Club Tournaments

A weekend in the life of a lacrosse family

A Player’s Perspective

Dawn cracks through the blinds as one of your parents yells, “Get up or you’ll miss your first game!”.  It’s 5:30am and your first game is at 8:00am.  The car ride is quiet until one of your parents asks,” Did you check your bag for your helmet, stick, gloves, shoulders pads, cup, cleats, extra socks, water bottle, extra stick, mouth guard?”, to which you reply,” I packed my bag last night and made sure everything was there… I also made sure I have my uniform”.  You are ready to compete!

Your coach wants you to arrive an hour early to review and reinforce what the team has been working on in training leading up to your first tournament of the Fall season.  You are nervous and excited to play as you and your teammates warm up and get dialed in.  The first whistle blows, and the miniature season of lacrosse packed into two days has begun.

Your team plays 3 games that day in an effort to achieve a high seed for your first playoff game the following day.  Your team places in the Championship bracket and has two more games on day 2.  Some tournaments guarantee 5 games and give you a 5th game regardless of the result of game 1 on day 2.  Other tournaments are win or go home on day 2.

Your team makes it to the championship game.  

It’s an end-to-end battle that results in a tie at regulation.  

A 3v3 OT Braveheart ensues.

The sidelines are lined with the many teams that are waiting for their games on the surrounding fields. Players on the sideline have their helmets on their sticks, held high, pumping.  As the crowd waits for the referee to place the ball at the faceoff X, a sudden electric pause runs over the complex.

The whistle blows, a groundball is picked up, a pass is made, a shot is taken, a goal is scored.

Sudden Victory!

One team wins, the other learns.

A Parent’s Perspective

Dawn cracks through the blinds on Tuesday morning before the tournament weekend as your phone beeps with an email notification from the program director with your child’s tournament schedule.  

You’re excited that this weekend has finally come for your kid!  

You must prepare!

You go to the store to get everything you need for the weekend.  You gather lunch supplies and snacks, and extra drinks for the cooler.  You check the tent to make sure it’s still in good condition and grab the camping chairs from the shed.

You spend the few minutes you have throughout the week organizing these things.  

The car is loaded on Friday night with ice in the cooler and lunches packed.  Your car is packed to the brim with what looks like enough supplies to stay at this tournament for a whole week.

Saturday morning arrives and you yell,” Get up or you’ll miss your first game!”.  Your child pops out of bed with a huge smile on their face and they are ready to go compete.

You arrive at the facility.  It’s a sprawling complex with multiple fields.  The atmosphere is crackling with anticipation as the morning fog is beginning to burn off and the Sun is rising rapidly.  You check Tourney Machine and make sure you are headed to the right field.  You turn around because you realize that you are headed in the wrong direction.

You make it to the first field and watch your child compete in 3 games.  After each game there is generally an hour or two break between games which allow the parents and players to relax, rehydrate, build camaraderie within the team, and have the coaches coach the players up in preparation for the next game.  Throughout the day you cheer things like, WHEELS, Get the Ball!, PASS IT!, SHOOT IT!  GOOD JOB! C’MON REF! and GO TEAM!

You get home in the late afternoon with your son and press the repeat button to get ready for day 2.  

Day 2 is good, and your child’s team makes it to the championship game.  

It’s an end-to-end battle that results in a tie at regulation.  

A 3v3 OT Braveheart ensues.

The sidelines are lined with the many teams that are waiting for their games on the surrounding fields. Players on the sideline have their helmets on their sticks, held high, pumping.  As the crowd waits for the referee to place the ball at the faceoff X, a sudden electric pause runs over the complex.

The whistle blows, a groundball is picked up, a pass is made, a shot is taken, a goal is scored.

Sudden Victory!

One team wins, the other learns.

You give your child a hug and tell them,” I loved watching you play, this weekend was fantastic!”