2005 Hall Of Fame Recap
Submitted by walax on Tue, 2006-03-14 07:19.
Features
Eleven lacrosse legends were inducted into the inaugural 2006 class of the Washington State Lacrosse Chapter Hall of Fame. 185 guests assembled at the awards dinner held February 11th and US Lacrosse Executive Director Steve Stenerson traveled from Baltimore to attend.
Said Washington Chapter President Mark Larson, “Tonight’s inductees had vision! Our Hall of Famers knew that for some mysterious reason, this sport could bring people together in important and meaningful ways…Unlike any other sport I know, lacrosse is about community – particularly here in Washington.” The 2006 Hall of Fame class includes:
Hugh Barber
A multiple award winner for his play in the goal, Barber has been recognized throughout the nation with MVP, League and All-Tournament awards. He led the Seattle Lacrosse Club to multiple league championships during his 20+ year career with the team. He has mentored scores of goalies from middle school to college age and was defensive coordinator for the University of Washington for four years. Barber resides in Seattle and is a Senior Deputy Prosecutor for King County.
In his acceptance speech, Barber described the sport’s extraordinary sense of community, “While up in Bristol Bay, in the middle of the ocean I look across to another boat and see a guy on the deck in a Marin Lacrosse sweatshirt. He sees my Colorado lacrosse sweatshirt, we do the universal lacrosse call ‘YO- you play?’ and before you know it I'm taking off my sweatshirt, he's taking off his and we ball them up and toss them across high seas to each other. Not even dogs make friends that easily…if the 11 of us who are lucky enough to be honored here tonight have anything in common- I suspect it's the recognition that there's just something different, and very special about lacrosse. It's the great connector.”
Lynn Hyde (formerly Mills)
Hyde was one of three women who founded high school girls lacrosse in Washington State in 1987. She coached the first Lakeside School team, leading her girls to four consecutive championships, 1987-1990. She was a tireless advocate of the league, guiding it through explosive growth 1987-1995. Nineteen years later, Hyde continues to give back to the game, most recently coaching her daughter’s Greenwood team. Without her, lacrosse would not exist in its current form in Washington State. Hyde resides in Seattle and teaches at Ballard High School.
Said Hyde, “I can’t say enough about all the coaches and players who nurtured this fledgling movement, twenty-some years ago. I have nothing but the fondest memories and utmost respect for our old clan, those honored tonight and those to be honored in the next induction.”
Matt Cone
Cone founded Walax.com in 1997, an award winning website that organized leagues and camps, posted lacrosse news, game results, and donated over $60,000 to the Washington State Lacrosse Chapter. Cone served as State Chapter President 1995-2003. He organized the first unified state championship games for Youth and High School teams, and the founded Lax Fest to celebrate All-State Teams. In 2001 he was voted “Man of the Year” by the Chapter officers. Cone also spent five years as president of the Pacific Northwest Lacrosse Association (PNLA).
As the first head coach at Seattle Preparatory Academy in 2001, he led them to a 10-3 record their first year, and a division II championship their second year. Moving up to division I in 2003, Seattle Prep faced stronger competition and still finished 3rd in State. In 2004 Cone traveled Europe conducting lacrosse clinics and spreading the love of our sport. He was named Head Coach of the Danish National Team that competed in the 2004 European Championships and will compete in the 2006 World Cup of Lacrosse. Cone lives in Seattle, and his entire family plays lacrosse year-round.
Said Cone, “I have been extremely fortunate to travel rather extensively, some would say evangelizing the creators game. It never ceases to amaze me how no matter where you go, those involved in lacrosse seem to have the spirit, they understand how special this game is and want to spread the word, and honor the game. They welcome you into their branch of the frat with open arms.”
