Mar 04, 2009 - 08:54 AM

By Shawn Cayley

MARS HILL, NORTH CAROLINA -- It wasn't long ago that lacrosse was little more than a passing interest for Chris Cudmore.

He enjoyed the game, but for the most part it was used as a tool to keep in shape for hockey.

Now it has a whole lot more meaning.

Cudmore, a graduate of All Saints Secondary School in Whitby, is a freshman at Division II Mars Hill College in North Carolina and, playing long pole, he has helped the Lions to a trio of victories to open the Deep South Conference season.

A season-opening win over St. Andrews came with some accolades as the Lions swept the weekly awards, including freshman player of the week honours for Cudmore.

"I had a good first game there and I hope it keeps going like that ... we're ranked pretty high so everyone is wanting to beat us, so it makes all of our games good," he said over the phone from Mars Hill.

The Lions also won games over Seton Hill and Belmont Abbey and will play Catawba on Saturday.

Prior to landing at Mars Hill, Cudmore experienced a bit of a whirlwind over the last year or so in lacrosse. Having never put much thought into what sort of future might emerge from dedicating himself to lacrosse, that all changed for Cudmore thanks a couple of recent experiences playing box and field lacrosse locally.

"I really noticed I could go somewhere with it when I made the (Clarington Green) Gaels last year and played U19 for the Oshawa Blue Knights," he said. "We played some tournaments in the States and I got noticed, schools started to contact me and that's when I really realized I could go somewhere with it and it would be more than just an activity."

Based on the day-to-day schedule the Mars Hill lacrosse players are faced with, lacrosse has indeed grown from an activity for Cudmore to a way of life.

A majority of the team eats breakfast together in the morning, before reconvening at 3:30 p.m. for about three hours worth of practice. Then it's off to the gym for workout, then dinner, before closing the night out between 9:30 and 10 with study hall.

"Then we go to bed and wake up to do it all again," Cudmore says with a laugh.