Lake Placid Lacrosse

We are going to Lake Placid this week to play in the Lake Placid Classic Lacrosse Tournament. It is definitely one of the highlights of my summer.

199 Lacrosse teams (the most ever) will descend on Lake Placid this week. Every age group, boys and girls, men and women...it is an amazing event. If you are a lacrosse player...field Lacrosse...you really need to put The Lake Placid Classic on your to do list.

We are in the Grand Masters Division, can't remember if that means we are really, really good, or really really old. We are called Team Ontario and our division consists of 16 teams. It is amazing to me how competitive these games are. There is some contact, but it is not too bad, usually by the fourth quarter it is hard enough to pick up the ball, let alone actually hit somebody. But everybody still wants to win, so everybody works hard.

Our team....Team Ontario, is a bizarre lot really, and I say that with all the love and respect in the world.....we are a mish mash of different styles, some field lacrosse savvy and some...not so much. We actually play more of a hybrid.....box/field/masters game....we kind of make it up as we go.

A lot of our guys think a "slide" is something you went down into the pool on, and think a "dodge" is a type of car. However, there is something special we all share. Pretty well all Canadian players played the "original" field lacrosse.....back yard lacrosse....when we were kids. Stu Aird will be there again and myself have been playing this game now for almost 50 years.

That is me in the top row and Stu wearing the big "C" in 1967.

It is in the backyards of Clarkson, Peterbourough, Brampton, Rexdale etc. that our talents began. That is why we do have a chance. We can move the ball. We do things that are  a little different from "traditional" field lacrosse....and it may not be right....but for us, it works, it is fun, and we will win some games.

My Dad in 1934 playing "Backyard" Lacrosse. (a leftie...but I still loved him)

                     

If you have any interest in following us, I will try to send out the odd story here and there over the next week, but you can also follow along on the Lake Placid Lacrosse website.

Actually, here is a link the page with all the teams....we are in Grand Masters Division 2. If you click on the Team Ontario icon, it will have results and the next game etc.  Our first game is Thursday Aug. 2 at 3pm against The Old Dogs....a team out of Doylestown, PA, north of Philadelphia.

Wish us luck.....but count on this, it will be a lot of fun. I am packed and ready to go.