Premier National Lacrosse Championship at Maryland SoccerPlex - Brine National Lacrosse Championship

I'm working with the Brine National Lacrosse Classic, the premier national high school lax tournament, which is taking place at the Maryland SoccerPlex June 30 - July 3 (release/details below).  There are so many great stories associated with the event including the story about Purple Heart honoree Calvin Todd, the coach of the New England regional team who lives in Bethesda (details below), and the estimated economic impact of $1.7 million in revenue from what the tournament brings to the region (details below). 

This is a significant national sports event for Montgomery County and with the huge numbers of lacrosse players in the Potomac Chapter of US Lacrosse alone (26,867 players at the high school and youth levels in 2011), this is event is truly worthy support from the community.  I hope you are able to witness the incredible lacrosse talent in Montgomery County, June 30-July 3.

Details about the event are below and several of the interesting stories:

2013 Brine National Lacrosse Classic Participants Selected

1,300 lacrosse participants (including hundreds from DC, Virginia, and Maryland) selected to play in premier national event at

Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, Maryland.

Boyds, MD, June 25, 2013 – The 1,300 participants (including hundreds of players from DC, Virginia, and Maryland) for the 2013 Brine National Lacrosse Classic have been selected from a pool of candidates from across the nation. The selected individuals will play July 1-3 in a three-day event at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds.

The players earned their spots on the roster by attending Brine regional tryouts that were conducted across the country.  Highly regarded lacrosse coaches tested the players’ skills and selected the top high school and middle school lacrosse players in the nation to participate in the Brine National Lacrosse Classic and Brine National All Star Lacrosse Academy.

To see the full list of participants, please visit:

http://www.nationallacrosseclassic.com/news/2013-brine-national-lacrosse1

“By finalizing the 2013 participants, we’re one step closer to this great event,” said Joel Franklin, Brine National Lacrosse Classic executive director. “We are confident that this year’s roster is full of a lot of talent and we are looking forward to getting the kids out on the field and allowing them to show the nation what they can do.”

At the event, teams will compete for a National Championship in a showcase format for NCAA lacrosse coaches from every division.

The Brine National All Star Lacrosse Academy offers a daily curriculum of collegiate level coaching, training and extreme game competition geared to better prepare the top middle school players for high school and college.

The schedule for the event is as follows:   

·         Sunday June 30
5:30 pm-7:30 pm, Opening ceremony 

·         Monday July 1
8:00 am-9:00 pm, Team practice, training, seminars, first-round games 

·         Tuesday July 2
8:00 am-7:00 pm, Showcase Games
4:00 pm-7:00 pm, All Star Games “uncommitted players” (2016-2015s) and (2014s)

·         Wednesday July 3
8:00 am-3:00 pm, Playoff and National Championship Games 

For the full list of participants and more information on the event, please visit http://www.nationallacrosseclassic.com/news/2013-brine-national-lacrosse1

About Brine

Headquartered in Warren, Michigan, Brine was established in 1922. Brine has spent almost a century supporting players in their athletic pursuit of game improvement products and programs. Recognized for innovation of the Offset™ lacrosse stick and the original round bladder soccer ball, Brine was acquired by New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. in August, 2006. Brine is a recognized industry leader in lacrosse, soccer, and field hockey. For more information about Brine, please visit www.brine.com.

About the Brine National Lacrosse Classic

Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing team sports in the US and the Brine National Lacrosse Classic provides players with a socially and athletically rewarding experience to better prepare them to meet the challenges of high school and college academics and athletics.  The Brine National Lacrosse Classic featuring the top players and coaches selected to represent their region in a showcase event offering extreme competition and exposure to the next level of the sport.  Geared to help players better prepare and transition from one level to the next, the Brine National Lacrosse Classic has two distinct divisions for high school and middle school boys and girls.

# # #

ECONOMIC IMPACT:

Brine National Lacrosse Classic Estimated to Bring 

$1.7 Million to DC Area

Boyds, MD, June 25, 2013 – The 2013 Brine National Lacrosse Classic comes to the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, Maryland June 30 to July 3, and with it comes a great Economic Impact (EI) for the Montgomery County area.

Along with the 1,300 participants of the tournament are family members, coaches, friends and according to Level 2 Sports, an estimated EI of $1,763,669 to the area over the course of three days.

