Team 180 captured the Girls’ 2015, 2016 and 2018-20 titles, a tremendous feat.
There will always be a special connection between the Sand Storm Lacrosse Festival and Team 180. That’s because both the Synapse Sports event and Denver-based club program have enjoyed a similar trajectory. “We’ve been going to Sand Storm since its inception, and as the tournament has grown, so has our organization,” said Sam Bartron, who founded Team 180 in 2004. “The first year, we only had one team and there were about two dozen teams total. This year, we brought five teams and now there are well over 100 girls teams alone.” Team 180 enjoyed tremendous success at the sixth annual Sand Storm, placing four of the teams it brought in the finals and coming away with three championships.
Team 180 Girls Lacrosse Director Sam Bartron started the team in 2004. Now in its ninth year, she has worked with hundreds of girls, traveled her teams all over the USA, and established the top lacrosse recruiting program in Colorado. In 2011, Sam was recognized by “Sportswomen of Colorado” for her contributions to lacrosse.
“I’m so very, very proud of what our girls accomplished. It was so amazing to look around on championship day and see all those yellow jerseys. We had 130 kids out there in yellow like little bees buzzing around,” Bartron said.
Bartron said the key to the overall improvement of the Team 180 organization has been commitment. Coaches front-loaded each team’s training to prepare for Sand Storm, which was held Jan. 19-20 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Cal. It also helps that Bartron and staff are now working with players at a much younger age, instilling the skills and team playing style necessary to succeed at a high level. “We want to be the best club in the west, and that takes hard work. We have asked our kids to go above and beyond. Our players and parents have embraced this philosophy and are willing to do whatever it takes,” she said.
Sand Storm 2013, which drew a record 200 total teams – 114 teams in six divisions on the girls’ side and 86 teams in six brackets on the boys’ side -, was a rousing success on every level. Players and their families enjoyed the vacation resort atmosphere of Palm Springs and playing on the lush fields of the Empire Polo Club. Co-sponsors STX and Gatorade contributed to the event’s success through their continued support.
Ted Spencer, president and director of Blue Chip Lacrosse, spent 13 years head coach of the Fairfield men’s lacrosse program. Spencer brought his Blue Chip NorCal East Bay squad, which included sons Ben and Devin, to Sand Storm and came away with the Boys’ High School championship. “I have attended the Sand Storm tournament for the past two years. As a former Division I coach, owner of a very large showcase event, and having attended various events with Team Talon and Blue Chip NorCal East Bay, I can confidently say that Sandstorm is the best Tournament I have been to,” Spencer said. “It is well run, the food and concessions are well organized and the venue is the very best. Palm desert is a superior destination in the winter months. Thank you for a great experience.”
3d Lacrosse, a nationwide organization founded by former Denver University head coach Jamie Munro, captured two championships. 3d Select California 2017, coached by John Clarke and Bill Cummings, took home the Boys’ Seventh-Eighth Grade title. 3d Select California 2019 secured the Fifth-Sixth Grade crown. “All of our 3d Select NorCal teams are showing vast improvement and meshing together the more they play ad adopt 3d’s methodology. We have a collective group of young men who are intelligent, willing to listen, and play for each other,” 3d director John Keysor said. “3d lacrosse would like to thank Sandstorm for hosting such a great event. All of our teams had a great time competing in such beautiful surroundings.”
Kyle Harrison, one of the greatest players in men’s lacrosse history, led the DH Lions to the Boys’ Elite Division championship. Harrison, the NCAA Division I Player of the Year as a senior at Johns Hopkins, founded the northern California organization along with Chuck Dotson. Harrison is head coach at JSerra Catholic in San Juan Capistrano and this DH team is comprised entirely of his high school players. It was an extremely young group consisting primarily of sophomores and freshmen. “Most of these players have been together since middle school so they have great chemistry and cohesion,” said Dotson, whose son Chaz was a starting defenseman for DH. “Kyle has done a tremendous job of coaching and developing these kids.”
