Road Trip Dad

What’s New?

Dan Witmer — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 20:40:09 GMT

Off the grid this summer? No TV at the beach or pool? Perhaps no internet at your cabin in the woods? Didn’t take your phone with you while you were out fishing on the lake?

No worries – I’ll bring you back up to speed…

Here are 21 reports of lax past, present, and future

NCAA rules

There were some (minor?) rule changes adopted by D-I, D-II, and D-III NCAA Men’s Rules Committees. Mandatory in 2028 and optional this coming spring, teams will use fluorescent orange or lime green balls instead of the traditional white. Overtime periods will still be sudden death (aka sudden victory, but I’m old school), but the length of each OT period is now changed to 15 minutes, instead of four. There are also modifications regarding the use of video replay, but I’ll let the D-I big boys and their officials worry about that.

I swear I saw something about the discussion of the full-length-of-the-field shot vs. a ten-man ride becoming a “non-shot” unless the shooter is above his own restraining line, but I guess that didn’t make the final cut. I like the idea – those full-field heaves that miss the net by 30 yards aren’t really shots at all; they’re just desperate attempts to beat the pressure of a 10-man ride.

NCAA eligibility

I can’t keep up with the daily judges’ stays and injunctions, but the NCAA has approved a five-year eligibility framework for D-I and D-II – starting immediately – and 2026 grads are suing the NCAA for another year of eligibility. There have been wins and losses since, and I saw on the news last night that D-I football coaches don’t know the status of their own players, some of whom have already started their NFL careers. Syracuse University seniors from last spring’s lacrosse team added their names to the list of plaintiffs, and it sounds like we may not have seen the last of some of them. Stay tuned!

New coaches!

The biggest headlines came from Charlottesville, VA as head coach Lars Tiffany didn’t have his contract renewed. His replacement? Assistant coach Kevin Cassese.

The other big, more local, hiring came when veteran mentor Dan Sheehan stepped down after 29 years and six national championships at LeMoyne, and former Carthage HS and Syracuse University All-American, All-Everything Casey Powell was named to succeed him.

Other new hires were made at Cobleskill (Lukas Baildon), Delhi (Andrew Gardner), Hilbert (Randy Mearns), Virginia (Kevin Cassese), VMI (Mike Daly), UMBC (James Purpura), Fairfield (former SU defensive coordinator John Odierna), Mercer (James Chakey), UMass-Lowell (Adrian Torok-Orban), Vermont (Drew Kelleher), Herkimer (Scott Petrie), and Salisbury (Justin Axel).

There are probably others, but these are the ones that showed up on my radar. Good luck to all!

Euro M/W Box Lacrosse Championships

Prague hosted the Euro Box Lacrosse Championships at the end of June and into the first few days of July, and Witmer Solutions had 10 great American college interns on hand to manage game ops and everything else. Despite a record-setting heat wave that fried Europe, 18 men’s teams and – for the first time ever – 7 women’s teams, battled for slots in the next World Lacrosse Championships, set for August of 2028 at a site to be determined.

On the men’s side, Ireland won its first gold medal, while Finland took silver and Germany earned bronze. For the women, Israel won the gold medal, with Germany taking silver and England winning bronze.

World Lacrosse Women’s D-II Championships

The following week, World Lacrosse hosted its first-ever D-II championships in Wroclaw, Poland, where 12 women’s national teams that didn’t make the cut for August’s bigger stage in Tokyo met for international competition. Italy defeated Mexico for the gold, and New Zealand took home the bronze.

Again, Witmer Solutions hosted four more interns for this first-ever event.

World Lacrosse Women’s Championships

Sixteen women’s teams met in Tokyo for the World Lacrosse Women’s Championship. Team USA knocked off Canada for its fifth consecutive gold medal, while Israel took home the bronze medal.

SUNYAC

There are some membership changes in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) – for all sports. New Paltz is now out, and former two-year SUNY schools Cobleskill, Delhi, and Alfred State are all in as full-fledged members. Men’s lacrosse will adopt a six-team playoff format starting in 2027.

PALA

The Pan-American Lacrosse Association had its men’s field championships earlier this month in Kingston, Jamaica. Both Canada and the US went undefeated in pool play, and when they faced off against one another for the gold medal, Canada scored four straight goals to down the US by a 9-8 score. In the bronze medal game, the Haudenosaunee defeated Jamaica, and Puerto Rico scored a huge win over Mexico for fifth place, as the top five finishers earned slots in next summer’s World Lacrosse Championships in Tokyo. Congrats all around!

NABLL

The North American Box Lacrosse League, which had 47 teams spread out all across the country this year, had it national championship in Utica two weeks ago. Congrats to the Thousand Islands Spirit on their 2026 championship, who defeated the Gayogohono Lakers by a 20-5 score in the NABLL final. It was an all-Upstate showdown for the ‘ship – the Spirits had run the table in the Upstate East Division, while the Lakers had won the Upstate West.

For some of you, maybe that’s all old news, but here’s what we all have to look forward to in the days, months, and year ahead…

Menschner Cup

Across the pond (and then some), it’s time for Radotin’s second-biggest box tournament of the year, the Frank Menschner Cup. Games run this Thursday through Saturday, September 3-5. Ten men’s teams, from North America and Europe, battle not only for the championship, but also for hard-to-get slots in the Ales Hrbesky Memorial Tournament next April. You can watch games live (we’re six hours behind, so a noon game in the Czech Republic starts here at 6 AM)) or afterwards on You Tube – just type in “FM Cup”…

PLL

Meanwhile, a bit closer to home, the PLL playoffs get interesting this coming weekend, as Monday’s semifinals pit the Philadelphia Waterdogs against the Boston Cannons in one game and the Utah Archers against the Denver Outlaws in the other. The 3 PM Archers game is on ESPN2, while the 5:30 Philadelphia game is on ESPN+. Both games will be played in Herriman, Utah.

Monday’s winners will meet in New Jersey for the PLL championship on Sunday, September 20. A 12:30 start is scheduled for ABC.

11^th Annual Haudenosaunee Wooden Stick Festival

Can’t say for sure, but this event seems to get bigger every year. I went down to Onondaga Lake Park in Liverpool to check it out a few years ago and I think the day consisted of some vendors and a few teams playing “wooden sticks” lacrosse.

This year the weekend includes the Restore Our Sacred Lake 5K Run/Walk, the Alfie Jacques Ambassador Award dinner, a Smoke Dance competition, a Community Clean-Up, and the Randy Hall Masters Wooden Stick Lacrosse Tournament – as well as craft vendors and food.

For more information, see Annoucing the 11th annual Haudenosaunee Wooden Stick Festival

Stray Cat Sundays – Laid Back Lacrosse!

This is all over my Facebook feed, and it sounds like I might have to get down to Cazenovia in the next few weeks to provide some RTD coverage…

Starting September 13, Powell Lacrosse is offering seven consecutive weeks of lacrosse for both men and women over age 25. In their words: “Part adult league. Part neighborhood sandlot. Part Sunday hang.” Sounds like there will be four men’s teams – the Night Crawlers, the Wave, Cripple Creek, and the Shaka Social Club. Women’s teams TBA. Their vibe: “Lacrosse is the excuse, not the reason.”

For more information, go to Stray Cat Sundays.

More on this event in the following weeks (hopefully!).

LAXNAI

Back this fall with men’s open, masters, women’s, and youth divisions, maybe the biggest box lacrosse tournament in the land returns to Utica’s Nexus Center for four days (September 17-20). With its four arenas under one roof, Utica is arguably the box lacrosse capital of the US.

PALA Sixes

In preparation for the 2028 LA Olympics, the next year is filled with Sixes events near and far. Oshawa, Ontario kicks things off with the PALA Sixes Championships, running from September 29 through October 4. Not sure exactly what teams or how many, but men’s and women’s teams from USA, Canada, and Haudenosaunee will be there.

C-Lax Legends

On October 10, the C-Lax Legends of SUNY Cortland will induct its Class of 2026. I’m bummed that I’ll be out of town and won’t be able to attend, but check out this list of 2026 inductees: Rich Barnes ’89, Sid Jamieson ’64, Alexander (Sandy) Kapatos ’81, Don King ’64, Kirk Ventiquattro ’81 (posthumously), Gerry Walsh ’73, Steve Beville (head coach 2007-2023), and the 2009 NCAA Championship Team.

More on this event in the following weeks.

