My Alf Story

I first met Alf Jacques at the USA Lacrosse convention in 2007.  I did not know his back story, I was just fascinated by the wooden sticks, which I had first played with back in high school in 1970 but hadn’t seen since the introduction of plastic sticks.

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While his beautiful box sticks were beyond my modest budget, I found an Ojibwe Great Lakes stick that looked like a hoop on the end of the shaft. I had never held one before, and Alf had a leather ball that they might have played with and tossed it on the ground. I struggled to try to scoop it up and failed miserably. Alf took the stick from me and with a quick flick of his wrist had it in the stick ready to take a shot – “wow!”   I was sold.

I then asked Alf if he would sell me the ball too. “No!” was the startling reply. “You have to make it, like they did!”  So when I got home, that’s what I did. It’s now one of my prized lacrosse possessions. I had the chance to show it to Alf later on. “You made this?”  “Yes.”   “Good job!”  I can’t tell you how good that made me feel.

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Last spring, Alf contacted me to let me know that the stained glass sticks I had made him had actually gotten broken during shipment. I was devastated to hear that, and Alf, being the gentleman he is, was reluctant to break the news.  I was glad he did though!  We were headed to a Smith family reunion in Vermont in June, so I charted a course that would take us through Nedrow, NY in the Onandaga Nation to retrieve the damaged piece. I also took the opportunity to present Alf with a set of the Medicine Wheel sticks and get a picture of his handiwork along with mine. A great day.

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Later in September I returned to Connecticut for my 50th Hall High School reunion, the school where I was first introduced to lacrosse, and which I’m still playing 50 years later. Naturally the route took me back to Alf’s workshop where I was able to personally deliver his customized piece and help with the installation in his workshop.  In thanks, Alf presented me with a red cedar stir stick for cooking, as well as an autographed handmade leather ball. He wouldn’t sell me one, but he gave me this one. Miigwech Alf.

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We were all saddened by his passing in June 2023.  While Alf may not be with us physically, his spirit lives on through the the beautiful sticks he has given us so that we can honor the Creator's gift and play the Medicine Game.                

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