After our first two Summer Open Lacrosse League games, I have to say that the league is a hit!
On Thursday we had something like 10-12 guys show up. Only five of us were affiliated with Valley (Cam, Zach D, Van Dyke, Coach Zach, and me). A couple had participated in CILA Toss Arounds and the rest were all new - including two middle school kids. We divided into teams and played some half field shooting on the tarp. The session lasted about two hours.
Saturday saw a huge jump in attendance despite the NCAA semis being on ESPN2 (thanks again for ruining it for me Sugar Rush! Ever hear of TIVO?). We had about 15-16 guys come out to play and I was the only one connected to the Valley team. Most of the other guys from Thursday showed up and brought new people with them. We had another future freshman and a current high school student join us as well. Despite never playing before, both showed great promise and some natural ability (as did the two on Thursday); both will be valuable additions to the team next season. We also had guys that graduated from and played for Michigan Tech, Cornell College, and the University of Southern California.
Unlike Thursday, we got out both goals out. We played a short field with the tarp guarding one net and former CC laxer Darrell Aaron guarding the other. Teams were chosen at random with one face Darrell and the other shooting at the tarp. After the water break, the teams switched sides. We started around 11:30 and left around 2. Definitely not too shabby.
Thursdays will remain at 5:30 for the time being. Based on the temps, we will probably keep the Saturday start time at 11:30. However, of it starts getting too hot too quickly, we may consider moving it. This Saturday may see us short of people who want to play. Please contact me by tomorrow (Wednesday 5/27) to let me know if you plan on coming Saturday. An official announcement should be posted by Thursday.
