Welcome to the blog dedicated to lacrosse and its growth in the Des Moines metro area and throughout the state of Iowa. Other topics related to sports in Iowa will appear from time to time.
Sadly, the Minnesota Swarmlost for the first time this season. The Bandits rolled in from Buffalo to narrowly snatch the game from the Blue and Gold 10-9. The Swarm now sit at 2-1 on the season; Buffalo is undefeated. Next week, the Swarm head to the Great White North to take on the Calgary Roughnecks.
The Central Iowa Lacrosse Association is planning to toss a few balls around next Saturday (1/31). The current plan sees us getting together at 9:00 at Drake.
----------- 01/27/2009 Update: We are no longer able to meet at Drake. We are in the process of deciding on a new location ------------
This is an informal get together and no pads are required. However, you must bring your own stick. We do not have enough extras to go around. If you do not have a stick, check out Scheels or Sports Authority. Both stores had them at some point in the last 12 months. You may be able to order one online, but you probably will not get it by next weekend. This toss around is geared towards meeting the people involved in the CILA Summer League and is open to high school players and adults. You must arrange your own transportation for this event. Contact me for full details and to confirm.
Could the MLL be moving to the Great White North? The latest rumors indicate that a team could be playing in Toronto at BMO Field as early as next season (2009). BMO was built specifically for Toronto FC of Major League Soccer and was the first stadium to be sold out on its opening day in 2007.
Toronto is currently home to the Rock of the National Lacrosse League. While owned and operated by different entities, the two teams would work together for marketing and ticket packages. Unifying the professional lacrosse teams in a city as large as Toronto would strengthen both franchises.
The MLL operated Philadelphia Barrage are said to be the team heading north. Last year, the Barrage played their entire schedule on the road. These games served to test potential expansion and relocation sites as MLL searches for a nationwide audience.
In other news, rumors persist that the 2008 MLL ChampionRochester Rattlers will move to Orlando, Florida soon. The New Jersey Pride are said to be moving west, most likely to Portland, Oregon. With the economy the way it is, MLL's plan to add two more expansion teams by 2010 seems to be on hold. For now, the league will have to be content with achieving balance via relocation.
Tonight I received some excellent news for lacrosse in Des Moines! It seems that a new member of the Des Moines Lacrosse League wants to bring six or seven experienced guys to the league. All of them attend Drake, my Alma Matter.This means that we should have enough guys right now to make a full team. Adding to the high school club, we have enough for at least two teams. Considering that it is only the middle of January, there is still plenty of time for people to sign up or at least express interest. As I stated before, I would like to have three or four teams this summer. The plan is still to combine the high school and adult players and to distribute the experienced players as evenly as possible.Despite the fact that I hope to start the league in May or June, I would like to get a handle on things ASAP. I realize that four to six months is a long time, but we will have to figure out team assignments, playing fields, uniforms, sponsors, etc. Also, I am curious to know what positions people might be interested in playing; short sticks are relatively easy to come by, but we will need some poles and goalies too. If you have any desire to play defense, long stick middie, or goalie, then please let me know.
The official title of the upcoming lacrosse movie is Warrior. The Internet Movie Database now has info up about the film. This does even more to confirm how legit it is. I managed to find some pics of the star, KellanLutz, on the set.
When I first started this blog, I posted about the upcoming lax gear from Nike. Now The Swoosh has gotten in the swing of things in a big way. Great Atlantic Lacrosse has their lax gear in stock and ready to ship - the full line. Now, they have produced their first official commercial featuring their top lax men, Ryan Powell and Kyle Harrison. Check it out.
Now that I have talked about the physical conditioning aspects of playing lacrosse, it is time to look at stick skills. Aside from the actual act of skating, stick skills seem to be a weak point for a lot of adult hockey players. Sure most of us can more or less carry the puck. We can make fairly decent passes. We can even make some hard, accurate shots from time to time. But most of us lack finesse. Sure some guys in Des Moines, like Dylo, look like semi-pro players out there, but the rank and file players in the metro (myself included) lack strong stick handling abilities.
