The Last Minute LacroCity Gift Guide
Shoutout to all my procrastinating brethren and...sistren
Just flew back from Florida and man are my arms tired/covered in trashy tattoos.
These last few weeks leading up to the holidays are brutal. They are full of stress, last-minute work assignments, and general malaise. So it’s easy to forget things like a gift for your favorite lacrosse fan. Thankfully, you subscribe to the most pithily inane lacrosse newsletter in the universe. Don’t worry, you can trust fall into my recommendations with full confidence. The best part? You don’t even have to worry about pesky things like shipping or brand preference with this gift guide.
Back away from the tire fire that is this week and settle into the desk chair for a few minutes.
Here are five great gifts for lacrosse fans.
1. Get a ticket to the Lax Goalie Rat Summit
Everyone knows a goalie because everyone knows someone who is just a little crazy. Normal people don’t play that position. And that’s O. K. We need them to play the game.
So why not get that little shotstopper the gift that has no price?
Acceptance.
There is a strong goalie community being built by Damon Wilson, aka: Lax Goalie Rat that is about more than just training and technique. It’s about overcoming adversity. Working through the pain of getting hit by a constant barrage of balls. And getting better as a person. His latest Goalie Summit just finished up, and you can get access to it all here.
2. Buy a ticket to go see a D-1, D-2, or D-3 Lacrosse Game near you
I feel like I have to put this on here because the simple fact is that going to a college game is awesome and no one has hated it ever. Not one person.
College Lacrosse is amazing. All three Divisions offer lessons in how to play the game and the affordability that you just cannot get from other live sports events. D-2 and D-3 games rarely charge admission anyway.
Just find a team in your area, sync their schedule to their online calendar to yours, and when there is an opening for you, your sibling, your son, your daughter - whomever - go and have a great afternoon. And if you’re not sure if there is a school near you to visit - just ask me. I’ll find you one.
3. Bulletproof your knees with the BulletProof Baller Program
Look, I’m in month 15 of the recovery process from my torn ACL. But it still seems like it happened yesterday. Except I haven’t played lacrosse since it happened and that has made every day longer and sadder.
But a few months ago, I started to watch some of Liam Howe’s content and it made me feel like I could get back on the field. I mean, no one in his videos are as old and washed as me, but still - they came back from way gnarlier injuries than mine to play the sport they love. And that gave me hope. So if you’re in a similar spot, or know someone who is actively rehabbing an injury, check him out on Insta here and his program here.
4. Learn Lacrosse from one of its most influential minds: Jamie Munro of JM3 Sports
As a coach, I have stolen so many things from this man that I probably owe him money. So this is me paying him back.
Jamie Munro created 3D Lacrosse, one of the most successful and celebrated nationwide club lacrosse chains ever. For the next step in his career, he has taken on the challenge of building better lacrosse players through proven systems and theories that he has been working on for decades. If you take his courses, you will learn a lot of things. But if you get to work with him on a one-on-one basis - he will change how you look at the game of lacrosse.
You can read more on his mission here.
5. Gift a Subscription to the New England Lacrosse Journal
I don’t think this technically counts as shameless since it’s where I work, but I do think that we produce the most quality lacrosse content in the region.
Now, if you don’t live in the region, I understand why you would balk at this as a gift. However, New England happens to be home to the best D-3 college conference (the NESCAC), the majority of high-level prep programs, AND has the most club teams per capita in the country.
Laxjournal is also one of the only lacrosse sites in the country to post 10 or more articles per week. And we have a magazine where long-form content, written by me, still lives.
I don’t get a kickback from this.
I just think we’re that good.
BONUS GIFTS
Haus of Athletes Training (with me!)
Unfortunately, this will only be available to people in the Southern New Hampshire or Merrimack Valley area of Massachusetts. This winter I am running a training program for middle school and high school lacrosse players at Haus of Athletes in Methuen, Massachusetts.
I’ve done winter training sessions before, but it’s always been under someone else’s direction. This is my curriculum. It’s a lot of the same stuff I do with my players at Hop, but a little more refined. It’s a crash course in technique and skills with an emphasis on stick work, offense and defensive positioning, and situational adaptation.
You will also get top-tier warm-ups and cool-downs from fitness pros on the staff at HOA, as well as some speed and agility training.
It starts January 4th and runs through the first week of March. If you’re local(ish), you can sign up through the Haus of Athletes site or contact the facility’s owner, Brendon Medugno.
Become a Paid LacroCity Member
I know. I know - THIS is the very definition of shameless. But hear me out - I love this place. It’s my garden where I grow all of my ideas. But it needs sunshine, water, and money to grow. You’re already giving me a lot of light, but I want to water this thing more frequently and that does require a little bit more of the money part. Not a lot, not a crazy amount, but a little does go a long way.
If all of my subscribers became paid members I could just do LacroCity and coach. That’s the dream. But even if you don’t want to be a paid member, you’re still a huge part of growing this thing and I appreciate you.
Have a great holiday. But even if it sucks, just remember that the lacrosse season is just around the corner.