Press Release

Press Release: 

Known as “The fastest game on two feet” Lacrosse has been around forever. The Native Americans had played it on fields stretching miles and miles. They used wooden sticks with leather strung pockets, and played with the roundest rock they could find. When the game was over, the Native Americans would actually execute the losing team's goalie. Fast forward to the modern day game, and you could say things have changed for the better.....This is a sport that has long since been a fixture in North America; especially in the Northeast. It is a particularly unique sport, and doesn't get too much exposure through major sport broadcasting mediums such as FOX, ESPN, or CBS Sports. As far as Major League Lacrosse (MLL) and National League Lacrosse (NLL), they take a backseat to NCAA Lacrosse. More people are drawn in and follow NCAA teams, and NCAA games are ten times more likely to be packed with fans, or on the Television.This is the only sport in the United States where its “obscurity” is puzzling. How can a sport that has so many followers, players, and people involved in the game, not receive more exposure? The only answer that comes to mind is that the sport is simply still continuing to grow.
Through personal experiences growing up in Washington, to currently playing in Massachusetts, I have seen and gone through many different aspects of the game. From the West Coast to the East Coast, despite differences on either side, the sport is continually increasing in popularity day by day. It is my firm belief that one day it will in fact be an Olympic sport once again, with the United States taking home the gold. 

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Like lax?? Ever wondered what it's like to grow up playing it on the other side of the U.S.?? Check out #lacrossethecountry to find out!!

How to string shooters on a lacrosse head

Want to be able to seemingly score goals at will? To snipe top right corner of the net? Well, learning how to string up shooters in your head are a vital part of wanting to achieve these goals (no pun intended). Shooting strings affect the flight of the lacrosse ball coming out of the pocket. It helps with accuracy and gives the player total control of the ball, rather than just a feel for it. Different players like their shooting strings strung in different ways. Usually people have two hockey laces as shooting strings, but sometimes people have one. Sometimes people use nylons instead of hockey laces which are much, much thinner, and offer slightly less control, but just enough for an added handle. In this case it's shooting strings, but with these step by step instructions, you could put in nylons too all by yourself.

Step 1: Begin with your standard head in hand just like this. As you can see there are no shooting strings, we will have to add them.

Step 2: From the very top, count down a few rows to establish which row you will be placing your first shooting string. In this case I string mine in the fourth row down. The small holes in the mesh are called "diamonds". With the shooting string, you want to string it through alternating diamonds, as shown in the picture below.

Step 3: You want to next take the slack from either the left or right side (I take the slack from the left) and take the string back through each diamond again, alternating over and under where the previous string was. This way you get a nice braided look.

Step 4: After you are done alternating the other string through each diamond, and have the nice braided look it should look like the picture below. Once you have both ends of the hockey lace, you are ready to tie a knot.

Step 5: Now you tie a knot, just a regular old knot. The tighter you pull the strings when you knot it, the lower the ball will throw coming out of your stick. Naturally, the looser you have the strings when you knot it, the higher the ball will throw coming out of your stick.

Step 6: Now you repeat the process, carefully following steps number 1 through 5, following the EXACT same rules, but two rows of diamonds down. Refer to the picture below.

Step 7: Once again, how tight you pull the strings when you knot it will really have an affect on the way the ball comes out. Especially when there are two rows of hockey lace shooting strings in your head.

Step 8: Make sure the knot is firmly secured so it does not come undone; it should look like the picture below.

Step 9: When all is said and done, your finished product should look quite similar to this. You should be able to notice the nice channel in the stick for the ball to sit and travel. It is truly a thing of beauty.

Be sure to follow these steps for a perfect head with excellent shooters that both throw and look good. Every team needs what's known as a "Stick Doctor". That one kid who knows how to tinker with a stick just enough to work out any kinks. They are a VALUABLE asset to a team, take it from someone who knows. Now you are ready to put in shooters of your own, for the smoothest throwing stick on the squad.

