With ESG's cancelled, NY Lax leaders and Nike step up

Disappointment among sports enthusiasts reigned all across New York when the 2009 edition of the Empire State Games were officially cancelled.

Lacrosse was especially hard hit, since college coaches from around the country used the Games to both find hidden gems on the rosters of the teams from around the state, and to validate signings already made. From the perspective of the student athlete, making the team and playing in the Games is a huge step in getting your name and playing abilities known to these coaches. Huge in that it can lead to a college scholarship, full or partial, or at the very least, an extended lacrosse career after high school. Kids who have been playing lacrosse since before they could read never want it to end.

Recognizing the vast hole left in the New York lacrosse community by the cancellation of the Empire State Games, lax leaders from around the state, led by NYS Boys Lacrosse Chairman Tom Hall, have announced the New York Shootout - presented by Nike.

To be held July 25 at Henninger High School in Syracuse, the New York Shootout will bring together eight select boys high school all-star teams from around the state to compete with the spirit of the ESG's in mind. Teams will be from Buffalo (Setion 6), Rochester (Section 5), Central (Section 3), Southern Tier (Section 4), Albany/St. Lawrence (Sections 2 & 10), Hudson Valley (Sections 1 & 9), Nassau (Section 8), and Suffolk (Section 11).

Like the ESG's, areas from around the state with long years of lacrosse tradition will get to compete for bragging rights for a year. Players will have to have been in grades 9-11 for the spring of 2009 to be eligible, and each team will have its own tryout rules.

It's the differences from the traditional Empire State Games that might make this tournament a nice change of pace, albeit one forced upon us by the bugeteers in Albany. Obviously, a one-day tournament will be different than the four days usually covered by the ESG's. Player conditioning and team depth will go a long way in determing the eventual winner. But what may turn out to be most interesting is that traditional Empire Teams will be divided in slightly different groupings. For instance, the Island will have two sections competing (8 & 11), with  players who usually have to compete against each other for spots on the Long Island ESG team.

And the Southern Tier team will get to fully represent their region, instead of being divided and fighting for roster spots on the Western and Central teams.

As a lacrosse fan, and I hope I speak for players and fans from all over the state, the men and women putting their time and effort into providing this summer replacement tournament should be saluted, as should Nike for their sponsorship.

So mark your calendar for July 25th if you love to watch the best high school lacrosse played anywhere.