Great Lax Bay Classic

Lacrosse is known mostly as a spring sport, but with non-scholastic teams and tournaments gaining in popularity, the game is truly a year-round endeavor. A new summer tournament will be coming to the Great Lax State in 2014 with the inaugural Great Lax Bay Classic.

The tournament, held in Saginaw June 27-29, will feature divisions at multiple levels of competition in both genders.

“We’re going to try to put together a more inclusive event that can bring the whole family up,” said event organizer Mark Greaney. “We’ve got divisions for just about everybody in both genders. So many parents have one son and one daughter, and we want to be able to do both at once. Most aren’t combined tournaments.”

In accordance with the family-friendly mission is the accessibility – Saginaw is reasonable travel from nearly everywhere in the state and region – and cost of the entire event.

“We made it much more affordable,” Greaney said. “Most tournaments are $1300-1500. You even see them $1500 per day, and we’re going with $995 a team with multiple-team discounts. $50 off per extra team. Not everybody’s playing the high-stakes club teams, so we’re trying to get community and travel teams alike up there.”

Although this is the event’s inaugural year, it projects to run smoothly. Greaney – president of the Michigan Youth Lacrosse Association – is planning on an all-star game for the varsity divisions, and a recruiting coordinator who will highlight the top performers at the event. Even those college coaches who don’t make the trip will know who impressed.

“We’ll also have a recruiting coordinator that will put up a writeup of the players who impress, and those who perform well,” he said. “We’ll send that out to a network of coaches in addition to the ones that are at the event.”

The event is just another way the game is growing in the state.

“For lacrosse to grow in Michigan, it needs a stronger youth base than what was there,” Greaney said. “It can’t rely on different individuals. Through the MYLA and this event, we’re trying to help with that.”

You can find out more on the event at GreatLaxBay.com.