Another Tough Loss

Yesterday our club had its Gala day; a big event in which every Woodville team plays at home and supports each other throughout the day.  I believe there are close to 10 separate teams that are included in the entire Woodville Warriors club, including boys U-17, U-15 and U-13 teams.  There are also a few girls teams as well and reserve teams for the State league, which is what we Americans are fortunate enough to play on.   One of the things that is so great about this club is that at the end of the day, all of the teams get together at the clubhouse for a meal and a few drinks to talk about the day's events.

Part of the deal for Americans who come overseas is that we each coach one of the younger age groups.  I was lucky enough to get paired up with the U-15 team who got its seventh straight win, remaining undefeated.  Some of the players have very bright lacrosse futures, especially if they keep working on some of the basic skills and if they can improve their off-hands. 

Unfortunately for our State team however, we lost to Glenelg 13-10, causing our record to slip to 1-5.  Although a loss is never a good thing, there are certainly many positives we can take away from this game.  We fought hard throughout the entire game, sticking with Glenelg up until the end.  More than once they had a one or two goal lead and we brought the score back to even.

 They also had a couple of players who played for NCAA schools; one was from Maryland and another played at Adelphi (a St. Mike's bitter rival).  A big difference between Glenelg and last week's West Torrens is that they moved the ball very well.  For the most part they played mistake-free lacrosse.  They had a few players who could put the ball in the net which at times created difficult match-ups.  I am already looking forward to playing Glenelg again as I know we can not only stick with them, but we can come out on top.

What I love about being on this Woodville team is that nobody gives up.  We play with 100% effort from start to finish no matter how well or how poorly the game is going.  We understand we have a lot to work on, and are running out of time to turn our season around due to our sub-par record, but spirits are still high because we know we can compete with anyone when we're playing our best lacrosse.  We look forward to this week of training as it is huge for rebuilding our confidence and for preparing for North Adelaide next Saturday.

Of course, there is much more to Australia than the lacrosse.  Today is a day that I have been looking forward to for a very long time; the three Americans and our teammate Stefan Guerin are going golfing.  I hear kangaroos can sometimes be seen hopping around on the links so I'll be sure to bring my camera and hope for the best.  After that I'll look forward to yet another delicious meal by my hosts (Fish and his wonderful wife, Meggan!).  They do just about all of the cooking because as they've learned, I'm not much of a master chef.  After that, I can't even guess what's in store for the next couple of days- its always a surprise here.

Cheers!

Tyler Violette (6) and I during our match against Glenelg.  Not sure what we're doing but Christian Cook, the other American was determined to get a shot of us together. 

Week 2 in Australia

Much has happened over the last week.  For one, Tyler Violette, the last  of this year's Americans to play for Woodville, arrived on Tuesday.  He had a few hours of rest before getting suited up for practice, the first one us foreigners were able to attend.  Practices here aren't too different than what we're used to back in the States.  The training leads off with line drills and shooting followed by some one-on-ones prior to scrimmaging. The atmosphere is great as the practices consist of hard work, good communication and a few laughs here and there. 

Throughout the years in America we've gotten used to turf fields.  Over here, all the fields we play on are grass, which we were originally worried about.  The truth is however that every one of the fields we have stepped on so far has been extremely well groomed which makes for great playing surfaces.  After playing at these fields I don't know if I could ever go back to the grass fields in America.

The highlight of the week however was the Footy game.  For those of you who don't know what Footy is, it's a huge sport over here.  To describe it would be difficult as I am still learning about it but think of a mix between rugby, soccer, American football and I'm reluctant to say, even a little bit of quidditch thrown in there..  We just returned from the Adelaide Crows v. Collingwood Mag Pies game.  It is an extremely exciting sport to watch, although it was tough to sit through the 4th quarter tonight as Adelaide blew a lead and at times seemed completely uninspired.  Although the Crows ended up losing by about 20 points, the experience was still great and I'm looking forward to watching more of it through the months ahead. 

