As part of our one year adventure touring Europe in an motor home with our two girls (Taylor 12 and Emily 9) Stephanie and I will be conducting lacrosse clinics in emerging Lacrosse Countries.  Thanks to US Lacrosse for helping facilitate these clinics and allowing us to get a lax fix once a month or so.

We left the states on July 15th and flew to Frankfurt, Germany where we purchased motor home. We spent the first week or so learning how to drive it and gathering provisions. In our second week we made a bee-line for Scandinavia to catch the nice weather while it lasted and made a 3 day stop in Copenhagen to work with the newly formed men's and women's club lacrosse teams.

The Copenhagen Men's team was formed about a year ago by Kristian Gotsch who is the chairman of the club. Kristian played a little lax while he lived in the states for a year and fell in love with the game. Through mostly recruiting friends at work he gathered enough athletes to form a team. Through an equipment grant by the International Lacrosse Foundation of new sticks and used gear the team was able to compete in about a dozen games over the past year. They look forward to competing in the European B Championship in Austria at the beginning of September 2003, a tournament in Hamburg Germany in October and a Box lacrosse tournament in Kiel, Germany - in January.

The women's club was formed about 3 months ago by Lisbeth  who picked up the sport while studying in Australia. The team competed in a couple of tournaments this spring and according to Lisbeth,  and did surprisingly well winning a couple games. The enthusiasm for the sport is contagious as Lisbeth and Marie her co-captain of the team have received many inquires and leads for new players from there recently launched website: www.copenhagenlax.com The club expects to play fall ball in Sweden and a tournament in Hamburg with the mens team in October.

Both clubs practice 2 nights per week in Valby, a small suburb of Copenhagen at a beautiful soccer facility. They squeeze on the fields when not used by the other sport, but are not able to lay paint as they are still second class citizens. Soon to change hopefully as the clubs have goals of hosting there own tournament at the site next summer.

The clinics we conducted were well attended. About 18 men attended and 12 women. About half of the men and women were new to the sport that week, but all were solid athletes who picked up the basics very quickly. The clubs have a lot of fun together as the practice at the same teams and frequently have after practice or weekend social functions. We were able to join them for a great dinner at a cool Irish Pub in Copenhagen, The Globe. Best Chips we have ever had.

After the clinics we spent a week touring Sweden and then on to Norway. Our next Lacrosse stops will be the Amsterdam Tournament, playing with the world renowned Crease Monkeys and then on to the UK where we plan on conducting men's and women's clinics in Scotland. Other clinics planned include Spain, Italy and Greece.

Quick Background on us:

Matt: Played at Ithaca College, Coached the boys team at Seattle Prep the last 3 years, play for the Crease Monkeys Men's team, formerly president of the WA Chapter of US Lacrosse

Steph: Plays for the Seattle Women's Club, Coached the Seattle Prep girls team the last 3 years, formerly the president of the Washington Schoolgirls lacrosse Association and member of the WA Chapter of US Lacrosse Board

Taylor: played the last 2 seasons for the Queen Anne Quick Styx

Emily: Catch partner for the last 3 years