The golden rule is always to treat others how you want to be treated. Well, the same is true with lacrosse sticks; treat your stick the way you want it to treat you! I’ve said this before in this blog, but I can’t reiterate it enough; lacrosse is unlike any other team sport in that your equipment is extremely individualized and temperamental. In basketball, you don’t have to worry about the ball being inconsistent, or in soccer, your cleats aren’t going to change the way you kick the ball if they get muddy. But in lacrosse, overuse, weather, and a whole host of other factors can radically alter the way your stick throws, catches, shoots, and holds the ball. It may seem like a silly question: “How do I care for my stick?” but I promise, it is more complicated than it seems! Following these 5 helpful tips will help you make sure your stick is throwing as consistently as possible, to help you stay on the top of your game!

1. Check your strings: Every time you get ready to put your stick down after shooting, playing wall ball, practice, a game, etc. always check to make sure none of your head’s stringing is starting to fray. That means the mesh itself, the sidewalls, shooting strings, top nylons, everything. If you blow out a sidewall or piece of mesh before a game or practice, it will be a major day ruiner!
2. Never put your stick away wet or muddy: This one is absolutely crucial, and all it takes is a little bit of extra effort and diligence. Putting your stick away when it’s wet ensures that the next time you pick it up, the mesh will be tight, stiff, and crusty: not good. Take a little extra time and use a towel or even a blow dryer (my personal favorite method) and dry your mesh out before putting it away. It will save you a big headache. 
3. Don’t leave your stick in the trunk of a car: Seems obvious, but it happens surprisingly often. I’m not saying you need to leave it resting on a golden pillow, but taking the stick out of the car, where things can lay on top of it and cause the head’s shape to warp, will go a long way in helping it maintain its strength and shape.
4. Periodically check for cracks: the head of your stick can crack at very random times, and in very small, often hard to notice increments. Be sure to take a look now and again and be sure that your head doesn’t have any cracks in it. Little cracks, if unchecked, turn into big ones and all of a sudden your stick is useless right before a big game is about to begin.
5. Learn to string your own sticks! This is probably the biggest regret I have in my own lacrosse career. Never having learned to string my own sticks, I am forced to rely on other people’s generosity to do them for me. Right now LXM PRO Team STX teammate Sam Bradman is stringing them for me. He does a great job, and I am good at making it just how I like it, but I still rely on him to string it for me. Not good. If a sidewall breaks right before the game, I am unable to make a quick adjustment, which is risky. It will pay off in the long run if you take the time to learn to string at a young age!

By following these 5 tips, you should be able to ensure that your stick is always in tip- top shape, which will make you a more confident and consistent player day in and day out. Remember to check back next week for another No Silly Questions blog, and remember if you want your stick to treat you well, you need to treat it well too! 

Adrenaline hit the road this past weekend to host the second annual Orange County Fall Brawl at Capistrano Valley High School in Mission Viejo, CA. This event is part of the Adrenafest series, which focuses on a fun, family oriented environment that not only hosts good competition, but allows youth and high school teams to tune up their skills before the upcoming season. With temperatures hovering 70 degrees both days with little cloud cover, this tournament was the epitome of a perfect Southern California fall lacrosse festival.

The event saw nearly 30 attending teams from San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange County, and even the Sun Devil Lacrosse club who made the trip out from Arizona. Clubs represented at the tournament included Saddleback Starz, OC Crush, RC Starz, Alpha Lacrosse, Laxdawgs, 395 Starz, 3D select, and FCA West, to name a few. Teams were broken up into a handful of divisions from U11 to High School &  Elite level. Outside of tournament play, parents and players alike enjoyed vendor village that provided several food options, including TK Burger, Mustache Mike's Ice Cream, and Caffeine Machine Coffee. In addition, the Adrenaline Mobile Retail team was on site selling hard goods as well the new Adrenaline Fall/Winter apparel line. Families also advantage of the blowout sale of past Adrenaline apparel items.

