TUKWILA, Wash. – Serious competition, fun and a NW cold spell with temperatures dipping into the high teens greeted lacrosse players from Victoria, Canada to Boise, Idaho on the second day of competition for the 10^th annual Space Needle Shooutout, Saturday at Tukwila’s Starfire Sports Complex. Among those taking in Saturday’s 84 games for some 1,400 players at the Northwest’s largest lacrosse tournament was respected talent guru Jake Reed, whose Nike Blue Chip Lacrosse Camp is considered as the most exclusive showcase of prospective lacrosse talent for nearly every NCAA Division I lacrosse coach in the country.

“I know lacrosse is good out here,” said Reed an All-American at Maryland who has coached at every level of the game including roles as head coach at RPI and an assistant at Army in New York.

“I like to find the best kids from all over the country. (The Space Needle Shootout) is a great way to reach out and find the better kids in the Pacific Northwest,” said Reed whose critical eye was on virtually every aspect of Saturday’s games from athleticism, stickwork and lacrosse IQ, to keeping a keen watch on the consistency of play – particularly how athletes respond to challenges – including the weather.

“I’ve been really impressed with a few of the better Seattle and Tacoma programs that are playing today,” Reed said. “ A lot of the Canadian teams have impressed me too.”

Among the players braving the chilly temperatures and stiff competition that traditionally wraps up the fall season was Victoria, B.C.’s Jared Wendt, an eighth grader with the Victoria Titans. Wendt, along with his family and older brother Jordan, a U-18 player, is competing in his sixth Space Needle Shootout and among some 30 players that traveled to Tukwila for the annual youth sports tournament.

“The competition is really good,” said the eighth grader at Rock Heights Middle School on Vancouver Island whose experience playing against American teams that emphasize team work and passing instead of more physical play typical with the Canadian game provides an opportunity to improve his skills. “I really have to concentrate more on the ball. Go for the ball instead of the body,” he said. “The quickness of the game here is much better. It helps me work on my speed.”

For others the Space Needle Shootout provides an opportunity for youth lacrosse players to see how the game is contested in other parts of the country and for the teams to come together at the end of the year.

“This is a great bonding experience for the team” said Aileen Hale, a parent of 13-year-old competitor Johnny Hale, who made the 399-mile flight from Boise, Idaho to Seattle with her son’s Sawtooth club for the annual tournament.

“This is the only tournament that we are playing in this fall,” said Hale, a standout soccer player at the high school varsity level and recreational level in college, who sees lacrosse as a way for her son to build athletic skill and confidence in an emerging sport.

“Once you have the fundamentals down, you can pick up just about any sport,” Hale said. ‘He loves to score goals. The kids are having a great time.”

The Space Needle Shootout continues on Sunday with competition getting underway at 9 a.m. The U-16 and U-18 championship games take place at 1 p.m. and the U-12 and U-14 title games get underway at 2 p.m.

Admission throughout the weekend is free.

10th Annual Space Needle Shootout Lacrosse Tournament

What: 10th annual Space Needle Shootout Lacrosse Tournament

When: Fri. (5 p.m. – 9 p.m.), Sat. (9 a.m. – 8 p.m.), Sun. (9 a.m. – 2 p.m.)

Where: Starfire Sports Complex, 14800 Starfire Way, Tukwila, WA 98188

Who: 1,300 youth, middle and high school lacrosse players representing 71 clubs from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia

If You Go: Admission is free. Parking at Starfire is $5. Temperatures are cool, bring a blanket.

Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013 Results

U-12

Rhino (Ore.) 6, Surrey Warriors (B.C.) 8

Bellevue (Wash.) 2, Pacific Rim 1 (B.C.) 8

Oregon Outlaws (Ore.) 3, Adanacs (B.C.) 10

Mercer Island (Wash.) 3, Victoria Field Lacrosse (B.C.) 5

Lake Oswego Select (Ore.) 3, Delta Footmen (B.C.) 10

Bridge City Lacrosse (Ore.) 0, Ridge Meadows (B.C.) 14

Honey Badgers (Wash.) 3, South Sound Starz (Wash.) 1

Oregon Outlaws (Ore.) 17, Valhalla (Wash.) 2

Bellevue (Wash.) 6, Adanacs (B.C.) 7

Bridge City Lacrosse (Ore.) 1, Victoria Field Lacrosse (B.C.) 15

Ridge Meadows (B.C.) 12, Mercer Island (Wash.) 0

Rhino (Ore.) 4, South Sound Starz (Wash.) 4

Honey Badgers (Wash.) 6, Surrey Warriors (B.C.) 5

Lake Oswego Select (Ore.) 1, Pacific Rim 1 (B.C.) 11

Bellevue (Wash.) 2, Delta Footmen (B.C.) 9

Kamloops Rattlers (B.C.) vs. Valhalla (Wash.) – NO SCORE

U-14

Rhino (Ore.) 9, Mercer Island (Wash.) 6

Adanacs (B.C.) 20, Issaquah 7/8 (Wash.) 1

Oregon Outlaws (Ore.) 9, Sawtooth (Idaho) 2

East Maniax (Wash.) 0, Oregon Outlaws (Ore.) 12

Lake Oswego Select (Ore.) 2, LaxNW Rippers 7/8 (Ore.) 8

South Sound Starz (Wash.) 1, Adanacs (B.C.) 9

East Maniax (Wash.) 9, Oregon Outlaws (Ore.) 12

Pacific Rim (B.C.) 12, Lake Oswego Select (Ore.) 0

Bellevue (Wash.) 10, Sawtooth (Idaho) 1

Lax NW Rippers 7/8 (Ore.) 0, Honey Badgers (Wash.) 17

Valhalla (Wash.) 2, Rhino (Ore.) 6

Bend Bluebirds (Ore.) 7, Valhalla (Wash.) 4

Bridge City Lacrosse (Ore.) 1, South Sound Starz (Wash.) 8

Ridge Meadows Burrards (B.C.) 16, LaxNW Rippers 7/8 (Ore.) 3

Pacific Rim 1 (B.C.) 2, Honey Badgers (Wash.) 9

Sawtooth (Idaho) 5, South Sound Starz (Wash.) 3

Bridge City Lacrosse (Ore.) 5, Issaquah 7/8 (Wash.) 5

Honey Badgers (Wash.) 17, Lake Oswego Select (Ore.) 2

Ridge Meadows Burrards (B.C.) 20, Pacific Rim 1 (B.C.) 1

Bellevue (Wash.) 6, Oregon Outlaws (Ore.) 4

East Maniax (Wash.) 9, TBD 9

Victoria Field Lacrosse (B.C.) 10, Rhino (Ore.) 2

Bend Bluebirds (B.C.) 11, Mercer Island (Wash.) 7

Penticton Heat (B.C.) 0, Adanacs (B.C.) 19

Victoria Field Lacrosse (B.C.) 4, Bellevue (Wash.) 8

Mercer Island (Wash.) 6, Valhalla (Wash.) 7

Victoria Field Lacrosse (B.C.) 11, Bend Bluebirds (Ore.) 2

South Sound Starz (Wash.) 5, Issaquah 7/8 (Wash.) 5

Penticton Heat (B.C.) 3, Bridge City Lacrosse (Ore.) 4

U-16

Bellevue (Wash.) 6, Valhalla (Wash.) 0

Honey Badgers (Wash.) 5, Delta Footmen (Wash.) 11

Issaquah JV (Wash.) 2, Ridge Meadows Burrards (B.C.) 13

Rhino (Ore.) 0, Delta Footmen (B.C.) 11

Mercer Island (Wash.) 6, Okanagan Sun Devils (B.C.) 2

Bellevue (Wash.) 6, Oregon Outlaws (Ore.) 6

Seaspray (B.C.) 6, Ridge Meadows Burrards (B.C.) 7

Rhino (Ore.) 1, Poco Saints Tier 1 (B.C.) 17

Victoria Field Lacrosse (B.C.) 8, Mercer Island (Wash.) 0

Seatown Kings (Wash.) 5, Ridge Meadows (B.C.) 8

LaxNW Rippers Select (Ore.) 0, Victoria Field Lacrosse (B.C.) 9

South Sound Starz (Wash.) 2, Delta Footmen (B.C.) 12

Victoria Field Lacrosse (B.C.) 12, Okanagan Sun Devils (B.C.) 0

Adanacs (B.C.) 12, Oregon Outlaws (Ore.) 1

South Sound Starz (Wash.) 1, Honey Badgers (Wash.) 8

Issaquah JV (Wash.) 1, Lakeridge Abby’s Army (Ore.) 10

Seatown Kings (Wash.) 1, Lakeridge Abby’s Army (Ore.) 14

Adanacs (B.C.) 19, Valhalla (Wash.) 2

