‘Just miss everything about him': Cochrane lacrosse player dies in motocross accident
George was an active member of the lacrosse community, growing up playing for the Rockyview Rage before playing three seasons for the Silvertips Junior Tier 1 team.
His teammates remembering him as an encouraging, hard-working leader, who had a knack for making people feel welcome.
'I just miss everything about him,' said Stone Dunbar-Krenda, who played with George for nine years.
'His laugh, his smile, and just the way he approached situation and how he made friends everywhere we went.'
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Dunbar-Krenda ssaid he'd known George for nearly 15 years, but it was when they were drafted to the Silvertips in the same year their friendship really took off.
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'He would be the first one to be like 'do you need a ride to practice?'' laughed Dunbar-Krenda. 'He lived in Cochrane, and he'd drive to Calgary to pick me up. Any of our drives are definitely my fondest memories of him.'
George was a leader on and off the floor, according to those who played with him. He was often the first person to reach out to a new player and was known to check in on a friend unprompted.
'He was the first guy to come talk to me on the team,' said Nate Shaback, another teammate. 'Outside of lacrosse he was a friend to me, and I'm going to miss him a lot.'
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George was drafted by the Silvertips during the first season lacrosse resumed after the COVID-19 pandemic.
His coach at the time said George showed up every day with 'a smile on his face, and a personality that was so joyful.'
'Even if you asked him for a change in his role, it was 'yea, no problem, it's for the better of my teammates,'' said Tyler Waycott, the Silvertips' former head coach.
'It was an honour to coach somebody of that stature.'
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Waycott said George was a member of the Silvertips leadership group during the 2023 season, using his skill on the floor and his caring personality to lead the team by example.
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Last year, George was faced with the decision to play his final year with the team or take on the opportunity to begin a heavy-duty mechanic apprenticeship. George took the job but was there to cheer on his teammates at as many games and practices as he could.
'It was great to see him follow that dream and go through the steps of growing up from a teenager to a young man,' said Waycott.
RCMP were called to a private property in the Horse Creek area outside Cochrane just before 1 a.m. on Saturday, May 31, to reports of a a serious off-road collision involving two motorcross bikes.
First responders found two seriously injured 21-year-old men and despite the first aid efforts provided by people on scene, the young men were did not survive.
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George's team getting the tragic news just hours before Saturday's practice, but determined to play Sunday's game in George's memory — honouring the teammate they all admired.
'On the floor he was always the guy to pick the team up when we were down, or hype the boys up when we were up,' remembers Shaback.
Dunbar-Korenda pointing to the outpouring of support on social media for George and his family as a sign of how many lives his friend impacted.
'It's nice to see the boys playing for Owen and the whole team rallying behind Owen, you can just tell he meant a lot to this team and touched a lot of hearts.'
George's jersey is still with the team, both in the locker room and on the bench, as the organization works to come up with a more permanent way to memorialize Number 11.
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