Tag: lacrosse (Page 1 of 3)

When Haitian Relief Meets Pro Lacrosse

26 June, 2010 / Kat

I know, you probably look upon my shameless self-promotion with a great amount of disdain. But sometimes I write something that I just need to promote across many platforms, and the following is one of them.

A new professional lacrosse league is in the works in Virginia, and all profits from the league will go to Haitian earthquake relief. Allan Harvie, the founder and commissioner, was a blast to talk to on the phone and is extremely passionate about sports and helping the devastated country. As I posted on Facebook, even if you have no interest in sports, Harvie’s story is an interesting one.

Read my article on Harvie’s plan to help Haiti through lacrosse here.

We’re Talking Baseball and Lacrosse: Notre Dame Surprises, UVA Dominates

27 May, 2010 / Kat

This weekend is chock-full of college lacrosse and baseball, as the NCAA Lacrosse Championships take place in Baltimore, Maryland, and the conference championships are occuring in college baseball.

To prepare for both, check out my overview of the University of Virginia baseball team and their dominance thus far this season for The College Baseball Blog, and my overview of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team and their surprise appearance in the Final Four after a so-so season for Examiner.

I promise original content will return to this blog this weekend, when I have time to sit down and write for hours on end.

Tragedy Befalls Lacrosse Community (And a Look Inside What UVA Admins Are Going Through)

3 May, 2010 / Kat

This morning, a University of Virginia women’s lacrosse player, Yeardley Love, was found deceased in an off-campus apartment. A member of the UVA men’s lacrosse team, George Huguely, was charged with first degree murder in connection with Love’s death.

I wrote about the facts of the case, as they are known, this afternoon at the Examiner. Not only is the story incredibly heartbreaking to the lacrosse world, it strikes another chord with me because I feel also for the administrators at UVA.

In my full-time job, I have served on a crisis response committee that responds to student deaths for the past four years. Trying to make sense of the tragedy that is a young man or woman passing away accidentally and suddenly, while consoling the students who comprised the deceased’s “second family” is a test of emotions. Add to that the close-knit quality of any athletic team, and the impact must be intense. UVA administrators are working overtime, providing counseling services to students, staff and faculty members, while trying to manage a controversy hungry media, and trying to be appropriately responsive to a grieving family. Continue reading

Examiner Piece: Is Chicago’s loss Rochester’s gain?

11 April, 2010 / Kat

Saturday morning, I read Major League Lacrosse’s release proclaiming a June game pitting the Chicago Machine against the Denver Outlaws in my hometown of Rochester, NY. I was excited that my hometown might get another shot at proving that they deserve an outdoor pro lacrosse team, after losing the Rattlers in January 2009.

However, I found it curious – why would the MLL host a game in a city they had pulled out of a mere year ago? It was then that I followed some statements on lacrosse boards and stumbled upon the fact that the Chicago Machine had no home games scheduled – every upcoming game was scheduled for the “MLL Home Office.” So I wrote an Examiner piece about it – “Are the MLL Chicago Machine on the outs?”

While the NLL has a cautious optimism about the stability of their league – as evident in Commissioner George Daniel press conference on the State of the League two weeks ago – the MLL continues to run into potholes. It’ll be interesting if they do end up moving the Machine franchise to a market that they had previously moved out of, or what other cities become a part of the Machine’s 2010 Road Tour.

Where Have I Been? Well, Writing About Lacrosse, Of Course.

4 May, 2009 / Kat

The National Lacrosse League playoffs are in full swing, and the NCAA Championships in Division I men’s and women’s lacrosse are about to start. Thus, I have been busy covering both for Examiner Boston.

Alas, the Boston Blazers were defeated in the first round of the playoffs this weekend, but they still made a great showing for a team in their inaugural season. There is still much college lacrosse to be covered, and the Boston Cannons are currently in training camp and begin their season in two weeks. So there will not be a dearth of lacrosse to watch and cover – in fact, there might be too much! Keep your eyes peeled on my Examiner page for more lacrosse coverage.