Our younger son was born tall and hasn’t stop since. He plays on the junior varsity basketball team with a strict regimen of four practice shots per month, maybe less. His preferred sport is lacrosse where he, in true form, is catching a big wave at an opportune moment. Just ask Nike and ESPN. Even though lax is a spring season sport, one can play organized lacrosse year-round: leagues include the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, complete with helmet, pads and crosse. BTW, lacrosse received its name when the visiting team, aka the French Priests, saw the Canadian Indians playing their village to village game and declared that their sticks looked like the ceremonial cross that the bishops carried. OK, so maybe FCA teams are not so ironic after all. And there is Fall Ball and Frosty Ball (winter,’natch) and post winter but before spring ball – not really, but it is kind of an endless season. Which brings me to the concept of traveling teams, those things I scoffed at and derided when other parents told me of their lost weekends driving around the state, region and even to interstate venues. I think some place north of someplace that I have never been to.

Right you are, comeuppance time. Or should I describe it as ‘I know that I cannot afford either a new bbq grill or a new lawn-mower, but how could I not seize the chance(s) to invest $700 for a weekend away in the heat, rain and chill to watch other miserable parents watch their children pretend to be on ESPN.’ Away tournaments are kind of attractive, at least one is not asked to cook-out or to cut the grass. But, on Mondays, I look forward to getting in the car on Friday for a journey to the away tournaments entitled Select or Showcase, cause this is where the scholarships to D-1, D-2 and D-3 schools are awarded. We’re not talking college, we’re talking divisions of college. I cannot tell if being 50th of 100 in D-1 schools is better or equal or worse than being in the top 10 of a D-3 school?! I do know this: athletic scholarships are the dope of college applications = get those 15 year olds thinking about life at 22 as soon as possible, complete with a $600 HD video package of how he performed at the Select Camp so that the other coaches can view junior’s talents on-line asap. I’d offer a sarcastic comment including Harvard or Michigan or other elite institutions, but they are all rushing into lax as fast as possible. Untapped revenue streams have to be tapped and women’s tennis is not the spring draw desired.

I never dreamed that a sport that I never dreamed of when I was young would occupy so much of my attention and disposable income. How about this: I’m a certified high school lacrosse ref. I mean, how else could I learn about this simple and complex game?! Run, shoot, score…with face-offs, creases, warding and slashing. Happily, it all happens in a hurry with lots of scoring. In short, not golf. I plan to use lax as my vantage point for the college application process. Once again indicating that even though most of us will never play a professional sport, there is no harm in making a business out it anyway.

I qualified as a referee this spring and worked about 30 games mostly at the middle school level. Pursued this qualification even though I’ve never played lacrosse. My elder son played and his brother is enamored with the sport having made the varsity team in his freshman year. I observe that the game appeals to parents because of its speed and, especially, the governing principle that the game is to be stopped only if absolutely necessary meaning that we’re all back in our cars within 90 minutes. I particularly enjoy the game as I instruct the team captains prior to their games, “it’s a big boy sport which is why you are wearing helmets and pads; and no body gets hurt” – meaning that it’s a game of well-defined conduct.

Fastest growing game in America. Wall Street Journal article of 20 May 11

It was Navy weekend with the NROTC commissioning ceremonies at both NC State and Duke Universities. Gratifying to be around so many purposeful young men and women and their inspiringly proud parents. Observing 12 young midshipmen take the oath of office then promoted to Ensigns and hearing of their assignments to nuclear submarines, airplane squadrons and the Medical Corps excited me about the intriguing futures in store for each and diminished the weight of the prevailing befuddling stream of economic news.

After these Friday ceremonies, we prepared for a BBQ and the Navy vs Duke lacrosse match as part of the NCAA tournament. A vicious thunderstorm forced us inside without much loss of our spirits, but whatever good mood remained was completely dispelled when Duke ran off 10 unanswered goals in the first period. Even John Paul Jones might have struck his colors at that point. As Yankee Yogi would say, ‘it got late early for Navy.’

Duke is off to Annapolis next weekend to play UNC in the second round of this championship! The schools are 20 minutes apart and will drive 11 hours round-trip for a 90 minute game. Go Green Movement! Of course, both are happy to be in the final 8 no matter where the field.

Lacrosse participation is certainly on the rise as the Duke players appeared larger, faster and more skilled. Thirty years ago, the Navy had the larger and faster players keeping them competitive even when they were not as skilled. I’m sure that the distribution of talent into our corps of naval and marine officers follows an opposite trend, more talent is drawn from a smaller pool of interested parties.

In both the commissioning ceremonies and the lacrosse game, one had to both entertained and satisfied that there is wealth of talented and capable youth readying to relieve the watch.