Grow the Game: The Next Level?

There is a big movement in lacrosse that’s been around ever since I have known about the sport all to do with growing the game. GTG or grow the game is all about enthusing other people to try out the sport, raising the sports profile and increase overall popularity. It is a widely practiced idea in all levels of USA based lacrosse with professional teams and youth teams touring the country. Whilst the majority of attempts are focused on gaining popularity in the States, there has been a particular shift in focus to making the game more accessible internationally. Laxallstars.com frequently play host to a number of articles on the global effort with recent articles on Jamaica, Czech Republic, Turkey, Thailand, Germany, Spain, Hong Kong… you get the point. Also, Easton Lacrosse, in association with laxallstars is rewarding those people, each month, which have gone above and beyond.

Easton supporting Game Growers.

Unfortunately, the UK doesn’t feature much at all in any of these articles or the ‘grow the game ideology’. We appear to be in some sort of attendance to these tournaments in Europe but don’t host one of our own, at least not one that’s renowned for bringing people together from across the globe. There is, of course, the slow inevitable small growth over time that is born out of the sport having quite a good foothold here but still so many people are missing out on the true ‘beautiful game’. Why aren’t there stronger efforts in the UK? Has lacrosse here reached it’s full potential? Has our game grown?

As I have said, I understand that lacrosse in the UK has a good foothold and clubs will always pull players in their local area contributing to small growth. On the other hand, students unwilling to try something new cap growth at a university level. The next step from here would be to bring lacrosse to the masses and put it in the public eye. Everyone will have his or her own opinion on how to do this most effectively but I look to another American sport with a large enthusiastic UK based following, American Football.

American Football, much like lacrosse, is a minority sport with participants/teams few and far apart however the fan base in UK is huge. It’s extremely televised in the USA and broadcast across Satellite TV; the UK population was able to buy into the NFL experience when they started bring games over to Wembley Stadium in 2007. Every one of those matches is a sellout event that showcases the sports elite battling it out in London. I think that an event similar to this would launch the sport into the public eye.

There is no reason why lacrosse can’t imitate the NFL’s UK success. If it is batted off and mockingly advertised as Quidditch as I often hear from my friends and family then its success will be limited.  However, if the MLL or even LXM Pro tour added UK dates and it was advertised precisely as the sport it is (ei. The game with all the hits of American Football, the speed and tempo of basketball and the technique/stick finesse of Hockey) then I’m sure many newcomers will flock to watch this awesome game. People would be willing to go see a professional game, as they know that they would get to see a great sporting event. With the MLL season opener this Saturday anything like this is unlikely to take off this year.

MLL starts up on Saturday 27th April

Ideally, a plan of action like this would be fantastic if it could be implemented within the next few years so as to piggyback off the London Olympics that inspired a passion for watching sport. The MLL has the benefit of being arguably the sports top-most level and increasingly more accessible. It features on CBS sports, ESPN and for the first time 15 games will be streamed on Youtube. This will allow fans to follow teams pre and post UK match dates drumming a strong team support. I managed to become an avid supporter of the New York Lizards through a passion bordering upon obsession for lacrosse. The key will be to make it easier and simpler to follow the game here in the UK.

England may be firmly seated as European Champions (in both men’s and women’s game) with Wales, Scotland and Ireland close behind but as the greatest lacrosse nation outside of Canada and the USA we still have plenty of growth left in us.

 I’d love to see this in London one day.

This is my idea but what do you think would generate more enthusiasm for lacrosse?

Christmas Wish List – The gear to get.

Christmas is a vital time for any player to restock or renovate their lacrosse wardrobe. With most gear being quite pricey, especially with import taxes on the latest stuff from the States to the U.K, it is the only time of year when splashing the cash out on a new head or pair of gloves becomes viable. Not to mention family members enthused with Christmas spirit just eager to get you just something you will appreciate. With all this in mind I bring you Gammalax’s Christmas Wish List, a list of gear and product ranges to keep your eyes on and save that Christmas money for.

First up are the offerings from Warrior for the 2013 season. The Evo 3 has been around for a little while now, but never has there been such a range of colour ways to personalize your stick. If you head over to the U.S sites there are a range of 2 Face colour ways as well as unique custom colours saving you from the hassle and peril of dying your gear yourself. Much fresher to the Warrior line up is the Paul Rabil line. This stretches from the Rabil head (in both NFHS and X spec) to shoulder pads and arm guards/pads. These promise to be excellent products, clearly good enoughfor a Paul Rabil endorsement. If you are the kind of player that doesn’t mind flashing Paul Rabil’s personal logo across your gear then these are the pads for you. As for the head, so far it has been acclaimed and credited as being a great head by many users. Suffice to say it most definitely doesn’t disappoint.

