Late in July, 46 of the best boys and girls lacrosse teams from across the country converged in Richmond, Virginia for the US Lacrosse U15 National Championships.  It was a phenomenal event that allowed some of the best teenage athletes in the nation to showcase their talents and compete for a championship.  I have heard nothing but praise for the event from parents, players, and coaches alike. Two Florida teams, the boys of the Swashbucklers program and girls from Florida Select, competed in Richmond, allowing the players to experience a level of competition that you can’t find anywhere else. Both teams come from first class organizations that consistently create top level Florida talent.  The Swashbucklers are based in South Florida but draw players from as far north as the Dr. Phillips area. Florida Select is based in Delray Beach/ Boca Raton and draw most of their players from high schools American Heritage, Spanish River, Boca Raton, and Oxbridge Academy. Why did the Swash and Select choose to play in this tournament? Andy Bolger of the Swashbucklers put it simply, “Great players, great sportsmanship, great tournament.” Coach of the Florida Select Rob Wurzburger said he likes the tournament most because it allows his players to test themselves against the best teams in the nation and it gives him a “nice view of where [his] team sits nationally.” There are no easy schedules at an event of this caliber, but the Swashbucklers certainly did not get lucky with their pool play draws.  They started off with their most winnable game but, unfortunately, dropped their opener to Utah in a close game.  Then the Swash had to take on the two teams that played in the final (yes, the two teams that finished #1 and #2).  Against FCA, a team with 16 Division I commits, the team lost by 17 and, against a Long Island Express team, the Swash fell by a final of 11-2.  Despite the losses, Coach Bolger said the important thing was that his players were getting better.  And it does seem like they did get better on the second day.  The Swash defeated the Booth Bandits from California 8-5 to start the day and then faced off with FCA, the eventual champions, again.  Against FCA, the team that had 4 of the 10 all-tournament players, the Swash improved on their prior performance and lost by only 9 goals.  On Sunday July 26th, the Swashbucklers played their final game of the tournament when they defeated Queen City 8-5. Although 2-4 isn’t the best record the Swashbucklers could have attained, the players should definitely hold their heads high.  For a team that never had a practice with all the players present, the team competed extremely well against the best teams in the nation.  The players gained some invaluable experience and I’m sure the boys will continue to develop into exceptional players.  Coach Bolger said all of his players played great and, when I asked, he said Connor Davies at attack, Jack Killian and Colin Sypek at midfield, Justin Isenhour at LSM, Kyle Gittelman at defense, and Christian Tomei in goal were the ones who stood-out to him the most with their play. On the girls’ side, Florida Select had more success on the field while still playing a very difficult schedule.  On day 1, Select played 3 teams that finished in the final top 10.  First up, Florida Select played Integrity, a top team from the hotbed of Maryland, in a back and forth game.  Select showcased their defense by allowing only five goals, but ultimately lost 5-4. Next, Select took on a Washington State team and won 9-5.  To finish day 1, the team played another close, defensive game, but this time came up with a 5-4 victory against Cardinal 2018, a team from Virginia. Select came back for day 2 with plenty of excitement and they showed off their skill by beating an Illinois team 13-4 to advance in the playoffs.  Unfortunately, Florida Select came up against Integrity again.  This game was even closer than their first; with two minutes left the Florida team was leading by two but two questionable yellow cards allowed Integrity to crawl back into the game.  It came down to overtime, where Integrity won by a final 8-9, handing Florida Select a heartbreaking loss.  To finish out the tournament, Florida Select defeated Eagle Stix from Georgia 11-8. Most of this team competed in the event a year ago when they had a 3-3 record but Coach Rob Wurzburger said this years schedule was much more difficult, a testament to the improvement and skill of his players.  Wurzburger was extremely proud of the way all his girls played and he went on to say that his team “ended the summer season in a great way.”  The coach raved about how well all of his players played, but when I forced him to pick a couple that excelled he told me that attackers Taylor Mullen and Caitlyn Wurzburger, midfielders Lizzy Lynch and Kristen Zenor, defender Lauren Mazzamaro, and goaltender Lauren Bradshaw were some of his players that stood out. Congratulations to all the players, parents, and coaches that are involved with these two programs! And thank you for representing Florida lacrosse so well.