The 2017 LASNAI is back, and it’s going to be bigger and better than ever!
2017 LASNAI
The 2017 LASNAI will take place on September 28th, 29th, and 30th. The tourney is heading back to Tsha’ Thoñ’nhes (also known as the Onondaga Nation Fieldhouse), which was built for the 2015 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships. This is a world class facility which provided an absolutely wonderful home for the world games and our tournament last year, as well as for the Nation’s local community, both now and in the future.
We are absolutely thrilled to be back at this location and to have so many of these top quality teams coming back. Working with the amazing people at the Fieldhouse, on the Nation, and in the larger Syracuse and lacrosse community is an honor and makes the countless hours of prep work well worth it.
Last year’s LaxAllStars.com North American Invitational (LASNAI) featured 12 teams, each playing six shortened box lacrosse games on the Onondaga Nation over the course of three days. Thompson Brothers Lacrosse took home the title with a championship game win over the Vermont Voyageurs.
Last year, we had teams from the US, the Iroquois Confederacy, Jamaica, Canada, Israel, and the Czech Republic, and this really picked up the level of cultural exchange, and diversity of play on the floor. It was a pretty incredible experience to have those teams playing in that location!
This year we’re bring back a similar roster of teams, and any team that competed in 2016 will be invited back for 2017. Many of these teams have already confirmed their participation for this year’s event, and people are excited! TBL is coming back to defend their crown, and we can’t wait to see how some of these rosters fill out. We love seeing the passion come out early, and guys are already boasting of stronger teams – we LOVE the drive to win, and bring in top quality people, not just players.
We are also in discussions with a couple more teams to join the fray, and this may increase the size of the tournament by a couple teams, but won’t have any effect on the 3-day tourney format or general timing of games. We will be giving teams slightly shorter warm up periods this year, to keep the pace of the day going strong.
Another VERY exciting development for the 2017 LASNAI is that the Haudenosaunee Wooden Stick Festival will now be held at the same location as the tournament, and will also run from September 28th to 30th, so players, fans, and community members will now have direct access to TWO amazing events all in the same place!
This also means there will be more vendors, more people, more food options, more things to see and do, more things to learn, and stories to hear. The chance to see amazing box lacrosse, learn about wooden sticks, peruse and purchase traditional craft work, and soak in all the culture is too good to pass up. You want to get in on this!
SUNDAY BONUS – Syracuse Vs Iroquois
If you’re still on the fence about coming to the 2017 LASNAI, there is one final thing to add on now, and that’s what is going down on Sunday, October 1st, at the Carrier Dome! The tourney ends Saturday but on Sunday….
On Sunday, Syracuse will host an international scrimmage day, and along with some other awesome games, the feature of the day is going to the Syracuse’s men’s team taking on the 2018 Iroquois Nationals team in the Dome.
Yes, you read that correctly. This long weekend is now 3 days of box lacrosse, culture, wooden sticks, and THEN a Cuse vs Iroquois game on the 4th day along with some other great international-college scrimmages. YUP. It’s ALL happening. We’re beyond excited. You should be too.
How Can I Order Tickets?
Last year we didn’t do pre-sales for tickets, but this year it’s happening. We will post an announcement and link for tickets in the coming weeks!
What About Hotels?
We are looking at a tournament deal with a local hotel, but even if we don’t end up doing one, here’s the great news: There is NO Syracuse Football that weekend, so hotel rooms will be available, and more affordable than if the Orange were playing in town. There is a great range of options in the area as well both downtown, or closer to Onondaga.
2017 Teams
The vast majority of last year’s teams will be back, and we’ve already received a lot of interest from new programs. If you are interested in putting a team in, please email connor@lacrosseallstars.com
2017 Deposits – Due Date
A $500 deposit for all 2017 teams will be due August 1st. The Remaining balance will be due September 1st. Returning teams should email connor@lacrosseallstars.com for payment info and to reserve their spot for this year.
Vendors/Sponsors
If your company is interested in getting involved with the LASNAI and Wooden Stick Festival, please email connor@lacrosseallstars.com – We will have a large vendor village this year in conjunction with the Festival, and other sponsorship/partnership opportunities are available!
Webcast of Games
Last year’s webcast quality was pretty low. We did it to do it, and to learn. Thankfully, we learned a LOT! This year’s webcast quality will be exponentially higher, and if you want some idea as to what the quality will be like, check out these International Lacrosse Showdown games we did this past May.
This year’s feed will be HOT FIRE.
We can not WAIT for the end of September in Onondaga and Syracuse. This tournament has been a long time coming, and now that it’s here our goal is to make it better and better each and every year. This year’s event is a huge step up from last year’s first go around, so get in NOW, before a long waiting list builds up… that will happen!
