Institution - Location - Team Name - Affiliation - Enrollment
Adrian College - Adrian, Mich - Bulldogs - Private/Methodist - 1,400
Albion College - Albion, Mich - Britons - Private/Methodist - 1,805
Aurora University - Aurora, Ill - Spartans - Private/Non-sectarian - 1,685
Carthage College - Kenosha, Wisc - Red Men - Private/Lutheran - 2,188
Concordia University Wisconsin - Mequon, Wisc - Falcons - Private/Lutheran - 1,608
Fontbonne University - St. Louis, Missouri - Griffins - Private/Catholic - 2,924
Hanover College - Hanover, Indiana - Panthers - Private/Presbyterian - 975
Milwaukee School of Engineering - Milwaukee, Wisc - Raiders - Private - 1,929
College of Mount St. Joseph - Cincinnati, Ohio - Lions - Private/Catholic - 1,334
Trine University - Angola, Indiana - Thunder - Private/Non-sectarian - 1,111

First let me apologize for the considerable gap since my last blog.   It is inexcusable, but I have a few excuses...   Seriously though, I will try to post more frequently.

In my last blog I mentioned the Central Iowa Lacrosse Association's  box lacrosse league.  This past Thursday night saw the opening games of the inaugural season.  I have to admit upfront that I was almost as nervous as my wedding day through both games - including when I was playing.  For once it had nothing to do with my ability (or general lack thereof); rather, I was worried about the league as a whole.

You see, I just started really getting into lacrosse last October.  I had watched lax on TV and stuff, but last fall was when I finally decided I wanted to learn how to play.  But you already know that from my last blog.  Fast forward to the end of July.

Knowing that the Soccer House, a local indoor soccer facility has the requisite boards and playing area, I followed up on a conversation I had with them earlier this year.  The owner and general manager were both highly receptive to us holding an indoor lacrosse league there.  With the down economy, a new source of revenue was definitely welcome and they see the potential for growth as the sport continues to expand in Des Moines.  We began to make plans then because the time slots are reserved quickly.

Originally we hoped for four teams of eight players.  Soon it began to look as though there were enough guys to field six teams.  We added an extra hour to our reserved time just to be safe.

As summer turned into fall, registration opened up. In addition to the local adult players that we picked up over the summer, information was sent to Iowa State University’s MCLA players and coaches.  With 10 games from November through January at $50 per player, we thought the deal was pretty decent.  Evidently so did the players.

Although we fell short of 6 teams this year, we did make our original goal of 4 teams – 2 teams of 11, an ISU team with 14 guys, and a team consisting of 15 Valley High School varsity players (an additional VHS player is on an adult team).  I know it seems odd that we have a mix of high school and adult guys, but keep in mind that lax is barely off the ground here.

Mixing the ages is not the sole departure from standard box/indoor lacrosse.  We also had to eliminate cross checking, boarding, and off the ball hits.  There are several reasons for this.  First and foremost, not everybody is a member of US Lacrosse.  Since this is a local rec league, having players register would be an additional expense on top of purchasing gear and paying the league fee.  Many simply cannot or do not want to throw extra money down for a ten game season, especially in the current economy.  However, I actively encourage them to register.  Another major reason is the construction of the Soccer House.  Instead of hockey boards that have some give, the walls are thick oak boards; the building used to be a barn/practice arena for show horses (I know, hicks in Iowa).  They hurt like hell when you hit them, let me tell you.  Of course the age difference factored into this decision as well.

Since I run the Central Iowa Lacrosse Association on no budget, we do not have proper box goals. Instead we use our 6x6 field goals.  The good part about it is that the goalies get to practice pressure situations in front of their standard nets.  The bad news is that one team threw up 24 goals on Thursday. To help offset this, we made another rule alteration; we allow a d-pole on the floor.  Each team has the option to run a single d-pole at any time.  The high ceiling of the facility makes this possible. While thought odd at first, after the first game the teams agree that it created an interesting dynamic.

Despite my nervousness, everything went fairly smoothly on the first night. Sure the facility managers got there literally right before we started.  And the scoreboard did not work.  But the tape for the creases went on and stayed down better than we hoped.  The mismatched teams were still competitive.  Nobody was injured.  And most importantly, everybody had a good time.

This is week two and already there is a rematch. With one team comprised of out-of-state players attending Drake University, our schedule was altered to accommodate their winter break. As a result, they have a three nights of double headers. After losing their opening game 24-9, the Drake guys get an immediate rematch with ISU. Their second game will be against my team, the Demons. Comprised of locals with different experience levels, and the high school coaches, we beat the Valley team 17-6 in our opening game. Valley gets the night off, but the full team (varsity and JV) has their final field scrimmage of the fall on Tuesday night.