NILCA HOF

Congratulations to former Baldwinsville coach Pete Fiorini! He is due to be inducted into the National Interscholastic Lacrosse Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame on Saturday, October 17 in Jericho, NY. He joins previous Upstate inductees Chris Kenneally, Bob Deegan, Ernie Lisi, Bob Streeten, Mike Messere, and Tom Hall.

Atlas Cup

USA Lacrosse will host its second annual Atlas Cup on October 23-25 in Sparks, MD. Men’s and women’s teams from the USA, Canada, Haudenosaunee, and Ireland will battle it out.

ULF HOF inductees

On November 8, the Upstate Lacrosse Foundation will induct its Hall of Fame Class of 2026 at Drumlins Country Club in Syracuse. This year’s group includes Carolyn (Davis) Hassan, Willie Evans, Mike Felice, Paul Fietta, Joe Fletcher, Bonnie Foley, John Galloway, Katrina Hable, Sherwin Hill, Dan Miller, Courtney Farrell Shute, Joel White, and the 1983 Syracuse University National Championship Men’s Team.

For ticket or program ad information, go to The Upstate Lacrosse Foundation - Celebrating Lacrosse History in Upstate NY.

More on this event in the following weeks.

Lexus Global Lacrosse Games

I told you there’d be Sixes everywhere you look. This event is sponsored by Lexus, the PLL, the WLL, and even the NLL. Four teams – USA, Canada, Haudenosaunee, and Australia – will meet at the St. James (just outside Washington, DC) for six days of Sixes lacrosse, starting on December 8 and continuing through December 13.

World Lacrosse Sixes

And finally, looking way ahead to a year from now, World Lacrosse just announced its first-ever Sixes Championship for men and women. This championship will play a large part in determining exactly who gets one of the six invitations to the Los Angeles Olympics the following year. Competition will take place October 4-11 in Colorado Springs, CO; 16 men’s and 16 women’s teams from all parts of the world will be invited.

Wow!

All caught up? No wonder my head is spinning!

That’s it (for now). Mark your calendars and save the dates – it’s going to be a busy fall!

Thanks for reading! Please, drive carefully, and put down that cell phone! Donate blood. Get vaccinated. Volunteer. Stay safe, stay smart, and stay kind. Help someone in need – and be sure to take care of your crew!

- Dan Witmer

daniel.witmer@oswego.edu

Dan is the author of four books: The Best of Road Trip Dad – The Laker Lacrosse Collection is an accumulation of 45 articles written for www.JustLacrosseUpstate between the years 2012 and 2018, about the history and traditions, the people, and the stories of the Oswego State men’s lacrosse program. … and piles to go before I sleep – The Book of Wit is his memoir describing his 33-year career teaching HS English and coaching at Hannibal Central School. His third book, The Best of RTD – A Lacrosse Coach’s Handbook contains more than 55 weekly Road Trip Dad blogs spanning 2012-2020, featuring Xs and Os, highs and lows, and even some Dos and Don’ts, and plenty of advice for coaches of all levels. His latest book, The Best of Road Trip Dad – On the Shoulders of Giants: Upstate’s Lacrosse Founders and Legends, profiles more than 50 icons who helped grow the game in Upstate NY. All four books are available at www.amazon.com.

Dan grew up in Lynbrook, NY before coming to Oswego State to earn his teaching and coaching certifications. He then taught English at Hannibal High School for 33 years before retiring in 2015. In addition to coaching the Oswego State Laker men’s lacrosse team part-time from 1982-2010, Dan also coached JV and varsity girls’ soccer at Hannibal for 16 years, girls’ ice hockey at Oswego HS for 8 years, and boys’ JV and varsity lacrosse at Oswego HS for 12 years.

Dan is now in his 19^th year assisting Summit Lacrosse Ventures and/or the PLL with their various tournaments, especially the annual Lake Placid Summit Classic, and he worked for 3d Lacrosse for three years as well. He has served on the staffs of the 2014 FIL World Games in Denver, the 2015 FIL Indoor Championships in Syracuse, the 2018 FIL World Games in Netanya, Israel, the 2022 U21 World Championship in Limerick, Ireland, and the World Lacrosse Championships in San Diego in 2023.

Later in 2023, he created Witmer Solutions LLC, a lacrosse event staffing and internship offering service that he hopes will get his foot – and others’ – in the door at lacrosse events worldwide. He was the game ops staff director for the World Lacrosse Men’s and Women’s Box Championships in Utica in September of 2024, and he served as the field manager at the World Lacrosse Men’s U20 championships in Jeju, South Korea in 2025. Witmer Solutions has since staffed the Heritage Cup, the LAXNAI box tournament, the 2025 Euro Men’s Championships in Poland, and the PALA Sixes tournament in Puerto Rico. This summer, WS staffers were present in both the Czech Republic for the Euro Men’s and Women’s Box Championships, and Poland for the World Lacrosse Women’s D-II championships.

Dan served as the Community Service Coordinator for the Oswego State athletic department from 2010-2023 and has been a certified lacrosse referee for the past eight years. He has also been the Volunteer Event Organizer for the annual St. Baldrick’s fundraiser in Oswego for 18 years, raising more than one million dollars for childhood cancer research.

In 2023, he returned to the Oswego State coaching staff as an assistant coach, where he currently serves as defensive coordinator and alumni and parent liaison.

Dan and Sue Witmer live in Oswego, while their older son Brian, his wife Jane, and son Benji live outside of Prague, Czech Republic, and younger son Eric lives in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado.

The hope is for many more road trips to come.

Help Wanted!

Dan Witmer — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 14:45:41 GMT

About a year ago, I made an appeal to my readers, and I got a very small and slow response.

So forgive me while I try again.

I want to publish a book sharing funny lacrosse stories. My stories, your stories, maybe even “I heard it from a friend of a friend” stories.

Coaches’ stories. Players’ stories. Referees’ stories. Parents’ stories. Fans’ stories. Stories that will make readers smile, if not laugh.

Youth, scholastic, club/travel, college, pro, international… summer league or winter tournaments. Indoor, outdoor, box, field, Sixes…

Lynbrook HS, Oswego State, and Oswego HS alumni. Lake Placid friends. FIL and World Lacrosse associates. Fellow CNYLOA refs. Lacrosse camp escapades. … this should be fun!

If you remember last year’s call for action was not a genuinely original idea. In 2013, former Towson men’s lacrosse coach Carl Runk, a member of at least four Halls of Fame, self-published a 408-page collection of humorous lacrosse stories entitled Along the Way. The book contains no fewer than 177 separate stories, with 111 of them written by Coach Runk himself.

If you ever met Coach Runk, who passed away about this time two years ago at the age of 88, you know what a great storyteller he was. He used to emcee the national lacrosse coaches’ conventions, and he’d tell the absolutely funniest jokes as he introduced each guest speaker. I only wish I could remember just a few of them…

The other 66 stories in his book were submitted by coaching peers, referees, a lacrosse parent or two, and a few administrators/athletic directors. A Who’s Who of college coaches headlines the list of contributors: Dom Starsia, Tony Seaman, Jim Berkman, Kevin Corrigan, Bob Scott, Ted Garber, Ray Rostan, Tom Leanos, JB Clarke, Jack Emmer, and Lars Tiffany, to name a few. The ubiquitous Upstate referee Matt Palumb is another contributor.

Coach Runk started asking for outside help way back in 2009 – four years before the eventual publication of his book.

This was his request:

“Hi Coach,

I need a favor. I’m in the process of writing a book of humorous stories involving the sport of lacrosse… If you could take the time to recall an incident that you feel is humorous, or outrageously funny, I would appreciate hearing about it. Maybe it involved recruiting, practice, a game, officiating, or something you feel is just worthy of sharing. You will receive full credit for your story.

I hope you might take the time to help, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours in Lacrosse,

Carl Runk”

I loved the idea from the start, and I submitted two stories that made it into his book. It’s still available at Amazon, by the way (Along the Way: Along the Way: Runk, Carl A.: 9781483987002: Amazon.com: Books).

But here we are, some 13 years later and I’m thinking…I know a lot of lacrosse people. Coaches, referees, and administrators. Newer, younger lacrosse people as well as retirees, veterans, old-timers, and OGs. And it’s been 13 years since Coach Runk’s book was published. Surely the lacrosse world is ready for more “along the way” stories!

