Showcase

                This weekend I went to another lacrosse showcase in hopes of being noticed by one of the many attending coaches. This one the Team Florida showcase was both efficient and gargantuan with three different age groups (u-15, u-17, and u-19) depending on your graduation year. There was so many players that some u-19 were moved an age group down to u-17 to avoid overcrowding in that section. Even then there still was six or more teams per age groups each having at least twenty players on each team, for those doing the math that’s around 360 players in all, but each player brings a posse of parents and family to add to that number (which is augmented by the number of staff members and viewing coaches). The games were 30 minutes running clock (the clock doesn’t stop when play does) and had an exhilarating level of play for all ages. Now 30 minutes is short for lacrosse game, but when you have eight of these games in a day while trying to impress college coaches, your mind and body tend to fray. In the second of the two day event there were a few more regular games to be played and then four all star teams would be picked for each age group to compete in some elite games later in the day, I unfortunately was not pick for any of the teams for u-17 instead they chose two of the u-19 goalies they had to move down to u-17 because of overcrowding. At this showcase there where coaches representing all levels of play from intercollegiate club to some prestigious Division 1 teams. I was registered as #2 on team Carolina (all teams were name for their penny color) in the u-17 division because I was a goalie they told me that I should wear my penny backwards so the coaches could get my number, but I doubt I or many other players left a strong impression on any of the coaches, I had several good games with loud communication, good saves and successful clears, but I doubt I blinded any coaches with my skill level. Me being a goalie from an unheard of school in Miami they don’t really pay attention when there is a goalie in the opposite cage with the same skill level as me, but comes from a prestigious school such as St. Andrews. Fortunately there is always another showcase to which I might hope of catching the eye of a watchful coach, but until then this underdog will keep training in hopes of breaking into a coaches attention long enough to be seen.