The Adrenaline All-American experience is a proud two-day event in Frisco, Texas, showcasing the best high school lacrosse players the country has to offer. This weekend creates a very unique experience for the athletes, something they will never forget in their transition from high school to collegiate lacrosse. We will go through all the many activities and moments that made this event so special for these Adrenaline All-Americans.
Saturday
Pre-Event
Almost all of the Adrenaline All-Americans and their families flew in the night prior. Since being named an All-American carries such an elite honor, players and their families came from all over the country to be at this event. Before any of the events could take place, these athletes were already treated to first-class treatment. Everybody stayed at the Omni Frisco Hotel, which is connected directly to The Star in Frisco. The Star is the practice facility for the Dallas Cowboys; virtually all indoors were allowed for the athletes to use during the event. In addition, The Star is connected to a walking strip filled with coffee shops, restaurants, and high-end retailers. A five-minute walk would get you just about anything you could want or need. The night prior, it was great to see all the athletes and their families all over The Star—running into several athletes Friday night allowed me to talk more in-depth with them about their game and, thus, their excitement for the weekend.
Boys and Girls Media Day
The weekend really began during media day on Saturday morning. The athletes turned up nice and early to get their first goodie bag of the weekend, including branded hats and Prime sports drinks, being the official sponsor for the event. This was the first time they saw their jerseys, and they immediately received their headshots. You could already tell how special this was when the athletes began conversating with one another, waiting for their headshots. This transitioned smoothly into the Q&A part of media day, with both the boys and girls going up with their position groups and fielding a bunch of questions about themselves and the event. Many athletes talked about how great it was to be an Adrenaline All-American and how this was their final send-off from being an athlete at the high school level before they would embark to their respected universities as freshmen in the fall. Media day was soon surrounded by laughs, smiles, and feelings of pride from the athletes for being a part of this.
Exploring Frisco
The athletes had a break during the middle part of the day. This was when they ventured into The Star to look around. Everywhere you looked, you would probably see a group of athletes wandering into different shops and eateries sightseeing. Many of these athletes either went to the same high schools or just simply knew each other because of national exposure. It was apparent that many of the athletes were meeting up with friends they had made online, and it was great seeing them hanging out together without doing anything in particular but enjoying all that Frisco offers.
All-American Banquet
The All-American Banquet is something else. The athletes and their families were all well-attired as if they were attending the Oscars. It wasn’t a polo and khaki occurrence, oh no, the boys were sporting pop-out suits and the gals were parading in their divinest apparel. You could already gauge long before the ceremony began just how elite of an occasion this was and how big of a privilege it was to be present there. The hall was gigantic, and prior to the start of the ceremony itself, everyone had ample opportunities to mix up with one another and have a high-class dinner together.
The evening would begin with a word from Alex Cade, who is the CEO of Adrenaline Lacrosse. Now, if you don’t know Alex, he started Adrenaline Lacrosse back in 2001 with his former teammate Steve Sepeta when he realized that the opportunities for western lacrosse farmers were lacking in comparison to what was available in the classic hotbeds. What was true then is still today—this is all about putting the lacrosse athlete fully in control of their lives by providing an access point to opportunities. The Adrenaline All-American weekend is a special opportunity for West Coast lacrosse, all coming from the root of the purpose of Adrenaline. This energy was felt in his opening remarks, which were followed by Notre Dame Head Coach Kevin Corrigan. Coach Corrigan gave a strong speech, talking about his own experience with the game and giving duly noted advice to the incoming college freshmen. You could almost physically feel the weight of Corrigan’s words as he spoke, and everyone in attendance fell silent. No one could inform the incoming freshmen better about how to succeed at the next level than the back-to-back NCAA Division 1 National Champion Head Coach.
Coach Corrigan was brought to the stage, being inducted into the Western Lacrosse Hall of Fame, Eddy Glazener. Glazener was a four-year standout at Notre Dame, where, upon graduation in 2016, he continued his career at the highest of levels in both the MLL and the PLL. Prior to college, Glazener played with the West Coast Starz club lacrosse program while being based out of California. Glazener hung up the cleats this past season and spoke to the athletes about how important it is to embrace the moment and always be ready for what’s next. The banquet ended with the introduction of athletes, one by one, which served as a final hurrah of the night.