So I’m asking for help, just like Coach Runk did, except I hope to have a lot more outside contributions (there’s no way I’m writing 111 of 177 stories!). I’ve got a bunch of fun stories, but I hope to be more of an editor than an author…

Before I started on this project, I wanted to get the blessing and green light from Coach Runk’s family. Without any real legal understanding, I figured I could at least get an OK from them. So I Googled the name of one of Coach’s sons and came up with an email address. I gave it a try, and 14 minutes later I got a reply! Keith Runk asked me to give his Dad credit for the original idea and otherwise wished me luck – and also asked me to let him know when the book got published.

That was easy! Thanks, Keith!

So here’s the offer: send me your best and funniest lacrosse stories. Make me and others laugh. Share your stories. Surely there are great tales of mistakes, accidents, misunderstandings, quick wit, outrageous situations, and more.

So far, I have roughly 40-45 contributions. Seventeen are my own, and long-time Oswego HS coach Doc Nelson ’78 has outproduced me so far with 18 (mark my word; I will exceed his number!). Rich Cecconi, Terry Corcoran, and Jim Holleran have also contributed, along with Doc’s son Travis, another Oswego HS alum, and one of my college friends.

I’ve got the story about cars (yes, plural) catching fire on our way to scrimmages, about players using unfamiliar, newfangled tools on the sideline, about the time I cut the wrong guy – face to face, no less! There’s the (nameless!) recounting of an entertaining night at an Inner Harbor Hooters, and of course, some favorite Jim Onacki stories…

And Doc has provided some historical (and hysterical!) insights as to the origins of Oswego State’s infamous Dirt Day celebrations, tales of some 50+ years of playing box lacrosse all over New York and Ontario, and of course, some humorous Oswego HS memories.

I don’t know that I need to match Coach Runk’s numbers, but maybe 150 stories would be a good goal to shoot for.

Don’t worry about spelling, grammar, or punctuation – I’m a retired high school English teacher just itching to go back to work. Any editing I do will require your final approval before I publish anything.

You can choose to name names or keep things anonymous. That’s going to vary from one story to the next. I’ll let you be the judge and use your own discretion.

You can email your tales to me at daniel.witmer@oswego.edu. Give your story a title, and be sure to provide your name and phone number.

Heck, I think you can even send me a voice recording if it comes to that.

And while you’re at it, let’s keep it PG-13, please.

The working title of my book is More Lacrosse Stories Along the Way.

I don’t have a deadline at this point, but put your thoughts together sometime soon – before you forget about it.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you! And please, more than you’ve ever done, please help spread the word!

Thanks for your anticipated response!

And thanks for reading! Please, drive carefully, and put down that cell phone! Donate blood. Get vaccinated. Volunteer. Stay safe, stay smart, and stay kind. Help someone in need – and be sure to take care of your crew!

- Dan Witmer

daniel.witmer@oswego.edu

In 2023, he returned to the Oswego State coaching staff as an assistant coach, where he currently serves as defensive coordinator and alumni and parent liaison.

Dan and Sue Witmer live in Oswego, while their older son Brian, his wife Jane, and son Benji live outside of Prague, Czech Republic, and younger son Eric lives in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado.

The hope is for many more road trips to come.

School’s Open – Read Carefully!

Dan Witmer — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 14:23:56 GMT

As a college coach, this time of year has always been an exciting time for me. A new school year is about to start, and I couldn’t wait to meet the freshmen and transfers, see the returners, and get everyone together for that first team meeting of the year, and then the first fall ball practice. It’s a new start, and there are probably new leaders, maybe new captains, and possibly some changes to the coaching staff as well. Whether last spring was deemed successful or not, fall ball starts with a clean slate.

Last August, to buy a week’s time while I was in Korea for the World Lacrosse Men’s U-20 Championships, I re-published a collection of past RTD articles – all on the topic of fall ball and its offerings and opportunities – pieces I’d written over the years targeted for the back-to-school readership. I had advice for incoming freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, and even parents.

If you chose to read any of those pieces, you probably just read the one that applied to you.

Well, I’m thinking that the student athletes and parents who read the article about sophomores, for instance, are more likely to pay attention to the junior piece this year, so I’m making all the possibilities available once again. And besides, there’s a whole group of freshmen and their parents who probably missed everything last year.

So, because August is often a month of re-runs, I’m posting these archived RTD articles for you once again (I also have a piece targeting high school lacrosse players playing a fall sport, but I’ll save that for a rainy day later in the month).

Heres’ most of what I posted last year:

“… I realize it’s a new school year for millions of people, whether it’s pre-school or university. For a teacher, coach, or even a parent, it’s kind of like a whole new year. January 1 might say New Year’s Day on the calendar, but the end of August signals not only the coming of fall, and the NFL season, but a new start – often filled with excitement, dread, nervousness, enthusiasm, and uncertainty.

Over the past 13-plus years, I’ve written “Back to School” RTD pieces addressing college freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, fall-ball parents, and high school fall athletes, too.

I wrote with the experiences of a father of sons playing college lacrosse, as a coach getting ready to start fall ball, and a teacher trying to accept the end of a summer and the start of new students and new challenges.”

Added to this collection are articles written by Hall of Famer and former coach at Brown and Virgina, Dom Starsia, and my son Brian, back when he was writing regularly for Lax All-Stars.

Read one or read them all, but I’ll start with…

(5) Advice To Freshmen - by Dan Witmer - Road Trip Dad. Is it time for Freshman Orientation? Move-in Day? This one’s for you – Mom, Dad, and especially Junior… a Road Trip Dad piece first published in 2023.

Dom Starsia’s Letter to a Freshman Hall of Famer and former Brown and Virginia coach – and Lake Placid Legend – Dom Starsia also wrote a letter to freshmen; this appeared in US Lacrosse Magazine in 2017.

(5) What Every Sophomore Laxer Needs to Bring to Campus Back for Year #2? Feeling confident that you know the drill? Here are some thoughts to chew on… RTD from 2016.

(5) College Coaches’ Advice to their Returning Juniors I asked for some help on this one. I sought out local Upstate college coaches for their advice to their rising juniors (thanks again to those who shared their thoughts!). From 2017…

https://laxallstars.com/play-hard-spring-still-can/ This piece was written by my son Brian for Lax All-Stars way back in 2016, and I consider it to be one of his best. Go ahead; read it and tell me I’m wrong.

(5) For all the seniors starting their final year of college lacrosse In fact, Brian’s article was so good it inspired me to use it as a springboard for my own thoughts – but I still ended up borrowing some of his best stuff. Posted in 2019.

(5) Advice to Parents re: Fall Ball - by Dan Witmer Want to be your son’s proud parent, take in his fall-ball scrimmages, and be a part of the bigger team? Want to support your son’s team but don’t want to over-step? Then this RTD piece is for you, Mom and Dad. Posted in 2023.

I’d like to think I’ve covered it all – the importance of first impressions, the dangerous sense of seniority entitlement, the “I’ll wait till next year to start to be a leader,” and so much more. I hope you find some helpful ideas.

- Dan Witmer

daniel.witmer@oswego.edu

In 2023, he returned to the Oswego State coaching staff as an assistant coach, where he currently serves as defensive coordinator and alumni and parent liaison.

Dan and Sue Witmer live in Oswego, while their older son Brian, his wife Jane, and son Benji live outside of Prague, Czech Republic, and younger son Eric lives in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado.

The hope is for many more road trips to come.

An Old School Read: Vintage Lacrosse: ‘70s player, ‘90s Coach/Father, and Today’s Fan

Dan Witmer — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 22:39:35 GMT

Tony Seaman introduced me to Dick Bond last January when I was in Florida (how’s that for an opening?).

“Hey, you should meet this guy – he just wrote a book about lacrosse.”

And so I met Dick, who was just publishing his 332-page memoir Vintage Lacrosse: ‘70s player, ‘90s Coach/Father, and Today’s Fan. We spoke for a while about our writing and lacrosse interests and exchanged business cards. He promised to check out Road Trip Dad, and I promised him I’d get my hands on his book.

Truthfully, I didn’t order it from Amazon until early June or so (I had been wrapped up trying to finish off my list of Carl Hiaasen’s books up until then) so I took it to Prague with me at the end of June. Reading very few pages almost every night since then, I finally finished it this week.

Honestly, I enjoyed it, and I think you will too.

As we all know, there aren’t a lot of lacrosse books out there, and almost all of the ones I have read were about people and events that happened more or less during my years involved with the game - Richie Moran’s autobiography, Dom Starsia’s memoir, and most recently, S.L. Price’s The American Game (see my October 2025 RTD piece, Book Report: The American Game by S. L. Price).

