Community Corner

Lacrosse Leads to Scholarship for Lemont Teen

This fall, Tyler Larek heads to the University of Tampa on a lacrosse scholarship.

Tyler Larek of Lemont was 12 years old when he picked up his first lacrosse stick, given to him by his older sister’s then boyfriend who played the sport for the University of Notre Dame.

“He taught me all the basics,” said Larek, who graduated from in May. “It was fun and different. No one else played it on the block really.”

Though at the time lacrosse took second to Larek’s passion for football, his father, Steve, found him a youth lacrosse team to join in Orland Park.

“Tyler was always a football guy and he was really good,” Steve Larek said. “Lacrosse was just another thing for him to do.”

Steve Larek began working with the Orland Park team and then, sensing a need for the program in Lemont, decided to launch a team there a few years ago.

“I knew it had to come home if it was going to be successful,” he said.

The Lemont Indians Lacrosse team has continued to gain popularity, today boasting about 100 kids.

And the Indians have been able to hold their own over the years against teams with higher player numbers.

“We’re smaller than almost everybody we compete against,” Steve Larek said. “And we’re doing really well. I’ve told people over and over, ‘I will always bet on Lemont kids.’ They’re marvelous.”

Tyler Larek has flourished into a successful player, and this fall will head to the University of Tampa on a lacrosse scholarship, which the teen calls “pretty crazy.”

“I never actually stopped to think about where it all started and where it’s bringing me,” he said. “It’s pretty cool to look at it and think how it got me this far.”

Steve Larek, who has since turned over the reins as manager for the Indians, anticipates more of the village’s lacrosse players receiving scholarships from colleges and universities in the future.

“We have three or four kids who are already gaining a lot of interest from colleges,” he said. “That’s absolutely thrilling.”

Tyler Larek is looking forward to playing lacrosse for the University of Tampa.

“I’m definitely going to miss Lemont,” he said. “But the university reminds me a little bit of home because of how old it is and it has a small, homey feeling. It’s going to be tough to leave home but I’m sure I’ll get used to it there.”

When it comes to lacrosse, he enjoys the sport’s creativity.

“There’s no end to what you can do with the stick,” he said. “You can always add something to what you’ve learned or do something more creative with a move. Once you learn the basics, it goes wherever you want to take it.”

When he’s not playing lacrosse, Tyler will be majoring in finance. He has also decided to seek a minor in theater.

“I’ve always wanted to try acting,” he said. “I never had the guts to do it. I figure I might as well try in college while I have the chance.”

For more information about Lemont Indians Lacrosse, visit the team's website.

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