New Kids on the Block

The 2009 season is starting to get interesting; teams are playing to prepare for the NCAA playoffs, playing to get into the playoffs, or they are simply playing for pride. Last week, as a part of the University of Denver coaching staff, I was reminded of why I love lacrosse and how far the sport has come. We travelled to Fresno, California to play Fresno State in their inaugural season. Like any young program, they have found their first year to be one of tremendous challenge and also tremendous growth. Roughly six players from their program had played lacrosse before, while the rest of the team is comprised mostly of young athletes who had barely even heard of the sport before.

Watching this team play made me appreciate the fact that even though their skills may still need some fine tuning, they were out on the field for the love of the game and pushing themselves to grow. Too often, lacrosse can seem like part of a routine; workout, wall ball, drills, drills, drills. However, in watching a first year program like Fresno State, it is easy to appreciate the reasons why they play and to remember the reasons why we all play individually.

Being born and raised in Colorado, I know first hand what it is like to live in an area where lacrosse is still “new” in popularity. Yet, each year, the sport continues to expand and grow, across geographic boarders and among sociological boundaries.

I feel like the upcoming World Cup is vital in exposing lacrosse to all those budding lacrosse communities around the world. I feel lucky to be a part of it and am so excited to have it finally arrive in June.

deBeer Lacrosse and Atlantic 10 Conference Championships

The  2009 A-10 Women’s Lacrosse Championships will be sponsored by deBeer Lacrosse. Check out the link:

http://atlantic10.cstv.com/sports/w-lacros/spec-rel/040909aac.html