NLL Insider

Most of us remember the days when we would show up at the lacrosse box at 9 a.m., already dressed in all of our gear. We’d play two games with a 90-minute break in between and by the end of it all, we felt as if we could have played a third or even more! Ah, the joys of being young again!

Show up to any NLL camp this month and you will see some of the best players in the world pretty much play three grueling games in less than 24 hours. Training camps are hell. I guess that’s what they are, though! Putting the players through their paces in a sick form of Darwinism. For everyone it’s a whirlwind circus of events that defines the NLL’s famous “hurry up and wait” theory. Hopping into your car and driving 30 minutes as most of us do in the summer is one thing. But it’s different in the NLL, where you’re trying to race through security to catch a flight, wondering if your gear made the trip, double-checking your sticks to make sure they didn’t break, and waiting for the hotel shuttle or taxi cab driver who always seems to take the long way. Then you have to hurry and check into your room, and if you are lucky you can make it across the street to grab a bite to eat only to have rush back to the lobby for the 6 p.m. pick-up and, of course, the bus will be 30 minutes late.

Most of the players have enjoyed the last few months, relaxing at home with family and friends, watching Sunday football or Hockey Night in Canada so you think there would be a progressive start to camp. Guess again. The gauntlet is thrown down right away by most head coaches who only have a few weeks to cut an invited roster of 30-plus players down to 23 roster spots with three practice spots as well. There’s no room for the weak here. One bad weekend could cost you a spot. So having to deal with 15 new faces, shaking the rust off and getting your legs back is one thing, but having to do it as if it’s April 10th not December 10th is another. Luckily most coaches have been in our shoes and are a little lenient on the water breaks, but there’s no excuse for laziness or dropped passes so you better be on your game. Most sessions end with an all-out scrimmage and don’t be surprised to see a few up and comers drop the mitts to prove their worth to the veterans and the coaches. Most first nights end around 10:30 p.m., a solid two-hour practice, with shoot-outs and the odd guy working a few kinks out in his stick. But for most, the main focus is a quick bite to eat, lots of water and Gatorade and sleep. ‘CAUSE THE 6:30 A.M. WAKE UP CALL COMES REALLY EARLY!

If you ever want to see lacrosse players whine and complain, show up for the morning session on day two. We all hurt then. Now we get to strap on cold wet pads (if you have never done that I don’t recommend it) and get ready for another full two-hour practice, consisting mostly of the same drills as the night before and ending in another intra-squad game. Now the fun beings. We all would love to go back to the hotel or our houses and relax on the couch, nurse the wounds and get a good meal in us but the management has other ideas! A physical, strength-testing, flexibility-testing, head shots, and endless paperwork take precedence during the 90-minute break. Ice bags are spotted everywhere; you may even find the odd guy curled up in a corner trying to catch a few Zs.

Final practice, which could also be called the last few miles of the NLL Ironman. Lots of special teams work here, trying different combinations of players and seeing who has some good early chemistry together. We players like this part of the camp because it’s a little less stressful but the competition between the offense and defense can really heat up. By this time, everyone is numb, sore in places they never knew could hurt and are all going on pure adrenaline. One last hard scrimmage and it’s over!

Some may see their pro dreams come to an end but most will continue on only to have to get right back on that plane and do it all over again in six days. Every team has one goal in mind at the start of the season and if you can get through those first 24 hours, the ultimate goal is that much closer!

If you can get out to your team’s camp, I highly recommend it. Any fan in the stand is a bit of a boost for the players and trust me, whether its 8 a.m. or 10:30 p.m., it’s always 100% balls out, all the time.

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