WEST ORANGE, NJ — When Skylar Lassiter steps on the lacrosse field, she undoubtedly is inspired by her late grandfather, George Lassiter, who was an All-American lacrosse player at Hobart College (Geneva, N.Y.) in the 1950s.
In fact, Skylar wears No. 15 on her jersey, the same number that her grandfather wore.
The senior co-captain has helped lead the West Orange High School girls lacrosse team to a great season so far. Under head coach Dave Perez, the Mountaineers had a 9-4 overall record through Saturday, May 4. The Mountaineers already clinched the North Jersey Interscholastic Girls Lacrosse League–Colonial White Division championship, winning a divisional title for the second year in row. Skylar has scored 22 goals, along with five assists, 20 ground balls and 11 draw controls this season.
George Lassiter, Class of 1956, is in the Hobart College Athletic Hall of Fame for lacrosse and basketball. A senior captain on the lacrosse team, he was a two-time first-team All-American and played in the North-South All-Star Game. George Lassister also competed against the late and legendary Jim Brown, of Syracuse University. Brown was considered one of the greatest lacrosse players ever. Of course, Brown was also considered one of the greatest players in NFL history as a running back for the Cleveland Browns.
Despite being a stellar lacrosse player, George Lassiter, who was African-American, had to deal with segregation when Hobart traveled on the road.
Hobart College has a rich tradition in men’s lacrosse, winning 16 national championships (13 in Division 3, two in Division 2 and one in Division 1 in 1995).
George Lassiter later became a medical doctor at Morristown Memorial Hospital. An avid skier, he tragically lost his left eye in a ski accident and wore an eye patch until he died in 2011 at age 76. Skylar Lassiter, coincidentally, had a medical issue that caused her to wear a patch when she was very young.
Skylar Lassister has fond memories of her grandfather.
“I remember my grandfather, Pop Pop, as I called him, to be a very kind and funny man,” she said. “His smile and jokes would always light up a room and he loved being a grandfather. I remember that when I was diagnosed with my migraines and had to wear an eye patch, he had one as well and it made me feel better about wearing mine. I wish I could’ve had more time with him but hearing about his lacrosse journey now always inspired me and encouraged me to start playing and eventually start wearing his number (No. 15) to represent him.”
Skylar said she became interested in playing lacrosse in the fourth grade because her father, Nayan Lassister, used to play, as well as her grandfather and cousins. “I immediately fell in love with the sport and would practice every day until I joined the West Orange Recreational Lacrosse team,” she said. “My grandfather passed down some old sticks and, apparently, as my dad tells me, used to encourage me and my brother to play with them, but I was too little. Even though he is no longer with me, his lacrosse legacy inspires me every time I step on the field.”
Lassiter is enjoying her time with the WOHS team this season. WOHS had a seven-game winning streak that was snapped by back-to-back losses to Governor Livingston, 5-4, Tuesday, April 30, and to Columbia, 17-12, in the first round of the Essex County Tournament on Saturday, May 4.
“Our season is going very well, considering we are currently 9-4,” Skylar said. “The team is made up of an excellent and highly talented group of girls. Although we definitely could have won a few of our losses, we try to learn from those mistakes and excel going forward. We are led by a great coach David Perez, who constantly pushes us to play to the best of our abilities and inspires everyone to work hard, on and off the field. Regardless of our record, as it is my senior season, I wouldn’t change a thing about this year because, win or lose, our team is a family.”
Sylar also values her role as a team captain.
“As a captain, I honestly pride myself on leading by example and simply trying to leave it all out on the field,” she said.”Hard work leads to success, and if I continue to work hard on the field, I hope to inspire my teammates and create contagious energy. Sometimes being a leader means saying things people don’t want to hear, but need to, in order to spark a fire under them and motivate the team. As I said, our team is genuinely like a family, so I’m grateful to just be a part of that and be able to lead my team through good and bad times.”
Skylar plans to attend Temple University, where she will study psychology and also play club lacrosse. She had offers at Division 2 and 3 colleges to play lacrosse, but decided on Temple because of its psychology program, having aspirations of becoming a therapist.
Skylar is looking forward to the rest of the lacrosse season.
“I think one of our biggest goals was to win our division again, which we succeeded in after our win against Union Catholic,” Skylar said “As for the remainder of the season, our goal is to pull through in tough or tight games, because in those situations, we tend to lose our composure. I aspire for us to win these tougher games for the rest of the season and really come together to play more cohesively and calmly.”
West Orange HS’ Skylar Lassiter inspired by late All-American grandfather added by Joe Ragozzino on
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