Seaspray (B.C.) 12, Issaquah JV (Wash.) 4

Honey Badgers (Wash.) 4, Poco Saints Tier 1 (B.C.) 11

LaxNW Rippers (Ore.) 1, Surrey Warriors (B.C.) 8

Bellevue (Wash.) 7, Kamloops (B.C.) 3

Valhalla (Wash.) 5, Kamploops (B.C.) 3

Mercer Island (Wash.) 3, Surrey Warriors (B.C.) 5

U-18

Seaspray (B.C.) 2, Issaquah Varsity (Wash.) 9

Mercer Island (Wash.) 4, Oregon Outlaws (Ore.) 7

Rhino Elite (Ore.) 4, Issaquah Varsity (Wash.) 6

Claremont Spartans (B.C.) 14, Lake Oswego (Ore.) 1

Bellevue (Wash.) 9, LaxNW Rippers (B.C.) 1

Langley Thunder (B.C.) 6, Oregon Outlaws (Ore.) 12

Claremont Spartans (B.C.) 14, Lake Oswego (Ore.) 1

Bellevue (Wash.) 4, Honey Badgers (Wash.) 3

Rhino Elite (Ore.) 18, Sawthooth Lacrosse (Idaho) 1

Mercer Island (Wash.) 10, Valhalla (Wash.) 3

Adanacs (B.C.) 6, South Sound Starz (Wash.) 5

LaxNW Rippers (Ore.) 4, Delta Footmen (B.C.) 8

Adanacs (B.C.) 10, Lake Oswego (Ore.) 3

Honey Badgers (Wash.) 10, Delta Footmen (B.C.) 2

Seaspray (B.C.) 17, Sawthooth Lacrosse (Idaho) 2

Langely Thunder (B.C.) 9, Valhalla (Wash.) 2

For Complete Schedule and Results visit: 2013 Space Needle Shootout Schedule & Results

About the Space Needle Shootout

The annual Space Needle Shootout presented by WALAX.com is the Northwest’s largest and most prestigious youth lacrosse tournament. Attracting over 1,400 players and 72 teams from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia, the Space Needle Shootout takes place the first weekend of December in Tukwila, Wash. For more information visit WALAX.com.

About Tukwila, Washington

The City of Tukwila is home to over 19,000 residents representing a broad range of ethnic diversity. In 2009 the New York Times reported that the Tukwila School District was the most diverse district in the nation. Tukwila’s warm community spirit is reflected everywhere, especially in its celebrations such as the Fourth of July or Backyard Wildlife Fair. Since its founding in 1908, Tukwila has also grown into a bustling business engine that is central to the Puget Sound economy. The City hosts over 2,200 businesses with 42,000 employees in a wide variety of sectors such as retail, aircraft components, health care, food manufacturing, datacenters, and information services. Tukwila is proud to be home to the Museum of Flight, Starfire Sports Complex, the Seattle Sounders FC, and Westfield Southcenter, the largest mall in the Pacific Northwest.

About Starfire Sports and Starfire Sports Stadium

Starfire Sports is the premiere soccer, lacrosse and field sports athletic campus in the nation located just south of Seattle in Tukwila, Washington. Built in 2004 and operated as a non-profit community sports resource, Starfire is home to the Seattle Sounders FC MLS team and the Seattle Sounders Women soccer team and annually hosts select games in the 4,500 capacity Starfire Stadium. Over one million competitors, spectators and community groups visit the facility annually and its community outreach program provides financial assistance and athletic opportunities to some 3,700 underserved youth in the Tukwila and South Seattle communities each year. To learn more about Starfire Sports please visit www.StarfireSports.com or visit us on facebook.