Keeping the Game's History Alive
The making of traditional, wooden lacrosse sticks is a unique art, and there is no better artisan in Canada than Mathew Etienne. For years, Etienne has sweated and toiled while honing his craft, supplying players both young and old with wooden sticks. In this CBC Television clip, Newswatch visits Etienne's Quebec workshop to see how this dedicated craftsman transforms a piece of hickory into an essential piece of accoutrement for the average lacrosse player. Though it's a delicate art form, it is a dying one as more and more players are using cheaper plastic sticks. It's a trend that has some worried. "I don't think lacrosse should be played with plastic. We call it Tupperware," opines local coach Gary Carbonnell. In spite of the boom in plastic stick sales, Etienne plans to tirelessly forge ahead and preserve the traditional values of lacrosse. "I'll take my tears to the grave," he says with a wry smile.
VIDEO (CBC)
Medium:
WMV
-
Windows
Media
Video
from
Television
Program:
Newswatch
Broadcast
Date:
May
6,
1993
Reporter:
Fiona
Downey
Interviewee(s):
Mathew
Etienne
Duration:
3:37