Wouldn't it be great to have a northern Minnesota lacrosse team from one of our northern Minnesota tribal communities? Even better, lacrosse teams in all of our northern Minnesota tribal communities! Great to see the sport spreading across the Northland!
Article from Northland Newscenter and video below
Cloquet, MN (Northland's NewsCenter) --- Members of the Minnesota Swarm, the state's only professional lacrosse team, were the guests of honor this week at the second annual Lax-4-Life lacrosse camp.
They said it's an honor to be able to work with the kids of the Northland.
"Working with these kids is even more rewarding for us because these kids really appreciate every word that comes out of our mouth," said Kevin Dunnigan, the Storm's director of lacrosse operations. "These kids really soak in every experience they get, and it's an awesome experience for us as instructors."
"Of all the things I do, I've coached from youth to the professional level, this is one of the most rewarding things," said Aime Caines, a Storm assistant coach. "To be able to give back, lacrosse has given me so much, to give back like this is special."
More than 50 kids from seven tribal communities across the Northland took part in this week's camp.
The Swarm coaches said, for most of them, lacrosse just comes natural.
"It's in their blood, and we see that," Dunnigan said. "These kids pick it up quick. We put a stick in their hands and they're catching and throwing. It's pretty amazing, actually, right off the bat. It's almost natural for them."
"Every one of these kids born in the tribal communities, it's their birthright to have a stick given to them," Caines said. "When they pass on into the afterlife, they're going to leave with that stick."
The sport of lacrosse has been gaining a fan base in recent years. Dunnigan said it's the Swarm's goal to keep improving the sport's popularity amongst kids.
"What we're trying to do is build a base or a foundation in a lacrosse community, and also reach out to these communities that might need some help," Dunnigan said. "They don't know where to start, so we're lucky to have that opportunity to go out and work with these new communities."
Posted by Zach Schneider
zschneider@northlandsnewscenter.com
July 22, 2011
Highlights from Duluth YMCA Youth League
July 19, 2011
Duluth Y Youth League Practice Cancelled; Pick Up Games Still On
The Duluth YMCA Youth Lacrosse League practices are cancelled tonight due to inclement weather. The Drop-In League pick-up games are still on. If the inclement weather clears by 7:00 p.m., the pick-up games will still be played.
July 6, 2011
Lacrosse Should stick Around in the North
Article from the Duluth Budgeteer about lacrosse in Duluth and northern Minnesota
Every evening this spring, it seemed, there was a collection of stick-wielding teenagers running rampant across the turf at Public Schools Stadium.
Baseball team? Nope. Dry-land hockey practice? Certainly not. Golfers? They don’t run. No, it was a burgeoning group of lacrosse enthusiasts, who apparently find strength in numbers.
Lacrosse is the fastest-growing sport in the country, and the Duluth Superior Chargers certainly exemplify that trend. A club team, the Chargers boasted 70 players (primarily from Eastern Duluth and Hermantown) spread across three teams — middle school, junior varsity and varsity — and won seven of nine games while finishing second in the North Division of the Minnesota Boys Scholastic Lacrosse Association.
Not too shabby for a team whose sport remains on the fringe of mainstream society — at least here in the Northland.
“A lot of people are afraid of it just because it’s an obscure sport to most of Northern Minnesota,” the team’s co-coach, Matt Reeves, who was in his fifth season of coaching the Chargers, said shortly after the Chargers’ season ended in early June. "They don’t understand it, so they kind of are leery to get involved, but the growth that we’ve had, once kids come out and try it, they love it."
As soccer’s dramatic growth of the 1990s appears to have reached a plateau — a very healthy and sustainable plateau — lacrosse looks destined to become the Next Big Thing. Or, perhaps, we already have reached that point, and lacrosse is the Current Big Thing. Either way, it’s a big thing.
Even in Minnesota, where folks are often skeptical of any sporting pursuit that doesn’t include a puck, the game’s popularity is stunning. The Minnesota State High School League sanctioned 113 teams (59 girls, 54 boys) this spring.
The state’s professional lacrosse team, the Minnesota Swarm, averages close to 10,000 fans a game. Locally, Minnesota Duluth’s club program is among the most successful in the nation.
“It’s been outstanding,” said Matt Koppang, Reeves’ coaching counterpart with the Chargers, of the uptick in interest. “The fact that Minnesota now has a professional lacrosse team that’s one of the greatest things in our world now is going down and watching the Swarm play. And finally just being able to watch it on TV now."
The Chargers hope to eventually join the MSHSL and become an official high school varsity sport. In the meantime, they will continue to compete against other infant club programs from around the state. Fortunately, the schedule has become less burdensome in recent years, as programs sprout up throughout Northeastern Minnesota, thereby limiting road trips to the Twin Cities.
Part of lacrosse’s appeal is that it develops a plethora of skills used in other sports. Hockey players enjoy it because of its utilization of a stick. Football players relish the physicality, and basketball players can enhance their footwork while running plays similar to those often used on the hardwood.
Plus, it’s just downright fun.
“It’s faster-paced and it’s good exercise for other sports,” said the Chargers’ Britton Harris, who will be a junior at Duluth East this fall.
While the Chargers will have to replace roughly 15 seniors who graduated last month, the Duluth Nighthawks were remarkably young in 2011. Only four of the Nighthawks’ 37 players were seniors, meaning the team should feature impressive experience when it reconvenes next spring.
The Nighthawks, like the Chargers a club team, went 3-4-1 to finish in the middle of the pack of the Northcentral Schoolgirls Lacrosse Association.