In just under a month, our league’s players will be at Wells Fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines to watch the Minnesota Swarm battle the Colorado Mammoth.  This game marks the debut of professional lacrosse in Iowa.  Dare I say that indoor lacrosse has arrived in Iowa?

For more regular updates about lacrosse in Iowa, visit Central Iowa Lacrosse & Sports Ramblings.

A year ago lacrosse was virtually nonexistent in Iowa.  Sure there were a few colleges with MCLA teams: the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, Dordt, Cornell College, and Northwestern College.  But at the recreational and high school levels lacrosse had virtually no presence.

Driving around Des Moines, you would not see kids playing wall ball.  Pick up games were unheard of.  Scheels, the largest sporting goods store in the metro, would occasionally carry some starter gear, but then it would mysteriously disappear.  The only time I ever witnessed lacrosse - in any form - being played in the metro was following a Des Moines Menace PDL soccer game.  Three guys were tossing a ball outside of the stadium with poor results.

In early October last year, I decided that I wanted to try lacrosse.  I had been playing hockey since high school and was eager to find a spring/summer sport that provided a similar experience.  Although I love soccer, the only local leagues either started too early in the spring while I was still in my hockey season (Over-the-Hill) or were far too rough for "the beautiful game" and played on the worst fields in the city (Latino League).  Softball was out for me due to its boring nature; my ADD does not have the patience to sit around waiting to bat.  Since lacrosse did not exist, I came up with a really rough plan to try and get myself moving.

I started a blog (http://centraliowalax.blogspot.com/) with the goal of giving interested locals a place to go.  I named my project the "Central Iowa Lacrosse Association."  I joined the Warrior Nation (I have since deleted my original profile) and posted on the Lacrosse Forums; I wanted to have my website's links spread out.  I laid the ground work for a team in the regional league (GPLL) and set up a logo design competition.  Most importantly, I posted on our local hockey forums.  I figured that most local adult hockey players, and probably some younger ones as well, were looking for a suitable summer sport.

I first made contact with another laxer in the area around Thanksgiving.  We talked via eventually set up a "Toss Around," an informal session to introduce lacrosse.  He had played for Augustana College in the Quad Cities and moved to Des Moines for graduate studies.  At the same time, I learned that two of the local high schools sent a joint team to a fall ball tournament in Lincoln, NE.  Eventually a former teammate of their coach sent me his contact info.  The coach and several members of the team joined our first Toss Around.

I learned that the team was preparing for its first year in the Nebraska High School Lacrosse league and that their head coach was in desperate need of help.  While not physically proficient (the Toss Around was my first experience), I knew the game and rules pretty well.  As the team practiced, we continued having more Toss Around sessions and were joined by more and more interested adults.  The growth was unexpected and seemed to stem from my blog.

With sponsorship from one of the schools, the high school team was officially christened the "Valley Tigers" and I created a website (http://wdmvalleylax.sports.officelive.com/default.aspx).  The website (and a pres release) seemed to raise the team visibility enough to help bring over 200 people to our first home game.  A surprisingly large number of whom were not directed affiliated with any of the participating teams; they were curious locals and a few transplants.  We had even more fans at our next home game.  The former coaching staff at the University of Denver thought enough of my website to contact us about a potential camp - IN DES MOINES, IOWA!

During the summer we had an "open league" for high school and adult players.  It was a pickup league designed to increase participation and was advertised on a more formal, newly created site (http://centraliowalacrosse.sports.officelive.com/default.aspx).  As the summer wore on, more and more middle school players showed interest.  We began allowing them to join the team.  Then I was contacted by parents moving to Des Moines from hotbed areas like Baltimore and North Carolina.  A few of their kids have joined us as well.

As we head into fall, Valley's players are preparing for their second trip to the Lincoln Rampage Mid-Fall Classic.  We are also gearing up for a box lacrosse league in a local indoor soccer facility.  Everything is in place to start playing box under a few modified rules to accommodate our needs.  To top it all off, on Friday I learned that the Minnesota Swarm will host a preseason game at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.  Iowa and ISU will play a box game beforehand; ISU is also participating in our box league.  We are also working on getting Valley floor time that night - December 5.

Since I began with a shaky plan a year ago, I have learned how to play lacrosse.  I have created four websites dedicated to the game and its growth in Iowa.  I secured a permanent spot as an assistant coach of a high school team.  I helped lead that team to a 12-1 first season.  I organized both a summer pick up league and a winter box league.  I have made connections with the lax programs at ISU and Iowa, as well as with the Minnesota Swarm.  I am working with Lincoln's manager and the current Denver staff to make Des Moines a permanent fixture for a Denver summer camp.  I have seen an increase interest in the ladies' game.  Most importantly, I have experienced an increase in participation from around 20 guys to nearly 50.

