Local Deals on Lax Gear

While on posting something Craig's List for my in-laws yesterday, I came across some local posts for lacrosse gear. This stuff popped onto the internet just in time for the Summer Open Lacrosse League!

This was posted by the dad of a guy who played with the Valley intramural club a couple of years ago (no I don't know his name). It is a complete set up for some one about 5' - 5' 8" selling at $175:

Lacrosse set-new never used Cascade CPX helmet--Brine ignite stick--Warrior shoulder and elbow pads. Warrior gloves 12" and Easton knee/shin guards. Believe the pads are medium. Son used the gear for a month and never used the helmet that came later-used other's. Have at least 400 or better in it.


This one is a listing of everything the guy has and what he is willing to sell it for. Here is a run down:Selling my lacrosse gear, it's been sitting in my closet taking up much needed space for about 3 years now. Everything has very minimal use, and I mean minimal, like 2 tournaments and maybe 20 practices total. I have a set of STX shoulder pads would sell for $50 originally $100. Elbow pads $30 originally $60. STX Catalyst gloves $30, originally $70 (These have seen the most use but aren't ripped, beat up, just been sweated in, but don't stink) STX Bionic heads, one white (strung), one black, one red snakeskin (strung), $50 each, originally $80. Two Brine Titanium shafts $20 each, one is set up with the white head would sell the whole stick for $70. STX Locker bag $40 originally $100. This would be the perfect setup for someone who's looking to get into lacrosse and doesn't wanna search around for gear. Everything has been washed and just sitting in the bag. Willing to negotiate !reasonably! Email me for pictures. Would sell whole setup for $300, there is over $600 worth of stuff here!

MCLA Playoffs

The college season is winding down which means that the national championships are up for grabs. The Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association Division 1 semi final and championship & Division 2 championship will be televised on Fox College Sports Atlantic this year. The D1 semis will be aired on Friday, May 15 at 6 pm & 9 pm (Iowa time). The championship will be aired live on Saturday, May 16 with the D2 game at 5 pm and the D1 game at 8 pm (Iowa time). Mediacom will feature the games on channel 172 in the Des Moines area.

Division 1 bracket
Round One: #1 Michigan defeated #16 Texas; #9 Sonoma State defeated #8 Lindenwood; #5 Colorado defeated #12 California Santa Barbara; #Minn-Duluth defeated #13 Boston College; #3 Chapman defeated #14 Colorado State; #6 Simon Fraser defeated #11 Virginia Tech; #10 Florida State defeated #7 Cal Poly; #2 BYU defeated #15 Oregon
Round Two: Michigan defeated Sonoma State; Colorado defeated Minn-Duluth; Chapman defeated Simon Fraser; BYU defeated FSU

Final Four Preview

6 pm: The #2 seed BYU (18-3) takes on the #3 seed Chapman (15-2). Each team previously lost to Michigan this season by scores of 14-11 and 13-10, respectively. BYU also lost to Colorado (10-8) and Simon Fraser (17-14); Chapman beat SF twice this season including a 15-14 win last night. In this tight match up, I'd have to say that the advantage goes to BYU. To start the season, they defeated Air Force (NCAA D1) 7-6 and lost a relatively close game to Denver (NCAA D1) 18-11. In this semifinal, the Cougars will beat the Panthers by two goals.
9 pm: Still undefeated reigning champions and #1 overall Michigan takes on a 15-6 Colorado sleeper team. With a score differential of 284-100 in 18 games, Michigan's offense should utterly destroy Colorado. In their March 14 meeting, the maize and blue won by a huge margin (13-4). There is no reason to think that tomorrow night will be any different, especially when you compare Michigan's 8 goal win over Minn-Duluth (18-10) vs Colorado's three goal squeaker last night (13-10). In order to have a shot, Colorado needs to shut down Trevor Yealy and Peter Vasher. Good luck with that! Wolverines over Buffaloes by five plus.

Division 2 Bracket
Round One: #9 Western Oregon defeated #8 Southwestern; #5 Northern Colorado defeated #12 Stonehill; #6 Emory defeated #11 Cal State Fullerton; #7 Westminster defeated #10 Missouri State
Round Two: #1 Dayton defeated Western Oregon; #2 St Thomas defeated Westminster; #3 Davenport defeated Emory; #4 St Johns defeated Northern Colorado

The Importance of the MCLA

For those of you that don't know, all of the Iowa colleges with lacrosse teams are members of the MCLA. This includes Iowa, ISU, Dordt, Palmer Chiropractic, Cornell College, and Northwestern College (they did not field a team in 2009). Many other regional schools field teams in the MCLA including three members of the Missouri Valley Conference*, most of the Big 10** and all of the Big 12 Conference.

The MCLA is the largest lacrosse league in the world with over 200 teams in 10 conferences which are further divided into 2 divisions. Most former high school players play MCLA lacrosse in college, especially players from nontraditional areas.

