Stop 2: 1st Annual
Amsterdam Lacrosse Tournament
Written by Matt Cone
After Copenhagen, we trekked north to
Sweden and Norway. Unfortunately, the Swedish lacrosse teams were off for the
summer, so we were not able to hook up with them and other than some curious
kids at the Oslo campground, we were not able to find any Lax in Norway. So
our next Lacrosse stop was the August 20-24, First Annual Amsterdam Lacrosse
Tournament conducted by the newly formed Dutch National Lacrosse Team and
e-Lacrosse. Fourteen men's teams from the US and Europe competed in 2
different divisions: The European Bracket and the North American Bracket.
Women's teams are expected to compete next year. The venue for the tournament
was the THC Hurley Field Hockey complex, which was pretty amazing. The complex
has a large number of synthetic turf fields, a great club house and is only a
short distance from the infamous downtown Amsterdam. As an add! ed bonus, the
European men's and women's field hockey championships were being held at the
same location which contributed to the festive atmosphere.
The level of competition varied greatly
amongst the teams but the camaraderie and supportive nature of lacrosse shined
through. Newly formed teams from Italy, Germany and my new found friends from
Denmark all dramatically improved over the course of the five day tournament.
Experienced teams from the states including the infamous Crease Monkeys, NCAA
DII champions NYIT and Harrow LC all provided mentorship to the newer teams
while competing vigorously in their head to head match-ups. Paul Gait
conducted a clinic during the break on championship day. At least a hundred
men's club players attended his session which shows the intensity of the
Europeans on learning the game. The support and devotion that the European
Lacrosse Leaders have to spreading the sport across Europe is impressive.
Over the course of the tournament I met
a number of people including Peter Mundy the President of the European
Lacrosse Association who introduced myself and my wife Steph to countless
captains and coaches from remote lacrosse communities including Latvia, Italy
and Spain. Many of whom we hope to hook up with down the road. One of the most
impressive people we met however was
Maryellen Garvey from Long Island. Her son recently graduated
as a goalie for RPI played for Team Ireland, additionally she was the team
manager for Team Ireland that competed in the 2002 ILF Men's World Cup.
Maryellen is so committed to the growth of Irish Lacrosse that she has rented
her house in NY and plans with her son to spend the following year touring
Ireland introducing various communities to our sport. Their plan is! to form
at least 4 men's teams this year with plans to expand the following year.
They are particularly excited about converting Hurling (the Irish National
Sport) players into lacrosse players. Hurling is a mix of Field Hockey and
Lacrosse that should prove to be fertile ground for recruits.
Having attended numerous Lacrosse
tournaments over the years, I can say that Amsterdam was something pretty
special. The excitement in the teams and players in attendance over the
potential for rapid growth in European lacrosse was contagious. The Americans
who participated shared a lot of knowledge and many were hooked on the
excitement making plans to return. Next stop: England and Spain.
