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legacy through
LACROSSE
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Local tournament honors late varsity boys player
F
amilies gathered together, reminiscing on the memory
of the past. New players of all ages mixed among the
returning, but they all shared the joy of Logan Janik's
legacy. With nearly 300 players arriving in Mount
Pleasant, the annual Logan Janik Memorial Tournament begins,
and a legacy lives on.
The tournament, held in December, was founded after the
passing of Janik, a junior at the time. Janik died in 2019 from a
medical complication during a boating accident. Committee
member Clark Coker has been working on the
tournament’s board since it began and plays a large role in the
management and purpose of the tournaments themselves.
"After Logan's passing, we all knew that we had to do
something to keep him fresh in our memory," Coker said. "We
know that he loved [lacrosse] and loved people. He would've
loved this tournament for everything that we're doing."
The tournament is set up in a round robin system where
multiple teams of seven play against one another. The teams are
chosen through a random draw system. However, the
committee does attempt to make sure that all of the teams are
evenly matched and that talent is spread across the board.
"The kids don't know who they are going to be playing with
until a day or two leading up to the tournament," Coker said.
"We do this to encourage inclusiveness and camaraderie
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amongst the lacrosse community."
Palmer Goff, 11, has played in both of the tournaments
so far and enjoys the anonymity of the team selection process.
He started participating in the events because of his close
relationship with the Janik family and uses the tournament as
a time to bond with former teammates and friends.
"It's a fun tournament. There is no stress about it because
there are no college scouts," Goff said. "We get to see people
that we haven't seen in awhile and play some lacrosse."
"HE WAS ALWAYS ABOUT HAVING A
GOOD TIME, AND SMILING, AND
LAUGHING. AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT
THE TOURNAMENT IS ALL ABOUT"
Tim Maurer has also been a part of the committee
since the beginning and joined as a result of the positive
impact Janik had on his family, more specifically his son.
"Even though my son was two to three years younger than
[Janik], he would pick him for school every day," Maurer
said. "He was just one of those kids who reached out to
people as opposed to preserving his own reputation."
Having just completed their second year of the
139 LOGAN JANIK TOURNAMENT
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tournament, the lacrosse community and its supporters have
rallied behind the tournament and used it as a time to come
together and remember Janik's legacy in a positive way just as he
impacted the lives of friends and family.
"There is so much energy around this initiative. There is so
much desire within the community to see Logan's memory
preserved," Maurer said. "In [the upcoming] year three, it seems
that [the tournament] is going to have a national level partner that
will help expand the reach of the event even further."
The committee has also made other efforts to extend the
influence of the tournament by creating teams for girls and
younger age groups.
"The event has expanded beyond just serving the community
who is suffering together," Maurer said. "It's now [been]
expanded to include even those who didn't know him."
Despite wanting to attract more players, the sole purpose of the
lacrosse tournament is to provide an enjoyable day of lacrosse.
The tournament has a competitive atmosphere, but it’s all in good
nature.
"Logan was a fierce competitor, but he was always about having
a good time, and smiling and laughing," Coker said. "And that's
really what the tournament is all about."
Story by Millie Rice
Designer Jack Parkin
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