produce great kids.
Aside from The Lacrosse School, I’m the junior varsity head coach for Evanston High School girl’s lacrosse. I’m actively expanding my knowledge and converting concepts from the boy’s game to girl’s lacrosse. I enjoy girls’ lacrosse from a strategic standpoint.
HOW DID IT FEEL TO RECEIVE THE US LACROSSE KEEPER OF LACROSSE AWARD?
It was a very emotional moment at the time. I was always the underdog player. I think that’s why my coaching career has taken off. I believe that I put my dues in as a player but didn’t get the shine that I deserved despite my work ethic and talent.
I was at Vail Shootout playing with Jammin’ Salmon, a team I’ve been with for the past 16 years. I also sponsor and coach our women’s team, the Jammin’ Salmonettes, who won the Vail championship in 2019. The award announcement was made after playing our rival team, the Big Green Herd.
Award presenter Tahlia Sayers praised me for my 15-plus seasons of playing and coaching at the tournament as they stated the award’s criteria. She referenced my friendliness with the referees and other participants. It was humbling just to have that type of honor and follow the list of award winners. Winning the award was one of the things in my life that made my playing career more fulfilling.
HOW DID PLAYING AT HOBART SHAPE YOUR CAREER?
Being a Black student-athlete coming from a small liberal arts school back home like Hobart and playing prep school lacrosse at Salisbury School under Hobart legend Bobby Wynne prepared me on how to adapt. Those were the fires I endured by selecting this career type.
While attending middle school, I began my ball boy career at Hobart in 1995-96 and attended their overnight lacrosse summer camp sessions. Since my mom couldn’t afford it, I saved my camp money up by submitting littered cans located by the dorms and fraternity houses to the redemption center.
In high school, I was mentored and played under Bill Warder. Hobart’s athletic director, Mike Hanna, served as a father figure to me as he took me in and provided me a chance to attend prep school. I admired and looked up to his son, Matt Hanna (Johns Hopkins) while growing up in Geneva.
Ira Vanterpool (Syracuse) was the first player of color that I watched and followed. I had heard of Skip Darden as a kid and later met him during my freshman year at Hobart’s alumni game. I had looked back and realized that he was the one brother on the field who killed the competition. There were a number of Black and Brown guys in lacrosse that didn’t get the recognition they deserved who were impactful during their playing days.
HOW DID YOUR PRO CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE IN THE MLL HELP YOU?
Winning an MLL championship with the Rochester Rattlers and being around a group of outstanding players helped me tremendously. Yeah, I was a practice player that was invited to games and practicing with the best guys in the world and some lacrosse greats. Just to be a part of that lineup and witness the best talent in lacrosse was important. Those guys still work as hard as they can and carried themselves in a professional, disciplined way at practice.
We worked really hard at Rattlers practices. I was beat up a little but was able to soak up their energy and mannerisms. The players on that team who influenced me the most were Pat Dutton and Chris Schiller. I shadowed them as they showed me tips on how to prepare for the next level. These guys were the fastest players out there while being over 30.
It was about embracing the grind. I could tell that all of those players in the locker room had the work ethic that I could admire and follow.
HOW DID YOUR INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES INFLUENCE YOUR PLAYING AND COACHING ABILITIES?
I became a much better player when I moved over to Manchester, England. By working there in 2007-08, it took my coaching approach and scaled it back. Slowing things down and scaling back your process with developing players makes you a better coach.
While I was over there, I met John Grant Jr. for the first time. He just happened to be out running a youth camp at our club, Heaton Mersey. We ironically were playing against Scottish goaltending legend John Marr.
Marr invited Junior to our game and happened to see me play during our doubleheader. I was putting up some numbers while flying around the field. Afterwards, I hung out with John Grant Jr and that’s what landed me a look to come back stateside to tryout for the Rattlers. He put a plug in for me to Coach O’Hara and they picked me up in the 2008 MLL Supplemental Draft.
Learning angles, temperaments and how to speak to people who weren’t 100 percent lacrosse was life-changing. I would lack the exposure of becoming professional champion if it wasn’t for my experience overseas.