"Fall Brawl was a perfect start to our FCA U-15 winter travel season. The facilities were exceptional with fields in good shape, and there was plenty of parking and restrooms for the parents and players," said Mark Warren, a director for the FCA West program. "The scheduling made it easy because there was not a lot of waiting around time. The officials were also consistent throughout the weekend." Coaches were overall happy with the level of competition between team within their age divisions. "Competition at the U-15 level was very good. No team seemed to be over or under matched during our 4 games. Most importantly, the boys got a chance to play lacrosse in some great weather with their friends," adds Warren.

The match up of the weekend came down to 3D select Elite squaring off against Alpha Elite in the final day. Both teams were stacked with talent across the board. Alpha came out hot to take a halftime lead, but 3D battled back in the second to finish off the day with a 9-7 victory. Check out all tournament scores here.

The next tournament in the AdrenaFest series will take place at Orange County Great Park and Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate School on December 14th- 15th for the Adrenaline Jamboree. There is still room to register a team, but spots are filling fast. Sign up today! 

Photos from the weekend:

2015 defenseman Hugh Crance (Corona Del Mar, CA) has committed to NCAA Division I, University of Notre Dame. Crance is a member of the West Coast Starz club and plays locally for the OC Kings. He won a Southern California High School Championship as a freshman for Corona Del Mar High School. He attended the Terrapin Classic, NSCLA tournament, Adrenaline Showcase and Shootout and most recently Adrenaline High Rollers. Crance also considered Dartmouth, Richmond, Lehigh, and Princeton.

Adrenaline heads to the Desert this weekend for LXM|ATS Tucson! This weekend will kick off with a 3 hr tryout for the prestigious West Coast Starz 2014 Summer team.  West Coast Starz Directors Scott Hochstadt, Jono Zissi, Xander Ritz, and several LXM PRO players will coach 4th-11th grade players in several high level clinics.

Don't miss your chance to be apart of the #1 club program in the nation! Players who tryout will be eligible for the West Coast Starz National team or a West Coast Starz Sectional team (players do not strictly make the Desert Sectional team. They will be placed on a Sectional team closest to where they live).

Come out early on Friday November 22nd from 4:00 PM-7:00 PM at Kino Sports Complex and warm up for the first round of   LXM|ATS: Tucson games that immediately follow the tryouts. If you are not participating in the LXM|ATS: Tucson event, you are still welcome to attend the tryout.

Do you have what it takes to play at the next level?  It’s not too late to sign up. Register here today!

Congratulations to all the recent Adrenaline Starz Fall commits as well as to the commits who attended Adrenaline Black Card. This list has grown since the last commitment compilation, and continues to grow as we have received several new commitments since the creation of this artwork. Recent commits not included: Arend Broekmate (WCS, Seattle Starz- Lafayette College), Gordon Nelson (Seattle Starz- Lindenwood University), and Huge Crance (WCS, OC Kings- University of Notre Dame).

Want to be apart of the Adrenaline Starz program? There is still time to join the West Coast Starz 2014 Summer team! There are four tryouts left this fall: WCS: Tucson, WCS: Vegas, WCS: SoCal, WCS: Northwest. Increase your chance of playing at the next level and sign up today!

Coming off a heart wrenching loss in Dallas 10-9, Maverik United will be looking to break Team STX’s winning streak inTucson.

Adrenaline Athlete and leader in goals for Maverik United, Erik Krum discussed some of the team strategy going into LXMPRO 520, with the recent close losses in Dallas and Atlanta(18-16).

 “Mav U's strategy is to limit turnovers on BOTH ends of the field, and to continue to use our athletic middies down the alley. Johnny Rodriguez has been playing great,” Krum commented,“so as an offensive unit we have to control the ball more and give him and the D a break.”

Independently, Krum trains daily for each LXM PRO match up in a regimented fashion.

“Personally I prepare myself the same way for every event. I lift in the morning Monday-Thursday and go to physical therapy and speed work Tuesday and Thursday. I do youth lessons as well, so I am always hitting the wall and shooting on the cage. Then I leave Friday for the event.”

The showdown between Maverik United and Team STX will determine the tone for the rest of the LXM Tour.

Krum has forecasted a high scoring game, “Dallaswas a low scoring game, I'm predicting both teams being close to 18 goals... both teams are capable of going on big scoring streaks.”

Don’t miss LXMPRO520! Buy your ticket today or watch live online at YouTube.com/TLN at 6:15 MST Saturday, November 23^rd! 

