Meet Our Coaches

Gewas Schindler is a Haudenosaunee Oneida Nation citizen and a member of the Turtle Clan. He grew up on the Onondaga Nation, the likely birthplace of the sport, nearly a thousand years ago, under the tutelage of his grandfather, Chief Paul Waterman.

Throughout his remarkable lacrosse career, Gewas played alongside legends like the Gait Brothers, the Powell Brothers, and the Thompson family at the highest levels of collegiate and professional lacrosse, both field and box.

In his junior year of high school, Gewas enrolled at Avon Old Farms, a prestigious New England prep school, where they dominated the field lacrosse scene during his junior and senior years. Gewas and Mike Powell led the Syracuse Region team to the Gold Medal at the Empire State Games their senior year.

Instead of playing for hometown powerhouse Syracuse or Ivy League Cornell, Gewas chose Loyola University in Baltimore, Maryland, the modern-day lacrosse epicenter. He became a three-time Division 1 All-American Attackman and a two-time National Championship semifinalist. Gewas lived in Baltimore for eight years, creating strong ties to the community.

Gewas was the 5th pick in the NLL draft by the Philadelphia Wings and an NLL All-Pro. He was part of the inaugural class of the PLL. Gewas was a 3-time Iroquois Nationals World Team Captain, competing in seven World Lacrosse Championships and making eight Iroquois National World Team Rosters. He made multiple all-star teams in the NLL and PLL. He also serves on the Field Lacrosse Hall of Fame board and was in the inaugural class of the North American Indigenous Athletic Hall of Fame, alongside Jim Thorpe.

After his playing career, Gewas worked in marketing for the National Hockey League Phoenix Coyotes and the National Lacrosse League Arizona Sting. He also served as Governor for the Rochester Nighthawks Lacrosse organization and spent five years on the National Lacrosse League Board of Governors, contributing to the Marketing Committee, Player Relations Committee, and the Collective Bargaining Agreement Unit.

As a coach, Gewas has mentored nearly every Haudenosaunee superstar in today’s game, including Lyle, Miles, Jeremy, and Jerome Thompson, Austin and Randy Staats, and Tahoka Nanticoke. His four children, two boys and two girls, are among the elite players in the world for their age groups. Gewas has extensive experience coaching both men’s and women’s lacrosse.

Gewas’ contributions to youth and international lacrosse are significant, serving as a Lacrosse Ambassador traveling to numerous countries, including Australia, Japan, Thailand, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, England, Mexico, Switzerland, Haudenosaunee, Indigenous Territories, Canada, and the United States to support, advise, and promote the sport that indigenous people gave to the world. He was a part of the successful effort to get lacrosse into the 2028 Olympic Games as a representative of the Haudenosaunee Nation.

This newly created 6’s format of Lacrosse inspired the company Lacrosse 6’s.

With a storied international career and extensive coaching experience, Gewas has not only contributed to the development of elite players but also played a pivotal role in getting lacrosse into the 2028 Olympic Games. His commitment to youth and international lacrosse is unmatched, and his passion for the game shines through in his coaching.