Brodie Merrill Makes a Stop in Seattle for Club Lacrosse

Tuesday night, the night before Valentine's day, two nights before a big game for the Lumberjax, and a few hours after his last practice, Brodie Merrill came to Seattle to help a college club team.  He did this not because anyone asked him, or payed him, he did it for love of the game.  Brodie, touted by Inside Lacrosse as the best Lacrosse player in the World, and also a finalist in Nike's Professional Athlete of the Year, is one of the nicest people you will ever meet.  Oh yeah, he is absolutely nasty as a defensemen.

Lending his help to the defensive unit, Brodie talked about timing of checking, and some pre-practice drills to accentuate the motions necessary for good checking.  He also contributed to sliding concepts and communication with some drills to help bring the point home.  Midfield Defense was also a topic of play, and certainly helped get midfielders straight on what "funneling down the sides" actually means.  Afterwords, Brodie was nominated as the Guest Defensive coach, and enjoyed seeing the players leave so full of energy.  At 10PM, that kind of energy is hard to find.

This is nothing new to Merrill.  He helped coach the Beaverton High School team last year, and is also the Head lacrosse instructor at The Hill School, near Toronto.  Living in Oregon for three months of the year, and playing Lacrosse for the Jax lets Brodie do what he is passionate about, helping to grow the game- even in Seattle!