VYPE-U talks with Ke'Von Day on his experience throughout his 8 years of playing lacrosse for Bridge Lacrosse in Dallas, TX.
Often, underprivileged and underserved communities lack the access to equality. Whether that be in sports or with essential resources, we see a disparity. Bridge Lacrosse is a nonprofit organization that strives to broaden the horizons of the youth in their community through lacrosse. Ke'Von Day, a senior at the Winston School in North Dallas, has had many life changing experiences as a black-student athlete, in the past eight years, playing on the Varsity Bridge Lacrosse team.
When he first started playing lacrosse he had no idea what the positions were. All he knew was that he wanted to score goals. Which, after eight years, has not happened in a regular season game. So, starting off he played some attack for about one practice, but then his team was in need of a goalie. So, when no one else would step up to walk into the cage Ke'Von finally decided to give it a try and, undeniably, it worked out well. Apart from Bridge, he plays for Stick Star and Nation United TX Lacrosse. Day has had quite a high school career. He has been named the 2019 THSLL Division 2 All-District Goalie, he is a member of the Bridge Leadership Board and is an Eagle Ambassador at the Winston School. He also comes in with a 60% save percentage.
VYPE-U takes a deep dive into how lacrosse has opened up many doors for him and the people who have taken part in his undeniable success.
Prior to writing this article, I got the opportunity to speak with Ke'Von and asked him a series of questions in which he was brutally honest. When asked: "How has being a black student-athlete impacted or affected your athletic life in any way shape or form?" He was very open and descriptive about his experience, and said:
"Being a black student athlete in the sport of lacrosse has had some challenges but many rewards. I have had my encounter with people that do not look like me and they definitely let me know how they feel. However, overall being black in the lacrosse community has affected my life more ways than imaginable. For example, I have become very confident in myself when I am the only person of color in the room. I do not have to change who I am to make others feel comfortable around me. Instead I work to make sure the comfort level is even both ways."
Ke'Von's response, evidently, is a mature and intelligent response. Not many people can be patient enough to not be quick to react when there's a microaggression that occurs on the field or even outside the field.
Day's career all started with one coach: David Higbee. Coach Higbee has been an incredibly huge part of his life, both outside and inside of lacrosse. For Ke'Von, Coach Higbee has always been supportive through good times and bad. On the lacrosse field, he was the first coach to greet Day, and take him through the rules of the game. However, off the lacrosse field his impact is untouchable. He is always there to help Ke'Von make a tough life decision with advice and open arms. The amount of connections that he has made because of Coach Higbee is unparalleled. Like Ke'Von said, "I believe the most important thing someone can do is tell the truth. Coach David will always be honest and informational whenever I talk with him, which I appreciate a lot."
We also got speak to Coach David Higbee about Ke'Von, and he said:
"He's incredibly passionate. He will try to get his team to win. He's the kind of player that leaves it all on the field for a win and for his teammates. He literally sacrifices his body for them. Overall, he is an all around competitor and a skilled goalie."
Here are a few clips to show how much of a skilled lacrosse player Day is:
Ke'Von has big dreams and aspirations for his future life. He hopes to attend Duke University to double major in sports management and another form of business. He does hope to expand his lacrosse experience at Duke, playing Division 1 lacrosse as a walk on. In the future, he wishes to own his own real estate company that sells ranches or to become a general manager of a sports franchise.
Want to know more? Follow him on social media:
Instagram- @hbk.blast