‘To be selected as the captain and representing the team, it was a huge honour,’ says 20-year-old Sam Trumble, who helped Canada strike gold in South Korea
When Sam Trumble laced up his cleats in Seoul, South Korea, earlier this month, he knew he was walking into the biggest moment of his young lacrosse career.
The 20-year-old Orillia native had dreamed of representing Canada since he first picked up a stick as a child. Now, standing on the world stage thousands of kilometres from home, wearing the maple leaf on his chest, he was part of a team on the brink of rewriting history.
By the end of the tournament, Canada had done just that, claiming its first-ever gold medal at the U20 World Lacrosse Championships.
For Trumble, who has spent most of his life playing and training in Orillia, the journey to that moment has been years in the making. Though he was born in Mississauga, his family moved to Orillia when he was only three weeks old.
He attended Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School before his talent and drive earned him a spot at Culver Military Academy in Indiana, a program with a reputation for producing high-level lacrosse players.
His earliest lacrosse memories trace back to 2010, when he first joined the Orillia Minor Lacrosse Association. Encouraged by his older brother Ben, who had started playing before him, Trumble found himself drawn not just to the fast-paced action of the game, but to the bonds it created.
“I just love being with a team,” he said. “Especially on a team like this, you meet a lot of different people, and that’s kind of what makes it fun.”
Orillia’s Sam Trumble leads Team Canada onto the field at the U20 World Lacrosse Championships in Seoul, South Korea. | Supplied photo
That sense of camaraderie carried him from Orillia’s rinks and fields all the way to the international stage. Making Team Canada wasn’t easy; the process began with regional development camps in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, where coaches evaluated young talent and began identifying potential national players.
From there, the top prospects were invited to a national tryout camp, where more than 100 of the best young athletes in the country competed for a limited number of roster spots. Trumble made the cut again and again, surviving the reductions until he reached the final 50-man selection camp in Oshawa.
From that group, the coaching staff chose the 22 players who would travel to Korea. Trumble wasn’t just named to the team; he was awarded the captaincy.
The tournament was staged on an island outside Seoul, surrounded by waterfalls and tourist landmarks but relatively quiet compared to the bustle of Korea’s capital. That quiet ended when the games began.
Inside the arena, the atmosphere was electric, filled with players and supporters from across the globe. Trumble recalled how surreal it was to not only compete but also mingle with athletes from Japan, China, Kenya and the United States, often crossing paths with them at the hotel pool or after games.
Canada’s first game was a hard lesson. They opened pool play against the Americans and fell just short, losing 7-6 despite a late rally. But that narrow defeat, Trumble said, gave the team confidence that they had what it took to go all the way.
“It was kind of just like the initial moment where we could really feel like we could win this thing as a team,” he said. From that point forward, Canada never looked back.
The championship final once again paired the Canadians with their arch-rivals from south of the border. The game was every bit as physical and intense as fans have come to expect from Canada versus U.S. lacrosse clashes. Canada jumped out to a 6-1 lead, playing with speed, precision and intensity that stunned the Americans.
The U.S. responded late, scoring several times in the final minutes, but it wasn’t enough. When the clock expired, Canada held on for a 6-5 victory, the country’s first gold medal at this level since the tournament’s inception in 1988. For Trumble, the final whistle brought a rush of emotions.
“Just kind of a huge shock just to be able to rewrite history, something that’s never been done before,” he said. “Even throughout the game, as we were up, it just felt pretty unreal. The position we were in, the energy we had to just keep going and maintain that level of focus to win the gold medal.”
Though he downplays his personal contributions, his role as a defender is one of those positions that doesn’t always show up in highlight reels.
“Just being a 22-man roster, everyone’s a big piece of the team,” he said. “To be selected as the captain and representing the team, it was a huge honour.”
Back in Orillia, his family and community followed closely, sending encouragement across the globe.
“It’s a huge accomplishment for my whole family and my parents and my brothers,” Trumble said. “Kind of everything that they put back into me and just the efforts that they’ve done for me to have such an athletic career. It means the world to be able to do something like this to represent the whole nation, not just my family.”
The gold medal may be the highlight of his career so far, but it won’t be the last. Trumble is currently playing Division 1 field lacrosse for the University of Denver Pioneers, a powerhouse NCAA program. He also competes for the Peterborough Lakers in Junior A box lacrosse.
His goals include chasing a national championship in college, keeping doors open for a future in the professional ranks of the National Lacrosse League, and continuing to contribute to the sport he loves.
“I think it’s only the beginning,” he said. “I’ve made so many mentors from the coaching staff and previous alumni from Lacrosse Canada. I just think it’s a stepping stone to growing Canadian lacrosse at the college level and box lacrosse. But I think it just really inspires me to go back to school, knowing I’m representing the country still and someone that young kids might have their eyes on more.”
That awareness of younger eyes watching matters to him. He wants to give back the same way older players and coaches once gave to him. His advice for the next generation of Orillia lacrosse hopefuls is simple but heartfelt.
“Just continue to have a passion for the game,” he said. “Enjoy what you’re doing. Never let any of the little things stop you from enjoying the game and meeting new teammates. Always remember to thank your parents for everything they provide you.”