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Fireside Chat with John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting

Editor’s Note: For this Fireside Chat Interview, Jonny Namer sits down with John Ondrasik of the band, Five For Fighting, to talk lacrosse! John’s son is an avid lacrosse player, and John is quickly becoming a huge fan of the game!

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John, you have accomplished so much in the music industry. It’s great to have you involved with lacrosse too. How did you first hear about lacrosse? When did your son, Johnny, first express interest in playing lacrosse?

Though I’ve followed College Lacrosse a little from afar, Johnny’s buddies, Duke and Sparky, turned him on to Lacrosse. I remember the first day we went to the park and started throwing the ball around. From then he was hooked!

westlake_lacrosse johnny Ondrasik
Johnny Ondrasik tearing it up for Westlake.

I’m very proud to be the coach of such a dedicated and talented lacrosse player that your son is. What aspects of the sport of lacrosse interested you and Johnny the most?

I appreciate the team aspect and athleticism that Lacrosse players must display to achieve success. Johnny enjoys the contact, team effort, and the fact that you must be in top shape to perform well.

Where do you see the sport of lacrosse in ten years? 

I’m no expert, but with the growth of Lacrosse in Thousand Oaks I can see it growing into a AYSO type of experience for kids. As the current generation grows up playing lacrosse, I can only imagine the college interest and potential for professional leagues will increase.

Some questions for your son, Johnny: Who is your favorite lacrosse player?

Johnny Vegas!

Thank you very much! Do you have a favorite college and or MLL team?

Johnny likes your team, TOTAL LACROSSE and John Hopkins, while I tend to favor the Westlake Warriors.

If you could pick any college to play for when you get older, which college would you choose?

Hopkins!

Kyle Harrison would be proud!

John Ondrasik Biography – Five For Fighting – singer/songwriter

Taken from https://fiveforfighting.com:

Singer/songwriter John Ondrasik has spent the past decade writing deeply personal songs that include social messages, invoke the human spirit and make an emotional connection. This can be heard on the past four albums by Five For Fighting, the band name under which he records and performs.

Ondrasik’s debut album, the critically acclaimed, Message for Albert, was released in 1997. Five For Fighting’s breakthrough came in 2001 with the Grammy-nominated song “Superman” from the Platinum certified “America Town” (Aware/Columbia) CD.

Already climbing the charts prior to 9/11, “Superman” went on to have a life of his own, becoming a song of healing for the nation. John joined superstar musicians for the now legendary post 9/11 fundraiser The Concert For New York, which paid tribute to all the firefighters, police officers and paramedics affected by the events of September 11th.

In 2004, John recorded the Platinum-certified album, The Battle For Everything, which yielded the retrospective hit, “100 Years,” a song that has become a part of classic American songbook. With the 2006 release of Two Lights, featuring “World,” the hit song “The Riddle,” and “Freedom Never Cries,” John continued to craft songs with material drawn from his personal experience in regards to love, war, culture, family, humanity and mortality.