Day Five: Learn It and Apply It

Are you tired of hearing that it was a great day yet? Well, it was. First of all, some of you may be aware that there was some pranking going on last night. The story that was used was one of those classic camp stories where escaped convicts are on the loose and then doors are locked while the pranksters try to get in and all sorts of weird noises are heard outside. It is possible that that the pranksters didn’t give due consideration to the difference in ages between last year’s Golden Goal team and this year’s. There were some boys who were very upset. The good news is that they all seemed to have shaken off the scare by the end of the day and they were all back in good spirits. The other good news is that, as is the normal course of camp, the pranksters should understand that they will likely become the prankees before the week is over. Payback should take the sting out of this ordeal.

The surprise to which I alluded yesterday was a good one. Two very special coaches came out for a skills workshop. Steve Kilven, Assistant Coach for the University of Albany’s Men’s Lacrosse team, and Merrick Thomson, attack for the New Jersey Pride and the 2005 NCAA Division 1 leading scorer, spent a very good session with all of the Crush boys. They received some very good skills pointers and had the opportunity to practice them with the experts. They also got some tips on what it takes to play college lacrosse. As always, the boys soaked up the knowledge and seemed ready to apply it.

After dinner, the Chepontuc 5/6 team returned to play the first game of the night against Niskayuna. After that game, the 5/6 Crush team faced off against Chepontuc again. So far this week, the 5/6 team was 1-1 in games against this team. At the half, the score was tied 2-2. Crush came back very strong in the second half and ended the game with an 8-3 win. The play in the second half was some of the best we have ever seen from this 5/6 Crush team!

While the 5/6 Crush team was playing, the 7/8 grade team faced off against Niskayuna in a rematch of yesterday’s game. This was a very challenging matchup. Niskayuna is a very good team and they were tough. At the half, Crush was down 4-6. Crush defense was able to hold Niskayuna scoreless through the second half and Crush offense was able to score four more times. The final score of 8-6 Crush was a well-earned victory.

Immediately after their win, the 5/6 team was back on the field for their rematch with Niskayuna. Rumors are always thick whenever teams face each other and the rumor surrounding this team is that they were undefeated in their last 26 games. I cannot confirm or deny this rumor, but the level of play shown by the team would certainly support the rumor. Niskayuna plays impressive defense and smart offense. Tonight’s game was a little different from last night’s game. Crush 5/6 played another fabulous game and the score after two halves was tied up 3-3. The clock was reset for a five-minute sudden death overtime and the boys went to work. Niskayuna had the first possession, but couldn’t capitalize on it. Crush moved the ball expertly down the field and all the boys moved perfectly into position. #13 had the opportunity to shoot and hit the pole. #9 was right there and chipped the ball in for the win!

It was a very exciting evening of lacrosse and the parents were riveted to their seats until the end. One of the great moments was seeing the 7/8 team come over to cheer on the 5/6 team. If you are an 7/8 parent, you really should be proud of your boys. They are being great role models on and off the field. We have heard nothing but good comments about all the boys from the people at the camp.

The finale was again a set of dodgeball games. This time, the Niskayuna teams joined in the fun. The games looked chaotic, but there were rules and the coaches maintained some semblance of order. Most of all, the boys had fun!

The plan for Wednesday is still to go to Adirondack Extreme followed by an early dinner out and then more games beginning at 7 p.m. The tricky thing will be convincing the weather to hold out. Today was a perfect day of weather at camp. It was hot enough for a makeshift slip ‘n slide, but not too hot for the workshop or the games.