"We play for those who can't."
The Meaning Behind the Logo
Creating the logo was a very meaningful and important part of the process. If you pay attention to each detail you will see a variety of things, but if you know me personally then it’s easier to see what’s going on here.
Let me explain:
Spirits was the easy choice for the name of the team. Unfortunately, from Dec 2021 through Dec 2022 I and many others have experienced some great loss. Last December 2021 my alma mater, Utica College, lost their head coach with the passing of Coach Mike Parnell. He was the man that helped recruit me to the school and is a big reason for my pursuit of lacrosse at that level. In January 2022 my family lost my Grandmother quite suddenly. I thought it was the worst day of my life, and then my family experienced yet another great tragedy when my 21 year old brother was in a fatal accident on Labor Day weekend in September 2022. Two months after that, my Uncle Bird was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in December of 2022.
Our logo is a direct tribute to these people with a touch of honoring some local schools.
But mostly it’s for my brother James…
-The logo itself is the obvious one. It needed to be a ghostly figure and that represents the local High School. I know Alex Bay doesn’t even have lacrosse but their logo is a Ghost. It represents my brother in every way.
-The Blue and Yellow represent my High School, General Brown, which my brother also attended. It’s also the same colors of another local high school, Thousand Islands, which is why I elected to have those words in those colors.
-The Navy Blue and Burnt Orange represent Utica College. Which is a nod to my late coach and of course my alma mater. We were also blessed with my brother’s existence when I was a sophomore there and he never missed a game.
-The wooden lacrosse stick acts as a conduit for the spiritual elements of the game. Each First Nation has their own tradition and version of the stick used. When you hold a traditional stick in your hand, you’re embodying three spirits: the wood which came from a living tree, the leather in the pocket of the stick that embodies an animal, and yourself. There are also spirit feathers on the stick that represent people that we have lost, Coach Parnell and Uncle Bird.
-The red shooting strings represent my brother’s favorite color. Also, my Gramma hated the color red and if you knew my brother then you know he loved making her angry. He liked to push everyone’s buttons.
-My favorite part of the logo is the tattoo on the forearm. It’s the same tattoo my brother had and the first tattoo he ever got. (When he was under age btw haha) Now, it is also my first tattoo.
Playing for the SPIRITS, you will be a part of something special. I didn’t make the decision to start this team lightly. We are here to create joy in our region by playing and spreading the great sport of box lacrosse. I only hope everyone can find the same level of love and appreciation for the sport that I have developed.
I love our logo. I hope you do too!