Leslie Monteith Loper
A phenomenal player for Seattle Women’s Lacrosse Club, Loper was also a model of good sportsmanship, respecting her opponents, the game, and the officials. Coaches would send their players to “watch Leslie” to learn how to truly play a line attack position. Suffering an ACL injury in 1995, Loper poured her energies into coaching the next generation of Northwest lacrosse players. She organized pre-season clinics, coached for Greenwood Girls Club Lacrosse, founded the Bush Middle School team, and and co-founded the Holy Names team. Loper coached the Northwest Regional High School team at the US Lacrosse National Tournament in 1996 and the Youth Honor team in 2003. Today Leslie contributes to lacrosse behind the scenes, supporting the lacrosse coaches as the Assistant to the Athletic Director for The Bush School in Seattle.
In her acceptance letter, Loper noted, “Many of us here tonight have been touched by special coaches, teammates or an idol who influenced us in someway, whether big or small, and my hope is that we as leaders will have touched others so that they may go on to teach the game or be apart of the growth somewhere in another rainy corner of the world.”
Tim House
Playing eight years for the Seattle Lacrosse Club, House was Pacific Northwest Lacrosse Association (PNLA) All-League defender 1985-87 and awarded the Best Defenseman award by his teammates 1984-1988. His jersey number 77 was retired in 1989. House served as president of the PNLA 1983-1998 and coached the fledgling EastsideHigh School team in the 1980’s. In 2002 he became president of the Boys Youth Lacrosse League, which grew from 12 to over 75 teams in just four years. He is admired for his dedication to the highest standards of the game, and promoting sportsmanship to all youth league players, coaches, officials and parents.
A resident of Snohomish, House said in his acceptance speech, “There are defining moments in our lives for reaping what we sow. For me it was to stand on Qwest Field and look up into the stands and see 12,000 people gather for a lacrosse event, half of them with lacrosse sticks in their hands. One of those people was my son who I am so very proud of…Many of the others in the stands were friends I have met from being involved with this great game.”
Lisa Methfessel Patton
Patton is considered the birth mother of women’s lacrosse in Washington State. In 1982 she moved to Seattle and started a club team at the University of Washington that allowed non-students to join in. Graduates of Patton’s first team established west coast powerhouse Seattle Womens Lacrosse Club and founded the first high school teams in Washington State.
Patton took the first Northwest club team to the Women’s National Tournament, helped organize teams at Whitman College and Pacific Lutheran University, and acted as assistant coach for University of Puget Sound. Patton was also the sole west coast representative to the USWLA board, and the first certified women’s lacrosse official for Washington State. Now a resident of Auburn, Patton still assists the University of Puget Sound women’s varsity lacrosse team.
Fellow inductee Lynn Hyde said “Lisa Methfessel did everything…(she) took the initiative on every major step along the way. She’s a nuclear power plant, so it has been a real blast being carried along in her draft. Every female lacrosse player in Washington owes her a tremendous debt. None of this would have happened without her.”
Everet “Smitty” Smith
Retired from the Air Force in 1980 as a colonel, Smith moved his family to Redmond, Wash. and converted his garage into a lacrosse equipment store. Smith founded the Lake Washington Lacrosse Club, Redmond Lacrosse Club and supported the start of several girls’ lacrosse teams. He organized games and jamborees with the Canadian teams, and his ubiquitous orange Ford truck appeared at collegiate, club and high school games and tournaments for years, providing lacrosse gear and support.
Moving to Poulsbo in 1990, he helped start two more teams, North Kitsap boys & girls clubs. Smith passed away in 1993 from liver cancer, but his legacy continues through his son Erik, who accepted the honor on his father’s behalf, and his grandson Adam, now lacrosse team captain for Bryant University in Providence, Rhode Island.
Bo Weingaertner, who nominated Smith for the award, noted “Back when the Boys’ High School league had only five teams, he provided much needed support, organization, and enthusiasm; providing the groundwork for youth lacrosse in Washington State.”
Gail Shelton
Despite never having played lacrosse herself, Shelton helped form the Mercer Island High School boys lacrosse team in 1992, to give her son and his friends an opportunity to play. She helped create and develop the Mercer Island Parent Organization, which became a model for other parent groups, showing how they can support the whole of a school’s lacrosse program.