How can this problem be fixed? One way is to hit the gym and lift some weights. Lifting weights is the old school way of increasing strength and is required by NCAA varsity and pro hockey teams everywhere. But really, who wants to be in a gym lifting weights all day? Plus building muscle mass may make you stronger on the puck, but it does nothing for your finesse. To improve finesse, you need to work the small muscle groups in movements not to different than those used in hockey. You also need to work on your shaft grip and hand positioning. Lacrosse allows you to do both.
Although the stick is positioned much differently between the two games, the extra movements and unbalanced nature of carrying and shooting with a lacrosse stick will stimulate and isolate muscle groups used in hockey. This will increase the stability and strength of these muscles in an applicable way which translates as greater control on the ice.
Not to leave any position out, hockey players also benefit from playing defense in lacrosse. For one thing, the longer defensive pole gives players a tougher arm workout than the attack and midfield players. The longer pole nearly doubles the weight and requires more balance correction, which helps hockey players adapt to playing with their entire stick on the ice. One handed grabs and controlling in lacrosse translate directly to the same moves on the ice. Similarly, being able to bounce off of lax defenders while maintaining control will help develop that ability on the ice.
Lastly, making passing in lacrosse is at least as difficult as making passes in hockey. Both sports require you to send the ball/puck across open space and through defenders from your stick to your teammate's stick. Even though most lax passes are through the air, they are sometimes bounced off of the turf; hockey passes occasionally leave the ice and sail through the air. The adaptability of the player when making passes is essential to succeeding in either sport. Just like pucks love to bounce of the blades of rigid players, lax balls tend to pop right back out of heads. Soft hands are nurtured on the turf and the ice. Being able to handle the stick with firm but gentle hands is vital to both sports.
If you have any suggestions about how lax can help improve your ability to play ice hockey, please comment below. As always, feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Sadly, the Minnesota Swarm lost for the first time this season. The Bandits rolled in from Buffalo to narrowly snatch the game from the Blue and Gold 10-9. The Swarm now sit at 2-1 on the season; Buffalo is undefeated.
Next week, the Swarm head to the Great White North to take on the Calgary Roughnecks.
Could the MLL be moving to the Great White North? The latest rumors indicate that a team could be playing in Toronto at BMO Field as early as next season (2009). BMO was built specifically for Toronto FC of Major League Soccer and was the first stadium to be sold out on its opening day in 2007.
Toronto is currently home to the Rock of the National Lacrosse League. While owned and operated by different entities, the two teams would work together for marketing and ticket packages. Unifying the professional lacrosse teams in a city as large as Toronto would strengthen both franchises.
The MLL operated Philadelphia Barrage are said to be the team heading north. Last year, the Barrage played their entire schedule on the road. These games served to test potential expansion and relocation sites as MLL searches for a nationwide audience.
In other news, rumors persist that the 2008 MLL Champion Rochester Rattlers will move to Orlando, Florida soon. The New Jersey Pride are said to be moving west, most likely to Portland, Oregon. With the economy the way it is, MLL's plan to add two more expansion teams by 2010 seems to be on hold. For now, the league will have to be content with achieving balance via relocation.
This means that we should have enough guys right now to make a full team. Adding to the high school club, we have enough for at least two teams. Considering that it is only the middle of January, there is still plenty of time for people to sign up or at least express interest. As I stated before, I would like to have three or four teams this summer. The plan is still to combine the high school and adult players and to distribute the experienced players as evenly as possible.
Despite the fact that I hope to start the league in May or June, I would like to get a handle on things ASAP. I realize that four to six months is a long time, but we will have to figure out team assignments, playing fields, uniforms, sponsors, etc. Also, I am curious to know what positions people might be interested in playing; short sticks are relatively easy to come by, but we will need some poles and goalies too. If you have any desire to play defense, long stick middie, or goalie, then please let me know.
Now that I have talked about the physical conditioning aspects of playing lacrosse, it is time to look at stick skills. Aside from the actual act of skating, stick skills seem to be a weak point for a lot of adult hockey players. Sure most of us can more or less carry the puck. We can make fairly decent passes. We can even make some hard, accurate shots from time to time. But most of us lack finesse. Sure some guys in Des Moines, like Dylo, look like semi-pro players out there, but the rank and file players in the metro (myself included) lack strong stick handling abilities.
