For Vancouver Warriors veterans Jeff Cornwall and Ryan Dilks, the title of “Dad” carries just as much pride as anything they’ve accomplished on the lacrosse floor.
Cornwall and Dilks have spent years building careers in professional lacrosse, earning respect as leaders on the floor and helping shape the culture of the Warriors. Away from the game, their most important roles are at home.
Both Cornwall and Dilks are fathers of two young children, and while they continue to balance professional lacrosse, careers, and family life, they’re finding themselves drawing more and more from the examples set by their own fathers.
For Cornwall, that perspective has grown even more over the last few months.
The Warriors defenceman and his wife recently welcomed their second child, Desmond, 3 months, who joins big sister Raya, now two years old.
“It's been a different kind of challenge,” Cornwall said. “People say that having a second kid is exponentially more challenging than having one. I wouldn't say that it's so much exponentially more challenging, but the dynamic has definitely changed in our household. It's very fun, demanding, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.”
One of the highlights is watching Raya embrace her role as a big sister.
“The day that we brought Desmond home, when we introduced them, she gave him a big kiss and tried to poke his eyes out and hug him,” Cornwall laughed. “She was all about her baby brother from the start, and that hasn't changed a bit, so it's pretty cool to see.”
She’s been closely watching her parents care for Desmond and has even created her own diaper-changing stations with toys and proudly cares for her stuffed animals.
He’s enjoying watching her personality shine through, mentioning it’s funny to see her pick up his and his wife’s mannerisms. She’s got some of Cornwall’s facial expressions down to a T and has picked up his vernacular “Holy moly, guacamole!” and uses it in perfect in context.
Cornwall has learned life lessons of preparation, accountability, and teamwork from sports, and those same principles have found their way into parenting.
“Teamwork resonates more and more in our household, whether it's between myself and my oldest daughter, or me and my wife, we really have to do our best to work together to do the little things to make life just a little bit easier for one another, because the day to day can be pretty challenging, and anytime we get an opportunity to take a little bit of a load off for the other person it's a huge help,” Cornwall shared.
Cornwall hopes the activities his children participate in one day will provide the same sense of community and belonging that athletics have given him. Many of those values that he cherishes come from his upbringing where his parents were his biggest supporters and present for every big game.
His father, Wendell Cornwall, was his football coach, and some of Jeff’s earliest sports memories with his dad were driving to football practice on a weeknight and his dad teaching the team to find the joy in the hard parts of sport, like practicing in the pouring rain.
“My dad was a role model to me and all the other players out there. I remember leaving practice and feeling like I was having more fun at practice than I would at games; it was very strange,” he laughed. “I owe my dad a lot for getting me that practice hard, game easy mentality, as I'm trying to carry that into my play and my coaching now.”
Of course, there were always those all-to-familiar car rides home where Wendell shared with Jeff things he could improve on, but it was always done in a constructive way and that’s how Jeff took it.
Now a father, Cornwall also admires his dad for his ability to bring people together, which made for a lot of fun at the Cornwall house. His house always hosted game nights, and having family and friends around often are memories he values.
“Getting to experience that feeling of community has really shaped the person that I keep working towards becoming, and the community that I'm trying to help foster around me and my family,” Cornwall said.
For Dilks, fatherhood has brought a similar appreciation for the little moments.
Father to Emma, 5, and Dallas, 3, he says the greatest joy comes from simply spending time with them every day.
“Just interacting with them every day is so fun,” Dilks said. “Every day with them is actually the best day, so it just keeps getting better and better.”
Over the past year, he’s especially enjoyed watching the bond between his children grow.
“They’re like best friends,” he said. “To watch them laugh and have good times together, it's fun.”
Balancing his two full-time jobs, his wife’s full-time job, and the kids’ activities is challenging, but he gives a lot of credit to his wife for her support.
“She's the rock of the fam and I wouldn't be able to play lacrosse at this level in Vancouver if it wasn't for her,” Dilks said.
The two-time Defensive Player of the Year is known for playing the game the right way and says that becoming a parent reinforces the responsibility athletes have.
“It makes it important for me to be a good example to show them not only how I play on the floor, but show respect off the floor too,” Dilks said.
Among the lessons he hopes his kids take away from watching him play are work ethic, teamwork, and putting others first. He surrounds himself with like-minded people, creating a supportive environment for his kids to learn important life lessons. Dilks says the values Warriors’ Head Coach and GM Curt Malawsky has in place for the team are the same values Dilks learned from his own father.
Dilks has four brothers and growing up in a family with five children naturally reinforced those lessons.
“He taught us a lot of lessons, and it started with respect and being a good teammate,
Dilks said. “Putting your team first, I think that was a big one; none of us were ever very selfish - we couldn't be, there's five of us – we had to share everything five ways. So, I think that translated on the floor for me and most of my brothers.”
One piece of advice that’s become even more meaningful since becoming a parent himself is that time with your children goes quickly, so enjoy every moment.
A player who turns defence into offence, one of Dilks’ earliest memories of lacrosse with his dad were the words of encouragement before going onto the floor.
“He used to always tell me that I'd grown up to run like the wind, and I thought that always stuck with me, so I used to always rely on my speed,” Dilks said. “The wind is getting pretty slow now, it's a very light breeze, but I always remember him telling me that before I went on the floor.”
Of course, Dilks and Cornwall are spending time with family this Father’s Day.
Emma and Dallas helped select a gift for Dilks for Father’s Day which he’s excited about, and while Cornwall isn’t one for big celebrations, he’s sure he’s going to get a handmade card from Raya.
As they continue raising the next generation, both are carrying forward the lessons, values, and examples that their own fathers passed down to them years ago.