2006/07/13
CNYers play in World Lax Championships
This is a repeat from CNY in the Pros, but it's relevant. There are a lot of players from Central New York playing for the Iroquois Nationals (that's right – the Iroquois have their own team to play in international competition!) in the World Lacrosse Championships. I'll be mostly following the tournament – which starts tomorrow – over on the CNY in the Pros blog (and Donna Ditota will probably follow it here and here). Here's a round-up of the tournament, with some history and such.
If you picked up a copy of the Post-Standard this morning, you probably noticed the spread on the front of the sports section on the World Lacrosse Championships, which kick off tomorrow in London, Ontario.
The stories are about the Iroquois Nationals, the only Native American team playing in the tournament, which features 21 national teams (including Latvia, Hong Kong and Bermuda).
The Iroquois team has been ranked in the top five internationally three times, and this year they've got a slew of players – 18 – with college lax experience. Plus, the roster's full of people who played locally.
In May, the team hooked up with Nike for new uniforms, which feature the nation's flag.
The Championship happens every four years, with this year's being the 10th. The U.S. team has won eight of the previous nine – in 1978, they came in second to Canada, which won the championship game 17-16 in overtime. Australia and Canada have split the runner-up position in the other tournaments.
The tournament schedule (PDF) is on the brutal side. While college teams and the pros tend to play one game a week, the World Lax Championships start tomorrow, and most teams will play nine straight days (losers may get a day off toward the end of the tournament).
Notes: Canadian star Gary Gait, who recently retired from the National Lacrosse Leage, is suiting up again at the age of 39. Canada issued a postage stamp for the Championship.
We've got a bunch of places we'll be following the Championship, so feel free to play along at home. Here they are:
If you picked up a copy of the Post-Standard this morning, you probably noticed the spread on the front of the sports section on the World Lacrosse Championships, which kick off tomorrow in London, Ontario.
The stories are about the Iroquois Nationals, the only Native American team playing in the tournament, which features 21 national teams (including Latvia, Hong Kong and Bermuda).
The Iroquois team has been ranked in the top five internationally three times, and this year they've got a slew of players – 18 – with college lax experience. Plus, the roster's full of people who played locally.
In May, the team hooked up with Nike for new uniforms, which feature the nation's flag.
The Championship happens every four years, with this year's being the 10th. The U.S. team has won eight of the previous nine – in 1978, they came in second to Canada, which won the championship game 17-16 in overtime. Australia and Canada have split the runner-up position in the other tournaments.
The tournament schedule (PDF) is on the brutal side. While college teams and the pros tend to play one game a week, the World Lax Championships start tomorrow, and most teams will play nine straight days (losers may get a day off toward the end of the tournament).
Notes: Canadian star Gary Gait, who recently retired from the National Lacrosse Leage, is suiting up again at the age of 39. Canada issued a postage stamp for the Championship.
We've got a bunch of places we'll be following the Championship, so feel free to play along at home. Here they are:
- U.S. goalie Trevor Tierney is blogging his experience on Major League Lacrosse's web site.
- Lax Power isn't the easiest site to get around, but it's got a bunch of good info.
- ESPN has coverage at Inside Lacrosse and in a special section of its main site.
- U.S. Lacrosse has some extensive info (though, obviously, it's U.S.-centric).
- You can also search Google News or blogs at Technorati for more coverage.
