With three home games left in the regular season there is still time to get out there and see our own Florida Launch play.  I made the trip down to South Florida to see the Launch host the Boston Cannons and, as always, I left very impressed.

Yes, I was bummed about the final result of the game.  I would have loved to see our Launch pull it out.  But it’s great watching these guys play.  Not just our Launch, but MLL players in general. I think all young lacrosse players should have a chance to see these guys play.  If you are the parent of a player or the coach of a youth team I highly recommend that you round up as many of the kids that you can and take them to see an MLL game.  Here is why.

1 – These guys hustle.  When you see a score like 19-18 you might think it’s a bunch of guys putting on a shooting clinic against NBA style defense.  (Yea, I said it) But these guys work hard and they do play defense.  As a coach, nothing could make my head explode quite like a middie lolly gagging his way to the substation box while his teammates are either trying to slow down a a transition play or suffering a double team.  If you want your kids to see how to sprint on and off the field, take them to watch Roman Lao-Gosney or Connor Buczek getting off the field.  They can see what kind of heart and hustle it takes to get to and remain at the top of the game.  If putting your head down and sprinting to the box is good enough for these super stars then the top scorer on your U-13 team should be able to do it to. 2 – These guys are fundamentally correct.  Every catch, shot, face off, and ground ball is like watching a “how to” training video.  Nobody standing flat-footed waiting on a pass.  Guys like Miles Thompson can do anything they want with a lacrosse ball.  Yet, when it counts, he fields the ground ball between his feet, nose over the ball, and both hands low just like kids everywhere are tough to pick up the ball.  They talk on the field, get back to the hole on defense, pass the ball up the field, and have a great time playing lacrosse just like we all want our children and players to do.

3 – MLL proves that pro-athletes come in all shapes and sizes.  It’s safe to say that most athletes would choose to be really big and really fast if they had their choice, but that’s not the case.  If you want to play offensive line in the NFL and you’re 6’1 and 175 pounds like Kieran McArdle the odds are against you, but he did manage to pot five goals against the Cannons. Lacrosse is an equalizing sport.  If you have skill and smarts you can play this game, no matter what size you are.   That is proven by a quick glance at the benches on these MLL teams.  The players in this game ranged the Cannon’s Craig Bunker at 5’9″ to the Launch’s 6’3″ 210 pound Chris LaPierre.  Kids can watch these guys play and know they actually can get out there and do that.  You don’t need to be a 6’8″ 325 pound freak of nature to play our sport. 4 – These guys are good.  The MLL is not a huge league so players have got to be the cream of the crop to make it onto one of these rosters.  MLL players are true stars.  Everyone of them.  It’s almost overwhelming when you see two MLL teams take the field and see so many great players.  Running down the rosters from Saturday night it looks like an all star game, not just a regular season match up.  Casey Powell, Brodie Merril, The Thompsons, McArdle, Brett Queener, Wells Stanwick, and the list goes on and on. 5- Casey Powell may only have 10 or 15 seasons left to play! At the rate he seems to be aging it would not surprise me to see him retire after the 2025 or 2030 season.  But right now he is still getting it done out there in a big way.  He is every bit as exciting to watch now as he ever has been.  Casey is very accessible to lacrosse enthusiasts around the state since many of us see him at camps, tournaments, or as the director of his  Team 22 Lacrosse Club.  But meeting Casey or having him coach your child at one of his camps is not the same as seeing him out there doing his thing.  You should make sure your kid gets a chance to see him play. 6 – These games are affordable.  Tickets start at around $22.  If you’re heading in from out of town hotels are cheap in Boca during the summer.  Even the fancy Marriott at Boca Town Center is only $109 on a Saturday night during the summer. 7 – These are nice guys.  Right after the game the players head down to the south end of the stadium to meet and greet fans and sign autographs.  You don’t find this kind of accessibility in other professional sports where you have to go wait for 2 hours stalking the team bus to try and get an autograph. Check out the FloridaLaunch website for ticket info – http://www.floridalaunchlacrosse.com/individual-ticket-info/ and I hope to see you out at a game.