Editor’s Note: Welcome Artjom Merjasch back to LAS with his next piece on lacrosse in Germany. The game is growing over there clearly but he wants to see more growth! And we couldn’t agree more. Did he mention box lacrosse? Success!!!
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For the last 17 years or so, LCC Radotin, one of the most succesful Czech teams, held the Annual Aleš Hrebeský Memorial Box Lacrosse Tournament in Praque, the Czech Republic.
I am not exaggerating when I call this the premier box lacrosse tournament in Europe.
I am not exaggerating when I call this the premier LACROSSE tournament in Europe.
Maybe I’m exaggerating when I call this the premier lacrosse tournament in the whole world, but I would certainly have a point in calling it the best lacrosse tournament outside of North America.
The facilities as they are now, are amazing. There are stands, the finest box turf, shot clocks on each side of the floor, and tons of legit teams from all over the world. Just watch the video. You might even recognize some people!
Granted, most of it is in Czech, but it has some hilarious English interviews, too…
I have been able to participate three times now and every single time I went, not only did I get better (which was not hard to do considering my overall boxla background and skill-level), but the trip and experience also re-ignited my love for the sport.
My first box game was against one of the American teams. And boy, did they take me to school! There was nothing remotely redeeming about the way I played there and how I got – literally – manhandled!
And yet there I was: exhausted, confused, in pain and yet strangely energized.
Playing field lacrosse in Germany, on the other hand can be very daunting. Games get cancelled on a regular basis, competition is weak and winning tastes stale after a while.
Box lacrosse however, what a novelty! What a beautiful, beautiful game! If given the choice, I would play it all year long!
For reasons to be discussed at another point, there is no box lacrosse in Germany. Nothing could have prepared me for what I experienced on that day. Maybe it was all the adrenaline and the Enkephalin (Editor’s note: What is this?)… maybe I took some mild to serious brain trauma, either way, I fell in love with it all.
Why is this important? The observant reader might inquire, so I’ll answer!
Because Germany will NOT play at the 2011 WILC held in Prague. And it boggles my mind.