by Mimi Lazore (Mohawk): Moving Forward With NCAA DI Lacrosse Player At Dartmouth College
By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
In the Mohawk language, Karihwakweniénhtshera means Respect, Onkwaió ténhsera means Responsibility, Karihwanó:ron means Relevance, and Tekarihwaienawá:kon means Reciprocity.
These are some of the words that define Mohawk students who are away from home and in college participating in athletics.
Mirabella “Mimi” Lazore is a 5’2, freshman lacrosse player at Dartmouth College. She is Mohawk. Mimi is the daughter of John and Amy Lazore and live in Akwesasne, a Mohawk reservation in upstate New York that borders Canada. Her Mohawk name is Wehnitanoren and translates to “she makes the season.” Mimi’s older sister Jacelyn plays for Virginia Tech University. Mimi and Jacelyn are 13 months apart in age.
Usually awarded to the top high school female lacrosse player in the country, two Mohawk sisters, Mimi and Jacelyn Lazore, shared the 2019 Tewaaraton Outstanding Native American Lacrosse Scholarship Award.
The Dartmouth College lacrosse team recently won their first game against UMass and upset a top-5 team. Although this is the first college game of Mimi the road to Dartmouth College started at a younger age.
Mimi was a Section 10 Champion in seventh and eighth grade and Section 10 MVP in eighth grade. She was named an Under Armour 150 All-Star and played on the Upstate NY Under Armour team that competed in the Under Armour All-American Tournament. While at IMG Academy, she earned the William E. Bjorness and Hard Hat Awards at IMG Academy.
Mimi represented her nation as a member of the Haudenosaunee Nationals Women’s Team at the 2017 FIL World Cup in England and the Haudenosaunee Nationals U19 Team at the 2019 FIL World Cup in Peterborough, Ontario.
Tribal Core Values As The Key Driving Force
“My tribal core values have been the key driving force that has driven me as far as I have come today,” said Mimi. “As an attempt to summarize our tribal core values, it is to carry one’s self with intentionality and accountability with the goal of building a path for generations behind you and working towards gaining knowledge, tools, and connections that will later, benefit the community.”
“An important aspect of this is to always remember where you come from and the people in the community who have helped get you to where you are. As a student-athlete with the background and identity I have, I carry a sense of responsibility on my shoulders everyday. At previous schools, some of my classmates admitted to me that I was the first Native American they had ever met and also admitted that they thought that ‘Native Americans just were not around anymore.’ With experiences like this, I always walk around with the intentionality and accountability of representing my people. While some may think this is a burden it is a motive for myself. Instead of shying away or backing down from the problematic situations and people, I took them head on and fully embraced the challenge. This mentality has brought me more opportunities than I could have ever imagined. It has even brought me to an Ivy League school that I had only dreamt about as a kid. I actually chose Dartmouth College because of the rich Native American history at the roots of the school. The college was started as a school for natives. I am planning to major in Government and minor in Native American Studies with the goal of getting a job that will fight and advocate for Native American rights in the country we live in today,” added Mimi.
“My goal is to give back to the community in the future,” said Mimi. “I try to give back to the community now by coaching young girls in Akwesasne. I find that there is so much talent within the girls and it sure is fun to coach them on the field. I find it even more satisfying to guide them off the field with tips on how to better themselves not just as athletes, but also as students and people. The girls I work with have been one of the instances where I want success and self-growth for them more than I want it for myself. Every time I step onto the field, I picture those little faces with their bright and curious eyes and remember to never stop having fun with this beautiful game we have the privilege of playing.
“I can say as a student-athlete, it is important to stay hungry, stay humble, and to never want to stop learning. As a student-athlete who keeps in mind the tribal values, it is important that when face to face with adversity, lose yourself in the service of others and keep moving forward,” added Mimi.
