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LASNAI 2017 LaxAllStars North American Invitational box lacrosse Onondaga Nation Cleveland Demons Thompson Brothers Lacrosse photo: Jeff Melnik
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2018 LASNAI – The Official Announcement Is Here!

The 2018 LASNAI official notice has been served, but this is no normal tournament announcement, and it isn’t just about dates and times… far from it! This announcement does cover all the basics, but there is so much more. We’ve been waiting to drop all this info for a while now, and it’s time.

It’s 2018 LASNAI time.

2018 LASNAI Must Know Info

DATES & TIMES: The tournament will once again run for three full days – and this year it will fall on the 27th, 28th, & 29th of September, 2018.

Round-robin group games will start on Thursday morning, playoff games start Friday morning, and the tournament wraps up on Saturday night. There will be over 13 hours of continuous lacrosse action each day.

TEAMS: The 2018 LASNAI will play host to over 100 games, 600+ players, and 30+ teams participating (from at least six different countries) with people coming in from around the world, and over 24 nations represented by different players. Make sure you keep reading below for some exciting NEW Teams for 2018!

If your team is interested in playing in the 2018 LASNAI, reach out to us IMMEDIATELY. Space is limited, and we are quickly approaching our cap for teams. We are now taking deposits, and will accept new teams on a first-come, first-served basis.

HOUSE TEAMS: If you want to play, but don’t have a team to play for, we’ve got you covered. Sign up for an LAS House Team, and get in on the event if your friends are unable to make it or too scared to play!

RULES: The 2018 LASNAI rules are just like the 2017 rules! The games are shortened time, and governed by FIL rules, which creates an even playing field for all of the teams.

VENUES: That’s right, multiple venues! 2018 LASNAI games will be spread across two glorious venues, in both the Onondaga Nation Fieldhouse (Tsha’ Thoñ’nhes), and the Onondaga Nation Arena (Tsha’ Hoñnoñyeñdakwha). Each team will be play at least one game in each venue.

TICKETS: One-day and three-day passes will be available for sale at the venues. Tickets will grant you access to both arenas!

ONLINE STREAMING: ALL of the games from both venues will be online for people who can not make it in person, for FREE via Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. More to come on this as the LASNAI nears!

VENDORS/SPONSORS: We have an unreal line up of vendors and sponsors yet again, and both venues will be filled with apparel, wooden sticks, and so much more. If you’re looking for swag, the 2018 LASNAI is the place to be.

If you are interested in working with the LASNAI as a partner, reach out to us immediately so we can get you involved in this amazing event.

TEAM HOTELS: Once your team has registered you can reserve hotel rooms with our local partner hotels!

NEW FOR 2018 LASNAI!!!

2018 All Star Game

This year’s LASNAI will feature an All-Star game, and the format is sure to be both a fan and player favorite! Each All-Star will receive a full ASG uniform and all I can tell you for now is that pride will definitely be on the line! This is going to be a game you want to see, there will be lots of extra prizes and gifts, and it will be a truly special experience for any player selected to participate!

NEW Teams For 2018

By now you’ve probably heard that Team USA is coming to the 2018 LASNAI, but if you hadn’t, now you have! USLacrosse is using the 2018 LASNAI as a final step in their 2019 tryout process, so they will be bringing in a BLUE team and a WHITE team, and going head to head with the best the LASNAI has to offer. We’re thrilled to have so many high level players in the event this year, and couldn’t be more excited to see a national governing body officially put teams into the tournament!

Check out the 46 players coming to the LASNAI for USLacrosse HERE.Iroquois_defeat_ USA box

But that’s not it… because there are quite a few other international teams coming, and this is equally exciting news for everyone!

In addition to those two USA teams, we will also get to see the Czech Republic’s Developmental team in action, and these guys are HUNGRY to play high level lacrosse – they’re going to get it, and give it, and it’s going to be glorious. I can’t wait to see what the up and coming Czech players can do against the LASNAI field, and if any great junior teams out there were wondering if they could cut it, this should answer it for you. This squad is going to be good!

LaxAllStars North American Invitational 2017, Onondaga, NY, USA, photo Ondøej Mika LCC Custodes Frog Pond Maulers

With the announcement of the Czech Developmental Team, it’s also fair that we mention that LCC Radotin, the Czech champs, are coming back for their THIRD LASNAI. That’s right, LCC is back for more, and we love it! Many of these players also play on the Senior Czech national teams, they play team ball, and have been one big win away from making serious LASNAI waves in their first two years. LCC is a great club program, and we’re thrilled to have them back in 2018!

Gold Star Tel Aviv, the 2018 Ales Hrebesky Champs, will also be in attendance once again (it’s their third time as a LASNAI squad as well!) and we’re pumped to have the team that won  the biggest event in Radotin playing in Onondaga. A lot of these guys are on the Israel national team, which finished 4th at the 2015 World Indoors, so watch out for this group – they play team lacrosse, hustle all day, and don’t back down from anyone. There are high hopes for GTA in 2018!

The 2018 LASNAI DRAW

As we did last year, the pool group draw will go down at the Frank Menshner Cup on September 8th. This event is hosted by LCC Radotin, in the Czech Republic and they do a great job with the draw, with local kids picking the pools. It’s adorable. And important! That’s how you find out who you will play!

2018 LASNAI NEW SCHEDULE FORMAT!

This year the 2018 LASNAI will once again follow the lead of the legendary Ales Hrebesky Memorial, and we will break out the teams into GOLD and SILVER groups. This format guarantees more competitive games from the very first whistle, as Gold teams play a challenging schedule, and even the newest teams from the Silver groups battle to join them in the championship hunt!

Everyone is eligible to win the championship at the LASNAI, the path is there for every team, and all you need to do is win!

2018 LASNAI SCHEDULE

Once the draw is done, and the teams are in their spots, we will release the final schedule. If you’re looking to make plans, here’s a general outline – you will play every day with a maximum of two games per day, and it will be an amazing all day experience for all three days. Dedicate to it fully and you won’t regret it, I promise!

2018 LASNAI TEAM LIST… so far

We will announce more teams in the coming days and weeks, and we’ve got a LOT of fantastic teams to announce!

  1. Team USA WHITE
  2. Team USA BLUE
  3. Czech Republic Developmental National Team
  4. LCC Radotin – Czech Box Lacrosse Champs
  5. Gold Star Tel Aviv – 2018 AHM Champs

You obviously want to see your team on this list. Yeah, you do.

COME TO THE LASNAI!

Other Stuff…

The WoodStick Festival

The Woodstick festival will be running on Saturday and Sunday (Sept 29th and 30th) at Onondaga Lake. There will be vendors, a master’s tourney of short sided box/field hybrid games, as well as speakers and demonstrations. With the LASNAI expanding, both events could not be hosted in the same place, but we’re excited that the WoodStick is running during the same weekend. More to see and do! The Visitors Center at Onondaga Lake will also be open!

The NY Rabbit Show

On the same weekend Syracuse will play host to the NY State Grand Finals and Convention for… rabbits. There will be rabbit vendors, rabbits on display, and info on raising rabbits. It’s RabbitCon… I think.

Rodin at SU Art Gallery

If you’re into art, the sculpture and work of Rodin can be seen at the SU Gallery.

The War to End All Wars: Onondaga County Encounters World War I

This display is up at the Onondaga Historical Society Museum.

Come for the box lacrosse, but stay for the history, art, and… rabbits? Why not!