*MVC Schools with MCLA lacrosse: Creighton, Illinois State, Missouri State
*MVC Schools without MCLA lacrosse: Drake, UNI, Bradley, Evansville, Indiana State, Southern Illinois, Wichita State
**Big 10 Schools without MCLA lacrosse: Penn State (NCAA), Ohio State (NCAA), Wisconsin (GLLL), Northwestern (GLLL)

New Poll - Clinic Time ?

Because it takes up a lot of space, I put this poll over on the "Poll Site." I want to know what you prefer for a clinic day and time frame. I am diligently working with Iowa and ISU players and coaches to set this up. Of course I will ultimately be at their whim when for the final decision, but if given the option I would like to schedule it when it is most convenient for everyone involved...

Click Here To Vote

Summer Open Lacrosse League

Undoubtedly this is the moment you have all been waiting for - the official announcement of the Central Iowa Lacrosse Association's Summer Open Lacrosse League! Now that the Valley Lacrosse Club has finished their inaugural season, we can get underway with this thing. However, we're going to have to wait a week or so...
Days & Times
Monday night 5:30 pm
Thursday night 5:30 pm
Saturday morning 11:30 am
The listed times are the start times; we plan on having people there for at least two hours but you are not required to arrive or stay for the entire duration.
Location
We will play at Valley Southwoods. The Valley player obviously know where it's at; anyone who has been to a CILA Toss Around since March has been there too. For everyone else, VSW is off of Mills Civic (on Fuller) in West Des Moines, just behind Valley Stadium. The team's practice field is being reseeded but we will have access to the soccer fields and other open fields on the campus. We will have the goals was well. Should anything change, I will post it immediately.
-Eligibility & Teams
-Required Equipment
-Game Play Format
-Physicality, Refs, Penalties

Click here for the required waiver form

This information can also be found on the West Des Moines Valley Tigers Lacrosse website.

SOLL Eligibility & Teams

Eligibility
The SOLL will be open to adults, high school students (including incoming freshmen), and approved middle schoolers (contact me to find out about approval). Anyone within those age groups may attend/participate regardless of their school or city. To participate, please read and sign the waiver form (players under 18 need a parental signature as well). Bring it the first time you show up and give it to me (Adam), Zach, or Tyler.
Teams
We will divide teams on the spot pick-up style, at least initially. We will try to make the teams as even as possible. D-Poles and goalies will be divided/picked first. Everyone should bring a dark and light shirt/jersey/reversible (CILA store has reversibles available for purchase but they are not required).
As time goes on, the group may elect to permanently divide teams.
Methods
1. Stick Toss - Goalies first, the d-poles, then shorties; completely random; KNOW YOUR STICK!
2. Schoolyard - Goalies will pick teams after determining who gets top choice; d-poles are picked first; Top choice may defer to shortie round giving the other goalie first pick of the d-poles; leftover d-pole joins shortie round
Subs
1. A makeshift box will be set up for subbing purposes
2. Be courteous and give everyone a chance to play
3. If you are tired, get off the field - somebody else probably wants to get in
4. When subs are available, the goal scorer must come off the field
5. If there are d-pole subs, onfield d-poles must rotate off after EVERY goal
6. Every sub awaiting play should be working in after EVERY goal; this means that onfield players need to sub off
Organized
I hope that at some point this summer we have an organized game between the Demons and Tigers. Maybe put all of the returning Tigers together with one or two graduates against the adults as the Demons? This is an early thought and we can certainly talk about it over the course of the summer.

SOLL Required Equipment

Lacrosse specific pads are preferred, but since this is a rec/pick up league, hockey pads, helmets and gloves will be allowed. Football pads and helmets are not allowed.
All players need
1. A helmet with a full face mask 2. Protective gloves 3. Elbow pads
Players under 18 are required (over 18 are recommended) to wear
1. Shoulder pads 2. Protective cup 3. Mouthguard
We recommend
Wearing lacrosse, football, or lacrosse cleats. Sure you can run in tennis shoes, but the cleats offer a wee bit more traction on the field.
We prefer
Everyone to have his own stick. Scheels has had some in stock and they can be purchased on the internet. As always, we will try to have extras on hand.
If you need equipment
Check out Great Atlantic Lacrosse. However, I would advise you against dropping top dollar for the top of the line gear if you have never played.

SOLL Game Play

Style
As much as possible, we will play full field lacrosse! As long as we have 10 guys per side and two goalies and/or tarps, we will play regulation lacrosse. If our numbers are smaller or if the 20 or so guys there decide they don't want to run, we will play a shorter field modified game.
Time
We won't run a game clock. Basically we can play until nobody is left, the sun goes down, or the person with access to storing the goals has to leave - whichever comes first. Although if we don't have goals, we can always play Ultimate Lacrosse or something...
Face Offs
We will have them - at least opening face offs. Decisions will be made at each session whether to have face offs after goals. Since most people seem to be in favor of facing off as frequently as possible, this should be acceptable. The alternative is possession behind the net (similar to basketball).
With the pick up nature of the league, we may or may not have a half time. There will probably be a full water break after which teams switch sides. If so, there will be an opening face off to start the new "half."