Being Influenced By Others
“As a coach, trainer, and a mentor, John Lazore has had the utmost of impacts on me as an athlete,” said Mimi. “Through physical preparation, I was completely pushed to my limits and learned the value of sacrifice. This then led to the emotional and mental preparation that would ensure my composure in high-pressure situations. John is one of the most hardworking people I know. He never fails to remind me through his actions that there is always more of yourself to give to something that you care for. John worked himself to the bone and actually sacrificed one of his passions to train my sister and I. This is the part where I should mention John is my father. Out of respect, I should probably apologize for calling him anything besides ‘Coach Lazore’ and ‘Dad.’ Thank you for everything, Dad.”
“Mirabella is my miracle,” said John Lazore. “I did not know I was capable of coaching until she revealed to me how badly she wanted to learn. She inspired me to study the game and break it down for her. She is the type of player that makes a coach want to evolve along with her. As she grew so did I. She is a master student. With any new skill she would be open-minded. We would discuss it and then demonstrate. She would instantly take her laser focus and relentlessly practice until she had it. As a young girl she was shy and soft spoken. When she picked up her stick at age 9 and stepped onto that field she transformed into someone else. A confident and aggressive clutch player who made every teammate feel like they were instantly more talented. Mimi found herself there. A fierce, smart, and outgoing girl who learned to carry that persona after the game was completed. She showed me I could be a successful teacher. She inspired me to study the game. Her sisters were all amazed by her transformation and took to the game with similarities allowing lacrosse to bring out the best from within themselves.”
“My wife Amy always believed lacrosse was what bonded our family closer together. She encouraged all of us to keep studying and continue to teach. We are all passionate about growing the game. My daughter Mirabella opened my eyes to what power this sport does for our family and our community. It is an ancient game and originated with our Haudenosaunee people. It strengthens our culture. The women’s game is played different from the original men’s game or ‘Tewaaraton’. Mirabella, her sisters, all of our young women playing this game brings honor to our people. Mimi carries that responsibility with her. She conducts herself that way through all aspects of her life. She sets high standards and does her best to prove herself. I have been her coach for 10 years and her father for 19. I will be her biggest fan for life.”
“Mimi Lazore is my little sister, but her presence on the field makes her bigger than me,” said Jacelyn. “She’s a leader off because she leads by example. From a very young age she used to be a very shy little girl. And a lot of times I would have to look out for her. But as we started to play lacrosse more and more, it gave Mimi confidence to voice her self to others. So now that she’s 19 years old and a freshman at Dartmouth, nobody can tell her wrong. She’s so aware and so knowledgeable of her surroundings that she’s going to tell you how it is in real life, and on the field will tell you what to do. This goes to show the person that she’s grown into, and how valuable she is to the native lacrosse players rising above.”
“As the head coach of Outlaw Ladies, the first club I had played for from Syracuse, New York, I can say Brewster Sears’ personality is unforgettable,” said Mimi. “He has positively influenced me as an athlete because he gave me the opportunity to compete with some of the best lacrosse players in the nation, which put me in the position to elevate my lacrosse abilities and form connections with amazing people. One of those being his daughter, Kyla Sears, who embodies the words ‘grit’ and “humility” to me. I give credit to Brewster for being one of the main reasons why I was able to receive the amazing opportunity to be in the position I am today at Dartmouth.”
“I started the Outlaw Ladies Lax Club in upstate NY and ran it for nine years,” said Brewster Sears. “I will always be a huge fan of the Lazore sisters. Two quick flashbacks: John Lazore contacted me for a couple players to fill out a roster for the Akwesasne Attack team he was coaching. I sent my daughter Kyla and another player Amanda Cramer to play with them. My kid and Amanda knew no one on that team besides Mimi and Jace. They were also the only non-Akwesasne players on that roster. I think that situation might have been intimidating for a couple young girls. Mimi and her sister went way out of their way to make Kyla and Amanda feel comfortable and part of the crew. On the field and at the tent between games I think that showed a great deal of leadership and initiative for Mimi to go out of her way like that. My daughter and Amanda made some lifelong friends through lax and that weekend was a great one.”