But this book pushed me back a decade or so – enough that it described an era I wasn’t really familiar with, but still included lots of names I recognized.

As the title suggests, the book is separated into three main parts – Dick’s scholastic, college, and post-collegiate playing days, his coaching and parenting years, and then his thoughts on today’s lacrosse scene – college and pro, especially.

Dick’s first year of lacrosse was his junior year of high school; he had been cut from JV baseball in 10^th grade and decided to give lacrosse a try. He played JV lacrosse as a junior and played just one year of varsity at Baltimore’s Woodlawn HS. He graduated in 1966, making him approximately 12 years older than me.

He grew up in the era of wooden sticks, Bacharach-Rasin, and new college programs – which was fascinating to me. His freshman year at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County was the university’s first year of existence; the UMBC students got to pick their school’s mascot. Tuition was… get this: $365 a year.

Dick played four years of college lacrosse at UMBC and, through hard work and… get this: wall ball, he developed into a pretty solid attackman. He scored 19 goals and 33 assists in his senior year and received All-American honors as well as selection to play in the 1970 North-South Game. His All-American honors were the first for any UMBC student-athlete.

The author recounts stories of almost getting drafted into military service, playing club lacrosse before he finished playing NCAA ball, and catching a private plane flight from Atlantic City to a game at Western Maryland.

Marriage followed after graduation, and so did playing in the USCLA – the United State Club Lacrosse Association. Dick enjoyed a healthy run playing organized, recognized, national-level post-collegiate lacrosse, something else that no longer exists today. He played for the Carling Lacrosse Club after graduating from UMBC in 1970, and he shares stories and newspaper clippings (remember those?) documenting not only the scores and stats, but also the detailed media coverage in general.

In his first year with Carling, Dick won Rookie of the Year honors for his team, but that was overshadowed by his selection to the USCLA All-Star Game. However, his greatest achievement came when he received the USCLA’s 1971 Hero’s Award – presented to the “most outstanding player in club lacrosse” – today’s equivalent of the Tewaaraton!

In his second year with Carling, Dick and his squad defeated the Long Island Athletic Club in Baltimore for the National Championship, ending the visitors’ four-year run of USCLA titles. Dick went 2-3-5 in scoring and was voted to the All-Star team again.

By 1973, he and his wife had moved to Connecticut, and he joined the Long Island Athletic Club, even if it meant making a long commute to practices and games. He played for the LIAC through the 1978 season – six years – winning national championships in ’73, ’74, and ’78.

He names plenty of his favorite teammates and opponents, describing the close connections and relationships among lacrosse players that existed at that time. In an era when there was no professional lacrosse, players continued to play because they loved the game and the people who played it. Dick threw out dozens of names, and I recognized lacrosse legends like Willie Scroggs, Joe Cowan, Bill Tierney, Don Zimmerman, John Danowski, Dom Starsia, Alan Lowe, Jack Emmer, Bruce Arena, Tom Postel, Mike Waldvogel, Ron Frazer, Bill Beroza, Bob Rule, Vinnie Sombrotto, Joe Taylor, Larry Quinn, Eamon McEneaney, Stan Kowalski, Bob and Norm Engelke, Randy Natoli, Bill Naslonski, Doug Hall, Jim Darcangelo, Bob Griebe, and many others.

NOTE: I graduated from Long Island’s Lynbrook HS in 1978, and although I don’t remember ever going to any USCLA club games, I recognize many of these names; I also had the privilege to work lacrosse camps with many of these icons between 1985 and 2010. What an era!

“Retiring” from the LIAC, Dick played for the local Westchester Lacrosse Club in 1979. He helped carry the team, averaging more than seven points per game – but they were knocked out of the USCLA semi-finals by… you guessed it, the Long Island Athletic Club. And yes, they went on to win yet another national championship.

Dick stayed retired from playing for four years – until he relocated to Florida, where he first latched on to the Coral Springs LC and later the Fort Lauderdale Lacrosse Club. He earned Fort Lauderdale’s Rookie of the Year award in 1987, at the age of 38. When he hit the age of 40, Dick retired once and for all… from playing.

A coaching career had started in Connecticut and flourished in Florida. His sons Matthew and Adam were already playing lacrosse, even if it was just in their yard. But lacrosse was growing rapidly in Florida and soon the boys were playing and Dick was coaching.

The book then shifts to his sons’ scholastic and NCAA lacrosse, and Dick’s success coaching at Pine Crest HS – and I’ll leave the second half of the book for you to discover.

But not before I leave you with some teasers…

Like Dick’s pro football tryout

Or his experience playing for the US National Team against Australia in 1974

Or his stories of Peter Kohn

Or his games played at Baltimore’s Pimlico Racetrack and Miami’s Joe Robbie Stadium

Or his experiences with tennis and pickleball

Nine of the earlier chapters begin with pages listing “Some Highlights to Tickle Memories, from (1970 through 1978).” For example, here is the page from 1975, my freshman year of HS:

· Pittsburgh Steelers win Super Bowl X, Cincinnati Reds win World Series

· Arthur Ashe wins Wimbledon, becoming the first African American man to do so

· Microsoft founded

· Fall of Saigon, Viet Name war ends

· Jimmy Hoffa goes missing

· Movies: Jaws, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Dog Day Afternoon

· New on TV: Saturday Night Live, Welcome Back, Kotter, Wonder Woman, Wheel of Fortune

· Music: you name the artists

1. Bohemian Rhapsody

2. Born to Run

3. Black Water

4. Mandy

5. Jive Talkin’

NOTE: seriously, was there ever a better year?

Dick comments on everything lacrosse and then some – skills, the pro game, trends he likes and others he doesn’t. Chapter 23 offers ten pages of his thoughts regarding dodging. He talks about the annual Florida Lax Classic that I refereed at last January, where I met the author. Dick also describes his sons’ remarkable coaching experiences, one on the west coast, the other in Florida.

And the Bond story isn’t done yet.

Dick’s grandson Greyson is about to start his senior year – and fourth year of varsity lacrosse – at St. Francis HS in Mountainview, CA.

So, stay tuned!

I strongly recommend this book for anyone who has played lacrosse, coached lacrosse, or parented lacrosse players. I think it’s got something for everyone, and I’m sure anyone 60 or over will immediately recognize names and enjoy stories about lacrosse dating back to the mid-‘60s.

The book is available on Amazon: Vintage Lacrosse: ‘70s Player, ‘90s Coach/Father, Today’s Fan: Bond, Dick: 9798249877385: Amazon.com: Books

Enjoy!

- Dan Witmer

daniel.witmer@oswego.edu

Dan grew up in Lynbrook, NY before coming to Oswego State to earn his teaching and coaching certifications. He then taught English at Hannibal High School for 33 years before retiring in 2015.

In addition to coaching the Oswego State Laker men’s lacrosse team part-time from 1982-2010, Dan also coached JV and varsity girls’ soccer at Hannibal for 16 years, girls’ ice hockey at Oswego HS for 8 years, and boys’ JV and varsity lacrosse at Oswego HS for 12 years.

Dan is now in his 19^th year assisting Summit Lacrosse Ventures and the PLL with their various tournaments, especially the annual Lake Placid Summit Classic, and he worked for 3d Lacrosse for three years as well. He has served on the staffs of the 2014 FIL World Games in Denver, the 2015 FIL Indoor Championships in Syracuse, the 2018 FIL World Games in Netanya, Israel, the 2022 U21 World Championship in Limerick, Ireland, and the World Lacrosse Championships in San Diego in 2023.

In 2023, he returned to the Oswego State coaching staff as an assistant coach, where he currently serves as defensive coordinator and alumni and parent liaison.

Dan and Sue Witmer live in Oswego, while their older son Brian, his wife Jane, and son Benji live outside of Prague, Czech Republic, and younger son Eric lives in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado.

The hope is for many more road trips to come.

What championship MVPs like about the Lake Placid Summit Classic

Dan Witmer — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 14:27:29 GMT

What a week in Lake Placid!

There were some 225 teams, 28 divisions, 12 fields, seven days… plus both sons, one daughter-in-law, and one grandson.

And five (I think) days that featured rain (but maybe it was six).

Wow!

After 19 or 20 years, my job responsibilities at the Lake Placid Summit Classic have been pretty much narrowed down to championship presentations and the annual Legends of Lake Placid induction celebration. Championships were awarded on five straight days (Wednesday through Sunday) and the Legends inductions took place on Thursday.

