City Lax: Catch the local premier of Denver's answer to "Hoop Dreams"

The story seems straight out of a feel-good Disney movie: A bunch of inner-city kids pick up lacrosse sticks and make it all the way to the state championships - and along the way maybe, just maybe, find a better life. But it's true and it happened in Denver, thanks...

By Joel Warner

August 6, 2010

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

The story seems straight out of a feel-good Disney movie: A bunch of inner-city kids pick up lacrosse sticks and make it all the way to the state championships - and along the way maybe, just maybe, find a better life. But it's true and it happened in Denver, thanks to a plucky little program called City Lax, the subject of a May Westword feature and City Lax, a documentary drawing rave reviews nationwide (check out the trailer below). Now the film and its stars are coming home in a special Denver premier tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre, 1621 Glenarm Place.

The film captures the recent blossoming of the Colorado lacrosse scene, as well as both the challenges and rewards of growing up in northeast Park Hill, a part of town often overlooked. Plus, as the clip below demonstrates, its soundtrack is off the hook.

Be sure to get to the premier early, since at 6:15 there will be a silent auction and a meet-and-greet with the film's charismatic cast. Tickets cost $20 (buy them online here) and proceeds go to KNUW Seeds, a local non-profit dedicated to helping kids like the City Lax crew reach their full potential.

So what are you waiting for? Stick it.

KEEP WESTWORD FREE... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.

Joel Warner is a former staff writer for Westword and International Business Times. He's also written for WIRED, Men's Journal, Men's Health, Bloomberg Businessweek, Popular Science, Slate, Grantland and many other publications. He's co-author of the 2014 book The Humor Code: A Global Search for What Makes Things Funny, published by Simon & Schuster.

Contact: Joel Warner