It always begins with a dream–and for senior student Dusten Peterson, he will begin to further pursue his dream when he makes his move down to Florida to play college lacrosse. Peterson has been playing both Box and Field Lacrosse for the past seven years. Box Lacrosse is played with teams of six, whereas Field Lacrosse is played with teams of ten. It is also played on a smaller field, and tends to be referred to as indoor lacrosse. The goal nets tend to be smaller in Box Lacrosse as well. As the box season is just starting, Peterson is currently practicing with the Jr. B Tier 1 Okotoks Marauders, and has been recently drafted to the Jr. A Mountaineers. When he is playing field lacrosse, he plays for the Mustangs Starz.
Coach Ward, the lacrosse coach at Florida Southern College, approached Peterson about his scholarship. It was in response to an email Peterson had sent him after they met briefly at the University of Towson for the Top 205 East recruiting camp during the summer.
After expressing his interest in having Peterson as a potential student athlete for the Florida Southern College, Peterson was invited to go on a school tour, in which he was personally shown around and given an opportunity to stay the night with the team to see if he would be a good fit. ”For college athletes it is not just about athletic ability,” says Peterson, “coaches want hard-working dedicated kids that are not only good players, but good people in general. Coaches do not want the best player that is an all-star but also a trouble maker.” Peterson believes that went into consideration with the potential Coach Ward saw in him. In terms of playing the game, Peterson says that he loves the physicality and the quickness. “Lacrosse is a game that can be seen as a combination of so many sports,” he says, “but it has its own unique style. It is being called the fastest game on two feet.”
On August 14th, he will begin his collegiate life in Florida, and will play with the Florida Moccasins. Other than lacrosse, he lives a typical high school life and enjoys skateboarding, longboarding, and hanging out with friends in his free time.
“As cliché as it may sound, once you have a dream or goal, stick with it,” shares Peterson, “Sports in particular are huge in the states and a lot of schools here have collegiate sport opportunities. The biggest piece of advise I can give is to follow what you enjoy doing. Don’t pursue something just because all of your friends are doing it, follow what you love and if you work hard, everything else will fall into place.”
