7 Questions: US Lacrosse U-15 National Championship
by Brian Logue, Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff
The inaugural US Lacrosse U-15 National Championships, presented
by Modell’s Sporting Goods, opens on Monday morning at Cedar
Lane Sports Park in the Baltimore suburb of Bel Air. Sixty-two of
the nation’s top boys and girls youth teams will be on hand,
hoping to earn the right to call themselves national champions.
Girls’ play runs from July 6-8 and boys’ play goes from
July 8-10. Lacrosse Magazine gives you seven questions to get ready
for the championship:
Do I know any of these people?
The players might not be household names…yet, but some of
their coaches are. On the girls side alone, the coaches include
National Lacrosse Hall of Famer and four-time U.S. World Cup team
member Danielle Gallagher (Long Island Liberty), her former World
Cup teammate and former Stanford coach Michele Uhlfelder (Nor Cal
Blue/Gold), legendary high school coach Kathy Jenkins (Stars Gold)
and another National Lacrosse Hall of Famer in Mike Farrell (TLC
Lacrosse).
Where are the teams from?
The national geographic expansion of the sport will be on display
this week. The 32 boys teams represent 18 states, led by New York
(6) and Maryland (5). The 30 girls teams hail from 13 states, with
Maryland (6), New York (4) and Pennsylvania (4) best
represented.
Who has the best name?
There are some great names – how can you not like the
LaxManiax girls from Florida and you have to like the Phantastix
Purple & White teams paying tribute to their Philadelphia
roots, but sometimes simplicity wins out. So, I’m casting my
vote to the FatCat Lacrosse girls’ team from Michigan.
Will lacrosse ever have a video game?
The Pittsburgh ACES boys team is coached by former Robert Morris
captain Carlo Sunseri. Sunseri has also kept busy working on developing
the first college lacrosse video game. Sunseri’s College
Lacrosse 2010, a planned Xbox Community game, was featured on
Lacrosse Magazine Online last month.
What’s the tournament format?
There are eight pools for each event with four teams in each pool
(two of the girls’ pools will have three teams). Each team
plays the other three teams in its pool and the top two finishers
in each pool advance to a 16-team single elimination
tournament.
Are there any honors?
Absolutely. For starters, the US Lacrosse Youth Council will honor
one team from each event with a Sportsmanship Award that is based
on the team’s behavior throughout the tournament. Each member
of the championship team will receive tournament jackets from
EnduraFit, the official retailer of the event. Finally, Lacrosse
Magazine will select an all-tournament team at the conclusion of
the event, with Brine providing sticks to each player.
Who will win?
Obviously we don’t know that one, but follow the tournament
right here on Lacrosse Magazine Online to find out. Video
highlights will also be available on SportsMaryland.com
