CUFLA is pleased to announce the election of David Fenicky as the new Commissioner of CUFLA and Kevin Caplice and Ryan Zoehner as Assistant Commissioners.
Fenicky, a Toronto lawyer, played his university lacrosse at the University of Western Ontario and won a Bagattaway Cup with the Mustangs in 2001. He was also a referee, having worked at all levels of minor field lacrosse in Ontario as well as high school and university. In law school at the University of New Brunswick, Fenicky captained the Varsity Reds lacrosse team and was named a Maritime University Field Lacrosse League all-star in two consecutive seasons. Most recently, Fenicky was an assistant coach of the University of Toronto Varsity Blues lacrosse team.
“I’m very excited about this new role,” Fenicky said when reached at his Toronto home for comment. “When I left university, the league was the Ontario University Field Lacrosse Association and there were eight teams. Now, the league is nearly twice that size and the caliber of play has grown exponentially.”
Fenicky recognizes that the success and growth of the league is primarily dependent on the tireless contributions of the coaches and volunteers who give up their free time to shape the league into what it is today.
“Absolutely, these guys deserve all the credit. Most people see the league running for less than three months of the year, but very few realize how much work goes on behind the scenes. It’s a year-round commitment,” Fenicky says. “For me, this position represents a chance to give back to a game and a league that has given me a lot and taught me a lot about hard work, sacrifice, respect and humility. It’s a big job, but I have a good team with experience; I’m confident we will be able to pick up the torch from Ryan [McGrath] and run with it.”
CUFLA’s new executive includes Assistant Commissioner Kevin Caplice, CUFLA’s former Referee-in-Chief. Kevin has worked as a referee for 30 years, at every amateur level of lacrosse in Canada and around the world. He has been involved with CUFLA for more than a decade and brings a wealth of knowledge both about the play and administration of the game.
“This league has grown so much and undoubtedly is the best field lacrosse that is played in Canada,” Caplice says. “I am excited to continue working with the great group of executive and team managers who have built this league from a few neighboring Toronto-area schools to a multi-province powerhouse.”
Kevin’s primary area of responsibility will be the administration of the Western Conference.
Ryan Zoehner, CUFLA’s other Assistant Commissioner, played his university lacrosse at Queen’s and is therefore ideally suited to preside over the Eastern Conference.
“During my four-year tenure at Queen’s, I had the pleasure to experience the growth and development of CUFLA as Canada’s premier field lacrosse league. As an avid fan and supporter of the sport it is very exciting to see the establishment of CUFLA as a destination for top-tier athletes from all over North America. I am eager to work with all of the dedicated coaches, universities and students to continue to grow and strengthen CUFLA.”
This executive has some big shoes to fill. After nearly a decade of growth and development under the leadership of outgoing commissioner Ryan McGrath, CUFLA is poised to make great strides in raising its profile, both on university campuses and in the wider community.
As far as growing the league, the executive have some ideas about how to go about it, but are not yet willing to give many details. “We have had some discussions with some potential corporate partners,” Fenicky says, “but nothing is written in stone just yet. We want to make sure that our partners are the right fit for the league, and that obviously takes time. But we are excited about the league’s prospects and we look forward to building on the momentum generated by our predecessors.”
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