On July 11th and 12th, hundreds of female athletes converged in Flagler Beach for a wonderful 7v7 lacrosse tournament.  Operated by LaxLife Events, the Heatwave went off without a hitch. Games were played on fields about half the size of regulation with six players plus a goalie per side and there was no offsides. This unique format created a lot of exciting play and allowed the girls to showcase their athleticism and talent. With the shorter field and lack of defenders, the transition game and speed reigned supreme.  One thing that I liked about the format was that, from what I could tell, most clubs were able to split up their teams into two or three.  This way each girl was able to play a larger role for her team, get more playing time, and, with that, get more “touches” to allow them to develop. In addition to the five games each team was guaranteed, there was a host of other fun activities. There was a 3v3/ Braveheart single elimination tournament that looked like it was blast, a hardest shot competition, coolest trick challenge, and even a best game-day hair contest!  There was also a 4-team adult division that competed on only the first day, a fun way for some to get back in the game. Seen throughout the events and taking pictures with fans was twitter sensation Tari Kandemiri, also known as the Official Lax Girl (@officiallaxgirl on twitter). When you add the stellar gameplay to the laundry list of extras LaxLife Events threw in, you got one impressive weekend!

In the High School Elite Division (rising juniors and seniors) there were 4 undefeated teams after the first day; LaxManiax 2018 North, Pipeline Zach, LaxManiax 2017, and ICE Black.   For the High School Select Division (rising freshmen and sophomores), Southern Rage Blue, Xtreme White, LB3 Wave White, and LaxManiax 2019 Ellyn remained undefeated following the first day of action. I focused most of my attention on the High School Elite division, so I’ll talk about them before recapping the other divisions.  The bracket was set up so that most teams had to win 4 games to advance to the final, with six teams earning a first round bye.  The final four was LB3 Wave Blue vs. Southern Rage Red and StickBenders Gold vs. LaxManiax 2016.  LB3 Wave crashed over Southern Rage to win 11-1 and StickBenders Gold won a close one 9-7.  The final offered some great back and forth action but ultimately LB3 Wave Blue won by a final of 13-7!  The LB3 Wave Blue team was comprised of players from a variety of Jacksonville area high schools and a couple from Gainesville, while the StickBenders were primarily from state powerhouse Vero Beach.  In the final, two Laurens, Lauren Tybor playing for LB3 Wave and Lauren London playing for StickBenders were among the players who impressed at the High School Elite level (you can see the full list of players that impressed here).

In the High School Select division, the final was a matchup between Xtreme White and LaxManiax 2019 Ellyn. The LaxManiax squad won by a 14-9 final.  The Middle School Elite division had an all LaxManiax final as LaxManiax Heat bested LaxManiax Fire.  The Middle School Regional division saw the closest final of the tournament when StickBenders Navy bested Starz Select Green by only 8-7. Lastly, in the Adult division final, which was played Saturday evening, O Town Showdown fell to Old Fins 4-12.

 

  The event really was a great one.  It looked like a blast for the players and the games were exciting for me to watch.  I will definitely be there again next year and, if I was a club director, I wouldn’t hesitate to bring my team.  Congratulations to all the winners and a thank you to LaxLife Events, STX, and all the players, parents, officials, and even organizers who made this event possible. Don’t forget to check out the ten players who impressed here!