Thanksgiving in Lancaster and Lacrosse in L.A. - Transcript

Q: So today I will be interviewing Will Simonds, he is another junior here at Endicott college, he lives right down the hall from me, Iv known him since freshman year in brindle, we've been great friends i go to his house every thanksgiving (will laughs) its a great time, its sort of a tradition, and um, first question will, when did you start playing lax or did you play hockey first, and where was it cuz i know you've moved around a lot around the U.S.

A: well that's a loaded question Austin, I started playing hockey in uhhh first grade when I was living in Seattle, um then I didn't start playing lax until 7th grade when I was in Seattle at the time.

Q: so who got you interested in these things? was it your friends, your mom, your dad, your older sister?

A: well my biggest influence was definitely my Dad, determining what sports I wanted to play growing up

Q: did, did he play growing up?

A: he played hockey and lacrosse, uh he played hockey is entire life, ane played lacrosse until high school and then he played baseball, but um, I, I played lacrosse

Q: So was it kinda different? Like so I know you lived in LA at a point, were you playing lacrosse then? What was really the sequence of events? like versus when you started picking up the sport and kept playing, going to L.A. then Lancaster, then back to Seattle?

A: umm honestly, a huge difference from lacrosse up in Seattle, or out here in the east coast to down in LA. when I was living out there, umm the lacrosse programs out there were not very widespread, the game is still expanding all over the place so the leagues weren't very official, no high schools or local schools have lacrosse programs affiliated with them. There were much more organized lacrosse and hockey programs where I lived in Seattle, I played club hockey in Seattle, used to go up to Canada every weekend, lets see, and when i moved down to la id say the hockey got less competitive

Q: do you think the hockey in LA, not just in terms of your age group but in general, but the NHL, that it was less of a big deal ,or less of a big deal? like living in Lancaster PA, like why do you think hockey is more popular say in Lancaster than it would be in LA

A: I think that the huge reason for that is the difference between west coast and east coast. Honestly i think that the NHL influence is a lot larger in Seattle and on the east coast than it is in LA just because it has so many other sports

Q: Yea yea

A: just so many other things going on out there. There is definitely a lot more NHL interest and coverage in those other two places.

Q: One of the most popular things, I actually discuss it earlier on in my blog,is the impact of the Ultimate Lax Bro and the influence that video had on the lacrosse community

A: ..... interrupts.....I have to take this (shows me his phone and his boss is calling so he had to leave real quick)

Q: Ok

A: Ok wait say it again

Q: Ok wait, sorry, I know you had to take that call from Doug Roberts your boss, just for the record.

A: laughs

Q: Um so the question was about the Ultimate Lax Bro, how do you think this video affected or influenced the lacrosse culture. Are you familiar with the Ultimate Lax Bro?

A: Well of course. Being apart of the lacrosse community, umm I think alot of people know the videos, the character, I think it really impacted the lacrosse culture alot, it sort of mainstreamed the Lax Bro attire, look, attitude, that kind of thing. It sort of taken as a joke, ya know. Whenever people talk about it but, it definitly has had its impact

Q: Some people I feel like its either ya love it or ya hate it, some people think its the worst thing to happen to the lacrosse community and put you in this category like "Oh you're a lax bro" what's your opinion on this?

A: I feel like ya know, it contributed to putting lacrosse players in that sort of category but, ya know, what athlete, what sport doesnt have that ya know. Football players the stereoype is that they're meatheads

Q: That's very true

A: Hockey players ya know, theyre tough and also meatheads and stupid

Q: laughs

A: I dunno

Q: Well that just about wraps it up were runnin on 5:35.... 5:36 here now, but thank you Will so much for this interview

A: Thank you austin

Q: Awesome. Alright, goodbye.

Thanksgiving in Lancaster and Lacrosse in L.A.

Places that molded me

Scenic Sammamish, Washington: Hard work not only on the field, but off the field too. Studying for school, developing work ethic, gaining leadership skills; I learned everything I needed to know growing up right here.

Skyline High School Stadium: This is where I honed my skills all throughout high school, and played in games under the bright lights. I got my first real taste of what playing lacrosse was through these experiences at Spartan Stadium.