2015 LSM/defenseman Ryland Rees (Terry Fox Secondary/Port Coquitlam British Columbia) has committed to NCAA Division I, Stony Brook University. Rees plays for the West Coast Starz and also Team BC. He attended Adrenaline Showcase, Terrapin Classic, Adrenaline High Rollers, UPLax and All Canada Games. Rees also considered Rutgers, Harvard, Princeton, and Denver.

2014 LSM/defenseman Adam Blau (Brentwood High School, CA) commits to NCAA Division III, Bates College. Blau plays locally for the LA Lazers. He attended Adrenaline High Rollers, Adrenaline Shootout, and the Adrenaline Challenge. Blau also considered Haverford College.

Adrenaline and LXM PRO will head to Las Vegas Friday, December 6th for the next stop on the LXM PRO Tour. The LXM PRO game will take place at 6:15pm on Saturday, December 7th. Robbed of an opportunity to end Team STX’s winning streak in Tucson (due to unprecedented weather conditions & game cancellation for player safety), Maverik United will come out stronger than ever in Sin City to capture a much needed win. Surrounding the game will be the LXM|ATS (Adrenaline Tournament Series) with divisions ranging from U9- Elite High School with games beginning Friday, December 6^th and running until Sunday, December 8^th. The tournament has undoubtedly reached its maximum team capacity, with 96 teams from seven different western states and Canada rallying around the most anticipated LXM PRO game of the year. A ton of talent is anticipated for the youth tournament with powerhouse teams like Vegas Starz, Denver Elite, Seattle Starz, Iron Horse, Burnaby Mountain, and ADVNC participating, to name a few. 

Coming off a very successful tournament last year, Adrenaline and LXM PRO will return to Heritage Park Sports Complex to host this year’s event. Tryouts for West Coast Starz will run in conjunction with the LXM|ATS event, occurring Friday night from 4pm-7pm and immediately segueing in to the first set of tournament games. 

During the event, Adrenaline Athletes will be onsite watching the Adrenaline Tournament Series, looking for players that resemble our company mantra: All Fight No Flight. Each player spotted by an Adrenaline Athlete evoking this mindset will get free Adrenaline Apparel! Between all the tournament play and the LXM PRO showdown, players can spend time in the Adrenaline Feel-It Factory, practicing their accuracy and fastest shot to win Adrenaline prizes. There will be an all day raffle going on as well, featuring one-of-a-kind signed LXM gear. Chairs will also be for rent for parents and spectators. Vendor Village will be full of great food trucks and specialty vendors including Maui Wowi, Handy’s Sushi Rolls, Coast 2 Coast Deli, Lobsta Trap, Sausagefest, GTECH Sports Spray, and Top Flight Mentality, to name a few. Champion will be onsite selling official LXM PRO Tour apparel and Adrenaline will be there with the new winter apparel line.

The LXM PRO game will take place at 6:15pm PST at the Heritage Park 350 S. Racetrack Road, located in Henderson, Nevada. General Admission will be $20 for unassigned seating and access to the postgame Knockaround signing session and VIP will be priced at $50 including field access during warm ups and halftime, sideline seating, a food voucher for Coast 2 Coast Deli, Adrenaline goody bag, and a priority autograph session with the LXM PROs directly after the game. All fans will have the chance to meet the LXM PROs at the postgame Knockaround Autograph Session. With the help of high profile sponsors including Champion, STX, Maverik, Cascade, Gatorade, Knockaround, SKLZ, and Adrenaline Apparel. LXM|ATS Las Vegas will be an event you don’t want to miss! Buy your tickets today at http://adrln.com/shop/categories/tickets/.

2015 midfielder Jake Schleppy (JSerra Catholic, CA) has committed to High Point University. Schleppy is a member of the West Coast Starz and plays locally for the OC Kings. He attended Adrenaline Showcase, Shootout, UPLax, Terrapin Classic, Adrenaline Challenge, and was an All Star at Adrenaline High Rollers. He also considered Richmond, Jacksonville, and Bellarmine.

