Hobart and William Smith Colleges

23 June 2009 Diko Memorial Lacrosse Games

For the fifth year running, hundreds of Geneva High School alum-athletes are gearing up and grabbing their lacrosse sticks in memory of one of their own.

The Michael Diko DAmico Memorial Geneva Lacrosse Games, hosted by Hobart and William Smith Colleges, are each year in memory of Michael D. DAmico, a 2002 graduate of Geneva High School who, while pursuing a post-graduate year at the Holderness School in Plymouth, N.H., was killed by a drunk driver.

An avid lacrosse and hockey player, DAmico learned how to play lacrosse while attending Hobart summer camps and by working on an individual basis with Associate Director of Admissions Bill Warder 96.

The games are sponsored by Sodexho, the HWS Summer Programs office and the YMCA and will be held on Sunday, July 5, at McCooey field. The second annual womens alumni game will begin at 10 a.m., while the men will face off at noon for their fifth annual memorial game.

Past memorial games, including the first ever Womens Draw in 2008, featured nearly 24 sponsors, approximately 60 donors and over 200 alums and current Geneva players ranging from the classes of 1966 to 2009, from states coast to coast.

Im overwhelmed by the communitys generosity, says Associate Director of Admissions Ruth Teague 77. As a parent, I volunteer because I cannot imagine losing a child this way. All three of my kids played at Geneva High School and at HWS (Preston 02, Lindsay 04 and Garrett 07), so we could not think of a better way to honor Michaels memory than to play lacrosse.

The registration fee is $15.Players, on-site volunteers and sponsors are needed for the games. All proceeds will be donated to the YMCA youth lacrosse program, where DAmico played.

For additional information about the mens game, please contact:

Preston Teague 02 at (716) 697-0976 or pteague22@hotmail.com

Ruth Teague 77 at (315) 781-3730 or teague@hws.edu

Bill Warder 96 at (585) 943-4895 or warder@hws.edu

For further information about the womens game, contact Kris Martin at (315) 945-7796 or tmartin15@rochester.rr.com.

Details regarding the event may be found at Michael Diko DAmico Memorial Lacrosse Game Web site.

Registration forms and details are also available at the Geneva Family YMCA.