The good ol' backyard: My parents have since sold them as I have gone off to college, but we had a lax wall (a portable wall you could throw against and it would feed the ball right back) and a goal. The amount of time I spent, rain or shine, practicing just throwing against the wall and shooting was insane. I also wonder how many lost balls are lying around the bushes back there.

Post Center gym: I have spent so much time at the school gym. From living in Beverly this past summer and coming every morning, to 2-a-days each and every winter - I'm no stranger to the fitness center here.

The Nest: The Endicott field speaks for itself. As a freshman I've snow shoveled it, I've bled, sweated, thrown up and cried on it, I've broken bones on it, and created life long bonds on it. Endicott Stadium has embodied the life of me as an athlete the past three years.

The Ultimate Lax Bro

If you haven't already seen the video, please take the time to visit the link below:

Meet Brandtford Winstonworth, The Ultimate Lax Bro

With over 2.3 million views, The Ultimate Lax Bro is an internet phenomenon. The video is the most quoted video of all time among lacrosse players around the world, and forever changed the culture of the sport.

This video first burst out on the scene when I was a junior in high school – my friends and I thought it was the funniest thing of all time. The kid who made the video attended St. Lawrence in New York at the time, a pretty well known D III school. The video had a tremendous impact on the culture of the sport, inventing new terms and reinforcing the stereotypical lifestyle of a lacrosse player; the lingo, the attire, the attitude, the confidence (or arrogance depending on how you want to look at it). However, being from the northwest, the culture associated with the sport at home, was a bit different from what it was portrayed in the video. I'm not only talking about differences in the sport itself, but differences from east coast styles to west coast styles.

Here I am going to breakdown the video from start to finish, analyzing the most important terms:

Fluff: The mesh is the basket where the ball is held in a lacrosse stick. The term “fluff” is referring to the slack of the mesh that sticks out the back of the head. Whenever a stick is strung, there is always a little bit of mesh that is left over, and sticks out the back. Sometimes it gets caught on things, worn and torn, and just gets really soft and frayed. Brandtford describes one of his sticks as fluffy, therefore, the universal term was born.

Boarding school/Pastels: Boarding school is something that not a lot of kids attend out west. On the east coast it is much much more common to have your kid attend boarding school. I don't even know of any boarding schools in Washington State to be 100% honest. Before I came back here I always just thought of boarding school as this far away place your parents sent you if you were a bad kid. When I came back here I learned they were nice schools and it was pretty common to attend boarding school, especially if you played a sport. Pastels are what he refers to his colored as. The east coast is preppy, and I never had shirts like that growing up, but I sure do now.

Spoon or Twig: A player's “spoon” or “twig” is in reference to their stick. How you pick up the ball by scooping it, and when you run you cradle it. Naturally the terms make complete sense.

Lax Bro: A Lax Bro is a term associated with anyone who plays lacrosse. “Oh you play lacrosse? You're a Lax Bro?” Bro is chill term to call another person, because lacrosse is a chill sport, then combined with lax you get “Lax Bro”. It is a common term thrown around by others who don't play, directed at people who do.

Nantucket: Brandtford Winstonworth refers to his Nantucket hat “ACK” for short. Nantucket is associated with wealthier, old money, upper-class, generally white people who have played lacrosse through the generations. The hat is a symbol of who plays the sport, and is another stereotype. When I first saw the video, I had only heard of Nantucket because it was on the fruit drinks I liked, Nantucket Nectars. I never knew about that stereotype until I got back here and my friends told me all about it.

Flow/Lettuce: “90% of lax is in the flow” A player's flow or lettuce refers to your hair when it is long, and sticks out the back of your helmet. It is a universal term and a pretty funny thing to everyone who is involved in lacrosse. Bro Bible is a hilarious college lifestyle site and they assemble the “All-Flow team” each year, featuring the players in NCAA lacrosse who have the best looking flow. Keep it short and maintained all year, then come spring and lacrosse, you let it rage.

Club/DI: This is really funny because players do not need to decide between club and DI.....The talent is head over heels much better D1 than club. Players play at the club level when they either get cut from the college's varsity team, get kicked off, or just flat out aren't good enough to make the team in the first place.