The Legends reception went well. The new Pavilion at the LP Horse Show Grounds is bright, clean, and festive. The reception hour was well-attended, the dinner hour was smooth, and the actual induction program – with seven inductees – ran less than two hours.

Congrats again to the Legends of Lake Placid Class of 2026 – Bill Hardy, Dan Pratt, George Denlein, Bob Olsen, Rachel Vallarelli, Tyrone Croom, and Tim Bethke.

As teams won their divisional championships, they proceeded over to our “staging area” where the PLL’s Casey Vock and Meg Carney and I said congrats, took some pictures, announced MVPs and presented them with Gait sticks (for the females) and Gait heads (for the males), and handed out championship T-shirts as well.

Casey took individual pics of the various MVPs, and I followed up with a brief profile of each winner. I asked for their hometown, high school and/or college, and years playing at Lake Placid. The final question was “What’s your favorite thing about the Lake Placid Summit Classic?”

These were their replies:

“Hanging out with new people.”

MVP: Ramon Mateo

Team: Cold Brook

Division: Boys ‘27-‘28 Silver

Hometown: Patchogue, NY

High School/Grade Entering: Patchogue-Medford HS/junior

What’s next? Prospect camps

Favorite Player: Pat Ahearn (Cold Brook teammate)

Years at Lake Placid: 2

“The scenery.”

MVP: Mason McCarthy

Team: 15 for Life

Division: Boys ’29-’30 Gold

Hometown: Manlius, NY

High School/Grade Entering: Fayetteville-Manlius HS/sophomore

What’s next? Big recruiting year - September 1 is coming up.

Favorite Player: Ty Miller (15 for Life teammate)

Years at Lake Placid: 2

“My teammates and the culture, all coming together.”

MVP: Mya Christian

Team: Aces

Division: Girls ’30-‘31

Hometown: Fairport, NY

High School/Grade Entering: Fairport/7^th grade

What’s next? Second year of varsity next year

Favorite Player: Chloe Humphrey (UNC)

Years at Lake Placid: 1

“The atmosphere – and being with my teammates.”

MVP: Abby Sims

Team: Golden Domers

Division: Girls Northstar

Hometown: Newtown Square, PA

High School/Grade Entering: Academy of Notre Dame de Namur/senior

What’s next? Field hockey and then gearing up for lacrosse

Favorite Player: Darcy Felter (UNC)

Years at Lake Placid: First year!

“Meeting new people!”

MVP: Jackson Godlewski

Team: 15 for Life

Division: Boys ’29-‘30

Hometown: Camillus, NY

High School/Grade Entering: West Genesee HS/9^th grade

What’s next? School – in a new building

Favorite Player: Finn Thompson (Syracuse University)

Years at Lake Placid: 4

“Cheering with my teammates when the championship game ended.”

MVP: Jemma Jaconbs

Team: Lake Effect

Division: Girls ’27-’29 Silver

Hometown: Akwesasne, NY

High School/Grade Entering: Northfield-Mt. Hermon/junior

What’s next? Junior year!

Favorite Player: Shea Dolce (Boston College)

Years at Lake Placid: 4

“The environment – I love being around my everyone!”

MVP: Isla Cleveland

Team: Lehigh 6-7s

Division: Girls Northstar Blue

Hometown: South Hamilton, MA

High School/Grade Entering: The Pingree School/freshman year at Lehigh

What’s next? Excited to play at Lehigh!

Favorite Player: Kate Levy (UNC)

Years at Lake Placid: First year!

“The area – and the people!”

MVP: Kaden Gallagher

Team: Sexy Potato

Division: Boys ’27-’28 Gold

Hometown: Jamesville, NY

High School/Grade Entering: Jamesville-Dewitt HS/senior year

What’s next? Volleyball in the fall, and St. John Fisher lacrosse next year

Favorite Player: Jordan Evans (Syracuse University)

Years at Lake Placid: Not sure... 8 or 9?

“Everyone is so close!”

MVP: Poppy Hamilton

Team: One State

Division: Girls ’27-’29 Gold

Hometown: Manhasset, NY

High School/Grade Entering: St. Paul’s (NH)/sophomore year

What’s next? I don’t know…

Favorite Player: Maddie Taylor (Northwestern)

Years at Lake Placid: First year!

“Getting together with the guys I used to play with – in high school, college… and having my wife and son here with me, too.”

MVP: Eric Schneider

Team: Crimson 30+

Division: Men’s 30+

Current home: Bay Shore, NY

Hometown: Massapequa, NY

High School: Massapequa HS

College: Johns Hopkins University

Years at Lake Placid: 7

“Seeing old friends – it’s just the best place to be!”

MVP: Brian Kuczma (on behalf of entire D unit)

Team: Black and Blue Jays

Division: Men’s 35+

Current home: Hopewell Junction, NY

Hometown: Yorktown, NY

High School: Yorktown HS

College: Johns Hopkins University

Years at Lake Placid: 9

“Family and friends!”

MVP: Sarah Queener

Team: LuvLax

Division: Women’s 35+

Current home: Claremont, CA

Hometown: Penn Yan, NY

High School: Penn Yan Academy

College: Yale University

Years at Lake Placid: 24 (playing)

“Brotherhood. The hospitality – from the town, the tournament admins, the locals…”

MVP: James Burleson-Porras

Team: RONI

Division: Men’s 40+

Current home: Dallas, TX

Hometown: Austin, TX

High School: Jesuit College Prep

College: Stanford University

Years at Lake Placid: First year!

“The team! My Teammates!”

MVP: Chris Bluse

Team: EcoRental Solutions

Division: Men’s 45+ Gold

Current home: Boulder, CO

Hometown: Barrington, IL

High School: Golden (CO) HS

College: Colorado University-Boulder

Years at Lake Placid: First year!

“The guys, the camaraderie… unbelievable!”

MVP: Rob Delbene

Team: Team Attack Cancer

Division: Men’s 45+ Silver

Current home: Albany, NY

Hometown: Yonkers, NY

High School: Gorton HS

College: none

Years at Lake Placid: 20

“The pilgrimage. The whole East Coast lacrosse community is here! The camaraderie!”

MVP: Brandon Doyle

Team: Northest Shore

Division: Men’s 50+ Gold

Current home: New Haven, CT

Hometown: Newton, MA

High School: Newton North HS

College: Middlebury College

Years at Lake Placid: 10+

“The camaraderie – seeing old friends.” (JB)

“Seeing all our old friends.” (RH)

Co-MVPs: Jake Burns and Rich Holsclaw

Team: Cloudsplitter

Division: Men’s 50+ Silver

Current home: Lake Placid, NY / Queensbury, NY

Hometown: Syracuse, NY / Huntington, NY

High School: Nottingham HS / Huntington HS

College: Hartwick College / Franklin & Marshall College

Years at Lake Placid: 30? / 12

“The Upstate vibe!”

MVP: Brian Silcott

Team: Sailin’ Shoe

Division: Men’s 55+

Current home: Silver Spring, MD

Hometown: Bedford Hills, NY

High School: Fox Lane HS

College: Nazareth University

Years at Lake Placid: 30?

“The Upstate vibe!”

MVP: Brian Silcott

Team: Team Harley

Division: Men’s 60+

Current home: Silver Spring, MD

Hometown: Bedford Hills, NY

High School: Fox Lane HS

College: Nazareth University

Years at Lake Placid: 30?

“Coming back here every year – fingers crossed! The Cloudsplitter guys have taken care of me for 15 years or so.”

MVP: Rodney Roman

Team: Cloudsplitter

Division: Men’s 70+

Hometown: Garden City, NY

High School: Garden City HS

College: University of Virginia

Years at Lake Placid: 31

“Hanging with the lacrosse community – people who love the game as much as I do.”

MVP: Cameron Mule

Team: Team 91

Division: Men’s Open Gold

Hometown: Dix Hills, NY

High School: Half Hollow Hills West HS

College: Duke University

Years at Lake Placid: 10 (6 with Team 91)

“Having a great time with my teammates.”

MVP: Julian Radossich

Team: Cold Brook

Division: Men’s Open Silver

Hometown: Ridgewood, NJ

High School: Delbarton School

College: Fairfield University

Years at Lake Placid: First year!

“The camaraderie! The guys!”

MVP: Drew Lucas

Team: 29DB12

Division: Men’s Open Bronze

Hometown: Peabody, MA

High School: Peabody Veterans Memorial HS

College: Bryant University

Years at Lake Placid: 4

“Hanging out with the team – on and off the field.”

