Lacrosse Rocks!

One year ago this month, they were a ragtag group of boys who had dreams of learning to play lacrosse. Over the last year, they've been through lots of hard work and practice in every type of weather, but it paid off. Now they're official. The NorthWest Arkansas Knights just played in their very first tournament!

Colin's been hooked on lacrosse since a friend who had just moved here from another state brought a stick to Scout Camp a couple of years ago. That's all it took for the fever to catch on. If you haven't seen a game, it looks like a combination of football, basketball, and soccer, but with nets on long sticks. (Nothing like giving a teenage boy a little padding, a big stick, and room to run!) Check out the couple of pictures I posted here. My favorite is the knee shot--we pad the head, the arms, the hands, the chest...but put them in shorts. And boy, do they hit the ground often, since tackling and attacking with the sticks is allowed. (That's my Tide-commercial kid in the middle. He's #13 in the other photos.)

We traveled to Tulsa, Oklahoma last weekend so they could play against teams from Tulsa; Springfield, Missouri; and Wichita, Kansas. Three games, and we didn't win any of them on paper, but so what?! The boys had a fabulous time, and they were playing against lacrosse clubs that had been together for several years. The first game ended in a tie at 4-4, so we went into overtime. We ended up losing 5-4 but in double overtime! The other two games weren't quite as close, but they weren't blow outs either. All the other coaches, referees, and parents were completely amazed that those were our first games ever...apparently, we didn't look anything like novices. Way to go, guys!

My proverbial hat is off to Vera McMurrin for bringing her idea to life. It was so fun to watch her watch the games last Saturday...the look of joy on her face was a delight to watch. It was her son Drew who got the boys started so long ago, and as a former high school and collegiate lacrosse player herself, she started the team, recruited the coaches, and now manages two large teams. She's found a new passion and thrill for these kids. Drew is #25 here, to Colin's right.

(But the way, if you're reading this, and you have a son aged 11-18 who's interested in learning this amazing sport, let me know!)