Adrenaline heads to the Desert this weekend for the annual LXM|ATS: Las Vegas event! The Las Vegas venue will host over 90 teams this year, the largest number of teams in attendance on the 2013 LXM PRO Tour to date. This weekend's activities will kick off with a 3-hour tryout for the prestigious West Coast Starz 2014 Summer team on Friday December 6th from 4:00 PM-7:00 PM.  West Coast Starz Directors Scott Hochstadt, Jono Zissi, Xander Ritz, and several LXM PRO players will coach 4th-11th grade players in several high-level clinics.

Players who tryout will be eligible for the West Coast Starz National team or a West Coast Starz Sectional team (players do not strictly make the Desert Sectional team. They will be placed on a Sectional team closest to where they live).

Don't miss your chance to be apart of the #1 club program in the nation! Games for the LXM|ATS Las Vegas event will begin immediately follow the tryouts. If you are not participating in the LXM|ATS: Las Vegas event, you are still welcome to attend the tryout.

Do you have what it takes to play at the next level?  It’s not too late to sign up. Register here today!

I am frequently asked where I stand in the ongoing discussion in youth lacrosse about whether it is better for younger players to concentrate on lacrosse year-round or to play as many sports as possible. My belief is that at some point, it is okay to concentrate fully on lacrosse.  That is what I did, so that is what I believe. Following the eighth grade, I stopped playing other sports at the highest level and focused solely on lacrosse. That said, I always made sure I was playing other sports recreationally or on less competitive “rec teams.” That included hockey, soccer, basketball, tennis, golf and skiing. It will always be my belief that playing many different sports throughout my youth helped me become a better athlete and a better lacrosse player. My reasoning for writing this blog is that I am often asked how to become a better lacrosse player during the off season, and while I would argue it is important for young players to play other sports during this time, it is also important to not let your lacrosse skills get rusty.

Particularly in warm weather climates, we are extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to play outdoor sports year-round. So while basketball might be your primary focus in the winter time, there is nothing holding you back from picking up your lacrosse stick two or three times a week and playing wall ball, shooting, attending an Adrenaline Skills or AdrenaFit program, etc.  Using basketball as an example, the time spent on conditioning, footwork, explosiveness, team concepts, pick and rolls, all of these skills, will benefit you immensely once lacrosse gets underway. But if you leave your stick in the closet to collect cobwebs all winter long, the skills you gained from playing hoops won’t be nearly as effective if your lacrosse-specific skills (passing, shooting, checking, etc.) have become sloppy.

Playing in a Saturday lacrosse league like the Adrenaline Winter League or any type of organized, once-a-week type of game is an awesome option as well. There is no substitute from getting out there in an actual live-game environment, so this is a great opportunity if you can fit it in.  Also, the winter is a great time to work on specific skills like faceoffs, goalie play or offensive finishing. Rather than everyday practice, attending a position-specific clinic with LXM PROs can really allow you to focus on one thing at a time, which is sometimes the best method for improvement.

The offseason is the time to grow your athleticism, take a breather from lacrosse, and enjoy another sport. But always remember that somewhere, someone is working on their skills all the time. So if you want to get to the next level, whether that’s college lacrosse, your high school varsity team, the eighth grade “A Team,” whatever it may be, it is crucial to always make time to practice.  Be sure to check back for another No Silly Questions blog and go to Adrln.com/lacrosse/training/ to view all of Adrenaline’s winter training programs. 

Adrenaline has recently shifted its traditional breakdown of divisions for tournaments to better align with the “U-Age” divisions. This new divisional breakdown will attract new clubs to Adrenaline tournaments as well as ensure quality competition at external events, since our previous age breakdowns did not always align with those of non-Adrenaline events. In other words, a 4th/5th grade team now lines up perfectly with the new U11 division, where as in years past, the 5th/6th grade team would have to play U13, putting them at a disadvantage because half the team was playing up a year. The division change will ONLY effect the players who are in 8th grade and younger.

The new divisions include:

U9: 2nd/3rd grade

U11: 4th/5th grade

U13: 6th/7th grade

U15: 8th grade  (No HS academic or athletic experience)

The divisions that remain the same include:

High School: 9th & 10th grady ONLY

Elite: 9th-12th grade

Adrenaline is an advocate of keeping players competing with and against their peers by grade because when they enter the latter years of their middle school and into their high school careers, each player is recruited as a member of their grade. For example, 2016 graduates are judged against other 2016 graduates. College coaches evaluate players against their peers, and thus by class. If a player is playing down and dominating against younger players, it does not reflect a player’s ability to play at the next level. We expect this change in divisional breakdown to help all club teams who participate in Adrenaline tournaments.