MVP: Ethan Barnard

Team: Team Savage Vikings

Division: Men’s Open 25+

Hometown: Boothbay Harbor, ME

High School: Deerfield Academy

College: Bowdoin College/Rutgers University

Years at Lake Placid: 4

“My friends! Just getting together with all my teammates.”

MVP: Amy Hoeffner

Team: Team 315

Division: Women’s 25+

Hometown: Bay Shore, NY

High School: Bay Shore HS

College: SUNY Cortland

Years at Lake Placid: 5

“The community – bringing a lot of people who love lacrosse together.”

MVP: Genesis Lucero

Team: Flight 909

Division: Women’s Open Silver

Hometown: San Diego, CA

High School: La Costa Canyon HS

College: Stanford University

Years at Lake Placid: First year!

“The vibes – seeing so many people having fun!”

MVP: Erin Coykendall

Team: Camp Colleen

Division: Women’s Open Gold

Hometown: Spencerport, NY

High School: Spencerport HS

College: Northwestern University

Years at Lake Placid: 7

Note: I did not list the Men’s 65+ Division, its championship team, or their MVP - until now. The Eldest Statesmen won the division, and they named Jim Weller posthumously as their MVP.

The following was submitted by members of the Eldest Statesmen:

“The Statesmen played to honor Jim Weller, a great player and great guy who passed away a month before the tourney as he was exercising to be ready to play. His brother Paul came out of retirement to play so Jim would be represented on the field, and the team dedicated the championship to him. Every huddle in every game ended with “1-2-3 Jimmy” and he gave the team purpose and continued energy throughout. Choosing Jimmy as the team MVP (even if posthumously) means the world to the team. Jimmy scored a lot of the team’s goals over the past years, as he was such an accomplished player with a lefty-cannon as an attackman, and he was a great team player who was really pumped about the team playing in LP again this year.

Jim was one of the top offensive players in the history of UMass lacrosse, holding marks untouched by many of the greatest players the program has ever witnessed. Weller’s 162 career goals still ranks No. 1 all-time for the Minutemen - a mark that was not reached by the great names such as Mark Millon, Scott Hiller, Kevin Leveille, or Jeff Zywicki.

Weller’s 62 goals scored in 1981, along with his 98 points that year, remain single-season records. Additionally, his 94 career assists ranks tied with Will Manny ‘13 for sixth all-time.

He finished his career with 256 career points, which remains the third-highest total in program history. Among the NCAA rankings, Weller’s offensive performance ranks in the top-15 all-time in goals, goals per game, and points for a single-season, while he is among the top-25 players in each of those career categories as well.

Weller also played for the Canadian National Field Lacrosse Team in 1982, 1984, 1986 and 1990. He led the Canadian Team in goals and points at the World Championships in 1982, 1984, and 1986. In 1984 and 1986, he was selected to the All-World Team.”

MVP: Jim Weller

Team: Eldest Statesmen

Division: Men’s 65+

Current home: Beamsville, Ontario

Hometown: Fonthill, Ontario

High School: E. L. Crossley HS

College: University of Massachusetts

Years at Lake Placid: 10

Please forgive me if I got any information mixed up. Some of my 3x5 card notes got wet (imagine that!) and trying to read them a week later was probably not the best way to do things.

Congrats to all the divisional champs and their MVPs. It was a pleasure meeting you and presenting your shirts and Gait equipment (complete sticks for the girls’ and women’s divisions, and heads for the boys’ and men’s).

Hope to see everyone again next year!

2027 dates are August 2-8.

Please, drive carefully, and put down that cell phone! Donate blood. Get vaccinated. Volunteer. Stay safe, stay smart, and stay kind. Help someone in need – and be sure to take care of your crew!

- Dan Witmer

daniel.witmer@oswego.edu

Dan grew up in Lynbrook, NY before coming to Oswego State to earn his teaching and coaching certifications. He then taught English at Hannibal High School for 33 years before retiring in 2015.

In 2023, he returned to the Oswego State coaching staff as an assistant coach, where he currently serves as defensive coordinator and alumni and parent liaison.

Dan and Sue Witmer live in Oswego, while their older son Brian, his wife Jane, and son Benji live outside of Prague, Czech Republic, and younger son Eric lives in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado.

The hope is for many more road trips to come

Day Two at the LPSC – Highs and Lows!

Dan Witmer — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 02:26:01 GMT

Yes, Day Two was yesterday, but I was too tired to sit down and write last night, so I put it off till tonight. Please forgive me.

Today (Wednesday) was transition day – the ten youth divisions crowned their champions after three days of play and finished by 1 PM, and then the older men’s divisions came in for the afternoon, beginning their three days of competition. Today’s game schedule started at 8 AM and ended at 7 PM – and it rained almost all day.

Not torrential, and thankfully no thunder or lightning. Just… rain.

For the record, Monday was gorgeous and Tuesday was mostly cloudy; there was some rain during the day, but my observation was that, overall, it was perfect – no sun and no rain.

But today, everyone got wet. Games were played as scheduled, and I heard more laughing about the weather than complaints.

So, enough about today – let’s talk about the best part of yesterday, which was Day Two of the seven-day 2026 Lake Placid Summit Classic.

At the end of the last games yesterday, the event staff was treated to a dinner prepared by the Sugar Shack vendors, right there on the North Elba Athletic Fields. There were about 20 of us, and we enjoyed some great pulled pork, mac and cheese, wings, Cole slaw, brownies, and cold beverages.

There was a toast or two, but then my son Eric got up on a bench and declared that everyone had to share their personal Lows and Highs – Lows always first because we wanted to end on a High.

I won’t put names to responses – I didn’t ask anyone for permission to write this piece, but the replies should nonetheless paint a pretty entertaining picture even without knowing who said what.

Here are some Lows:

“I only sold one T-shirt and four hats.”

“My feet got wet.”

“We had a ‘canine indiscretion’ on my field.” A dog had apparently pooped on the game field, and it was discovered by an unfortunate referee.

“I had a dad coaching a game, arguing calls, constantly asking the refs for explanations, and then he told me afterwards that he had never coached a girls’ lacrosse game before.”

“I got soaked by ‘trash juice’” Do I need to explain?

“My roommate slept in this morning, which threw off my schedule.”

“When the scrap broke out, Ryan got to the field before I did, and he ran, while I had the golf cart.”

“I was on the phone all day, thanks to the ‘kerfuffle’.” His words, not mine.

“Rain.”

And here are some Highs:

“We had a great field staff down at the Horse Show Grounds.”

“The weather.” Obviously, a glass-is-half-full kind of person.

“My family comes to town tomorrow.”

“For the first time, I have a full staff hired for the new school year.”

“I got to sleep in this morning.”

“I picked the right port-o-potties all day today.”

“A friend of mine showed me the sunburn on his head – and it was in the shape of Australia.”

“People left their left-over snacks for me at Headquarters! I got donuts, chips… it was awesome!”

And my answers, you might be wondering?

They went something like this: “I’m not sure if this is a High or a Low, but something needs addressing” (to which Eric joked, “Like a salad?” Haha.). “When I got to the fields this morning – at 7:30 – I was surprised to see a baby stroller left in our Lost and Found. A baby stroller! I mean, who leaves a baby stroller? It wasn’t old or broken! And no, there was no baby sitting inside it. It was right there next to the water bottles, some shoes, a few sticks – the usual. But a baby stroller?”

Everyone laughed, and then our night security person observed, “Great, now I’m gonna be looking for a baby all night!”

Highs and Lows, Lows and Highs. Great times with old and new friends!

It was a fantastic day, a great second day, and Day Three was pretty good, too.

Tomorrow’s highlight will be the annual Legends of Lake Placid induction ceremony – 7 PM in the newly renovated Horse Show Grounds Pavilion. If you want dinner, reservations are required (see 2026 Lake Placid Summer Classic- Legends Ceremony July 30th - Campaign for details), but if you want to simply come for the festivities, just show up.

I’ll probably write another Lake Placid RTD piece between now and Sunday, so be sure to check back over the next few days.

As always, thanks for reading! Please, drive carefully, and put down that cell phone! Donate blood. Get vaccinated. Volunteer. Stay safe, stay smart, and stay kind. Help someone in need – and be sure to take care of your crew!

- Dan Witmer

daniel.witmer@oswego.edu

Dan grew up in Lynbrook, NY before coming to Oswego State to earn his teaching and coaching certifications. He then taught English at Hannibal High School for 33 years before retiring in 2015.

