You can find a good box lacrosse club to join in many parts of Canada. Almost every First Nation also offers some local opportunities to play box, as well as travel teams. But here in the US, box lacrosse has simply never taken off they way it has North of the border, or on the nations. Historically, building a high level men’s box lacrosse club in the US was almost impossible. There weren’t many high quality box tournaments (if any), there were very few teams to play against, and unless your local city had a small men’s league/pick up games, or you lived close enough to Canada to go play, you were pretty much out of luck.
Over the last 10-15 years, a lot of things have changed. Box lacrosse is more popular than ever before in the States, and there are more tournaments than ever before, and the quality has gone way up. There are more established players and teams, and a lot more local leagues and pick up groups, which in turn produces more and more aspiring American box players looking to take their game to the next level.
For a long time, the most consistent option the majority of Americans had outside of the pros or playing for a Canadian team was to play with the Vermont Voyageurs. A lot of top quality players (and a couple Team USA guys) came out of that club during their decade long run. While the Voyageurs suspended operations a couple years ago, the box game kept growing in the US, and a big opportunity continued to open up.
Today, when I think of men’s box clubs in the US, I can name a bunch of them, and they stretch from the East Coast to the West, and from North to South. You’ve got teams and/or leagues in Boston, Baltimore, Nashville, Dallas, Philly, and a ton of other places. Some of them just play in their local scenes, but others travel all over to play the game, and if you play a tourney in Vegas, don’t be surprised to see a team from Brooklyn or Cleveland playing there. When you come to the 2018 LASNAI, you’ll see this play out as well. Last year we had 10 American teams (out of 21 total) in the tourney, representing at least 5 different states, with players coming from over 30 different states (and there were also teams from 6 different countries!).
So this box lacrosse club thing is happening. It’s growing. And if you want to start playing, or take your game to the next level, or even get your own club going, you should!
How can you do that? It’s a good question!
To answer it, and provide a resource as best we can, we caught up with The LaserSharks, run by PJ Martin. They are based out of the Tri-State area with a focus on New Jersey, but the team travels to play in a bunch of different events, and they can pull in players from all over, ranging from current pros to guys you’ve likely never heard of. But make no mistake, these guys can all play. To that end, I thought it would make a lot of sense to check in with PJ, to see what he has planned moving forward, but also so that he can share some of the lessons he’s learned running what is arguably America’s best box lacrosse team.
Creating A Box Lacrosse Club
How did you get into box lacrosse? And how did you decide to create your own box lacrosse club, The LaserSharks?
The LaserSharks box lacrosse club is really the spawn of the old NALL and the Megamen from the Ales Hrebesky Memorial. After playing two games (my first two box games ever) with the “Jersey
Jesters’ in Lousville, KY against the Stickhorses, I followed Andrew Wasik out to Prague and after two years of playing in that event – I simply had to start playing box back home.
The first event was a charity tournament in PA on Thanksgiving weekend, and our team featured several former NLL and Team USA players like Erik Holt, Andrew Wasik, Mike O’Brien, and Ginny Capicchioni. The name was inspired from a random Spotify session that landed on Savant’s LaserSharks song. It was NOT inspired by Austin Powers, but that’s groovy too!
From there, the team has grown year by year, we’ve expanded our roster, and we play in more events, always with a focus on learning, improving, and hitting new levels.
What’s the next “big thing” for the LaserSharks? How is your annual schedule shaping up for 2018?
The next upcoming event for the LaserSharks is our Tryout/Combine. Registration for the Spring Combine at the Philadelphia Wings practice facility is online and available for sign up. Adam Mueller, former Head Coach of the Philly Wings, MN Swarm, NY Titans, and NLL Coach of the Year (2008), will be leading the activities and structure for the day, and any player is sure to learn something useful as they vie for a spot on the LaserSharks roster for the spring.
If you are ready to register for the Spring Combine – click here and get signed up.
Wow, thanks! Glad you guys love the LASNAI like that. It means a lot to me! Ok, back to you guys… What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from running the LaserSharks? What is one piece of advice you’d give to someone who wants to start a men’s box lacrosse team?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned from running the LaserSharks has been the importance of chemistry and “playing the game the right way” in box lacrosse. As someone who has run several lacrosse organizations, the lessons I have learned are more game focused as opposed to the management of the club.
As a US based team, understanding the value of having guys playing together regularly and aiming to really play the box game is the most important piece. You want a club that sticks, and generates more interest in this game, which has a minimal following and knowledge base in the US. My advice for someone who wants to start a BOX team is to value where each player in your club is at in regards to the above. You need to know how to serve up development where it is needed, while still catering to the guys who already know the game. Achieving that balance is a significant part of longer term success.
What are the 5 most important aspects of STARTING a new box team? What are the 5 most important aspects of keeping it going?
5 aspects of starting — 1) provide opportunities to play REAL box, not a box/field hybrid. 2) Emphasize the importance of understanding the nuances of the game early and often to your player pool. 3) have catchy branding that appeals to your audience – is your team going to be a fun outlet for weekend warriors? Is the team aiming to compete at a high level? Are you a travel or league team? Then brand accordingly so your club sells itself. 4) along with branding – get good gear. For better or worse, when starting something new, people like swag. 5) To get the right group of guys, you may need to concede some costs here and there to ensure that you get the people you want representing your club. However, you must also figure out how to balance your budget and concessions so you never get stuck with bills! You might not make money, especially starting out, but that doesn’t mean you have to lose lots of money either.
5 aspects for keeping it going – 1) Same as above. Care about the events you go to! Ultimately the experience for your players is heavily impacted by where you are bringing your team. 2) Pick leaders inside the club to help you convey your ethic continuously. Some will emerge on their own, but create bandwidth for yourself and get some assistant captains to help with both at event and the tedious internal work. 3) If you build it right, start to be picky about guys you bring in. They should fit your mold once you are established. If you have to conform to individuals, that individual is a distraction. 4) Branding again, and good swag 5) BALANCING THE BUDGET – nothing is worse than putting in hard work and then getting stuck with leftover costs. It happens very easily – I hope you find a great sponsor quickly if you are lucky, it really helps!
Where can US box lacrosse head in the next 5-10 years? What will it take to get box to the next level in the US?
Qualified teachers, coachable learners, with opportunities to learn!
Although we have not seen it in the ‘Sharks player pool, I have seen a number of high level field guys who think they know what they are doing just because they went to a good lacrosse school or played in the MLL – 9 times out of 10, they don’t. Box is truly different, and it needs to be taught and learned the right way.
After watching the Heritage Cup, I think it will take 7-10 years for the US to really catch up to Canada and the Iroquois in box. A big part of that will be the kids who are now coming up with box as part of their youth lacrosse career. In the meantime, it is great and important to see groups like the Nashville Ostriches, Minnesota Gray Ducks and others starting to pop up more and more. These guys who are learning now in those clubs are the teachers we need down the road, for the next generations to come. I’m in the same position as a teacher of the game now, and it’s a role I cherish. I know those guys feel the same way.
The RBLL may also turn into a helpful vehicle to expose many more players to box, creating an even larger generation of good teachers. If it is able to catch on like the CLA – that is a catalyst for growth in the game down the road.
Although I always hope to win out against other US clubs (everyone wants to win, right?), I do hope that any club out there is able to use a similar model to what we, the LaserSharks, are doing with our combine/practice structure, and bring in professional NLL coaches. It is a game changer and the teachers we are bringing in are making a big impact right off the bat.
Thanks to PJ Martin for some great insight and advice! If we want to keep this growing, continued sharing of best practices is going to be very important!
