TUKWILA, Wash. – The 10^th annual Space Needle Shootout got underway Friday for more than 1,400 youth, middle and high school-aged lacrosse players at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash. Friday’s action saw the first 32 games of U-12, U-14, U-16 and U-18 lacrosse action for teams from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia at the annual event presented by WALAX.com.

Among the competitors matching sticks on Friday night was 18-year-old Chandler Nissen, a senior at Union High School in Camas, Wash. who made the 165-mile drive to Tukwila to compete with the Valhalla Lacrosse Club in Vancouver, Wash.

“The competition is incredible. This is one of the best tournaments that I’ve been involved with,” said Nissen whose squad fell to the Oregon Outlaws 9–2.

After taking up with game with his high school team as a junior, Nissen was hooked. “This mixes everything,” said Nissen. “The physicality of football and the conditioning of soccer. It’s high paced all around.”

For others, tournament action provided an opportunity for cross-border competition with lacrosse teams from around the Northwest.

“The competition is pretty good,” said Alex Morin, 17, of Victoria, B.C. who made his third trip to the Space Needle Shootout in as many years. Morin’s Seaspray club went on to drop an 8-3 decision to Oregon’s Rhino Elite.

For others, Friday night’s competition was a chance to experience the Space Needle Shootout for the first time.

“The best thing is to get into the game and play,” said 12-year-old Cody Held of Hockinson, Wash., a community of just over 5,000 near Vancouver, Wash.

A lacrosse player since the first grade, Held, along with his older brother Justin, were among the 60 Valhalla club members in Tukwila for the weekend tournament.

The Space Needle Shootout continues on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., while Sunday’s competition also gets underway at 9 a.m. with the U-16 and U-18 championship games taking place at 1 p.m. and the U-12 and U-14 title games getting 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.

Friday, Dec. 6, 2013 Results

U-12

Rhino (Ore.) 2, Honey Badgers (Wash.) 7

Lake Oswego Select (Ore.) 4, Bellevue (Wash.) 7

South Sound Starz (Wash.) 0, Surrey Warriors (B.C.) 12

Victoria Field Lacrosse (B.C.) 5, Ridge Meadows (B.C.) 3

Oregon Outlaws (Ore.) 1, Kamloops Rattlers (B.C.) 0

Bridge City Lacrosse (Ore.) 1, Mercer Island (Wash.) 2

Adanacs (B.C.) 20, Valahlla (Wash.) 0

Delta Footmen (B.C.) 5, Pacific Rim 1 (B.C.) 4

U-14

Rhino (Ore.) 3, Bend Bluebirds (Ore.) 5

Pacific Rim 1 (B.C.) 5, Lax NW Rippers 7/8 (Ore.) 5

Bridge City Lacrosse (Ore.) 0, Adanacs (B.C.) 18

East Maniax (Wash.) 2, Sawtooth (Idaho) 5

Victoria Field Lacrosse (B.C.) 11, Valhalla (Wash.) 0

Ridge Meadows Burrards (B.C.) 27, Lake Oswego Select (Ore.) 0

Oregon Outlaws (Ore.) 8, Honey Badgers (Wash.) 9

Penticton Heat (B.C.) 4, South Sound Starz (Wash. 3)

U-16

Rhino (Ore.) 6, South Sound Starz (Wash.) 2

Ridge Meadows Burrards (B.C.) 4, Lakeridge Abby’s Army (Ore.) 11

Seatown Kings (Wash.) 6, Seaspray (B.C.) 9

Delta Footmen (B.C.) 5, Poco Saints Tier 1 (B.C.) 15

Adanacs (B.C.) 15, Kamloops Rattlers (B.C.) 2

Valhalla (Wash.) 0, Oregon Outlaws (Ore.) 15

Lax NW Rippers Select (Ore.) 4, Okanagan Sun Devils (B.C.) 3

Victoria Lacrosse (B.C.) 10, Surrey Warriors (B.C.) 5

U-18

Langley Thunder (B.C.) 5, Mercer Island (Wash.) 8

Rhino Elite (Ore.) 8, Seaspray (B.C.) 3

Claremont Spartans (B.C.) 8, Adanacs (B.C.) 4

Bellevue (Wash.) 9, Delta Footmen (B.C.) 4

LaxNW Rippers (Ore.) 3, Honey Badgers (Wash.) 8

Oregon Outlaws (Ore.) 9, Valhalla (Wash.) 2

Issaquah Varsity (Wash.) 16, Sawtooth Lacrosse (Idaho) 0

South Sound Starz (Wash.) 4, Lake Oswego (Ore.) 6

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.