The World Lacrosse Box Championships are upon us. Every four years since 2003, the world has come together for this tournament, in which Canada has never lost a game, let alone a gold medal. The tournament has swelled to 28 teams, ranging from Puerto Rico to Poland, Hungary to Hong Kong, and Australia to Austria.
But none of these nations would be here if it weren’t for the Haudenosaunee.
The people who created this game for the Creator. The people who view lacrosse as more than just a game or sport; it is a way of life—the medicine game. A celebration of health, strength, courage, fair play, and spirituality, as stated by the Haudenosaunee Nationals.
This is a game from which they were once banned from international competition—a game they created and continue to exemplify with some of the most creative and electrifying superstars in the sport today. Still their participation in the 2028 Olympics remains a possibility, not a certainty.
So what lies ahead? What can we control right now? That’s the World Box Championships.
In this tournament, the Haudenosaunee have finished second all five times, earning five silver medals, including a heartbreaking one-goal overtime loss to Canada in 2007.
The lacrosse world would love nothing more than to see a Haudenosaunee gold medal. It would be more than validation; we already know how skilled and entertaining they are to watch, and they’re the fan favorites at these tournaments. For General Manager Landon Miller and the Haudenosaunee Nationals, it would mean an inspirational story for every Indigenous person from coast to coast about what is possible.
He’s the General Manager of the Haudenosaunee, the man who helped construct the roster that will represent them in their quest for a gold medal. We’ll discuss the weight of that gold, who he chose to represent the team, and what kind of lacrosse they need to play.
He’s an expert team builder and manager, having won four Minto Cups in a decade with the Six Nations Arrows. He assisted Curt Styres in managing the Rochester Knighthawks' historic three-peat—the only three-peat in NLL history. When the Philly Wings relaunched in 2018, one of Paul Day’s first calls was to Landon, seeking his expertise in building that expansion team in a crucial NLL market.
Landon is also a revered business leader—President, founder, and advisor of many successful and groundbreaking ventures. In 2016, he opened the largest free-standing Tim Hortons on First Nations territory in Canada, which was considered one of a kind for being Native owned, operated, and situated on Native soil.
We’ll discuss his business experience and how he manages teams off the lacrosse floor in this episode.
Raised in Six Nations, Landon now lives in the beautiful Westbank First Nation in the Okanagan.
Purchase; The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy
Support; Haudenosaunee Nationals Lacrosse
Instagram: @BradChalloner