Jim Peterson, an attackman with the Okinawa Lacrosse Club, will join Team USA-Liberty in the Grand Master's Division of the 2006 Warrior World Lacrosse Championships in Ontario, Canada, July 17-21.

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CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa (Jun 16, 2006) -- He's been playing the "fastest sport on two feet" since 1973. Now, in July, an Okinawa Lacrosse Club attackman will take his 33-year battle to the world championship.

Jim Peterson will join Team USA-Liberty in the Grand Master's Division of the 2006 Warrior World Lacrosse Championships in Ontario, Canada, July 17-21.

"I started out as a ball boy for the Rutgers University Lacrosse Team in New Jersey," Peterson said. "This is my first time playing at the World Championship venue."

Peterson, who has been playing with the OLC since 2004, is no stranger to international competition.

"On the international stage, I played lacrosse in Australia for a month in 1980 with a travel team from Rutgers University," Peterson said. "Since arriving in Okinawa, OLC has traveled to mainland Japan for tournaments in Tokyo, Fukuoka and Hong Kong."

According to Peterson, he was drawn to the World Championship by the strongest bond of the game: old friends.

"When I looked over the teams that were entered (for the championship) in my age category, I realized that one of the teams had several of my old high school and college teammates on it. I contacted the team, told them I was still actively playing and wanted to play for them. I submitted my (lacrosse) resume and was selected for Team USA-Liberty about a month later."

Peterson will be more than up to the challenge of the championship, according to Spencer Pickrell, an attackman for OLC.

"He'll do just fine," said Pickrell. "He gets beat up by us young guys all the time, so when he's playing with people his own age, he'll definitely have an advantage."

Lacrosse competitions are a challenge, both mentally and physically, and are a test of ones warrior ethos, Peterson explained.

"(The sport) was created by the American Indians as a preparation for war," Peterson said. "You can still play against the Iroquois Nationals in international competitions. Lacrosse is based on a warrior spirit - that is right in line with what we do as Marines. I hope that as it becomes more popular, the Marine Corps will officially recognize it as a sport and give lacrosse players an opportunity to represent the Marine Corps in competition."

Although lacrosse is notoriously hands-on, Peterson refuses to balk at the challenge.

"Lacrosse is a full contact sport: You can hit or get hit with the stick, ball or body," he said. "When you leave the lacrosse field after a good game, you're exhausted and usually bruised."

Despite spending more than 3 decades playing the game, Peterson shows no signs of slowing down.

"I hope to continue playing lacrosse for quite sometime," Peterson said. "Lacrosse is growing explosively in the United States and abroad, and with the creation of age brackets in tournaments, the opportunity to play competitively at any age is increasing."

Peterson also hopes to expand the team's numbers.

"There is always an invitation open to anyone who wants to play with OLC," Peterson said. "Any experience level is welcome. Lacrosse always offers lots of good times and friends throughout the world."

For more information on OLC, call the club at 645-4578 or visit http://eteamz.active.com/okilaxclub.