2016 Goalie, Caelehn Bullen (Trinity Pawling High School, CAN) has committed to NCAA Division I , Cornell University! Bullen plays for the West Coast Starz and was part of the NSCLA Championship team this past summer. He attended NSCLA, Adrenaline Black Card, Legacy Cup, Terrapin Classic, Adrenaline High Rollers, Philly Showcase, and National Invite 175. Bullen also considered Harvard, Princeton, and Marquette.

Adrenaline is looking to hire a full time Warehouse/Customer Support Specialist. Compensation is $10 p/hour. Please have any qualified candidates contact Isaac at isaac.miller@adrln.com.

We have just finished our second month of AdrenaFit and I wanted to share some of the incredible results we have seen after just 2 months of training.  The boys and girls that were consistent and made the majority of the 24 workout sessions have seen some amazing results.   The testing is a great way to see the athlete’s progress.  These improvements will allow players to excel on the field by increasing their skill, strength, speed, and conditioning.

Here is the average improvement after 24 sessions:                   

Push-ups increased by over 13 repetitions

Chin-ups increased by 3.5 repetitions

Chin-Up Hang improved by over 28 seconds

Passing accuracy improved by 3.8 repetitions

Broad jump increased by 4 inches

40 yard dash times improved by over six-tenths of a second

3-cone drill times improved by over eight-tenths of a second

300 yard shuttle times improved by over 12 seconds

These are impressive results after two months of training.  I expect to see even more improvements through the final month of training of the fall.  If you live in the San Diego area come out to try a free session to see if you like it.  If you don’t live in the San Diego area and are interested in getting this type of training in your region, please let us know.  We have several modified versions of the AdrenaFit program that we can cater to club teams, high school programs, and youth teams.

Be sure to visit Adrln.com/lacrosse/training/ to check out all of the Adrenaline Training programs!

LXM PRO 702, presented by Champion, is only days away, where Maverik United (2-5) will be searching for a big win against Team STX (5-2). The showdown will take place at HeritageParkin Henderson, Nevadaat 6:15 PST. General Admission will be $20 for unassigned seating and access to the postgame Knockaround signing session and VIP will be priced at $50 including field access during warm ups and halftime, sideline seating, a food voucher, Adrenaline goody bag, and priority autograph session with the LXM PROs directly after the game.

InDallas, Maverik United fell to Team STX 10-9. InTucson, Maverik United was robbed of the opportunity to break Team STX’s winning streak and they will be looking to redeem themselves inLas Vegas. Maverik United attack will be working overtime with Christmas, the current leader in points for MavU. Erik Krum (22,3), Shamel Bratton (18,7), and Billy Bitter (8,6) will be putting Team STX’s defense to the test. Kyle Harrison will play a crucial role in the midfield for Team STX, posing a threat from any point on the field. Sam Bradman (Salisbury) of Team STX continues to lead the Tour in points with 23 goals and 7 assists, however Erik Krum, Peter Baum (17,10), and Shamel Bratton only trail by a few points and have the opportunity to steal the title.

LXM PRO 702 is not a game to be missed! Buy tickets today or watch the game live on The Lacrosse Network YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/TheLacrosseNetwork. 

LXM PRO, presented by Champion, will be going to yet another up-and-coming hotbed of lacrosse, Cocoa, FloridaDecember 14^th as part of the 2013 tour. The youth tournament surrounding the event will run from December 14^th-15^th, with boys lacrosse divisions for U9, U11, U13, U15, High School (9^th& 10^th grade), and Elite (9^th-12^th grade). Scheduled throughout the event will be LXM PRO clinics, where players have the opportunity to learn from the best in the sport. The regularly heavily attended Notre Dame coaching clinics will also run throughout the tournament, engaging local coaches in small group lessons on team concepts, field strategy, and recruitment processes to help their players continue on to play at a collegiate level.