She is currently treasurer or secretary-treasurer for the Washington State Lacrosse Chapter, the Boys Youth Lacrosse of Washington organization, and the Washington Schoolgirls Lacrosse Association. In 2003 the Washington State Lacrosse Chapter recognized Shelton’s outstanding contributions by awarding her the “Person of the Year” award.
Said Shelton, “I’ve had nothing but fun working with wonderful, dedicated people. I am very proud of the work that has been done in these four lacrosse organizations and am proud to have been a part of it all.”
Kris Snider
An All-American for University of Virginia Men’s Lacrosse, Snider later led his adult club teams to eight northwest league titles. He currently competes at the Masters level, playing in tournaments throughout the world. Snider helped establish the Washington High School Boys League in 1988, serving as commissioner until 2003.
Lacrosse coach Trip Snider noted “his credibility as a player, his demeanor as a person, and his insight about how to encourage lacrosse to be played the right way did much to raise the standard of play in the league. He had the tough task of bringing order and stability to a fledgling organization looking to grow.”
In 2000, Snider founded the Queen Anne Lacrosse Club youth team and is currently assistant coach for the Garfield Lacrosse Club in Seattle. For 16 years and counting, he co-directed the Great Northwest Lacrosse Camp. Currently serving on the Washington Chapter as Vice President, Snider is also the Northwest representative to the US Lacrosse National Board of Directors, serving on the Regions Council. He is also a member of four other sports halls of fame: Suffer High School, Rockland County (the only lacrosse player), Hudson Valley Chapter of US Lacrosse, and Virginia State Chapter of US Lacrosse. Snider is a partner with Hewitt Architects and resides in Seattle.
Laurie Usher
Usher was a member of the original Seattle Womens Lacrosse Club in the 1980s. In 1987 she founded and coached the Bainbridge Island High School girls team, and later founded the middle school program. Under her direction, Bainbridge won three consecutive state titles 1994-1996, and produced ten All-Americans. Usher has supported the growth of northwest women’s lacrosse as a coach, official, league president, equipment supplier and sports photographer. Her effective leadership in the early years was critical to provide the strong base for the sport to grow in Washington State to 65+ teams today. A photography instructor at Olympic College in Bremerton, Usher also manages her own environmental education business, ENVIRO-ED.
Usher reflected on her career leading Bainbridge Girls Lacrosse, “Coaching is the most rewarding job I’ve ever done, certainly the most highs I’ve ever felt as an adult. If you’ve never done it and you think you have something to offer kids in sport, try it.”
Edward “Eddie” Travers
Moving to the Northwest in 1978, Travers originally played for Mt. Rainier Lacrosse Club. Certified as a high school and college official, he organized the Pacific Northwest Lacrosse Officials Association. Travers led the association from 1978-1985, and set high standards for quality officiating, recruiting and training programs. From 1979-1983, Travers was a consultant to the Canada West Lacrosse Association, mentoring Canadian officials. He was the lone American selected to referee the Canadian National Championships in Vancouver BC.
A past president of the Washington Lacrosse Council, he also founded and supports the high school scholarship organization Seattle Central Youth Lacrosse. As chair of the Seattle Preparatory Academy Panthers Lacrosse Club, he guided the boys and girls programs to varsity status in 2004. At the collegiate level, Travers contributes financially to the University of Washington and Pacific Lutheran University programs. He is a also major corporate sponsor of the Washington State Lacrosse High School Championships.
In his speech, Travers quoted the same poem read at Jack Turnbull’s Johns Hopkins University Hall of Fame induction in 1963, “This poem basically sums up my love affair for this game of the ‘Stick’, or as the Algonquins called it ‘Baggataway’:
Give a boy a stick he can hold
Give a boy a ball he can toss
And you’ve given him something that’s better than gold---
The Pleasure of Playing Lacrosse.
A resident of Burien, Travers is president of Travers & Associates, an internationally renown marine and cargo surveying company. Both his children play lacrosse, and his son has recently taken up officiating.