DH compiled a 6-0 record and defeated Lax West Mission Red in the final. It was the organization’s first trip to Sand Storm and Dotson came away impressed with the execution of the event by Michael Watson, owner of Lax West and director of the boys’ tournament. “Michael and the Synapse team did a fantastic job. Even if my boys would not have won, I would feel the same way,” Dotson said. “Our players loved it and their parents loved it. The facility itself is simply amazing.”
Bear Lax Blue, coached by Rick Jeffery, garnered the Girls’ 2013 Division on the girls’ side. That squad features players headed to such Division I schools as Hofstra, Stanford, Marquette, San Diego State, Fresno State, St. Mary’s, UC Davis, Ohio State and Brown. Rick Jeffery is a major reason why this group has enjoyed so much success. That 2013 team is made up of girls that have now been playing together for at least six years, and Rick has guided them every step of the way,” said Theresa Sherry, founder and director of Bear Lax. “Sand Storm is a tournament this team has gone to since it began, and has come close to winning a number of times. They lost in sudden death overtime last year, so it was great for them to be able to win it this year.”
X Team Black, which only had 12 players, came away with the Girls’ 2014 title. Liz Connelly (California) and Jess Thornton (Tennessee) coached the club, which featured several four-year members of the X Team program. Team 180 pushed X Team to the limit, but midfielder Riley Eggeman (California) and goalie Rachel Jordan (Oregon) both made big defensive plays down the stretch to preserve a one-goal victory. X Team, founded and operated by Crista Samaras, holds its annual end-of-year gala at the La Quinta Resort and Spa while attending Sand Storm. More than hundred players representing 20 states and the 2013-2017 age groups attended the gala and were inspired by guest speaker Ryan Boyle, a former Princeton All-American and veteran professional standout. “It’s neat to see the growth of lacrosse in the west through this event that has helped foster it,” Samaras said. “The talent level at Sand Storm has really evolved, which makes winning even more special.”
Denver Summit has supported Sand Storm for the past three years and brought nine teams to this year’s event. Denver Summit 2017, coached by Denver University assistant coach Lauren Benner, captured the Girls’ championship of that age bracket. “We absolutely love taking our teams out to Palm Springs to play. There is always great west coast talent that we compete against and it doesn’t hurt that the location is ideal for getting away from our Colorado winters,” Benner said. “The Samaras family does a great job organizing the tournament in such a way that it keeps an intimate feel alongside its competitive atmosphere. In all, it was an awesome weekend full of tough competition, fun and most importantly growth. We are already looking forward to Sandstorm next January.”
Attackman Roy Ward scored the winning goal as Tri Valley edged NorCal to take the Boy’s Ninth-Tenth Grade title. Based in the Conejo Valley outside Los Angeles and founded by former Syracuse standout Sean Lindsay, Tri Valley brought six teams to Sand Storm and thoroughly enjoyed the weekend. “It was an amazing event – great venue, great location, great competition,” Lindsay said. “Our parents and kids loved Sand Storm and it was a great way to end the winter season.”
Brady’s Bunch brought home a crown from Sand Storm for the second straight year, winning the Boys’ Third-Fourth Grade division this time around. Ned Harvey coached the team, which went undefeated in the tourney. “We had a great time and the kids loved it. We had a very talented team with lots of experienced players so we seemed a little better prepared than some of the other teams, but that was okay and allowed us to work on some team skills,” Harvey said.
For more information about the 2013 Sand Storm Lacrosse Festival visit the event website: www.laxtournaments.com
SYNAPSE SPORTS
Synapse Sports is the premier provider of lacrosse playing opportunities and recruiting events in the U.S. Founder and CEO Cathy Samaras has been a trailblazer in the sport of lacrosse, working tirelessly for over 20 years to promote the growth and development of the game – from grassroots to global. To learn more about the exciting events organized by the company visit www.synapsesports.com or call 410-573-1414.
