The Crocodiles of GTMO: Lacrosse in a Confined Military Community

For American military servicemen and women stationed at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, the risk of Groundhog Day syndrome is quite real. Every day on the 45-square-mile base starts to look exactly like the day before. Rinse and repeat.

That’s one of the reasons that Ken Goris, an Army reservist now serving in his second tour in Cuba, decided lacrosse might be a welcome distraction for soldiers and families.

“There’s really nothing else down here besides the base,” Goris said. “We are pretty much self-sustained and not really allowed to go off the post. The more options we have for people, especially the younger soldiers, the less trouble they are going to get into.”

A New York City native and volunteer coach with Brooklyn Lacrosse, Goris arrived for his current nine-month deployment with just two lacrosse sticks. Shootout for Soldiers and USA Lacrosse helped him procure the additional equipment needed to launch Los Cocodrilos Lacrosse Club, named for the endangered crocodile species found on the island.

“I saw an opportunity to grow the game here,” said Goris, who also played club lacrosse at Jacksonville University. “It was born out of my desire to make this community better. I knew that every community that I’ve gone to that has the sport of lacrosse has become better and stronger.”

Goris organizes several practices each week, with soldiers of all ranks gravitating to the weekly gatherings. After starting with the basics of passing and catching, the sessions have now progressed to scrimmages.

“It truly means a great deal to us here in Guantánamo Bay to have the support of USA Lacrosse,” Goris said. “The organization has been instrumental in giving us real momentum and legitimacy to what we’re building with Los Cocodrilos. What started as an idea has quickly grown into something meaningful for this community, and USA Lacrosse has absolutely helped give it legs.”

Word of mouth and some online marketing help to draw newer arrivals to the practices. The branch diversity of the participants makes the games quite competitive.

“We’ve got a whole gamut of people playing, including the Joint Task Force commander and the sergeant majors,” Goris said. “I’ve got Navy, Air Force, Army, and military kids. We’re all running around and exercising, and they don’t even realize that they are exercising. People are loving it.”

Since active-duty soldiers doing two- or three-year tours are often accompanied by their families, Goris is glad that the game also offers the youngsters another activity option.

“This is a community that’s kind of underserved because these kids who are in high school here or in elementary school, they just don’t get the recognition that they need,” he said. “They don’t get the exposure to all the different sports. So, it’s very rewarding to have all the younger kids involved too.”

Goris is encouraged that as the kids return to different parts of the United States, they will be taking lacrosse with them. “One of them might become the next great player,” he said.

“We’re proud to represent the game in a place like GTMO,” Goris said. “There’s a powerful connection here between service, discipline, and the spirit of the game.”