Meet River Marquardt

“Thank you for the opportunity to play with CityLax.”

​One of our newest CityLax players is River Marquardt, a middie from Chesterton, Indiana. River recently moved to NYC, where he’ll finish his senior year at Long Island City High School. While the transition from Indiana to New York City is a lot to take in, River says lacrosse has made it a bit easier. “I was dying for some way to play during the winter, so I’m glad I found CityLax. And the coaches are awesome—we played for almost three hours and then got lunch after and ended up talking. It’s just a really cool environment to be exposed to right away.”

​That sense of community was one of the things that initially drew him to the sport when he first started in middle school. “I love the mix of the competition in lacrosse and how it’s like a family. I think because it’s still a new sport and everyone wants to grow the game, everyone’s very open and not afraid to talk or to get to know each other.” For instance, laughing, River describes how he’s already met his entire Long Island City team; “It was actually pretty funny, because I was carrying my stick through the hallway at school and everyone just came up to me, so I ended up meeting the whole team in one day. It was cool to be accepted into that right away.”

One difference that River’s noticed already between his teammates from CityLax and from Indiana is the passion of the players. “Kids here are a lot more devoted to lacrosse,” he says. “Back in Indiana, they would show up and they would be really good, but they wouldn’t put their energy into it. Here, there’s more of a drive—they really want to play.” He’s looking forward to playing alongside his new teammates for his senior season and the opportunity to be a leader on the field. “My best advice for younger players is just don’t give up. Play wall ball and work on your off hand—it will pay off.” As for after graduation, River plans to attend college and then graduate school for an MBA. He hopes to combine his interests in art, creative writing, and statistics and pursue a career in advertising.