Author’s Note:  Today marks the beginning of the FIL World Championships and since we have Florida connections at the event we thought we’d bring you Quint Kessenich’s Blog that he is writing for Inside Lacrosse.  The first Blog is HERE. This World Championship is, as far as I can tell, the first one Israel has hosted for a team sport.  Long time readers will remember that we started covering some of Israel’s quest to begin their national program and now we see the results.  Team Israel will play Jamaica in the opening game at 9:30am this morning on ESPNU.  Team USA will play the Iroquois Nation at 1:30pm EST today on ESPN2. We hope you enjoy Quint’s writings on this wonderful event for lacrosse fans!

  Excerpt: The people you see at the breakfast buffet…. I bumped into Jim Scherr, CEO of the Federation of International Lacrosse; Steve Stenersen, President and CEO of US Lacrosse; Frank Kelly of FCA Lacrosse; Randy Mearns, Team Canada and Saint Bonaventure coach; and Scott Neiss, Executive Director of Israel Lacrosse. Everybody is hyper-busy on Wednesday, putting the finishing touches on preparation for the tournament that begins on Thursday July 12 with Jamaica facing Israel on ESPNU at 9:30 a.m. EST. Carc and I went for a run at 8:30 a.m. along the Netanya beach front. It was scenic, hot and a morning jaunt of nearly four miles. Nothing like a good to sweat to cleanse out the impurities while resetting the body and mind. A cool-down stretching and yoga session on my deck loosened the aches and soreness that comes with international travel. This nation is fit; they love cross-fit and training on the beach. The food at our hotel is excellent, healthy and fresh. The different spices are a wake-up call for an American pallet.   Read the rest at Inside Lacrosse HERE