Eight years ago, the United States Box Lacrosse Association (USBOXLA) added girls' box lacrosse to its extensive list of box lacrosse programs. In San Jose, Calif., the first girls' champions were crowned at the 2017 USBOXLA Nationals.

With just a roster of 10 players, the Denver Pride were the darlings of the division, capping an incredible run to a title. One of the players on that team was a spunky teenager from Victora, BC, named Maki Jenner.

No one could have forecasted that the former USBOXLA gold-medal winner would become a trailblazer for women in box lacrosse less than a decade later. The 23-year-old is paving the way for future generations of women. In the past year alone, Jenner has become a familiar face on lacrosse broadcasts – making history along the way. 

On Dec. 28, she became the first woman to work as a color analyst on a National Lacrosse League (NLL) broadcast. Jenner worked alongside Pete Dalliday at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax as the Thunderbirds rallied to beat the Albany FireWolves.

"I definitely was just focused on my preparation and just really trying to showcase the stories and tell the story of the game," said Jenner. "But at the same time, I felt a little bit of responsibility to put my best foot forward, but on a deeper level just because I was the first, and it was a historic moment."

Jenner has made a career telling stories of box lacrosse players and coaches, promoting the sport through broadcasts, social media posts, and feature stories. However, the best story she is writing is her own.  

"I feel like it's a little cliché to say that I was born with a stick in my hands, but I feel like that truly is something that is so deeply part of my life," said Maki, "I remember I have photos of me as a very small child with my dad's Colorado Mammoth helmet on, Washington Power gloves, and his stick in my hand before I could even really walk."

Maki was born into a lacrosse family with her dad, Fred, playing in the NLL and her mom playing field lacrosse. Fred appeared in four seasons in the NLL, making stops with teams in Syracuse, Philadelphia, Colorado, and Washington. Her uncle, Teddy, also played in the NLL and is one of the league's most decorated and accomplished broadcasters. 

It was only natural then that when Maki was 4 years old, her parents signed her up to play boys' lacrosse in Victoria. Her baptism into box lacrosse had officially begun.

"I think lacrosse has been there since Linda and I got together and started having our kids," said Fred, a father of three. "But I think one of the biggest things is we never forced the lacrosse stick into their hands, yet there was always a lacrosse stick around the house. And yes, Maki would pick up the old woodies I had from years of playing, pick up my old gear and put it on, put the helmet on, and crawl around the house with it on her head."

As she got older, Maki turned to field lacrosse like many other girls. It was not until she was 14 or 15 years old that she returned to the box game. Her dad established an all-girls team on the island, and she played her final years of minor lacrosse.

In 2017, Jenner and some of her teammates were extended another opportunity to play box lacrosse through USBOXLA. Charter members Denver Elite and Cali*Lax ALL-STARS announced the launching of the first female-only, USBOXLA-sanctioned box lacrosse programs. Both teams competed in the 2017 Canada Day Tournament in Calgary. It was a monumental moment in USBOXLA history, and it was evident from the comments from USBOXLA co-founder Shaydon Santos that big things were in store for the women's game.

"We've got some really exciting groups and individuals we're in the process of adding to this movement. Our goal is to have at least two other American groups join us in Calgary in 2017."

Maki and her sister, Sylvi, were among a handful of girls from Victoria who joined the Denver Pride and made the trip to Calgary to compete in the longest-running box tournament in North America. 

A friendship between former NLL teammates Fred Jenner and John Gallant helped the girls join the Denver-based program. Jenner and Gallant played together for the NLL's Washington Power and Colorado Mammoth. Gallant also spent a summer with the Jenners while he played for the Western Lacrosse Association's Victoria Shamrocks.

"The Gallants are like family. Jessie, his wife, and I babysat their two kids when I went to Denver. John was a pivotal part of the start of Denver Pride and LXTC in Colorado," said Maki Jenner. "They started the girls' box team, and John messaged my dad and wondered if my sister and I wanted to play with this girls' team."

Maki and Sylvi jumped at the chance and had a fantastic experience in Calgary, which allowed the team to create a bond that would carry them through that tournament and the USBOXLA Nationals in the summer. At the time, the 2017 USBOXLA Nationals was the largest box lacrosse tournament ever held in the United States, with teams from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, and Canada attending.

"It was such a cool experience getting to play with these girls who had never played box before but were insanely athletic and eager to learn," said Maki. "And they were so pumped to be physical in a box game. We followed suit and played with them at Nationals in San Jose, Calif. We ended up winning that year, which was crazy because we had 10 girls, I want to say. It was a super small roster, and we played against a few teams from up north in Canada. We played against some of my old teammates from Team BC, and we lost in the round-robin. And then, in the gold medal game, we won. It was super exciting. I have nothing but good memories with the Denver Pride team, which was awesome."

Jenner returned to Denver in 2019 after high school to play field lacrosse at the University of Denver, where she also began pursuing her other passion: journalism. 

