#israellax

[jacobonadventure]

The IPLL Championships are upon us! I appreciate everyone who has sent me well-wishes on this trip and I hope that I have supplied enough resources for you to follow along. I’ve also been blogging from www.jacobinayear.tumblr.com, if you’d like to read up there.

[kelsmaclax-blog]

Let the Lax Games Begin...

…the U-19 “Tepper Trophy” Challenge took place at Voldenberg Field in Ashkelon last night. It was a battle between two of Israel Lacrosse U-19 Boys clubs Netanya LC and Ashkelon LC, who each brought their two best teams to the Challenge. The teams who were represented included the Netanya Diamonds, Ashkelon Snakes, Netanya Cowboys and the Ashkelon Monkeys. In the end, after an exciting four games the Ashkelon Flying Monkeys outlasted the Netanya Diamonds in a riveting battle to the finish. It was a great night for Israel Lacrosse, it was a success in all aspects. The tournament style “Tepper Trophy” Challenge, kept the cheering fans entertained throughout the whole event while rooting for their respectable clubs.

As a lacrosse fan from the States I was impressed, entertained, and excited to be a part of such a great organization that is bringing a rich culture and sport to such a beautiful country. The competition was what impressed me the most, these teams played for their cities in what I would describe as an epic battle.

All week long while being in the Tel Aviv Lacrosse embassy I had heard the trash talking amongst, how I can only describe as, the “super pumped” coaches. The Netanya club’s coaches were excited to prove that even though only starting to play lacrosse about 5 months ago they weren’t to be taken lightly. While Ashkelon club’s coaches were amped to show off their talent who have been avidly “laxing” for about 1 and 1/2 years. Our office in Tel Aviv was split; one half thinking Ashkelon may thrash Netanya while the other half thought Netanya was going to rise to the occasion and pull out some “W’s”. Personally I was rooting for the perceived underdogs, Netanyas’ Cowboys and Diamonds. It ended up being an equal match between the two clubs. Netanya, between their two teams finished with 2 wins, while Ashkelon’s club brought home the “Tepper Trophy” with their 2 wins.

The great thing about the whole event was the passion for the sport shown by the players, coaches, and fans. The players battled for everything from the 50/50 and ground balls to the turf wars on both offense and defense. Defensively each team made it challenging for the oppositions forwards to get shots off, while offensively all of the teams were taking some amazing outside “rippers”. These players continued their passion for their home cities while constantly cheering for their brother club teams when they weren’t on the pitch. The coaches were just as passionate, while building up their players before they hit the field, celebrating great plays and cheering loudest. As for the fans, some didn’t know quite what was going on, but they were just as excited and impressed with this new and fascinating sport.

All and all it was a great night and I can’t wait to be a part of more of these exciting Israel Lacrosse events. The whole lacrosse community here is excited to continue to grow and develop into a country wide sport.