As spring sports are off to a fresh start and everyone is breaking in new cleats, sticks and rackets there will always be an aspect of a particular spring sport that will never change. Lacrosse is a very important aspect in the East Grand rapids community and the excitement doesn’t just come from the success we have experienced of countless state championships, it comes from the students that are on the team. One of the most iconic of duos are Lilly Kate and Jacob Rogers, also known as Badger.

The siblings were first drawn to the sport after a neighbor had introduced them to it at a young age. Badger began playing with their neighbor’s son because he always had a stick in his hand. Lilly Kate saw how much her brother enjoyed the sport and she also wanted to try it out.

“I didn’t start playing until 7th grade which is pretty young but, I think I wanted to play because so many of my friends played along with my brother. It was also the “new thing” so of course I wanted to try it,” Rogers’ 19 said.

The love for lacrosse grew as the pair started playing for teams outside of school. The sport had started becoming more popular so the duo dove right into the lacrosse frenzy. The sport was knew to the whole family because neither Mr. or Mrs. Rogers had played before.

“I started playing very young and it was a really fun thing to try and clearly lacrosse started becoming more and more popular so I got to play with my friends which made it even better,” said Rogers’ 18.

The love and passion for lacrosse never dwindled in the Rogers household. Both Badger and LK have not only continued to play for club teams, they have also become very involved in the lacrosse program at East Grand rapids. Badger is known for stringing almost all of his team’s strings.

“I started watching videos and figured out that I can string myself. It’s nice adjust my stick to my preference and switch it up. I also realized that I could make money off of it and it was rewarding to see people play with a head that I strung,” Rogers’ 18 said.

With lacrosse being such a prevalent sport in the Rogers household the siblings do, of course have some friendly competition between the two of them. They are always trying to improve each other’s game whether the advice was asked for or not. This is one of the hardest parts of having a sibling that has the same passion.  But, their secret to not letting it get to their heads is balance.

“Our dad really cares about lacrosse and always seems to weasel his way into assistant coach on the team or somehow finding odd jobs to be on the sidelines. I don’t mind it because he means well and I know that he just wants to support us whatever way he can,” Rogers’ 18 said.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Rogers support Badger and LK in different ways. Mr. Rogers has a more competitive approach compared to Mrs. Rogers. He is always trying to help them improve and has no problem giving his opinion about how the siblings are playing. Mrs. Rogers on the other hand believes that having fun is the most important part of the game. The siblings agree that her approach can be very refreshing because she just wants her children to enjoy the game and not feel pressured.

Lacrosse will always be something that will bring Badger and LK will share a love and passion for. The sport has given both of them so many opportunities to grow as a person and a player. The friendships that they have made from lacrosse will always be special to them along with their ability to such a big part of the program here at East Grand Rapids.