The SoccerPlex and its surrounding area are projected to be swarming with 1,300 participants, 1,950 parents and families, and 250 event staff, coaches and volunteers over a three-day span with an average daily spend of $146.89. The total projected attendance is estimated at 3,500.

 “We are so proud to be able to put on an event that not only allows lacrosse players from across the nation to showcase their talents, but that also gives back to the Maryland economy by bringing thousands of people to the event,” said Joel Franklin, Brine National Lacrosse Classic executive director.

The estimated daily spend comes out to a total of $471,233 per day, which brings the EI to roughly $1.4 million. This, combined with $150,000 of hard cost event expenses (venue, rentals, labor, coaches, trainers, EMT, insurance, officials, etc) and $200,000 of soft costs (suppliers, sponsors, vendors, etc) brings the EI to about $1.7 million.

While the estimates are not exact, the tournament is projected to be a success based on its potential to add to the local community. The players are guaranteed to have the opportunity to show what they can do on a national stage and the surrounding community has welcomed them with open arms and looks to take advantage of its own opportunity. 

“We’re really looking at the Brine National Lacrosse Classic’s success in terms of not only how much it can help the individual athletes, but in terms of how it can help the community,” Franklin said. “We’ve all experienced a bad economy, and anything that we can do to really help boost the economy in a local area, even for just a few days, is a no-brainer to me.”

Schedule of events:

Location
Maryland SoccerPlex & Discovery Sports Center
18031 Central Park Circle
Boyds, Maryland 20841

Sunday, June 30
5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. - Opening Ceremony

Monday, July 1
7:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. – Team practices, seminars, first-round showcase games

Tuesday, July 2
7:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. – Training, showcase games

Wednesday, July 3
7:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. - Regional team playoffs
1:00 p.m – 3:30 p.m. - Championship Games 

For the full list of participants and more information on the event, please visit http://www.nationallacrosseclassic.com/news/2013-brine-national-lacrosse1

HUMAN INTEREST/CALVIN TODD

All of the regional teams are led by individuals who exemplify the knowledge, passion and experience necessary to coach an elite team.

One such coach, representing the New England region, is a 24-year-old war veteran with a purple heart.  Calvin Todd of Deerfield, New Hampshire has been named the coach of the New England regional team for the national tournament, however Calvin’s path to the Classic differs greatly from others.  Two years after graduating from college, while serving as an Army medic in Afghanistan, Calvin lost the lower half of his leg after stepping on an IED in Afghanistan.

After spending many months in Bethesda, Maryland rehabbing at the Military Medical Center, Calvin wasn't about to let his loss of a limb get in the way of his passion for playing and coaching lacrosse.  With a determined spirit and positive attitude, he realized that he could use his struggles to help inspire the young men he is coaching, and as the Brine National Lacrosse Classic approaches this summer, he hopes to inspire many people trying to overcome adversity as the true picture of strength.

Some key moments in Calvin’s journey that led to where he is today include:

·         He played at the College of Wooster for two years before being sidelined with a broken wrist and shoulder that required surgery. It was then that Calvin began volunteering to coach with IAS Select, a local club lacrosse program, and Metro Lacrosse and Concord Youth Lacrosse.

·         Following graduation, Calvin joined the Army to become a 68w combat medic stationed at Fort Stewart Georgia and was assigned to 1-64 AR 2HBCT 3ID. Even then, he continued to spend his spare time volunteering to coach at the Savannah College of Art and Design, which is a member of the NAIA and competed in the Sun Conference. 

·         Tragedy struck Calvin when he was deployed to Afghanistan and he lost his left leg below the knee after stepping on a secondary IED while trying to help wounded soldiers. Calvin continued with his determined spirit and did not let his injury determine his future. Four months after starting rehabilitation, he began to run again and just a few months after that in March of 2013, he volunteered to coach a local lacrosse program in Washington, DC.

Today, Calvin plays and coaches lacrosse in Bethesda. He dreams of being a full time high school lacrosse coach at the varsity level and teaching history. His story and his ability to overcome any adversity that comes his way is what sparked an interest in the Brine National Lacrosse Classic to have him join the organization as the New England coach.