“Quite a few years ago my daughters team was playing Salmon River in the NYS HS tournament. A few days before the game Mimi and Jace Lazore responded to a message from my kid who asked, ‘How come the kids from Akwe get to have such cool names?’ The Lazores went to a clan mother and Kyla got a cool name too. Translated: “she who brings the rain”. That was a very cool thing to do and was a special moment for my kid. One of her most prized possessions is a wood lax stick with ‘kianiakhowie’ engraved in to it,” added Brewster.
“The Lazores (Mimi, Jace, and Dad/family) have really employed lacrosse as a bridge between cultural groups,” said Brewster. “My kid and the other players in the Outlaw Ladies benefitted greatly from this. They now have lifelong friends they otherwise never would have known had it not been for Lazore’s and the sport. Bridges aren’t always built over rivers.”
“As the head coach of Monster Elite and my recent head coach of Haundenosaunee Nationals, my family considers Ronnie Davis (RD) to be my ‘lacrosse godfather.’ RD gave me the opportunity to play with his club team that also included some of the best high school players in the nation. But, when I stepped off the field, he always gave me the critiques and honesty that would only make me a better player. This past summer, he helped me tackle obstacles with my lack of confidence on the field that was a problem that spectators watching may not take into consideration.”
“I have known Mimi Lazore since she has been in the fifth grade and she is by far the hardest working kid I have seen,” said Coach RD. “She exemplifies both skill and mental toughness. However her best trait is she is the best teammate anyone could ever ask for. When you have that in a kid there is never a let down. So proud of everything that she has done for herself, her family and her nation.”
“Kate Noel and Drew White are the head coaches of the well-respected team from Syracuse, NY,” said Mimi. “They have blessed me with the opportunity to form the connections with girls on the Salt City Snipers team that I will never forget. The bond that was formed between the girls on the field and the coaches could be felt off the field. This has positively impacted me as a player because they gave me the opportunity to realize the importance of connection between people to excel as players.
“Tia Schindler is the manager of the Haudenosaunee Nationals team but is considered to be the ‘mother of the team,’” said Mimi. “She has positively impacted me as an athlete in always reminding me to keep in touch with the spiritual side of the game and to always play with a sense of grace, but to always stay gritty. I consider her and her family to be a part of my family.”
“Mimi is a born leader, she brings out the best in her teammates,” said Tia Schindler. “Mimi is intense on the field. You can count on her to give 100% effort in every game. Mimi is a consistent player, and isn’t easily thrown off her game. She is a great feeder, but can also be depended upon to finish if we need a goal. Her head is always up and not only can she find the open player, can thread the pass through traffic with precision. It’s always fun to watch Mimi do her thing on the field.”
“Alex Frank is my head coach at Dartmouth College,” said Mimi. “While I have only had her as a coach since July 8th, 2019 and met her in person September 16, 2019, she has positively impacted me and my perceptions of trust, support, resilience, and intentionality. After having recently gone through a traumatic experience and almost not returning to Dartmouth for the term, I pictured her and my teammates and knew I could not let them down. Returning was not the hardest part but it was the weeks following. I could not have dreamt to receive the support I did from Alex, and she still continues to surprise me in her ability to care for me in ways I do not think any other college coach would.”
“Mimi has made an immediate impact since stepping foot on campus this fall,” said Coach Alex Frank. “Her positive attitude and passion for the game are very evident in the way she plays. Her teammates love playing with her on the field. She provides a sense of calm and understanding of the game that really allows her to thrive on the offensive end.”
“Mimi has done a tremendous job of buying into the values of the program and makes it a point of emphasis to follow them every day. She holds herself and others around her accountable on and off the field. I am excited to continue to watch Mimi grow as a leader throughout her career at Dartmouth,” added Coach Alex.
“Tee Ladouceur is my offensive coach at Dartmouth College,” said Mimi. “She has positively impacted me as an athlete because of her daily reminders to just have fun with it. Tee is one of the most ‘goofy’ people I know and there is a sense of being comfortable and trustful because of it. She is always reminding me to throw in creative stick-work into my game and is someone I can always turn to when I am overwhelmed with stress and need to remember the value of fun in lacrosse.”
