Brookfield Lacrosse Club Kicks Off Season With Ice Breaker Tournament

A chill was in the air to go along with the sounds of coaches barking out instructions and parents rooting their kids on in the 2nd annual Brookfield Lacrosse Club (BLC) Ice Breaker LAX Tournament.  On the field of play the sight of players clanging sticks together, jarring each other with bone-crushing hits, racing from one end to the other and letting fly lightning quick shots could be seen.

The action was fast and furious during the weekend event held at Brookfield High School.  Quick paced 25-minute running clock games were played one right after another on two separate fields.  The supremely organized event went off without a hitch as boys' teams from Connecticut and New York rotated between fields and opponents.  Rival towns like Brookfield, Newtown, Ridgefield, Danbury, New Fairfield, New Milford and Weston butted heads with teams from Rye, Guilford, Chesire, Simsbury and Somers.  Overall there were 16 teams competing.

Saturday was "seniors'" day as 8th graders took the field.  In the morning the "A" teams or tier-one teams went at it while in the afternoon it was the "B" teams or tier-two teams taking the fields.  On Sunday the "juniors" got their chance to show their stuff with the same morning and afternoon format in place.  Two separate championship games were played each day with trophies being handed out for the winners and runner-ups alike.

Ridgefield was the dominant team of the weekend, taking home trophy's in both the seniors and juniors tier-one championship games.

The competition was fierce as the players took the games seriously while having fun being back on the field after a long winter off.  The coaches certainly wanted to win but also were interested in seeing where their teams were at before the real season begins in one month.  The weekend-long event provided a good learning experience in a fun atmosphere to get the kids ready for the season.

And there were plenty of kids to enjoy the fun.  BLC President Kevin Madden estimated as many as 1,500 kids would be involved in the games throughout the weekend.  The BLC has 250 members alone. 

The sport of Lacrosse continues to grow in popularity.  One coach mentioned that kids like it because their parents don't know much about how to play.  Watching the action, it's easy to see other reasons why the kids enjoy it.  The coach mentioned that it combines a combination of other sports like football and basketball as well as the obvious soccer and hockey influence.  Bigger players can get physical while smaller players can use their speed to be effective.  There is a lot of strategy involved and teamwork is essential.

Madden was busy hustling about all weekend long making sure everything ran smoothly.  He received help from club members' parents and also from BHS Lacrosse players.  The high school kids helped set up the fields and run the concession stand at the Booster Barn.  Parents were helping out at the vendor stands and running the grill.  David "The Prince Of Pulled Pork" George was the most popular guy there, dishing out egg sandwiches in the morning and burgers, hot dogs and homemade pulled pork sandwiches to die for all afternoon.  There was plenty of hot chocolate and coffee to keep everyone warm and the kids at the concession stand actually walked around the grounds with trays of it for all to have.

BLC had their own vendor table run by Madden's wife who was selling t-shirts, sweatshirts (in high demand on the cold weekend), shorts, hats and other gear.  She was also in charge of watching the prized trophies on display. 

There were other vendors selling lacrosse equipment and gear as well.  Play It Again Sports, Maverik Lacrosse, Bam Shaft and The Edge Performance were all in attendance. 

Besides the vendor stands, there was also a Fastest Shot competition set-up.  On Sunday, special guest Matt Striebel of USA Lacrosse showed up to give kids pointers on how to improve their techniques.

Overall, the event was a complete success.  BLC expanded the tournament from one day last year to two days this year and it was clear to see that that was a wise decision.  They will be hosting their first girls LAX Tournament on Sunday April 11th at Brookfield High.  The inaugural event will be a one-day tournament with hopes of expanding it to two days next year.  If it goes as smoothly as the boys' tournament they should have no problem achieving that goal.  And if Dave is there selling his pulled pork sandwiches again, they might have to charge admission.

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