Adrenaline is looking forward to getting the LXM product to a new market. Similar to SoCal, Florida not only has great weather but is becoming a fast growing area for lacrosse with talented athletes picking up sticks, playing year round, and growing the game. For the event Adrenaline is excited to be introducing the Thoroughbred division. This division will be comprised of teams stacked with players already committed to play at the collegiate level. These teams will compete with each other, creating a super elite division. LXM|ATS Cocoa is sure to showcase incredible talent.  “We couldn’t be more excited about bringing Adrenaline and the LXM PRO tour toFloridaand to be working with the ELEV|8 Sports Institute.  We feel that working together on this event will help us achieve our goals of running a first class event and giving the players from the Southeast an experience they cannot duplicate anywhere else,” says Adrenaline VP Rory Doucette.

ELEV|8 Sports Institute will be working with Adrenaline for the event. ELEV|8 Sports Institute is a multi-sport training center which offers programs that allow athletes to improve their level of play with sport specific training. Aligned with the same Adrenaline vision, ELEV|8 Sports Institute seeks to help grow and improve the sport of lacrosse. Pairing up with one of the leading lacrosse training programs in the southeast will help ensure one of the best tournaments yet. While discussing the event, Tony Lowe, head of ELEV|8 Sports Institute, stated, “We’re excited to work with Adrenaline Lacrosse and bring another professional Lacrosse event toSouth Florida. LXM PRO 321 will provide a great experience to players of all ages from the young player attending clinics by the best players in the world to the highly recruited high school player testing himself against his peers. Hopefully this will become a yearly event.”

Florida marks another spot where LXM is gaining popularity and Adrenaline is excited to get the PROs in there and working with local communities. On site will be the Feel-It Factory, a game area where players can compete in fastest shot, accuracy, and obstacle courses to win Adrenaline prizes including apparel, jerseys, and much more. AVendorVillagewill include food from local restaurants.

The LXM PRO game will take place Saturday, December 14^th at 5:30pm at Cocoa Beach High School at 1500 Minutemen Causeway, Cocoa Beach, FL 32931. General Admission will be $20 for unassigned seating and access to the postgame Knockaround signing session and VIP will be priced at $50 including field access during warm ups and halftime, sideline seating, a food voucher, Adrenaline goody bag, and a priority autograph session with the LXM PROs directly after the game. All fans will have the chance to meet the LXM PROs at the postgame Knockaround Autograph Session. For fans unable to attend, the game will be streaming live on The Lacrosse Network’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/TLN and live stats of the game will be posted on the LXM PRO twitter. With the help of high profile sponsors including Champion, STX, Maverik, Cascade, Gatorade, Knockaround, SKLZ, and Adrenaline Apparel. LXM|ATS Cocoa will be an event you don’t want to miss! For more details on the event visit http://adrln.com/events/lxmats-florida/. Buy your tickets today at http://adrln.com/shop/categories/tickets/.

The collective excitement heading into the LXMATS: Las Vegas event has been unmatched in my opinion, by any other event in my short time on the LXM Pro Tour. The setting, the facility, the depth of talented teams in attendance, and the opportunity for young studs to try out for the renowned West Coast Starz program all highlighted some of the great activities planned for this weekend’s event.

  I arrived Wednesday afternoon with my fellow LXM Pros and Adrenaline athletes Geoff Worley and Whit McCarthy. I was quickly reminded of what makes these events and the opportunities we are given in this great process so truly special. While my mind this week had been primarily focused on my own preparation for another big showdown with Team Maverik on Saturday at 6:15, the LXM Advance clinics we had the chance to put on for two local programs were pretty magical.

 Wednesday evening my fellow Adrenaline athletes and I headed to Faith Lutheran, to spend some time with one of Las Vegas’ most well established programs, and work with their great young players. Despite the cold, the kids were absolutely phenomenal, eager to learn, and beyond excited for the weekend. Thursday evening, we attended practice with the Las Vegas Rough Riders lacrosse club, and again I came away thinking that it was one of the most successful and entertaining clinics I have ever been a part of. Some great Q&A included questions about our favorite foods, college majors, sports teams, and other comical topics, as well as some excellent lacrosse questions like what is our favorite dodge, our most memorable moment, and many more.

