T.J. Fast is a Freshman athlete at DU this year, but unlike most of the other athletes on campus, he plays for the Pioneers on two different teams. Fast grew up playing both lacrosse and hockey in Calgary, Alberta and when he came to Denver he was given the chance to continue playing both.
“All of my life I have played hockey and lacrosse every year. And if I didn’t play lacrosse for DU then I also wouldn’t be able to play lacrosse back home because my summer is so short,” Fast said. “Ya, so it was always in the back of my mind, but I was here mostly for hockey and given the chance, I knew that I wanted to play lacrosse.”
“The hockey coaches knew that I played lacrosse, so they got in touch with Jamie Munro, our coach, and talked to him about maybe giving me the opportunity to play lacrosse down here too,” Fast said.
When asked about the opportunity to play both sports at college, Fast said, “Jamie called me before I got down here and just talked to me about the opportunity to maybe play down here. After the [hockey] season he just got in touch with me and convinced me to come out and play.”
The opportunity to be a dual-sport athlete was not the main reason Fast came to DU. When asked why he came to DU, he said, “Mainly just for the hockey program. I knew they had won the national championship and I was just really excited to come down here. They gave me a great scholarship opportunity, and it was a lot like my home town. So for me, it was a good personal fit.”
The Hockey season does overlap with the Lacrosse season, so Fast missed the entire first half of the lacrosse season along with the lacrosse pre-season. He was unsure of the response his lacrosse teammates would have about his late arrival to their team. Asked if he felt welcome on the team, Fast responded: “Definitely. That was one of the things that I was worried about because they had done so much work and put so much effort into their team and I was just coming in at the end of the year. I kind of felt bad or guilty because I didn’t have to go through all the work and sacrifice they did. They were really welcoming and encouraged me all of the time. They’re awesome. I love it.”
Senior Andrew McCuiston, co-captain of the lacrosse team, also felt that there was little animosity or bitter feelings toward Fast, saying, “I think that every body loved having him on the team. He is just an awesome guy, everybody loves him, and he’s a funny guy too. So it’s cool having another guy that’s on a different sports team here at DU bringing another aspect of how they work, how they operate. Bringing it to our team is pretty cool.”
Fellow senior and co-captain Bart Sullivan also felt that Fast missing the pre -season training wasn’t a big deal, saying, “he had already gone through all of the hard training for hockey and then played a full season, so I would say that that is at least equivalent to the training we did, probably more.”
Sullivan also said, “His attitude was just wanting to learn and help out the team. He didn’t come in with a cocky attitude or anything like that, thinking he is better than everyone, bragging about missing the training. I think that helped out a lot with his transition, he’s just a great guy.”
Both McCuiston and Sullivan were happy to have Fast as a member of their team. “I think that it’s awesome that he is part of the team. I know that he played in Canada, and we heard good things about him before he came to the team,” said McCuiston. “And it’s just been great to have him; making the transition from hockey to lacrosse and to see the different style of play that he plays, it’s been awesome to have him join the team.”
Missing the first half of the season was not the only obstacle that Fast had to overcome to be able to play lacrosse in Denver. “Back home I only played indoor so I had to learn all their systems and the rules, too. The rules I’m fine with, but not so much the systems. They’re a little more confusing, there are more guys on a larger field,” said Fast. “The guys make fun of me because I run like I play hockey, they told me. Apparently I don’t move my shoulders at all, like I’m skating on the field. My cardio was fine coming off of the season but changing from skating to running was probably the hardest thing; my legs were sore for the first two weeks there.”
Also, all the athletic teams train year-round, so Fast has tried to keep up with some of his responsibilities as a member of the hockey team. He works out with the hockey team two to three times a week. “My main priority is the lacrosse team and when I can, I will go and do extra activities with the hockey guys,” said Fast.
Fast’s opportunity to play two sports was given to him by the coaches. He said, “They gave me my own decision to make and either way they were going to support me. It just feels good to have their backing.”
Fast will continue to play both hockey and lacrosse, giving his all to the hockey team in the fall and winter and when that season ends, he will once again acclimate his legs to the turf and try to help his lacrosse team in any way he can. All while going to college like the rest of the students on campus. When asked about the load, Fast laughed and said, “Ya, it’s a little busy.”
