article from rudeboyslacrosse.com:

"Willy" and the rest of Team Canada go to OZ to settle unfinished
business

I am sitting down in Willy's backyard, sipping on a few cocktails,
enjoying the hot summer sun. Shawn and the rest of Team Canada are
heading across the globe to Perth Australia for lacrosse's World Cup
tomorrow. The powerhouse Americans are not sending their top
professional players because of MLL Commitments. The canucks haven't
won gold in over 20 years and the Americans have only lost 1 game in
the history of the World Cup. Could Canada be gold this year in both
their national sports? Will this guy be the spark Team Canada needs
to beat the Americans?
You were raised on the mean streets of Scarborough in one of the
toughest neighbourhoods in Canada , how did lacrosse shape your life?
Lacrosse kept me out of trouble. Other kids would be out doing bad
sh*t but I was always at the arena watching my dad play lacrosse.
It's not like I didn't get into my fair share of trouble it's just
that a lot of my trouble making time was taken up by lacrosse.

A lot of your friends ended up in jail or went down the wrong path,
you, you have a university degree, a great family, you are
representing your country. What did you do to stay straight?
A big reason was my dad always taking about guys like Stan Cockerton
who got a scholarship down to the States to play lacrosse. I always
wanted to go to the States to play ball there and get an education so
that kept me focused and on the right path. When it came time to go,
I passed on a few scholarships and went to Brock University instead.

How was it playing a Senior "A" game with your dad?
Really awesome. My dad always talked about these guys Red and Wayne
Crawford (a father and son combination that played on the same team)
and he always said he wanted to play on the same team as me. So we
got the opportunity to play with each other in Brooklin. Sure he was
old and stuff but he was pretty good. I think he intimidated a lot
of the other players. [Willy's dad is a 6'3 220lbs biker]



Why do you wear number 51?
My old man wore 5 when he played so I wore 5 growing up. Then 5 was
taken one year so I wore 15 and wore that all the way to senior but
Jonny Fusco wore 15 for Brooklin and he's the man there so I had to
switch it up. Now I wear 51.

You're leaving in a few hours to Perth Australia for the World Cup
you must be pretty psyched?
Sure, it's an incredible feeling knowing that you're going to
represent your country. I've been cut from a couple of teams before
and this is going to be my first World Cup. I'm really happy that I
made the team and it's pretty cool that it's in Australia.


What teams are looking good at the World Cup?
People say that the Americans won't be as strong as before because
they aren't sending their top players but that's crap. They have so
many great field players in that country. They are the best in the
world no question. The Aussies are pretty good as well plus I heard
that they have great fans which goes along way. I also heard that
they have been together practicing for 3 years. We [Canada] have a
lot of good players but we haven't practiced as a team at all. There
was the western camp and the eastern camp and that's it.

What are the keys for a Canadian victory?
We have to play our game. We play a box game that is our strength. We
can't play a chess match against the field teams because they'll kill
us. If the Americans wanted they could have possession for the entire
game, no Canadian can strip an American with so much room out there.

So you have to play a "run-and-gun" game?
Exactly, go to the net every time. That's why Canada was successful
at the last World Cup because they played in-tight and used their box
skills.

Gary Gait, the best lacrosse player of all time, isn't playing for
Canada, does that hurt Canada's chances for Gold?
Yes.

Where did you get your field experience?
I played a little in minor lacrosse, then, for the Blue Knights. I
really didn't start getting into it until I played in university for
Brock. Now that team was great. Probably the most dominate team I've
ever played on. Our starting 12 were NLL stars. We played for 3
straight years without even breaking a sweat.

Why do Canadians dominate the box game and Americans the field game.
Well box lacrosse is our game. We all started playing in a box at 4
years old and the skills are a lot different than in field plus you
have to be tough to play it. We are use to the hits and slashes and
fights while the American who start to play box later on in life just
can't adapt to the physical play. A lot of Canadian don't start
playing field until they are 16 or so. The Americans on the other
hand have been playing field their whole lives it's their game and
they are such great athletes and in field you have to be in great
shape to be good at it. It's not like box.

What kind of music gets you going?
Limp Biscuit, Rage Against the Machine, Smashing Pumpkins, they're
all pretty good.
Why are you successful? What do you do that makes you a good player?
I don't mind getting hit. I am pretty good in the middle with the
ball. I'll get hit but I'll keep coming back. I am also good at
scoring from both the outside and the inside which makes it harder
for the D to key in.
Hogan had the leg drop, Jordan had the fade away, What is your move?
"The krippler" is a pretty good one. You have your stick up over your
shoulder and the goalie thinks you'll shoot high, then you break your
wrist and just drop the ball at about 10 miles an hour or so down low
between the legs or short side. You look like a goat if you miss it
though.

What's the craziest thing you or someone you know has done for money?
Eat a piece of sh*t. My friend did it, we all bet him $100 that he
couldn't eat it but he did... inch by inch he ate the pooh. He puked
afterward so we only gave him $40.

What are you using? Who are you sponsored by?
STX right now. I use the new box stick it's called X-Box, an orange
Ultra-Lite shaft, Igniter gloves, Mercury slash guards, and a back
pad when I play box.



ARE YOU READY FOR RAPID FIRE?

Paul or Gary?
Gary.
Pepsi or Coke?
Coke.
Mesh or traditional?
Mesh.
Top shelf or bottom corner?
Bottom corner.
Short side or far side?
Short side.
Bud or Coors Light?
Bud.
Palms in or palms out?
Palms out.
Summer ball or winter ball?
Wow...humm....winter.
Britney or Pamela.
Pam.
Tuxedo or Wife-Beater?
Wife-Beater.
Mann or NLL Championship?
Mann.
Mann or World Cup Gold?
There would be nothin' like a Gold.

Thanks Willy and Good luck in Australia.


INTERVIEWED BY#27 A FELLOW NLL PLAYER