In 2023, he returned to the Oswego State coaching staff as an assistant coach, where he currently serves as defensive coordinator and alumni and parent liaison.

Dan and Sue Witmer live in Oswego, while their older son Brian, his wife Jane, and son Benji live outside of Prague, Czech Republic, and younger son Eric lives in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado.

The hope is for many more road trips to come.

Introducing the Legends of Lake Placid Class of 2026!

Dan Witmer — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 12:39:47 GMT

That time of year again – time to start talking LP.

As in Lake Placid.

AKA God’s Country.

I love writing about Lake Placid almost as much as I love spending time in the Adirondacks – and specifically, Lake Placid.

I started writing RTD articles in February of 2012, 750 pieces ago, and I wrote about the Lake Placid Summit Classic every summer since that first year.

In 2016 or 2017, I was invited to help with the Legends inductions, and since then, I’ve also been charged with contacting inductees and helping to write their official Legends of Lake Placid biographies.

Let me tell you; it’s a lot of fun to email each year’s class of inductees. Recipients are thrilled, humbled, and/or excited to be recognized. Sometimes I know them; other times their names are new to me, but either way, it’s always a fun and refreshing exchange.

But enough about me and my involvement – let’s meet this year’s Legends of Lake Placid:

Larry Piatelli Award

Presented annually since 2004, the Larry Piatelli Award is “presented in loving memory to a men’s official who has been a long-time positive presence wearing the stripes at Lake Placid.”

This year’s recipient is Bill Hardy, who has not only officiated many Summit Classic games but has also played in the tournament as well, suiting up for both the Sailin’ Shoe and Graph-Tex teams.

Bill was an All-American lacrosse player at Tully HS and went on to play for Syracuse University. He started refereeing in 2005 and in his 20-year officiating career, he worked state, college, and international games – both field and box. He started the highly successful Tully Cornfield Classic, a fall tradition in Upstate NY.

Bill and Sue Hardy’s four children all played college lacrosse – Tom and Dan at SU, Karla at LeMoyne, and Will at UAlbany.

Paul Rose Award

Starting in 2020, the Paul Rose Award has been “presented to a coach/organizer whose dedication and commitment to the tournament goes above and beyond.”

This year’s recipient is George Denlein

Hailing from Baltimore, George served in the US Marines before enrolling at the University of Maryland. He graduated from Towson and did his Masters work at Johns Hopkins. He later coached at the HS level and played for the Columbia Panners at the Vail Tournament in 1991.

George brought the Maryland Masters to Lake Placid 1992. They soon became the Maryland Grandmasters, and eventually changed their name to the Touch of Gray. He played at the Summit Classic for 17 consecutive years before career-ending hip surgery. He has continued to come to Lake placid to cheer for his friends new and old(er).

Dan Spillett Award

The Dan Spillett Award also goes back to 2004. It is “presented in loving memory to a Grand Masters participant who has shown courage and determination through his years of play at Lake Placid.”

This year the award goes to Bob Olsen

A Long Island guy who played at the Navy Prep and then Rutgers, Bob joined his friends Brendan and Lance Schneck and played for the Sailin’ Shoe. His Lake Placid playing career spans 35 years, and he has also worn the uniforms of the Patriot Lacrosse Club and Garber’s Gorillas.

Bob went on to coach and officiate in Connecticut, and both of his children played college lacrosse as well – and have continued their lacrosse journeys playing at Lake Placid..

Jim Muhlfelder Award

Also presented since 2004, the Jim Muhlfelder Award recognizes “a women’s division participant, someone who has been instrumental in launching women’s play at Lake Placid.”

This year’s award goes to Rachel Vallarelli.

Rachel was an All-American goalie at the UMass-Amherst and went on to play for the US Women’s National Team. She has played with both men’s and women’s box lacrosse teams, and has coached at the NCAA D-I, D-II, and D-III levels.

Her first appearance at Lake Placid was in 2012, when she played with one fo the first Laxified teams.

Travis Solomon Award

First presented in 2010, the Travis Solomon Award is “presented in memory of a player/participant who has demonstrated not only great skills, but also a traditional, respectful approach for the game.”

This year’s Travis Solomon Award is presented to Dan Pratt.

Dan was a Homer HS alum who played lacrosse at Syracuse University. After his NCAA career, he played professionally for the Syracuse Spirit (ALL) and the Detriot Turbos (MILL), and after that, joined the coaching staff of the Colorado Mammoth (NLL).

For the past 17 years, he has served as an assistant coach for the Colorado Academy varsity team, earning multiple “Assistant Coach of the Year” awards. He was just inducted into the Colrado Laccrosse Hall of Fame this past month.

At Lake Placid, Dan played for Sailin’ Shoe and Graph-Tex championship teams.

Grow the Game Award

The Grow the Game Award is “presented to someone who has had a significant impact on the growth in his/her region and has had a strong connection to the Summit Classic.”

This year’s GTG Award goes to two people – Tim Bethke and Tyrone Croom

Together, Tim and Tyrone have combined their love for the game with their ability to build youth programs, starting with the Cape Cod Crusaders and continuing with the Harpoon LC, CroART Nation and, more recently, Daughters’ Nation programs – all of which are annual Lake Placid participants.

Congrats to all of the 2026 Legends of Lake Placid inductees!

This year’s Legends induction ceremony will be on Thursday, July 30, at the new Lake Placid Horse Show Grounds pavilion. The reception starts at 5, dinner follows at 6, and then the induction ceremony starts at 7 PM. Dinner is optional but reservations are required – see 2026 Lake Placid Summer Classic- Legends Ceremony July 30th - Campaign for details.

As I’ve said for years, the seven days of the Lake Placid Summit Classic tournament at the North Elba Athletic Fields is my favorite week of the year. It was back when I started, and now that my sons live in Prague and Denver, it’s pretty much the only time the three of us are in the same place – so it’s even more special. We’ve all been on the staff for about 20 years, and it’s always been quality family time.

If you’re heading up there this week, please drive carefully!

Thanks for reading! Please consider subscribing at roadtripdad.com to receive weekly RTD pieces via email. It’s free – really! No fine print; no catches.

Please, put down that cell phone while driving! Donate blood. Get vaccinated. Volunteer. Stay safe, stay smart, and stay kind. Help someone in need – and be sure to take care of your crew!

- Dan Witmer

daniel.witmer@oswego.edu

Dan grew up in Lynbrook, NY before coming to Oswego State to earn his teaching and coaching certifications. He then taught English at Hannibal High School for 33 years before retiring in 2015.

In 2023, he returned to the Oswego State coaching staff as an assistant coach, where he currently serves as defensive coordinator and alumni and parent liaison.

Dan and Sue Witmer live in Oswego, while their older son Brian, his wife Jane, and son Benji live outside of Prague, Czech Republic, and younger son Eric lives in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado.

The hope is for many more road trips to come.

The John Pepper Wildcat Invitational

Dan Witmer — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:16:53 GMT

Upstate NY has many long-running annual lacrosse tournaments, and, over the years, I’ve written about the Sackets Harbor 1812 Shootout, the Ithaca Turkey Shoot, the Tully Cornfield Classic (several times), and the Lake Placid Summit Classic (many times, often two or three times per tournament).

This week, however, I want to revisit the John Pepper Wildcat Invitational, which I (kind of) wrote about back in 2017 – the first few paragraphs praised the tournament, its organizers, and its participants, but the rest of the piece was critical of programs and players who lack the dedication and commitment to play in summer tournaments as a scholastic team.

I didn’t really do the Invitational justice back then, so this past week I eagerly accepted an invitation to sit down with Dick Pepper and Kevin Grome, two of the original tournament organizers since the first event in 2002, to hear the story of the tournament’s origins, its large organizing committee and supporters, and its evolutions into one of Upstate’s finest scholastic lacrosse gatherings.

John Pepper and Ryan Schoonmaker were West Genesee HS students enjoying the summer of 2001, between their sophomore and junior years, when they were tragically killed in a motor vehicle accident. John was a lacrosse player; Ryan was on the golf team.

John’s father is Dick Pepper, longtime lacrosse coach and referee. Friends and neighbors came together immediately and wanted to do something in the boys’ memory. A golf tournament was organized to honor Ryan, and the first-ever John Pepper Memorial Lacrosse Tournament took place in the summer of 2002.