"It's just funny how the whole Denver Pride thing was a full circle moment because that's where I spent my first year of university playing lacrosse there," she said. "I decided to major in journalism when I went to school. I was just so intrigued by getting to tell the stories of programs like the Denver Pride."

Lucky for Jenner, the Colorado Collegiate Box Lacrosse League (CCBLL) was in its infancy, allowing her to return to her box lacrosse roots and promote the sport nationally with her writing. USBOXLA co-founder Matt Brown established the league in 2017 while serving as the University of Denver's offensive coordinator. 

"The Colorado Collegiate Box Lacrosse League was just getting on its feet when I got into school," said Jenner. "Those things were just always so interesting to me, and I wanted to be able to continue in life to tell the stories of these different things because I think that that's what hits home for average fans or people who are new to the sport, is to connect with these certain athletes or programs or coaches or whatever it may be."

Covering the CCBLL was an opportunity to meet and develop a rapport with longtime box lacrosse supporter Bill Tierney, the University of Denver's head coach at the time. She was also reunited with John and Jessie Gallant. 

“Johnny was heavily involved, and Jessie managed the Colorado Box League,” said Jenner. “I got to watch that grow and develop and talk to John, Matt Brown, and Bill Tierney, who has also been a huge influence in my life. And he's a legend, so I feel honored to know him on that level. It was so cool to see because I felt like I got to watch the whole thing unfold.”

After 2020, Jenner left Denver to transfer to Concordia University in St. Paul, Minn. She played one season before ending her career to focus on promoting the sport instead of playing it. It was a job she had been aspiring to do since spending a career day trip with her uncle, Teddy Jenner, at the 2019 National Lacrosse League Finals between the Calgary Roughnecks and Buffalo Bandits.

"Of course, Ted went above and beyond and was able to connect with the league and get me to go to the Game 3 Finals," she said. "I got to go to Calgary and see the entire behind-the-scenes of how a game day works in the world of broadcast and journalism. I got to meet Devan Kaney and Ashley Docking, and Cayla Spiess, who at the time was with Calgary, and everyone at the league who was involved. It was just so eye-opening. And I was like, 'I need to do this.' 

"Without that experience, I don't really know if that passion would have been super sparked at the moment. I'm forever grateful for that opportunity and for him consistently helping me put my name out there. I think he's one of the best in the business. It's been cool to see how he carved his own path, and now I'm starting to do mine, which has been awesome."

Like his Maki, Teddy Jenner made the seamless jump from playing to broadcasting. Teddy completed his NLL playing career in 2007. The 45-year-old is the voice of the National Lacrosse League and a two-time winner of the Tom Borelli Award, given to the league's Media Person of the Year. Jenner was excited to introduce his niece to professional broadcasting.

"I knew she was going to school for journalism and broadcasting. So I just said, 'Hey, do you want to come to shadow me at the finals in Calgary?' She immediately said, 'Yes.' We flew out together, and we went to shoot around,” said Teddy. “I got to introduce her to talented, powerful, successful women in our league. I look back at that. She spent some time in the production truck and the booth with us during the game, meeting people and seeing what life is like and what it takes. I remember that as the start (of her career)." 

Maki Jenner quickly made a name for herself by contributing stories on "Lacrosse Flash," where she gained experience covering everything from college lacrosse to the NLL and PLL. 

Jenner rose to national prominence by doing a weekly segment called "LAX Facts" on TSN for National Lacrosse League Game of the Week broadcasts. The following season, she spent time with the New York Riptide and the NLL on TSN. 

In 2022, the Victoria Shamrocks hired the rising broadcast star as an intern, which eventually became a full-time job. It was an opportunity to work with players like Tyler Burton, Rhys Duch, Jesse King, Jacob, and Ruest. It's where she first made lacrosse broadcasting history, becoming the first woman to call a Western Lacrosse Association game. 

"I ended up taking an internship with the Victoria Shamrocks and took over their social media, which was something that I wasn't sure of what it's going to look like, but I ended up working with them full-time that summer," she said. "It was incredible just to see the behind-the-scenes of how teams operate. I had a great relationship with the coaching staff and the management, so I got a little bit of insight into what that looks like. They were really great at giving me some leniency in terms of what I was able to do creatively. So, I wrote different stories, and they allowed me to be on camera telling different stories that way. Again, that sparked that love for the game in a completely different light."

Jenner's career took a significant step forward in 2022 when she accepted the communications manager role with the NLL's Halifax Thunderbirds. Thunderbirds President and CEO John Catalano and then Halifax Director of Business Development and Digital Media Charlie Ragusa created this role for Jenner. 

"I first met Maki virtually around the time of the pandemic, and from her first tasks and roles as an intern, I really felt she was going to take the world by storm,” said Ragusa. “What she has been able to achieve is all due to her hard work and passion for the sport, and the incredible job she continues to do in Halifax and beyond." 