Next to the party is Reebok. This company is a big deal in lacrosse yet there influence as of late has been limited to Box lacrosse with few products for the field game. It is not unusual, in this instance, for Reebok to have a large stake in one part of the game and not the other and this can be explained by their highly integral role in ice hockey. However, times are changing, Reebok are branching out and lacrosse is going to benefit from it. They are bringing the forefront of design and intuition to Field lacrosse with their all-new Black range. Although not on general sale yet, it will set the field alight. In addition, Reebok have updated their current lacrosse line. The 10K protection range is designed for the elite. The gloves especially have a premium feel about them. For this season they have taken it to the next level for players looking for a little bit of ‘SHAZAM!’ and something eye catching. I present the 10K neon range. This takes the advantage of the great protection of the 10K and injects some life and colour into their line up and they look sweet.

STX is a big player in the game and they have two new lines for the 2013 season. The Shadow range is aimed to provide ultimate protection with a sleek low profile design. Currently only produced in grey/black scale these gloves, shoulder pads and arm guards look menacing. Many members of Team STX on the LXM Pro tour are using custom versions of these gloves and based on their performance they rock offering all the protection with maximum mobility. Those who aren’t using the Shadow range are probably using the new Cell II line up. This takes the prosperity and success of the original Cellrange and improves upon them by making the gloves more flexible and infuses new technology. STX also have two new heads out. The Shield is a new goalie head; there doesn’t seem to be a plethora of choice in this field so a new offering is a breath of fresh air for all keepers. The second new release is the Hammer. This is a stiff solid head designed for defensemen raining down the hard hitting checks and hammering at the attacks stick.

Following the theme of flexibility and low profile Brine has created its Lo Pro range of shoulder pads and elbow/arm guards. These are designed for the mid level to elite player, to give lightweight protection. They look promising and have a very reasonable and accessible price tag.

Another piece of gear from Brine are the new King IV’s. The King III’s were highly successful and Brine has merely added to their flagship glove. The new glove has a more flexible and breathable protective back panel that flexes away from the mesh. There is no doubt these will be a brilliant purchase for those who are fans of the King III’s.

Easton is a brand to look out for. Their helmet, The Raptor, looked awesome and was adored by many but minor technical faults and Easton’s strict regulations and strive towards perfection meant a mass recall. The near future looks bright with a new style of helmets making their debut appearance at the Lake Placid Summit for the Burnt Orange Team. Also on the horizon is the Easton Core line. With the Easton Stealth Core head featured on Inside Lacrosse and the new Easton Core gloves a whole range looks likely. The new gloves appear to be a further developed version of the Easton Stealth gloves, which were good but seemed to lack something. Hopefully, this new set of gloves will fly off the shelves and on to player’s hands. Easton Lacrosse is a great company producing great products and their new stuff looks set to follow the trend.

My most anticipated set of gear comes from Nike. Nike Lacrosse works closelywith STX to produce few but high quality products. For the 2013 season, there is a whole host of gear new and available for the lax enthusiast. Firstly, is the Nike Vapor head and shaft, the head looks very closely related to the STX Stallion and an inverted Nike Lakota with a similar sidewall and face shape. If this is anything to go by then this head will string up nicely and perform well for a midfielder or attacker. The shaft is a light 9000 alloy. Which should maintain a good strength to weight ratio, it also features a sandblasted grip similar to that of the non-rubber coated Easton shafts. This provides addition grip without the chipping of paint and rubber coating found on the likes of Brine Scandium Swizzles. I, for one, am a fan of the rubber coating but I greatly dislike its lack of permanence, making me eager to get my hands on a Vapor shaft to see if it is a viable alternative.

Following the Nike Vapor line through to gloves now and Nike have provided an extremely sleek looking mid-ranged glove. Reviews are yet to come in, but priced up against the Brine King Superlights these look to be the affordable yet high quality glove for all.

Finally, down to the cleats. I crave for a pair of lacrosse specific cleats to give me more support around my ankle. The new Nike Huarache 3 LX, improved from the last Huaraches these are supposed to be more comfortable, better fitting and featuring the same sole plate as that found on the base of the Vapour Talon Elites. Whilst the Talon Elites are low cut boots, much like football (or soccer) boots, designed for minimal weight and speed the Huaraches provide more support for the foot. Sported by some professionals like Kyle Harrison during the LXM Pro tour, they seem to do the job. There is a multitude of colourways out there but my heart is set on the Black/Anthracite and Volt. These cleats easily make it to my top spot on my Christmas wish list.

Hopefully, this has provided those of you unsure about what they want for Christmas with some clarity of vision. I hope you receive all you wish for these holidays and be ready to suit up in your new gear for the New Year!