Page 45 of (La)Crosse My Heart

“I’m thinking the C stands for ‘Can’t act under pressure.’” I try to keep a straight face, but crack, especially when I think of us laughing together in the sand.

He leans his stick against his shoulder and says, “Harsh, but valid.”

“Let’s chat,” I say, throwing the script over my shoulder. He watches the papers as they fall to the ground and even I’m a little nervous. Maybe that was too over-the-top?

“Are you all right?” he whispers, glancing nervously over to where the director is probably standing.

“You’re not a script guy. You’re a people guy… underneath all that tightly wound, camera-shy, silent-sports-hero energy. It’s just me asking you questions. You answer like we’re not filming. Or better yet, like you’re hanging from the monkey bars.”

“Monkey bars?” the director asks, and I’m sure he’s ready to step in and stop this process. But with the visible changes in Clark’s body language, we’re making progress.

“Batman?” Clark asks, grinning.

“Maybe not that far,” I say, laughing. “Okay. First question: Favorite pre-game snack?”

Grinning, he says, “Peanut butter straight from the jar. Don’t judge me.”

“Ew. I was expecting trail mix, not a spoonful of desperation. You know they make bread for a reason, right? Put the peanut butter on there and add bananas or honey or some kind of jam.” I wrinkle my nose. “Remind me to never let you near my peanut butter.”

“The question is, do you like creamy or chunky?” he says, and the banter is in full swing.

“Chunky all the way.” I can sense the unease in the people behind me, so I switch to a question we can tie into this spot.

“Okay, next one: What’s the most underrated piece of gear in your bag?”

Clark throws the ball into the air and says, “My backup mouth guard. It’s mint flavored.”

“That’s disgusting and weirdly specific.”

“You’re the one who wanted actual answers.” He tilts his head, as if challenging me.

I nod, glancing at the stick in his hand. “What stick is your favorite and why?”

His grin fades the tiniest bit, but he looks at the stick in his hand. “This one is good, but my favorite is the STX Stallion 900. It’s lightweight and stiff, which helps me as a middie when I’m battling for the ball. It’s light and makes scooping ground balls easy.”

I turn and look at the director, who’s got his jaw on the floor right now.

Giving Clark a wide grin, I say, “For those of us who don’t know a lot about lacrosse, what is a middie?”

Clark laughs and says, “I play in the middle of the field, meaning I have to run back and forth several times, whether we’re on offense or defense. I take the face-offs, or the starting battle for the ball.”

“What are some of your pre-game rituals or superstitions?” I’m sure fans of Clark Denton would love to hear about some of these.

“I make sure I’ve eaten enough before the game and then I have a few high protein, high-carb snacks to keep my energy up for the rest of the game. As far as rituals, I usually go through the same routine and make sure I’m dialed in mentally.”

“Do you wear the same pair of socks every game?” I ask, trying to be serious.

The horror in his eyes causes me to laugh. “Absolutely not. I own at least a dozen pairs of the same type of socks, so I’malways wearing at least one of them, but I do know how to do my own laundry.”

“What made you want to partner with STX?”

He’s able to answer without any hesitation. “It’s a brand I’ve been able to trust since I was a kid. Sure, the quality of the stick I have now is way different than the one I used when I was eight, but I think the company makes a great stick that’s durable and can grow with the player.”

“Would you ever let someone use your stick during a game? Maybe they broke theirs and need it for a few minutes.”

Laughing, Clark says, “As long as it’s not Burton, probably. That guy breaks sticks like they’re toothpicks.”

The room laughs, and I’m grateful we’ve been able to make it to this point.

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