Sunday
Boys and Girls Locker Room Reveal
Boys and girls arrived early at the facility to walk through the locker rooms before Sunday’s game. From top to bottom, the locker was filled with equipment. Items provided ranged from a game jersey, game shorts, game socks, a crewneck sweatshirt, sweatpants, shooting shirts, practice shirts, a polo, a backpack, practice shorts, a lacrosse head, and a lacrosse shaft, among other items specific to the boys and girls. It was—in professional terms—an unthinkable truckload of products for the athletes, who absolutely loved every minute of it. They all filed in, as a group, into the locker room to check out the gifts inside. A complete frenzy, much like Christmas morning. Phones were flashing as they started to try on their brand-new swag. This clearly is a highlight in the trip for some, as no other place around the country has high school athletes being dolled up like this.
Boys and Girls Practice
Each team had an individual practice time to try and get a little chemistry with their teammates. This is also a good time to get the bodies loose, as these athletes have traveled hundreds of miles to get here and certainly haven’t handled the sticks much over the last two days. Almost all the boys and the girls seemed really enthusiastic about getting to know their coaches and new teammates, and practicing really had a light-hearted, playful vibe to it. There was no good reason for all these future Division 1 athletes to put their bodies on the line in a light warm-up. Almost all the practice time was scrimmaging with small-sided drills and a lot of time to shoot. Coaches could place their few schemes and systems in, and the music was blaring, the athletes dancing, all fully expectant for what they had warmed up for in hours ahead.
Boys and Girls All-American Games
After a brief intermission, the girls returned to The Star and began getting ready for their game. The mood had changed to a level of competitiveness, though still jovial and playful. Of course, when all is said and done, these athletes are top-level competitors who are there to win. The opening was miraculous as they burst into the field after emerging through a smokey tunnel. Seconds followed a driving national anthem, and it was easy to tell right away why they were dubbed All-Americans. The athletes on the field were the best of the best, no questions asked. The North exploded out early with a 6-1 advantage. Most of these goals were off pure speed/determination, but not for a second was any of this selfish play. At the end of the first quarter, it really felt like the North was leading, using its dominant speed and ride to take a 12-5 lead at the midway point. That South fought hard to get back in the game with some flashy goals and a good competitive spirit, though it would be just too much by the end of the game when it was all said and done. The North walked away with a 20-12 victory.
The girls’ game was entertaining, but the boys took it to another level. The South took a 4-3 lead into the half, and it was a back-and-forth affair. It was evident the talent on the field understood all the core concepts of the game, as it was absolutely humming the ball, setting each other up for success. The offenses were clicking, yet the defenses really told the story of the game. If I didn’t even know what I was watching, I’d have thought these defensive units had been playing together all of their lives. They were just hungry and looking to cause chaos while having the support of teammates to do so. Both sides were sliding early with their backside help filling in properly like they had worked in tandem together their entire playing careers. The goalie play was outstanding; every keeper who stepped in between the pipes needed to make a wonderful save just to keep their team in it, and they did every time. The game was all square at 7-7 during the fourth, as now the North made a bit of a comeback. This would continue with a lead of 9-8 for the North in the final three minutes of the game. South really decided to step around the corner in the final seconds and take this win at 10-9—an absolutely sensational win from both sides for the competitive play.
After the Game
After the completion of that game, each team congratulated the other for completing this journey. Many athletes work hard to achieve the opportunity to play at the college level, and a slight few head off to compete at a Division 1 level, but only a few obtain the right to be considered an Adrenaline All-American. Many of these athletes made lifetime friends over the weekend, and this event was the final farewell for some and until the next time for others. Smiles and hugs were exchanged, and many grabbed the chance to take a few photos with each other. At the end of the day, the Adrenaline All-American experience outweighs anything else. The memories that happened this weekend clearly last a lifetime amongst players and parents alike.