“Mimi has a natural knack for the game of lacrosse,” said Tee Ladouceur. “Her youth has never been a factor. She’s one of those players who makes everyone else around her better. She’s extremely coachable and willing to make mistakes and take risks in order to bring her game to the next level. Mimi always comes with a positive attitude.”
“As a crease attacker, it’s important to have tough skin. It’s like being the quarterback of a football team. You need to be able to turn the page quickly after each play and possession. She is very mentally tough and her teammates trust her with the ball and her play making abilities. In addition, she is also able to ‘trash talk’ her own teammates in a positive respectful manner that helps to keep practices fun and fresh,” added Tee.
“Mark ‘Red’ Burnam was one of the men’s coaches at IMG Academy, where I attended for my junior and senior year of high school,” said Mimi. “Not only did Red positively influence and change my life for the better for being one of the main reasons why my sister and I transferred to IMG, he was my daily reminder to not forget who I am and where I come from while I was the farthest I’ve been away from home for the longest amount of time. Red would come to our practices, this being a choice made by him every time, and go through new drills with us to expand our minds and skills past what were used to in just the girl’s game. He incorporated skills from the boy’s game that only elevated our game. Because of his native background, he was always someone I could confide in when I felt overwhelmed by the environment I was in and was not quite used to.”
“Mimi Lazore is one of the most fierce competitors you’ll ever see,” said Coach Mark Burnam. “Many times I saw her battle with her sister during practice which obviously made her the way she played the game. I’ve seen her many times just like a coach pushes and pushes and pushes a player. I seen those two sisters do that and you could always tell when they played against each other that there was gonna be a battle on your hands. It was great to watch that type of competition force their greatness and never leave it on the earth. Leave it all on the field type of attitude and that’s what she exemplified and off the field obviously worked as hard as anybody in the classroom.”
“I think that’s why she ended up an Ivy League school because what she did as parents of multiple siblings you could only imagine the battles that those two had in the backyard. This occurred over to the field, occurred over to practice and then occurred over to the game. The Lazore sisters are two of the most well-mannered girls on the team. Anyone could coach but when the when the whistle blew watch out because there’s gonna be fierce competition between the two of them on the field and practice and many times off the field which made them strive for greatness.”
Jason Levesque was one of the men’s coaches at IMG Academy. He was also the head women’s coach for the first two years of the program. Jacelyn and Mimi were both on the team he coached. “Jason Levesque had actually taken our team under his wing after our head coach was fired,” said Mimi. “For someone who didn’t quite understand the rules of the girl’s game, his love for the game and his genuine care for each and every player on our team helped him transition quickly and successfully into a coach we won’t ever forget. Levesque had learned the rules of the game and was also successful in throwing in some style from the boy’s game to give us a leg up over other teams. Levesque has positively impacted me as a player in the way that he cared for our team and had our backs because of our common love for the game. He was someone I could always confide in when in moments of doubt and could inspire me even on my worst days.”
“Mimi is an extremely driven and determined young woman, both on and off the field,” said Coach Jason Levesque. “She sets an example that any coach would want their players to follow. I recall away trips out of state for games her junior year, I’d head down to get breakfast before the team and there was Mimi, having already eaten, books open, studying away. Other times, we’d come home from a team dinner, and there were times I’d go down to the front desk in the hotel for something, again there she was, staying on top of her studies. She is committed to doing the very best she can regardless of what she is doing, be it school, lacrosse, or just being a good person.”
“On the field, Mimi is one of the most intense and fiercest competitors I’ve had the pleasure of working with. As a coach, you want all of your players to be like that, committed to being the very best in every aspect,” added Coach Jason.