Things are looking up.  The future of lacrosse in Iowa looks bright.

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A year ago lacrosse was virtually nonexistent in Iowa.  Sure there were a few colleges with MCLA teams: the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, Dordt, Cornell College, and Northwestern College.  But at the recreational and high school levels lacrosse had virtually no presence.

Driving around Des Moines, you would not see kids playing wall ball.  Pick up games were unheard of.  Scheels, the largest sporting goods store in the metro, would occasionally carry some starter gear, but then it would mysteriously disappear.  The only time I ever witnessed lacrosse - in any form - being played in the metro was following a Des Moines Menace PDL soccer game.  Three guys were tossing a ball outside of the stadium with poor results.

In early October last year, I decided that I wanted to try lacrosse.  I had been playing hockey since high school and was eager to find a spring/summer sport that provided a similar experience.  Although I love soccer, the only local leagues either started too early in the spring while I was still in my hockey season (Over-the-Hill) or were far too rough for "the beautiful game" and played on the worst fields in the city (Latino League).  Softball was out for me due to its boring nature; my ADD does not have the patience to sit around waiting to bat.  Since lacrosse did not exist, I came up with a really rough plan to try and get myself moving.

I started a blog (http://centraliowalax.blogspot.com/) with the goal of giving interested locals a place to go.  I named my project the "Central Iowa Lacrosse Association."  I joined the Warrior Nation (I have since deleted my original profile) and posted on the Lacrosse Forums; I wanted to have my website's links spread out.  I laid the ground work for a team in the regional league (GPLL) and set up a logo design competition.  Most importantly, I posted on our local hockey forums.  I figured that most local adult hockey players, and probably some younger ones as well, were looking for a suitable summer sport.

I first made contact with another laxer in the area around Thanksgiving.  We talked via eventually set up a "Toss Around," an informal session to introduce lacrosse.  He had played for Augustana College in the Quad Cities and moved to Des Moines for graduate studies.  At the same time, I learned that two of the local high schools sent a joint team to a fall ball tournament in Lincoln, NE.  Eventually a former teammate of their coach sent me his contact info.  The coach and several members of the team joined our first Toss Around.

I learned that the team was preparing for its first year in the Nebraska High School Lacrosse league and that their head coach was in desperate need of help.  While not physically proficient (the Toss Around was my first experience), I knew the game and rules pretty well.  As the team practiced, we continued having more Toss Around sessions and were joined by more and more interested adults.  The growth was unexpected and seemed to stem from my blog.

With sponsorship from one of the schools, the high school team was officially christened the "Valley Tigers" and I created a website (http://wdmvalleylax.sports.officelive.com/default.aspx).  The website (and a pres release) seemed to raise the team visibility enough to help bring over 200 people to our first home game.  A surprisingly large number of whom were not directed affiliated with any of the participating teams; they were curious locals and a few transplants.  We had even more fans at our next home game.  The former coaching staff at the University of Denver thought enough of my website to contact us about a potential camp - IN DES MOINES, IOWA!

During the summer we had an "open league" for high school and adult players.  It was a pickup league designed to increase participation and was advertised on a more formal, newly created site (http://centraliowalacrosse.sports.officelive.com/default.aspx).  As the summer wore on, more and more middle school players showed interest.  We began allowing them to join the team.  Then I was contacted by parents moving to Des Moines from hotbed areas like Baltimore and North Carolina.  A few of their kids have joined us as well.

As we head into fall, Valley's players are preparing for their second trip to the Lincoln Rampage Mid-Fall Classic.  We are also gearing up for a box lacrosse league in a local indoor soccer facility.  Everything is in place to start playing box under a few modified rules to accommodate our needs.  To top it all off, on Friday I learned that the Minnesota Swarm will host a preseason game at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.  Iowa and ISU will play a box game beforehand; ISU is also participating in our box league.  We are also working on getting Valley floor time that night - December 5.

Since I began with a shaky plan a year ago, I have learned how to play lacrosse.  I have created four websites dedicated to the game and its growth in Iowa.  I secured a permanent spot as an assistant coach of a high school team.  I helped lead that team to a 12-1 first season.  I organized both a summer pick up league and a winter box league.  I have made connections with the lax programs at ISU and Iowa, as well as with the Minnesota Swarm.  I am working with Lincoln's manager and the current Denver staff to make Des Moines a permanent fixture for a Denver summer camp.  I have seen an increase interest in the ladies' game.  Most importantly, I have experienced an increase in participation from around 20 guys to nearly 50.

Things are looking up.  The future of lacrosse in Iowa looks bright.