SOLL Physicality, Refs & Penalties

Contact Limitations
Lacrosse is a physical sport, make no doubt about that. All players will be required to wear pads and to sign a waiver. However, the SOLL is about spreading the game and having fun so hitting will be de-emphasized. Normal bumping and contact is expected (during isos for example) and defensive poke checks and slap checks are ok. What we do not want is some one being freight-trained on the field. Big hits, while awesome in competitive lacrosse, are not cool in rec league. Serious injuries should not happen.
Refs
We will not have referees. This is a common trait among pick up leagues. Also, we should be able to police ourselves fairly easily. Teammates should be just as quick as the opposition to call most penalties like trips, slashes, etc. Obviously things like moving picks and wards will be more difficult to call. Unless it is obvious to members of both teams, we will not worry about that kind of stuff so much. The hard part will be keeping everyone honest. If pick up hockey and soccer have taught me anything though, it's that people are more honest in a fun setting than they are in a competitive setting. When there is less on the line, there is less incentive to play dirty.
Penalties
We will not have a box and penalty times will not be served. However, if there are subs available the penalized player must leave the field until the next change of possession- no exceptions. BUT THERE WILL NOT BE A MAN UP/MAN DOWN SITUATION! A penalties with possession will be play on until the affected team loses control of the ball; at that point it will be a dead ball restart. A penalty without possession will be dead ball and the affected team will get the ball on the restart.
One of Valley's biggest problems this year was stick control resulting in slashing penalties. It's something the entire team and coaching staff recognizes and is aware of. For the SOLL, any wild or intentional hits to the head will result in a penalty. Other things like cross checks and trips will be called as well. Five physical fouls during a session will result in that player being asked to leave. We want a fun and safe experience for everyone.

Iowa Chops Email

I know, I know - I'm supposed to be sticking to lax as much as possible. But I'm a huge hockey fan as well and an avid supporter of the Chops (& the Stars before them). By now we all know that the Schlegels have screwed up again and not paid the Ducks - despite Anneheim giving us the best roster we've ever had in Des Moines. I just got this email from Iowa Chops President Steve Nitzel pleading with us to be patient:
Hello again. I would like to let our fans... make that our best fans, (our season ticketholders) feel at ease about the recent news regarding our affliation situation. I believe it’s the fans who take the biggest blow and that hurts me personally as I consider myself one of the biggest fans on the planet.In a move to show our commitment to customer service, the Iowa Chops have put a 30-day hold on the season ticket renewal deadline (was June 15th, now July 15th). I want to assure all of our fans that we are working feverishly to solve our current situation as quickly as possible. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at 515-564-8700 or myself directly at 515-564-8720. You can also send me an email. Thank you for your support of the Iowa Chops!
Steve Nitzel

I love watching AHL hockey in our great arena. I love even more that the team has always been our marquee tenant (rather than the NBA Duh-league and minor league minor league football), but I'm sick of the Schlegels' crap. We need some owners that give a damn about our city and hockey's future here. If only some local ownership would just step up!
I guess I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed for the powerball jackpot...

Help the Hawkeyes & Get Cool Stuff!!!!

As you may or may not know, I am a life long Cyclone fan. Yes my parents put me in Hawkeye garb when I was young, but once I could make my own decisions I elected to be a Cyclone. However, when it comes to lacrosse I eagerly support both teams. Iowa's club has made a particularly strong impression on me this year as they have maintained steady communication with me all season. The Hawkeyes take their lacrosse seriously and respect what we are doing here with CILA and Valley.
Captain Alex De La Pena led the MCLA in points per game for most of the season and Princeton All American and Chicago Machine midfielder Matt Striebel serves as the team's part time assistant coach. This is a strong foundation from which a high quality lacrosse program can be built. As the Hawkeyes have long been the iconic school in the state - included in such films as Can't Buy Me Love and The Program, as well as the TV show Coach - and source for Iowa's nickname, "The Hawkeye State," supporting the development of this program is important to the growth of lacrosse. Despite your possible allegiances, I am asking that you help the University of Iowa Lacrosse Club as it reinvents itself into a national powerhouse.
I received an email from the Hawkeye Lax team regarding their current funding issues. Its text is included below. Please read it and consider helping out.

Iowa Lacrosse Needs Your Help!

While we are a strong and well lead program, we are dramatically under funded by the University of Iowa.

Amount of funding received from the University of Iowa: $1800 VS. Team Budget: $40,000

University of Iowa funds put aside per player: $4 VS. Average Big 10 University funds put aside per player: $150-$250 Do the Math!

Please donate to keep the reigning GRLC AA Division Champion Iowa Lacrosse team alive and successful.
Levels of Donation:
$20 Receive a Free Iowa Lacrosse Hat
$25 Receive a Free Iowa Lacrosse T-Shirt or Shorts
$45 Receive a Free Iowa Lacrosse Hooded Sweatshirt
$85 Receive a Free Iowa Lacrosse Jacket
$150 Receive a Free Authentic Iowa Lacrosse Jersey

To donate, click the link below or send a check made out to Iowa Lacrosse to:
417 S. Gilbert #2314 Iowa City, Iowa 52240
We appreciate any help you can provide
Thank you very much

Click here to donate