“A quote that I keep in mind everyday is ‘surround yourself with the people you want to be like,”’ said Mimi. “After having specifically named all of the people who positively influenced me, I think it is important to thank each and every teammate on the clubs I was a part of who I was blessed to surround myself with and strive to be like. Thank you to Akwesasne Attack, First Nations, Outlaw Ladies, Monster Elite, Salt City Snipers, Watertown Patriots, Northfield Mount Hermon Varsity, IMG Varsity, and the Haudenosaunee Nationals teams for shaping me into who I am today.”
Coping With Trauma Every Day
“Before January 2nd 2020, I would’ve easily come up with a good storyline pertaining to myself in terms of who I am as a lacrosse player and how that has affected me as a person,” said Mimi. “But, after having experienced a traumatic experience somewhat recently, I think it is important to take this chance to express how things that have happened to me as a person have impacted me as a lacrosse player. The reason I think it is important to mention my recent traumatic experience is because of the relation to a cause that I have supported since its’ beginning, which is the #MMIW. I was assaulted by someone I was actually in a relationship with for years, whom I had trusted with my life for a period of time. I was put into a situation where I could have possibly fallen into the wrong hands and put into a situation way worse than just going to the hospital. After my first collegiate game yesterday, my parents could not help but get emotional because of the fact I could’ve been in a ton more different places than on the field with my teammates.”
“I want to take this time to say that, I was someone who valued the importance of the awareness of the #MMIW, but the idea never crossed my mind that it could actually, realistically would happen to me,” said Mimi. “I thought that based on the work I had put in on the field, in the weight room, and in the classroom, that I was above the idea of domestic violence and could never be subject to it. But, I was and I still am. I would not wish this kind of pain on my worst enemy. It is the type of internal injury that no one can see but I will have to carry around for the rest of my life. It is important for others to know who have or have not experienced this that you are not alone and do not ignore the red flags.”
“The part that scares me the most is that I would say I am quite confident and sure of myself based off all the outlets I am able to feel empowered by in my life,” said Mimi. “But, after this incident, I was in the worst shape mentally I had ever been in my life. I almost did not say or do anything about what happened to me because I did not want to face the fact that it did happen. I just wanted to forget about it. The only reason I did say something was because my support system reminded me of one of my favorite quotes, ‘lose yourself in the service of others.’ I picked myself up and did what I had to do not just for me, but to make sure that my abuser could not do this to anyone else. Luckily, I did take action and gathered and built myself back up again to be better than the person I was before. Not because I ignore what happened to me, but because I embrace it and will use the knowledge given to me to ensure that this won’t happen to others that I see again or myself.”
“An aspect of empowerment that did play in was that even though my abuser is a good lacrosse player and has experienced so many amazing things and opportunities because of it, I have been to just as many places and experienced amazing things, if not more, thanks to lacrosse so why should his talent let him get away with his actions?” said Mimi.
“This experience has only instilled in me the idea that sometimes, bad things are inevitable. But, the only two things you can control are your attitude and effort. So, I will control those and will only use this as motivation to become a better lacrosse player. While lacrosse is my favorite thing to do, my second favorite thing to do is prove people wrong,” added Mimi.
“I hadn’t attended ceremonies much my entire life,” said Mimi. “After the incident I stayed home an extra week and a half or so to kind of gather myself. My traditional part of my family put on ceremonies for me and I give the credit to them for being a big reason how I pulled myself back together and was able to come back to school.”
Karihwakweniénhtshera is the Mohawk word for Respect. Onkwaió ténhsera is the Mohawk word for Responsibility. Karihwanó:ron is the Mohawk word for Relevance. Tekarihwaienawá:kon is the Mohawk word for Reciprocity.
Mimi and Jacelyn Lazore are defined with these Mohawk words in their journey with lacrosse. They make the connections with each word to who they are, where they were and are now, and where they are going.
E’tho niiohtonhka’k ne onkwanikon:ra in Mohawk means “so be it in our minds.” This is in the context of many people influencing Mimi and Jacelyn by saying good words. We need to keep these good words in our good minds and continue to do good things for others.
Photo Credit: Mimi Lazore