LAX WEST
Founded by former UVA 4-time All American Michael Watson, Lax West is committed to helping its participants reach their full potential as competitive lacrosse players and coaches through a variety of platforms including instructional and competitive camps, clinics and events, as well as coaching clinics and seminars, invitational exhibitions, games and tournaments. Visit www.laxwestlacrosse.com for more information.
Organizers with Synapse Sports and Lax West have announced the sixth annual Sand Storm Lacrosse Festival, being held Jan. 19-20 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Cal., has reached full capacity for the second consecutive year. A record 200 boys’ and girls’ teams are slated to compete in the 2013 event, which is co-sponsored by Gatorade and STX.
The Chicago Wind club lacrosse organization was looking for a winter tournament to attend as a kickoff to its 2013 season. Head coach Bill Santulli did some research and discovered the Sand Storm Lacrosse Festival came highly recommended. “We did our homework and found nothing but positive reviews about Sand Storm,” Santulli said. “It’s a great location and we heard the competition is outstanding. It also comes at the perfect time of the year. It’s a major plus for our kids to be able to play an outdoor tournament in January.”
“We knew when we started Sand Storm in 2008 that it had tremendous potential. A warm weather location, state-of-the-art facility, top-notch competition and detailed organization are the ingredients for success,” said Cathy Samaras, found and CEO of Synapse Sports. “Sand Storm lived up to its potential and exceeded expectations since the beginning. Now it has become a destination event for club teams throughout the country as the premier winter tournament on the West Coast.”
Santulli said the timing of the tournament, conveniently held during the three-day Martin Luther King Holiday, is ideal for the Chicago Storm, whose players will have just completed exams. Santulli also noted the attraction of the Palm Springs resort destination. “It’s an awesome venue. There are a bunch of activities for our families and players to enjoy,” he said.
Sand Storm began as a girls’ club tournament and such organizations as Team 180 (Sam Bartron), Bear Lax (Theresa Sherry), Denver Summit (Liza Kelly), Triple Threat (Dearborn Davis) and X Team (Crista Samaras) have loyally attended every year. Now organizers are receiving entries from clubs in the Midwest, on the East Coast and even Canada. Burnaby Mountain Select, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, is sending its High School Elite Team to compete at Sand Storm. Consisting mostly of players from the 2014 and 2015 graduating classes, this squad is seeking to gain as much field lacrosse experience as possible. “Our girls grow up primarily playing box lacrosse so they need to learn the field game,” Burnaby head coach Chris Fox said. “Sand Storm will be our first tournament as a team and presents a great opportunity for these players to test their skills. The talent level is always very high and this tournament guarantees that we’ll get a lot of games in two days.”
Fox was very familiar with Sand Storm from having recruited at the event while an assistant coach at Division III Whittier College. The number of Division I, II and III collegiate coaches scouting talent at Sand Storm has increased significantly in recent years. That is another reason why Santulli selected the event for the Chicago Wind, whose 2013 squad boasts several promising prospects. “Obviously, the fact so many college coaches will be in attendance is a real bonus. We have numerous players that want to compete at the next level and they are very happy about the exposure they’re going to get at this tournament,” he said.
Sand Storm added a boys’ component in 2011 and it has grown exponentially under the guidance of Michael Watson of Lax West. In just three years, the boys’ tournament has grown from 14 to 86 teams. “It’s a testament to the overall quality of the event. Every team that participated the past two years had a great experience and it has spread by word of mouth that Sand Storm is a top-notch tournament in terms of a spectacular venue, precise management and strong competition,” Watson said. “A weekend in Palm Springs is very appealing to the out-of-town teams. I couldn’t be more thrilled with how quickly this thing has taken off.”
Watson has altered the format on the boys’ side to go with a purely grade-based system and said the response from participating clubs has been extremely positive. Sand Storm 2013 will feature six divisions from the Third-Fourth Grade group up to High School Elite. Watson is also excited the boys will be playing in the Forum and Rose Garden portions of the Empire Polo Club, which he believes “adds a lot of character and atmosphere.”