It was perfect timing for Jenner, who took the call while driving to another job interview for a full-time game-day operations position with the Western Hockey League's Victoria Royals. 

"I was done with my playing career and was deciding what to do next. And Charlie reached out on a whim and said, 'We've got this opening. Do you want it?' I remember saying, 'This has to be a sign.' This has to be something that I should do. I was on the way to a different job interview and was like, 'No, this has to be it.' I was searching, and finally, this came to me. It was shocking and nerve-wracking at first because I wasn't exactly sure what I was stepping into. And yeah, this is now my third season. I moved here when I was 21 all by myself, and that was extremely scary, but also so exciting just because I got the opportunity to start making something of myself and get to be in a new city and meet new people and be with this newer organization, part of this franchise's history. It was really exciting."

"Everyone here is so great. John and Charlie are two of the most influential people in my life, and they have allowed me to come here and start to really grow into myself," she added. "And I truly don't think I would love it as much as I do if I didn't have them here. John, especially, has been pivotal in my development, not only someone in this field but also in my life in general. I am far from home, but everyone here has made it that much easier and much more welcoming and exciting for me to go through that process."

During her three seasons with the Thunderbirds, she has done everything from writing press releases and feature stories to sideline reporting to working as the first female color analyst on an NLL broadcast this season. Watching from afar, her father has marveled at the consummate pro his daughter has become.

"That would be an understatement (to say I am proud of her)," said Fred Jenner. "I think the biggest thing we have found with her is that she has had this goal and drive since she was a little kid. She followed this path after all the little obstacles and roadblocks that had been put in front of her. Her perseverance and determination have proven that she definitely has put in the work to get to this point."

Before making NLL history in Halifax, Maki became the first woman to call a Minto Cup game on Aug. 20, 2024. One month later, Jenner was in Utica, NY, to call the first women's game ever at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championship. On Sept. 20, Jenner did the play-by-play for the Canada-Finland women's game.

"It was incredible. To see these athletes and women who had never really played box before, were new to it, or hadn't had the opportunity to compete at that level, get that recognition was awesome," she said. "It was so cool to hear members of the men's teams and fans talk about the women's game, and it was so exciting. It's intense; it's physical, fast, and a high-talent product they're putting on the floor. Hearing the buzz about that side of the tournament was incredible. To be a small part of that was everything to me."

One of the memorable moments from the tournament was when Maki and Ted Jenner shared the booth for the first time. On Sept. 27, during the Haudenosaunee-Canada women's seminal game, the world was treated to an all-Jenner broadcast. The dynamic duo later served as the studio hosts for the inaugural women's gold medal game.

"It's funny because Maiki thought she would be doing color, and I would be doing play-by-play. I said, 'Hell, no. This is a women's game. You've been here this whole time. I'm making sure that this is still your show.' I'm not big wheeling her or big timing at all. We had a bunch of laughs. We were super relaxed and comfortable, obviously working together. It was such a fun experience. Then she got to be a part of the halftime between the two gold medal games at the World.

"I jokingly said to (NLL's Executive Vice President, Broadcast & Content) Joel Feld that I was more nervous than she was for that segment just because I wanted to make sure it was perfect for her. I think I was overprepared and thinking too much. I didn't allow myself to revel in that moment where she just like it's just another day, which speaks volumes to how well-prepared she is and how good she is at her job."

Three months later, Maki Jenner returned to the broadcast booth to provide color commentary for an NLL game. She put on the headset to work alongside longtime broadcaster Pete Dalliday, who had high praise for her.

"The fact that she knows the game is huge," he said. "She has that, and she has confidence. She is a great person, and she juggles a lot of things here. That was a busy day for her. She did a bang-up job, and I didn't think twice about it. I didn't prepare differently because I knew she would do a great job."

The moment was not lost on Jenner, who grew up watching the game. It was a chance for aspiring broadcasters to hear a female voice breaking down plays and giving in-depth analysis.

"Growing up, I watched the NLL, and there were never female voices," she said, "I didn't even know that it would be possible to have that opportunity, let alone be the first person to have it. I felt a responsibility to do the best I could for the future of women in the broadcast booth and in the lacrosse realm, just knowing there's that space for you and you're welcome there. I wanted to prove why I was able to have that opportunity. But then, of course, also for that next generation to know that that is a space that they can thrive in."

Her successes have set the stage for her to take the next step in her career, becoming the first woman to do play-by-play on a National Lacrosse League broadcast.

"I think it's going to happen sooner than a lot of people think. I think it's probably not going to happen this year, but if everything goes the way things have been going for Maki, that'll be next season," forecasted Teddy Jenner. "I truly believe that an all-women's broadcast, or at least her doing play-by-play, will happen next year. It's just going to be another feather in her cap. Because, again, she's put the time in, she's earned it. The biggest thing is that she has so much respect from everybody. They understand that she's doing her job and comes from a lacrosse background, so she knows what she's talking about."