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Jones Eager to Return to NLL and Community Programs

For many of us, the ‘pause’ as we reluctantly call it, has a way of revealing character, and of finding resolve in a situation that none of us could have ever predicted.

For Vancouver Warriors forward Mitch Jones, like many of us, he has accepted the challenge and is finding ways to keep busy.

Jones, 28, just wrapped up his eighth NLL season, his fifth as an everyday player, and this season did Jones ever come to work every day.  28 goals and 46 assists for 74 points had the Ladner product well on his way to career highs and had Jones 2nd in the NLL in overall scoring.

Until the ‘pause’ stopped sports in his tracks.  But for Jones, it was more than that.

Mitch Jones has been one of the Warriors primary team ambassadors, specifically, the lead player in the Warriors Stick to School Community Program.  Not being able to see the smiling kids at school assemblies and gymnasiums around the Lower Mainland has left Jones with a sense of unfinished business. “It is programs like Stick to School that encouraged me as a kid that I can live my dream of being a professional athlete,” says Jones. “I look forward to getting back out there when this whole thing (Covid-19) subsides and hope that I can help some kids find their way the way that I did.”

In the meantime, Jones is keeping busy.  Not a big TV watcher, Jones tries to get outside as much as possible, while maintaining guidelines of social distancing.  “I am staying in game shape in case we get to play at some point,” comments Jones.  I have a practice net that I can haul out and I am constantly working on my game to be ready so that when we get the call to come back, I can pick up where I left off.”

Jones also knows that his health is the most important thing to a long and successful NLL career, and is training differently than when he started out as a pro. “I am just hitting the prime years of my pro lacrosse career, and instead of just trying to bench press a ton of weight I am working on injury prevention and building blocks for my body that will hopefully allow me to have success for the next 5-8 years at least,” comments Jones.  “If I can do my part, I can help lead our team to success.”

Mitch Jones in the meantime will wait like the rest of us for everything to get back to the new normal.  Until that happens, he will patiently get ready for what he hopes will be a long and fulfilling NLL career.

Vancouver Warriors