This article originally appeared in the 2019 Festival Edition of the Ontario Lacrosse Magazine

Every spring, parents flock to the Forest Glade Arena to place their little ones under the care of the Windsor Warlocks Minor Lacrosse Association to learn Canada’s national summer sport. These pudgy-cheeked boys and girls get squeezed into their shoulder pads and gloves, get buckled into their brand-new helmets, and are handed their very own lacrosse sticks for the first time. Many of these three, four, and five-year olds, as they are led out through the arena doors and onto the playing surface, stare out in wonder at their new playground, as they are seeing a brand new world for the first time.

Many of these kids will discovered a passion that they will chase for the rest of their lives. The Windsor Warlocks’ paperweight program, which features kids turning six and under, has grown in recent years, but has lagged behind similar programs in Wallaceburg, London, and Sarnia. Recent new changes to the Ontario Lacrosse Association’s paperweight system and recent sponsorship agreements between local businesses and the Warlocks are looking to change that trend.

Vice president of Greater Windsor Lacrosse Andrew Soulliere, local McDonald’s owner/operator Jason Trussell, and the McDonald’s of Windsor-Essex have teamed up to form Small Fries Lacrosse, Windsor’s newly branded paperweight division.

“Andrew reached out to me in 2016 about sponsoring the Windsor Clippers,” explained Trussell. “[The Clippers] seemed like a good organization and we do lots of things that encourage activity and extracurricular things in sports, whether it’s hockey, lacrosse, whatever that may be. It seemed like a good organization and Andrew was quite passionate about the team and not just for the sport but being part of the community as well.”

The Clippers and McDonald’s of Windsor-Essex forged a sponsorship deal that has endured ever since. “One of the first things Andrew had said to me was that they like to make sure that the boys have an appreciation for life outside of sport and they wanted them to be involved in McHappy Day […] and come out and help us collect donations. “It just seemed like a good fit for us, so we did it for one year and we’ve continued to do it each year since then.”

This spring, the two organizations are taking their relationship a step further. “Andrew came to me late last year and said he had an idea to help encourage the younger group of kids to get involved in lacrosse,” said Trussell.

“He had a neat idea for naming it, calling it the Small Fries, we talked about it and it seemed like a good idea. It allows us to be a part of the fabric of the community and to promote extracurricular activities for kids and we just decided to move ahead with it.”

“I saw an opportunity and need for this program and started working on the details and putting it together,” said Soulliere. “Jason is an amazing guy, a tremendous employer, and engaged in the community he serves. I approached Jason with this opportunity and he saw the potential and the value of giving back to the kids.”

A resident of Belle River, Trussell owns five McDonald’s locations in Windsor – Walker Road, Roundhouse, Dougall, Walmart on Dougall, and Tecumseh Rd. E.

“I started as a crew person back in the late ’80s and became a manager after two years of being a crew person,” Trussell recalled. “Then I went off to school to pursue some other career things and I came back home to McDonald’s a number of years ago, became an owner/operator of five of the restaurants in Windsor in 2015.”

Originally from Brockville, he has lacrosse in his family, and although he never played, he is a fan. His son and his nephew enjoyed the sport for a number of years and he was a season ticket holders while his family lived in Hamilton for the National Lacrosse League’s Toronto Rock.

“One of the things I’m very passionate about is being active in the community and giving back to the community that supports our business, as well as making sure we invest in our employees,” said Trussell. He says that one of the top reasons he chose a career at McDonald’s was, as someone who grew up in the company, watching their interactions with and support of local sports groups and charities.

Also, he says it’s just a great place to work. “McDonald’s, I personally think, is a great employer,” he said. “It’s allowed me to achieve whatever successes I’ve had in my career. “They’re the ones that granted me a scholarship when I was going to college, in fact, twice I received a scholarship, so I very much agree with repeating that type of community involvement and contribution.”

As part of the sponsorship agreement, all paperweight players will get McDonald’s sponsored jersey and an end of year party. “[It’s] awesome for our organization to get a sponsor like McDonald’s on board,” said Warlocks’ president Jerry Kavanaugh. “There are some great fun things in the works for this age group; we have 40-plus kids registered for Small Fries Lacrosse. Our goal is to get every one of them back next year and grow the Warlocks program from there.” The Warlocks have been busy in the offseason, attempting to grow the game.

3-on-3 OLA Mini-Game

Helping fuel the growth of the new Small Fries division is a free-stick sponsorship for first-time lacrosse players put forth by Made to Shade Window Coverings and a new 3-on-3 mini-game initiative being pushed by the Ontario Lacrosse Association.

“[Small Fries is an] excellent example of local sponsorship that adds value to both the association and the business,” said OLA program and marketing director Ron MacSpadyen.

There is a strong potential that this year’s Small Fries division, which will incorporate the OLA’s Mini-Game Program and the free stick giveaways, will serve as a litmus test for moving the OLA’s youngest division forward.

“I think the unique aspect and great potential of the Windsor model is the combination

of their promotional initiatives,” said MacSpadyen.

“The Mini-Game Program is designed as an OLA introductory version of the game scaled for children in the Paperweight division. “The smaller floor size dimensions reduce the playing space to increase the game pace in an effort to maximize participation and development opportunities for all players.

“The game has several important features to promote the recruitment and skill development of players — no-contact environment, small floor dimensions, nets, and creases, a soft ball, 3-on-3 competition, [and a] 20-second shot clock.

“The more promotional initiatives any club can bundle with the Mini-Game Program, the more successful I believe they will be in attracting and retaining players.” MacSpadyen likes what the Warlocks are doing with the Small Fries.

“The Windsor approach is a smart and thoughtful example of such a strategy and I know Andrew is planning on adding more promotional elements for next season,” he said. “I feel there is great potential for local companies to partner with our clubs to both give back to their community and drive business results. The Made To Shade and McDonald’s examples in Windsor is something many of our clubs across the province could benefit from.”

Trussell is just happy to be giving back to his community. “I think [Small Fries] is worth a shot and hopefully we’ll be able to build on it from a small start to a larger program down the road,” he said. “I would say that all of our operators are all advocates in their communities because we all are independent store operators even though we work under the McDonald’s brand.”

As an example, Trussell explained that 100 per cent of the proceeds from this year’s McHappy Day on May 8 will be given to local charities in the Windsor-Essex community, including Big Brothers and Big Sisters, John McGivney Children’s Centre, and Windsor Ronald McDonald House. “I would say the common element though is that [McDonald’s owners] want to be a part of the fabric of the communities that we operate in. We’ve been in Canada for over 50 years now and we very much like to be local.”

“If [Small Fries] does pick up, it would not surprise me if it becomes an attractive thing for other owner/operators in different communities to participate in.”

Written by Devan Mighton

Reprinted with permission of Windsor Essex Community Publishing