All-West (Matt Ogelsby, northern California), Brady’s Bunch (Mike “Papi” Wein, Arizona) and Fellowship of Christian Athletes (Glen Miles, southern California) are among the organizations that have attended Sand Storm since it added the boys component. 3d Lacrosse is a notable newcomer in 2013, a national organization that will bring four teams to the tourney. “We like to play in tournaments that are grade pure so Sand Storm fits right in with that philosophy,” said Pete Worstell, Director of Western Operations for 3d Lacrosse. “We heard good things about Sand Storm, liked what Michael Watson was doing with the event and felt it was a perfect fit for our organization. We go where we get a great experience and the integrity of the tournament is rock-solid, and by all accounts Sand Storm delivers on those points.”
For more information about the 2013 Sand Storm Lacrosse Festival visit the event website: www.laxtournaments.com
SYNAPSE SPORTS
Synapse Sports is the premier provider of lacrosse playing opportunities and recruiting events in the U.S. Founder and CEO Cathy Samaras has been a trailblazer in the sport of lacrosse, working tirelessly for over 20 years to promote the growth and development of the game – from grassroots to global. To learn more about the exciting events organized by the company visit www.synapsesports.com or call 410-573-1414.
LAX WEST
Founded by former UVA 4-time All American Michael Watson, Lax West is committed to helping its participants reach their full potential as competitive lacrosse players and coaches through a variety of platforms including instructional and competitive camps, clinics and events, as well as coaching clinics and seminars, invitational exhibitions, games and tournaments. Visit www.laxwestlacrosse.com for more information.
Despite having a reputation of being a rich white sport, this fall, hundreds of students at Oakland public schools will be introduced to the game of lacrosse. The Oakland Lacrosse Club – which is a newly created, but not yet completed 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation – intends to work with several Oakland schools to introduce lacrosse to students that the sport has not traditionally served. Photo courtesy of Nora Mitchell
“I want every kid in Oakland to have access to play lacrosse,” Kevin Kelley, the boys game director for the Oakland Lacrosse Club, said. “My goal is to expose the sport to 500 middle schoolers and then in the spring create two under 13 teams; one boys and one girls.”
The Oakland Lacrosse Club will provide youth living in Oakland and attending public, charter or parochial schools with the opportunity to play the sport using P.E. classes and after school programs. This month, Kelley has started working twice a week with Claremont Middle School, in North Oakland, and plans to hold clinics next month with a host of other Oakland schools such as the Oakland Military Institute, Brewer Middle School and the Downtown Oakland YMCA.
“The plan is to have 25 kids in the spring for each team,” said Kelley, who also is a lacrosse coach at the University of California, Berkeley, and Oakland Tech High School. “You need 18-20 healthy players to have a functional team. Typically, a P.E. class has 50 kids to a class. To get 50 kids who have never touched the sport … that’s a great start.”
Although the club just formed this month, for the past couple of years, awareness and interest for the sport has moderately increased. In the spring of 2009, a varsity boys lacrosse team was formed at Skyline High School. That same year, work was started to create a boys Junior Varsity and a girls team at Oakland Tech High School.
“Lacrosse is a spring sport and it takes about a year to launch a program and team,” Nora Mitchell, the executive director at the Northern California Junior Lacrosse Association, said. “The lacrosse programs at both Skyline and Oakland Tech High School have been hugely successful. Kids get better grades by playing lacrosse. They are motivated and work hard. That’s why I got involved, because I know how positively it can affect them.”
In it’s sixth year, SAND STORM has exploded into THE place to compete as players prepare for their spring seasons.
Power packed with teams from the both coasts and non-traditional areas including Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington, SAND STORM will once again provide the ultimate destination lacrosse experience for both girls and boys!
