Hurricane in Baltimore

Memorial Day means quite a few things for me.  First of all, it serves as a memory to all those that have served and lost their lives for this country.  I also shout out to my family and friends who are currently in the military, serving without question.  I thank you all for everything you do for this country and the freedoms you protect.

I also get excited for Memorial Day weekend because it marks the end of the lacrosse season.  Each year, my family and I make the pilgrimage to the stadium hosting the National Championship Weekend, which was held in Baltimore, MD this year.  A weekend of great lacrosse, great friends, and spotty memories was just what the doctor ordered after the non-stop schedule I have been living for the last couple months.

Five of us piled into my father's Jeep for the trip down, which we decided to take because of the amount of room we would all have.  The back seat is a little cramped, but with the amount of stuff that we have to shlep down there, it was the best choice.  We all split driving time, and the trip took us a total of about 7 hours.  We decided that it would be best to avoid I-95 like the plague, especially with an ETA of about 4pm in Baltimore.

The weekend is basically a huge tailgate party.  Tens of thousands of people buy parking passes and every single one stops at at least one party on their way through.  Most popular game that I saw was probably Ladder Ball or Polish Horseshoes.  Both easily packed into your trunk for a couple hours of fun.

The thing that makes lacrosse so different than other sports is that there is a camaraderie between all laxers.  No matter who you played for or how old or young you are, everyone is equal.  It's about the sport, it's about the experience.  I could have walked up to any tailgate this weekend and introduced myself and I would have been offered a beer.  I have never experienced a tailgating atmosphere like I have at a lacrosse event.

Notre Dame ended up losing the Championship to Duke, but a record setting game and the crowning of a first-time National Champion made the game special in its own right.  Congratulations to the Blue Devils and Coach Danowski on completing a stellar season.  Tufts University won their first D3 Championship as well, as  CW Post repeated as the D2 Champions.

After three days of good lacrosse and a seemingly endless flow of beer, it was time to head home.  Unfortunately, this year they decided to push the National Championship game back to 3:30, so we didn't get out of Baltimore until 6:30.  As I passed the entrance to I-95, I breathed a sigh of relief that I wouldn't be on that road.  The line to get on was at least a mile long.  We headed up I-83 and bumped across PA on I-78.  If you are traveling on any holiday to Baltimore, I strongly suggest this route.  Not a lot of traffic, and it only took us 5 1/2 hours to get home.

As I pulled into the driveway, I was thankful to be home.  I was also thankful to be a part of something as unique as the sport of lacrosse.  I truly believe that this sport will grow exponentially over the next decade, and will be a primetime sport very soon.  The "Fastest game on two feet" will take this country by storm.