Turf Dogs, Mid Calves, Nice shorts, Lax Pinnie, Croakies, Shades: The old adage, look good play good, absolutely rings true for lacrosse players both on and off the field. When I first saw the video it was weird. I never wore bright colored shorts like he does, on the west coast everything is much less preppier. I never had heard of Sperry Topsiders either till I came back here. Croakies are almost non-existent on the west coast; except for old Dads with no sense of style. As for Turf Dogs, I saw them here and there on football players, but never had I seen lacrosse players wear them off the field – especially as a style choice.

Preakness: The Preakness reference ties back into the sport being relatively wealthy. This is a high class event, and once again, is something I never would ever have thought of as an awesome event lacrosse players are associated with attending.

Party Culture: Lastly is this party culture that goes with playing and being apart of a lacrosse team. This video always shows empty beers everywhere and is hilarious. Around campus lacrosse players are looked at, or put in a category as “wild” whether you like it or not. For instance, every single day at Endicott in the locker room, we blast constant wompy party music, with heavy bass. To say this isn't true would be lying, we play hard and party hard too.

On the flip side, some people hate the Ultimate Lax Bro video. They are so against that stereotype it's not even funny. I personally like to make fun of the video, and it doesn't upset me – but what I dislike is the label as a “Lax Bro”. It's annoying to be automatically grouped or looked at in predetermined a way. A lot of people think the video was an awful thing to happen to the sport, and that because of it people view the players as giant jokes. If you look at the comments on the Youtube video, its a whole lot of back and forth opinions. Some people think it's the funniest thing ever, some think its the dumbest thing ever. There's quite a few fighting words between commenters as well.

The Ultimate Lax Bro video took the “Lax Bro” stereotype to an entirely new level. It sparked the idea of what a lacrosse player is, how he should act, what he should look like, what he should sound like, and what he stands for. This video opened my eyes to what lacrosse was like, and made me think “okay. so this is what lacrosse must be like back east”. The first time I visited colleges out here and stayed with kids, it wasn't exactly like the video, but there were similarities for sure. Many more similarities than there were out west. A.J. Pegno, who I stayed with at Endicott, was wearing croakies and shades when I met him. Chuck Spinelli, who I stayed with at Merrimack College in North Andover, wore a pinnie the entire time I stayed – even to breakfast and everything. These are only a couple more examples of the affect this video had on kids. Brandtford Winstonworth is and always will be a true internet sensation.

“Daddy University”: Politics in Sports

The University of Richmond (U.R.) cut their men's soccer and track teams without warning, and established their men's club lacrosse team as a new varsity sport. This decision resulted in major uproar and commotion not only amongst the soccer and track teams, but other students, alumni, donors, and people across the country. Besides being simply unfair to U.R.'s soccer and track teams, there is more going on – this is an issue of politics in sport.

Allow me to lay out the scene: Mr. Jim Miller, U.R.'s Athletic Director, announced this decision was not made within the Athletic Department, but at the “Board of Trustees” level. According to NCAA title IX, the number of men's and women's teams must be equal; therefore if lacrosse was added without cutting the other teams, it would be in violation of NCAA rules. The Board of Trustees said they had conducted a year long study to decide which sports the school should have, “...looking at budgets, admissions issues and everything else you could imagine...[1]” After conducting this study and working through all the data, it was clear the Board of Trustees wanted to add a men's lacrosse team.

Originally anonymous, there was a rather large donation of $3 million given to U.R. Where this anonymous donation came from, no one knew at the time; however, two prominent Trustees involved with sports on both sides of this issue did stand out – Paul Queally and Bobby Ukrop.

Mr. Queally is the proud parent of two Richmond students and his previous contributions have resulted in the building of Queally Hall. A junior on the lacrosse team requesting anonymity said, “Mr. Queally has financially helped our team, and our coach, Glenn Carter, has often spoken at practices about how much Queally’s donations have helped the team. [3]” According to The Collegian, U.R.'s newspaper, Mr. Queally's youngest son is in high school and his Facebook profile picture portrays him playing lacrosse.

Mr. Ukrop is a fellow Board of Trustee member and has been associated with the men's soccer team. He had been a longtime supporter of the University, and after the decision had been made final to cut both soccer and track for lacrosse, he resigned from the Board of Trustees.