Just like the places from which the teams travel, SAND STORM is a spectrum of opportunities for top notch competition and for enjoying life. It’s a win-win! Nestled in the desert valley below the San Jacinto Mountains, SAND STORM’S Palm Springs locale boasts unprecedented skyline views, a multitude of spa/golfing activities, spectacular January weather and the opportunity to play on the unbelievable fields of the Empire Polo Club.
The Washington Stealth announced today the launch of a new marketing campaign geared toward uniting the local lacrosse community and growing the sport throughout Washington State. The campaign, entitled “We Are Washington Lacrosse”, kicks off this month with a contest to feature local teams on the 2013 Stealth season tickets and will continue with initiatives through the 2013 season. During the month of September, the Washington Stealth will be holding an online contest to select the photos that will appear on its 2013 season tickets. Fans will have the opportunity to vote online for their local lacrosse club with the top ten having their club represented by an action shot of one of its players.
The ticket photo contest will run throughout the month of September with voting closing on October 7. The ten winning clubs will be announced on October 10. Fans will submit an online form by clicking here, including their club affiliation, in order to vote. The contest is limited to one vote per email address.
The contest will also feature an individual prize and a club prize. One individual voter will be selected to win an autographed Stealth jersey. One lacrosse club that received at least one vote in the contest will be selected to have a pair of Stealth players attend a practice or clinic for the entire club.
“One of our missions at the Stealth is continuing the growth of lacrosse in the State of Washington,” said Stealth Vice President of Sales and Marketing Cory Howerton. “With the ‘We Are Washington Lacrosse’ initiatives, we are going to provide local youth, middle and high school lacrosse teams with opportunities to grow programs through exposure, fundraising and on-field clinics from our players. This is the first of a multi-dimensional program that will see us engage lacrosse at all levels throughout the year.”
Lacrosse Knee Injuries: "Champion Magazine" Features "Obstacle Course: After Reconstructive Surgery, Student-Athletes Face A Grueling Path… 14 hours ago
"2013 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships": Photos From Denver Men's Lacrosse Team At Lincoln Financial Field Media Day On May 23… 15 hours ago
NCAA Lacrosse: Cornell Men's Lacrosse Attacker Rob Pannell Named "2013 USILA Lt. Raymond J. Enners Award" As Oustanding Lacrosse Player"… 16 hours ago
NCAA Lacrosse: Notre Dame Men's Lacrosse Middie Jim Marlatt, Defenseman Matt Miller Named 2013 USILA Third Team All-Americans; Matt… 1 day ago
NCAA Lacrosse: Ohio State Men's Lacrosse Sr. Attacker Logan Schuss Named To 2013 USILA All-American Second Team; Dominique Alexander, Jesse… 1 day ago
NCAA Lacrosse: Denver Men's Lacrosse Sr. Middie Cameron Flint Named First Team USILA All-American; Eric Law, Jeremy Nobles And Wesley Berg… 1 day ago
"2013 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships": Syracuse Men's Lacrosse Head Coach John Desko And Denver's Bill Tierney Are "The Two Winningest… 1 day ago
"2013 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships": #4 Denver Men's Lacrosse Faces #1 Syracuse In Semifinals On May 25 In Philadelphia; Second "Final… 1 day ago
High School Lacrosse: Cherry Creek Girls Lacrosse Captures 2013 Colorado State Lacrosse Championship With 20-10 Win Over Centaurus; Third… 1 day ago
NCAA Lacrosse: "A Weekend In The Life Of A Notre Dame Men's Lacrosse Player" (Video) wp.me/pg5sH-97C1 day ago
Denver-based club program have enjoyed a similar trajectory. “We’ve been going to Sand Storm since its inception, and as the tournament has grown, so has our organization,” said Sam Bartron, who founded Team 180 in 2004. “The first year, we only had one team and there were about two dozen teams total. This year, we brought five teams and now there are well over 100 girls teams alone.” Team 180 enjoyed tremendous success at the sixth annual Sand Storm, placing four of the teams it brought in the finals and coming away with three championships.
laxbuzz