Check in again in the next day or two as we play Glenelg tomorrow... a HUGE game!

 

We Americans at the Adelaide Crows game.  From left to right, Tyler Violette, Peter Hanson (myself) and Christian Cook. (Note the sweet Crows paraphernalia around our necks)

American Lacrosse Players in Adelaide: Week 1 Update

10,800 miles and almost 40 hours after leaving Boston, two Americans landed in Adelaide, Australia.  My friend and lacrosse teammate Christian Cook and I are those Americans and we are here to play lacrosse for the Woodville Warriors of South Australia.

The fastest growing sport in the United States has altered the course of my life in so many wonderful ways; it introduced me to some of my closest friends, it taught me about hard work and motivation and it provided me the opportunity to attend St. Michael's College in Burlington, Vt.  And now, only days after graduating from college, a time in which most players' careers come to a close, lacrosse has brought me halfway across the world to an area where awareness needs to be brought to this outstanding sport. 

I have to admit I half expected to land in a desert with countless kangaroos and koalas roaming around the plane.  To the rest of America who believes this is what Australia is all about, you are incorrect.  The truth is Adelaide and its outskirts are very much like Boston.  In fact, if it weren't for driving on the left side of the road, eveybody's Australian accent and of course the outrageously high prices of beer, I'd think I were still in the States.  I've spend almost a week here and I am still yet to see my first kangaroo (although word is it there is a park nearby where there is a plethera of kangaroos and koalas). 

The most noticeable thing about this part of the world is the attitude of the people who occupy it.  Everyone is unbelievably welcoming; our new head coach, the coordinator who got us here and three of our teammates left work to meet us at the airport last Friday.  Living with one of the captains, Steven Fisher (Fish), has been great.  He and his wife have gone very out of their way to make our stay comfortable.  The team as a whole has been extremely gracious to us as well.  I think of the movie Miracle when the player from Minnesota is invited to join the USA team and the players react by telling Coach Brooks they want him gone.  Playing for the Warriors couldn't be more different than that- on Saturday when we went to Adelaide as a team I had my dinner bought for me and players were handing me beers (which was nice because, again, they're very expensive).

Now to the lacrosse!  Our Woodville team lost on Saturday to West Torrens, 12-9.  It was a tough loss because we know we could have played better.  We didn't come alive until the last five minutes but it will only motivate us to play better next week.  It's amazing playing with these guys as they're all about having a fun time off the field, but when that first whistle blows they turn on a switch and all they want to do is win. 

It is very interesting playing in this league.  After coming from St. Mike's, a NCAA Division II school in the Northeast-10 conference (the most competitive conference? I think so), I was looking forward to a different type of play.  The teams here don't have 6 practices a week and the youth programs aren't what they are in America so the skill level is certainly different, but its still very competitive.  The most similar thing between Australian and American lacrosse is the desire to win. 

Only 15 players are allowed to suit up for each game, which is nice because it makes for a lot of playing time.  It is also tough because there is a lot of running as possessions are much shorter.  In this league, working the ball around isn't quite as prevelant, which is both good and bad.  Teams rely on good one-on-one dodgers who usually look to score more than anything else.  One of my goals is to help the Warriors realize that dodging to score is great, but sometimes the best thing to do when you get past your defender is to keep your head up and look for that open lay-up on the crease.  Other things an American should know if they ever decide to come down under for some lax is that there is a longer pause before face-offs and that the referees call EVERYTHING!  It seemed as though there was a penalty every other possession.   Overall, however the lacrosse is a great experience- its fun, competitive and the teammates are extremely close with each other. 

As my trip advances I will blog more and more about the lacrosse experience.  The Woodville Warriors are expecting another St. Mike's Purple Knight any day now and I'm sure we'll all welcome Tyler Violette with the same open arms Christian and I received not long ago. 

Cheers!