 We also had some entertaining moments as the boys fought for facetime with our camera guru Nick Gradinger’s incredibly advanced slow-motion video camera, followed by the announcement of our "All Fight No Flight" award winners, who took home some awesome Adrenaline Movement prizes. Great stuff! The thirst for learning and energy present at a clinic in 30-degree weather speaks volumes about how fast lacrosse has grown in the Las Vegas area over the past several years.

**Adrenaline Athlete Geoff Worley presenting the All Fight No Flight award to a Rough Riders player

 Standing out on that field, surveying the many elementary school-aged players in attendance, I felt a great deal of pride and enthusiasm for how this great sport has grown in recent years. It is thrilling to remind the young players that for many of us, including myself, middle school was the earliest we were able to start lacrosse. The sky is the limit for the young talent we had a chance to coach these past two days, and seeing their confidence grow as they realize it is an awesome experience. This is why we play LXM Pro; the chance to be a part of a unique lacrosse movement, and to help younger players have the opportunity to learn and excel. 

Be sure to check out the LXMATS: Las Vegas schedule here: http://www.adrln.com/events/lxmats-las-vegas-1/schedule-rankings-6/ to be sure you don't miss out on any of the other great clinics and activities this weekend with other LXM Pros like Kyle Harrison, Sam Bradman, Johnny Rodriguez and more! See you there!  

Maverik United pulled out a much needed win tonight in Las Vegas, coming from behind to halt a three game skid to lessen the series deficit to two. The Maverik United veterans led the late charge in the blistery cold Vegas night, providing the fans on hand with one of the season’s most exciting up and down matches.

            Adrenaline Athlete and Maverik United midfielder, Whit McCarthy, got the scoring started for Maverik, shortly before Kyle Harrison answered for STX with a goal and an assist. The helper came off of a great finish from Max Ritz, and after Adrenaline Athlete Peter Baum scored off a great assist by Matt Russell, STX was off to a quick 3-1 lead. The game was quickly tied after goals from Shamel Bratton and Whit McCarthy’s second goal of the opening quarter. This first quarter flurry ended with goals from each side, the first from STX’s Sam Bradman and Billy Bitter’s first of the evening. It was certainly a phenomenal first stanza and the crowd was poised for a great up and down contest. Both teams would certainly not disappoint.

            Both defenses buckled down in the second quarter, as goalies Matt Russell (STX) and Johnny Rodriguez (Maverik) manned the back lines with great poise and excellent saves. Aaron Prosser struck first for Maverik United to take Maverik United’s first lead of the evening, and shortly after, Adrenaline Athlete Erik Krum scored off a soaring rebound to make it 6-4. The half would end with a beautiful Sam Bradman score, with Maverik United leading 6-5.

            In typical Team STX fashion, the third quarter began with an offensive explosion from a number of different faces. Former Harvard standout Jesse Fehr and former MLL star Matt Brown got their first career LXM goals, followed by an unassisted goal from Peter Baum and a pair of goals by midfielder Sam Bradman. In the blink of an eye, the score was 10-6 in favor of Team STX.

The fourth quarter in Vegas started out as many games have in recent months, with STX holding a sizable lead. Billy Bitter had managed to stick one past Matt Russell at the end of the third to cut the STX lead down to three, but the STX momentum was still a sizable one and a comeback was nowhere in sight. But Maverik United stayed the course and one by one, the Maverik United offense chipped away at the STX lead. Coupled with a fierce second half defense from Hamilton Pollard, Jerry Lambe, and Scott Bollert, Maverik United’s offense began clicking on all cylinders. After Erik Krum’s second and Billy Bitter and Whit McCarthy both securing hat tricks, a five goal run by the Maverik offense altered the complexion of the entire game. STX would narrow the lead down to one after a coast-to-coast goal by defenseman Andrew Casimir, but that’s as close as they would get, despite a number of final chances in the closing seconds of the game.

            LXM PRO 702 was a nonstop battle between both teams. Maverik United and Team STX will faceoff next weekend in Cocoa, Florida. With Team STX seeking revenge and Maverik United looking to close the gap in the Tour, it is sure to be the game of the year. Don’t miss it! Watch it live at youtube.com/TLN and catch other LXM PRO highlights!