It was later revealed that the large donation was made by Mr. Queally.

When Mr. Miller made the announcement to the soccer and track teams that they were to be cut, not one of the Board of Trustees was in attendance. The news was also delivered just four hours before a U.R. Soccer game – not the best time, in my opinion.

Patrick Love, a junior cross country runner was noted as saying, “From an international perspective, they mentioned that they want to promote diversity with this decision, which is so not true because lacrosse kids are almost all from the Northeast.” (Click to read more)

There is a misconception here. Lacrosse players are not all from the Northeast. The sport has grown in the Northwest, Southwest, Midwest, South and Southeast. This being said, if you look at the United States where the sport is played, the Northeast could be considered a mecca of sorts. So, Mr. Love is correct in that having a lacrosse team in the Northeast is not quite promoting diversity.

According to Richmond BizSense, Richmond's premier source of news and information, “In the past week, groups of alumni and students have sprung up in attempts to save track and soccer. Track boosters bought a full-page advertisement in the school newspaper with a stirring tag line: “Money can buy a lot of things, like this ad or even a lacrosse program, but it can’t buy honor.” This is a direct shot on how this whole situation was handled as dishonorable to the kids, parents, alumni, boosters, and the entire community.

The criticism on this situation by alumni was extremely harsh. An article written to The Collegeian by former student, Keith Donohue, takes a look at “The Daddy” about how his donation of $3 Million influenced this decision:

“The Daddy’s son plays high school lacrosse and is slated to attend Richmond next year. Surprise! A reliable source suggests that the primary reason why the university president expedited the decision to add lacrosse was that The Daddy pledged to also fund a new campus visitor center. [3]”

This is ridiculous, and makes me extremely upset. Politics in sport has happened ever since I can remember; not only in the news, but in personal experiences. I clearly remember back to Little League, when All-Star voting would come around. I played for the same team with the same coach through the 6^th grade when I quit. The head coach was a real pushover; his wife was a doctor and had influence on his decisions even when it came to his baseball team. Every single year he would announce two all-star representatives from our team, and every single year his son would get one of the spots. His son was far and away not one of the best players on the team, not by a long shot. I always felt snubbed and it bothered me that outside factors played such a role in sports.

Another example of this is high school lacrosse. I came from a school known for its powerhouse nationally ranked, top ten football program - not for its lacrosse club team. We were a relatively new team when I joined and certainly had our ups and downs. No one from Skyline ever got recognized in lacrosse by the Washington High School Boys Lacrosse Association (WHSBLA), Washington State lacrosse's governing body. The WHSBLA committee is made up of 5 head coaches, all of school sanctioned teams, and have been around forever. They tend to only select the kids from where lacrosse has a history, and label Skyline as being a strictly football school.

Other teams were school sanctioned because they had been around longer, and had custom Nike jerseys, matching team lacrosse cleats, and donated money to the WHSBLA because they had it. We were just a club sport, had cheap Warrior uniforms, everyone just used their football cleats and we used our extra money for new practice balls, nets and equipment. During my junior year, my best friend was the face-off guy, and led the state in draw wins and ground balls. I came in 5^th in the state in ground balls, and neither of us received all-state accolades. When we were seniors, he led the state again in both categories, shattering his records, and I came in third in ground balls – nothing. Both of us played summer ball with players who made up the All-State teams, so it was sort of ironic. We both ended up at good lacrosse schools; him at Ohio State, and myself at Endicott. Again, it just goes to show how sometimes things should ethically work, just don't.

These examples show that at any level, no matter the relationship or influences, people can be swayed. When it comes down to it, yes, people should evaluate the outcome of their decision, but that to simply protect the purification of sports needs to be the number one goal: to not taint the game has got to be the number one duty. Tainting the game for personal gain cannot be a factor in making decisions that affect kids, adolescents, young adults, and even professionals for the rest of their lives. The most trivial decisions can have dire consequences, so I urge people to follow ethics first and foremost. Ask yourself if what you are doing feels right; if it is morally just.