An American sport on British soil proves to tie cultures

  • Published
  • By Karen Abeyasekere
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  Lacrosse, while not the most popular sport in England, has proven to be a bridge between some Brits and Americans living in East Anglia.

At Royal Air Force Marham, men's and women's lacrosse teams were formed almost two years ago, and some American service members are in the team lineups.

The RAF Marham men's team plays in the South England Men's Lacrosse Association, East Division 3.

Col. Christopher Kulas, 100th Air Refueling Wing commander, and Sheila Bailey, British-American Committee chairman, honored the men's team with community relations awards at a ceremony on RAF Mildenhall July 8.

The team was chosen for this award to recognize its members as superb ambassadors for their respective Air Forces and within the civilian community, both on and off the field of play.

Cpl. Brett Taylor, formerly of RAF Marham and now working as part of the duty operations team, Global Operations Security Control Centre in Corsham, is on the lacrosse team, and said he thinks it's a great idea having Americans on the team.

"From day one [having a mixed-nation lacrosse team] has all been very beneficial," said Taylor.

Ideally, it's best to have a minimum of 10 people on a lacrosse team to play a good game, said Master Sgt. Brian Cain, 3rd Air Force International Relations in Security Policing superintendent.

"Because of postings and deployments, that constantly varies, but we've showed up to games with 12 people. The success story is that between the RAF and the U.S. Air Forces, we've made it work," Cain said. "I think [as an American on the team] we give our team a psychological advantage."

Taylor said he absolutely agreed.

"Lacrosse is an American sport, and when our opponents hear an American accent on the sidelines, it does put that element in their head, and they're thinking, 'Oh man, these players are going to be awesome!' so straight away we walk onto the pitch having an advantage," Taylor said.

Having a joint lacrosse team brings relations between the British and Americans closer together, in more ways than one.

"We play lacrosse together, we practice together, we go to games together," Cain said. "On and off the field we're building those relations; learning about each other's cultures, jobs and how we take care of business.

"It's beneficial, both professionally and personally, and often after the games we'll meet up with the other teams, so then you have forces and the local community team," said Cain. "We integrate with them, socialize and share our knowledge, and strengthen those relations."

There are currently seven Americans on the lacrosse team. The number of British and American players is currently about even.

The two nations joined forces when Senior Airman Gary Jurado, 100th Maintenance Squadron, arrived at RAF Mildenhall and started looking for a team to play on.

"[Jurado] was the conduit that got us together and he helps train and coach the team," Cain said. "He got in touch with Flight Lt. Joe Gallagher, the RAF Lacrosse Association chairperson; they met through lacrosse forums on the internet, when someone advised him to get in touch with [RAF] Marham, and eventually ended up helping build a team with a good complement of Americans."

The team travels all around the area, often playing in Kent and London.

Cain said he feels that being part of the joint team is an excellent networking opportunity.

"I've lived in England for seven years, and I thoroughly enjoy it. Although we speak the same language, there are cultural differences," said Cain. "Playing on a mixed team means you learn more about that culture. We get to interact as a joint team out on the field, and the synergy we have when we're all together is phenomenal."