Read the full article HERE
Louie St. George: Lacrosse should stick around
Louie St. George, for the Budgeteer
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| Duluth Chargers Varsity player Henry Roningen (rught) |
Baseball team? Nope. Dry-land hockey practice? Certainly not. Golfers? They don’t run. No, it was a burgeoning group of lacrosse enthusiasts, who apparently find strength in numbers.
Lacrosse is the fastest-growing sport in the country, and the Duluth Superior Chargers certainly exemplify that trend. A club team, the Chargers boasted 70 players (primarily from Eastern Duluth and Hermantown) spread across three teams — middle school, junior varsity and varsity — and won seven of nine games while finishing second in the North Division of the Minnesota Boys Scholastic Lacrosse Association.
 |
| Duluth Chargers Middle Schooler Bryce Holak |
“A lot of people are afraid of it just because it’s an obscure sport to most of Northern Minnesota,” the team’s co-coach, Matt Reeves, who was in his fifth season of coaching the Chargers, said shortly after the Chargers’ season ended in early June. "They don’t understand it, so they kind of are leery to get involved, but the growth that we’ve had, once kids come out and try it, they love it."
As soccer’s dramatic growth of the 1990s appears to have reached a plateau — a very healthy and sustainable plateau — lacrosse looks destined to become the Next Big Thing. Or, perhaps, we already have reached that point, and lacrosse is the Current Big Thing. Either way, it’s a big thing.
Even in Minnesota, where folks are often skeptical of any sporting pursuit that doesn’t include a puck, the game’s popularity is stunning. The Minnesota State High School League sanctioned 113 teams (59 girls, 54 boys) this spring.
The state’s professional lacrosse team, the Minnesota Swarm, averages close to 10,000 fans a game. Locally, Minnesota Duluth’s club program is among the most successful in the nation.
“It’s been outstanding,” said Matt Koppang, Reeves’ coaching counterpart with the Chargers, of the uptick in interest. “The fact that Minnesota now has a professional lacrosse team that’s one of the greatest things in our world now is going down and watching the Swarm play. And finally just being able to watch it on TV now."
The Chargers hope to eventually join the MSHSL and become an official high school varsity sport. In the meantime, they will continue to compete against other infant club programs from around the state. Fortunately, the schedule has become less burdensome in recent years, as programs sprout up throughout Northeastern Minnesota, thereby limiting road trips to the Twin Cities.
 |
| Duluth Chargers JV player Britton Harris |
Plus, it’s just downright fun.
“It’s faster-paced and it’s good exercise for other sports,” said the Chargers’ Britton Harris, who will be a junior at Duluth East this fall.
 |
| Duluth Nighthawks in blue |
The Nighthawks, like the Chargers a club team, went 3-4-1 to finish in the middle of the pack of the Northcentral Schoolgirls Lacrosse Association.
Read the full article HERE
July 5, 2011
Northern Player Finds Success on Minnesota Frost Select Lacrosse Team
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| Duluth's Nate Pratt (right) |
The Minnesota Frost team represented the state of Minnesota well at the Vail Lacrosse Shootout in Vail, CO from June 27 to June 30. The Frost participated in the Division 1 bracket and came out in 6th place among 18 teams. The tournament winner, the Crabs from Baltimore, is a team made up almost entirely of NCAA Division I recruits. The competition at this tourney is top notch, and it's great to see one of our own northern Minnesota players making a big contribution to the team representing Minnesota. Pratt is a University of Minnesota-Duluth lacrosse recruit at defense and will be suiting up for the 14 time UMLL conference champion Bulldogs next Spring.
July 1, 2011
More on MN Elite's Tournament in Maryland
Another interesting perspective of MN Elite's tournament in Baltimore from the perspective of one of the players. You can find the full article HERE.
Here's an excerpt from the piece:
General Impressions: We went 6-0 in the showcase, and were the only undefeated team. Our team thought our hardest competition was going to be the two long island teams but we beat them 10-6 and 9-2. Our hardest competition were the Haymakers (6-3) and the Arizona Burn (8-7). I think this shows that there are new hotbeds showing up. It was good seeing that skill level was growing to other places and not just the east coast. I would have liked to play teams like Team Central and the CT Chargers, two teams that could really play the game well.
Our team: We got to bring the rising junior elite team there as well. Our team has been known to be the best team to come out of our state and I think we proved that this weekend by going 6-0. We had six kids make the tournament’s all-star game which is voted by the college coaches in attendance; Attackmen Al Barnhart (Blake School ’12) and Andy Dines (Westminster School ’12/Delaware Commit), Midfielders Jake Woodring (Eden Prarie ’13) and Taylor Topousis (Deerfield PG ’12/Dartmouth Commit), and Goalies Thomas Gilligan (Benilde-St. Margarets ’12) and Calder Sutton (Blake School ’12). All of them played great.
Here's an excerpt from the piece:
 | |
| Jake Woodring shooting |
Our team: We got to bring the rising junior elite team there as well. Our team has been known to be the best team to come out of our state and I think we proved that this weekend by going 6-0. We had six kids make the tournament’s all-star game which is voted by the college coaches in attendance; Attackmen Al Barnhart (Blake School ’12) and Andy Dines (Westminster School ’12/Delaware Commit), Midfielders Jake Woodring (Eden Prarie ’13) and Taylor Topousis (Deerfield PG ’12/Dartmouth Commit), and Goalies Thomas Gilligan (Benilde-St. Margarets ’12) and Calder Sutton (Blake School ’12). All of them played great.
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