Mom-inspired film benefits 'Kids Fund' - The Buffalo News (Buffalo, NY)

The day Mike Powell heard his mother had been diagnosed withbreast cancer changed his life forever.

'She [Susan Powell] has taught me to value my life even more,'said Mike Powell, who was in town Wednesday to promote 'A LacrosseMovie,' a documentary that chronicles the life of SyracuseUniversity's career scoring leader.

'You have to live life to its fullest,' he said. 'I've tried todo it every day since then. She told me to never worry about her,that it's a disease and she'd beat it. And she did [about four yearsago]. Lance Armstrong says he thinks cancer helped him. I think mymom having it helped me.'

Now Mike Powell is working with Fastbreak Lacrosse Camp, Brineand Dick's Sporting Goods to help other lacrosse families withsimilar problems. The film will make its Western New York premiereat the Sweet Home High School auditorium at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 23.Proceeds go to the Western New York Lacrosse for Kids Fund.

'When cancer touches your life in any form, you want to give backand kill this thing,' Powell said. 'We had the opportunity with theLacrosse for Kids Foundation. I jumped at the chance to help thosewho have been stricken.'

Tickets to the premiere can be purchased at www.fastbreakwny.comfor $8 per person, or $20 with a copy of the DVD. At the door,tickets for the movie will cost $10 and the DVD will go for $15. Theauditorium seats about 800 and tickets are sold on a first-comebasis.

Jeremy Murphy, spokesman for WNY Lacrosse for Kids, said the goalis to fill every seat. 'That will really help lacrosse families helpother lacrosse families,' he said.

Powell, a four-time first-team All-American at Syracuse from 2001-04, was a two-time winner of the Tewaaraton Trophy (collegelacrosse's version of the Heisman Trophy) and led the Orange totitles in 2002 and '04, when he was named the NCAA Tournament's MostOutstanding Player. He scored 150 goals with 157 assists at Syracusefor 307 points -- 20 more than his older brothers Casey (1995-98)and Ryan (1997-2000) each tallied for the Orange.

'It chronicles my whole life in 30 minutes,' Mike Powell said. 'Iprovided old footage of my childhood, my high school days [atCarthage, N.Y.], it includes college and touches on the pros [hehelped the Baltimore Bayhawks win the championship of Major LeagueLacrosse last summer].

'An 8-millimeter camera was used to make it edgy and raw. That'smore my style and personality. I wanted it to be authentic to thesport, I didn't want it to be 'MTV Cribs.' It's not all lacrossehighlights, it's much more intimate.'

Powell, 23, is anything but a typical jock. As a senior atSyracuse, his creative juices took over when he ran down the fieldand did a flip before taking a shot on goal.

'I'll get in slumps with the game of lacrosse playing like Inormally play it,' Powell said. 'I'll sit down and write a song or apoem, or I'll paint some. That frees my mind and lets me know that Ihave to do my own thing, be my own player. That's kind of whatinspired me to do the flip.'

Powell sings and plays guitar, and has spent time in a recordingstudio since leaving SU. The music world has been harder for him toconquer than lacrosse.

'It's hard to deny who the great lacrosse players are,' Powellsaid. 'Basically, you pick up a ball and shoot it into the net. Ithink that's why I like music so much. It's a chance for me to bemyself and to carve my own path. Music for me has always been arelease. When lacrosse wears on you and turns into a job, like itdid when I was in college, music is my saving grace.'

Casey, who's 29, 26-year-old Ryan, whose Portland LumberJax meetthe Buffalo Bandits at HSBC Arena on Friday night, and Mike willparticipate in a question and answer session and an autographsigning at the premiere.

e-mail: tborrelli@buffnews.com