Kevin was a neighbor of the Peppers, and he and Dick have served on the organizing committee since that first year. Together they rattled off names of the many helpers they’ve worked with over the past 25 years – like Chuck Cassalia and Mike Solamon, Tom Geiss and Dan Duffy, Steve Luczka, Dan Mahle, and Don Barber. Coaches Mike Messere, Bob Deegan, Shaun Smith, and Steve Shoults. Theresa and Jeff Desko. Joe Mahoney and Jeff Mercer. Lauren Bellotti and Jim Cianfrocca. Eric Burns, Jim St. Croix, and John Petosa. Bill Hardy, Joe Catalano, and Jim Diamond…

“When people say they’d like to help, we ask them what they’d be willing to do,” Dick explained. Roles might include anything from fundraising and sponsorships, scheduling, food, apparel, donations, finances, and web maintenance (go to Home | John Pepper Lacrosse).

As Dick and Kevin described their memories of the earliest John Pepper Memorial tournaments, they proudly highlighted the support they received from the very start – Joe Taylor from Brine, Richie Moran from Cornell, guest appearances by Syracuse University legends Gary Gait and John Zulberti. Dale Drypolcher and Pat Burke served as PA announcers. Then there was the year when players from West Genesee, LeMoyne, SU, SUNY Cortland, and OCC brought their championship trophies and medals and talked with the tournament’s participants.

The first Pepper Memorial was a youth tournament – eight teams of 5^th/6^thgraders, eight 7^th/8^th grade teams, and eight 9^th/10^th grade teams. The varsity teams came a few years later, when the tournament went from a one-day event to two.

The earliest Pepper tournaments were at the Pottery Road fields in Camillus. Eventually, the event moved to the West Genesee HS fields. Currently, the tournament has moved over to the West Genesee Intermediate School due to construction and renovations at the high school.

There were years when former WG Wildcats would come back to town and play an alumni game on the Friday night before the tournament. In 2003, that year’s state championship team played against the 2002 state championship team. And former Wildcat lacrosse players have come back home with the out-of-state teams they coach – Randy Lundblad from Michigan, Steve Schattner from North Carolina, Bob Losurdo from Georgia, Matt Cassalia from Florida, and Craig Curry from Maine, for example.

Dick and Kevin were also sure to acknowledge and thank the help they’ve gotten from Rich Homeyer and the Town of Camillus, the West Genesee School District (especially the custodial staff), the Athletic Directors at WG, the WG athletic trainers Jessica Gerrard and Colleen Gilligan and, of course, the West Genesee Wildcat Booster Club.

Dick told me, “The tournament has been successful not only by those listed above but for the 25 years of parents, friends, students and families who volunteer to help every year from parking cars early in the morning to cleaning up the facility when the games are all over. In addition, for those players at all levels who when not playing, help with keeping score and time at the fields.”

I don’t keep a record of which or how many tournaments I’ve attended over the past 45 years, but obviously, I’ve been to a lot of them – either as a college coach, a lax dad, or even a referee. I can distinctly remember going to the John Pepper Wildcat Invitational as all three, at both the Pottery Road Fields and at West Genesee HS.

I’m pretty sure the last two times I went as an official – maybe 2017 and 2018. I started reffing in 2017, and I recall working at both Pottery Road and at WGHS. The 2017 trip inspired a Road Trip Dad piece, as I mentioned earlier, but that blog fell short of telling the whole story.

Here’s the beginning of that 2017 RTD:

14^th annual John Pepper Wildcat Invitational – and more

I was fortunate enough to be at the 14^th annual John Pepper Invitational Tournament at West Genesee High School yesterday.

I first went there to recruit back when I was coaching at Oswego State; then I went there when I was “profiling” college prospects for 3d Lacrosse. Yesterday I went there to referee.

Every time I’ve been there, in any given year, the tournament sets the bar as one of the classiest ever. Booklets for college coaches, not to mention a free lunch. Reserved, preferred parking for referees. Cold drinks shuttled around from field to field for college coaches, referees, and table workers. No championship – every team plays its scripted four games and that’s it. If the score is tied when the common horn sounds, then the game ends in a tie.

And the teams that participate? Top notch – every one of them. Here are the teams that participated this year:

West Genesee seniors, West Genesee juniors, Fayetteville-Manlius, Baldwinsville, Westhill, Canandaigua, Watertown, Carthage, Irondequoit, Penfield, Webster Thomas, Liverpool, LaFayette, Jamesville-Dewitt, Pittsford, and Penn Yan.

Quick – name a participating school that WASN’T state-ranked this past spring. You want to count state championships? You’re going to have to take your socks off so you can use your toes.

According to the sign-in board, coaches from at least 47 colleges were in attendance.

And the sun was shining!

This year, in honor of the late Tom Geiss, a longtime West Genesee supporter, a sportsmanship award was given to the team that made the best impression on the 16 referees working the tournament. Congratulations to the coaching staff, the team, and even the parents, of the Westhill team, as they received the first-ever award. Receiving that kind of recognition, among a group of esteemed opponents such as this, is a real honor – maybe better than any fictitious “championship.” Like I said, this tournament epitomizes class, from start to finish…

That was 2017, but I don’t think much has changed in the past nine years. The Invitational isn’t run by an individual or a company – it’s run by a committee of volunteers. Proceeds don’t pay salaries – money raised has gone to Booster Club scholarships and the Golisano Children’s Hospital. The schedule has grown, but it has leveled off at age groups of either eight or sixteen teams. Instead of expanding, the committee stands by its waitlist.

The 2026 John Pepper Invitational Tournament is set for this weekend, July 25-26 –Varsity, grades 1-2, and grades 3-4 on Saturday at West Genesee Intermediate School, and then grades 5-6, 7-8, and 9-10 on Sunday, also at the WG Intermediate School.

Among this year’s anticipated highlights, all-time members of the organizing committee are gathering at 11 AM for a group photo, and NY State Senator Chris Ryan and Congressman John Manion also plan to attend – Manion had been John Pepper’s 10^th grade biology teacher at West Genesee back in 2001.

This year is the 25^th anniversary of the John Pepper Wildcat Invitational and, on the way out to the parking lot, Dick mentioned that his grandson John Leone has played in the tournament. “John’s twin sister Sarah’s kid,” he said proudly.

Wow. Talk about legacy...

Thanks for reading. Please consider subscribing at roadtripdad.com to receive weekly RTD pieces via email. It’s free – really! No fine print; no catches.

Please, drive carefully, and put down that cell phone! Donate blood. Get vaccinated. Volunteer. Stay safe, stay smart, and stay kind. Help someone in need – and be sure to take care of your crew!

- Dan Witmer

daniel.witmer@oswego.edu

Dan grew up in Lynbrook, NY before coming to Oswego State to earn his teaching and coaching certifications. He then taught English at Hannibal High School for 33 years before retiring in 2015.

Later in 2023, he created Witmer Solutions LLC, a lacrosse event staffing and internship offering service that he hopes will get his foot – and others’ – in the door at lacrosse events worldwide. He was the game ops staff director for the World Lacrosse Men’s and Women’s Box Championships in Utica in September of 2024, and he served as the field manager at the World Lacrosse Men’s U20 championships in Jeju, South Korea in 2025. Witmer Solutions has since staffed the Heritage Cup, the LAXNAI box tournament, the 2025 Euro Men’s Championships in Poland, and the PALA Sixes tournament in Puerto Rico. This summer, WS staffers will be present in both the Czech Republic for the Euro Men’s and Women’s Box Championships, and Poland for the World Lacrosse Women’s D-II championships.

In 2023, he returned to the Oswego State coaching staff as an assistant coach, where he currently serves as defensive coordinator and alumni and parent liaison.

Dan and Sue Witmer live in Oswego, while their older son Brian, his wife Jane, and son Benji live outside of Prague, Czech Republic, and younger son Eric lives in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado.

The hope is for many more road trips to come.

An open apology to referees…

Dan Witmer — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 19:26:54 GMT

Or, to put a spin on the Willy Nelson/Julio Iglesias classic, “To all the refs I’ve yelled at before…”

Not all refs – just the ones who worked Oswego State games between 1983 and 2010…

Looking back on my 28 years of head coaching, I’m embarrassed by my past behavior. I was a loud-mouthed jerk. I ranted. I raved. I questioned everything.

And I was – back in the beginning of that span – just 23 years old.

I know the one-minute, non-releasable unsportsmanlike penalty was in the books back then, because I got a few – but only four or five over 28 years, so that part wasn’t so bad.

But was the conduct foul – the 30-second technical or loss of possession – was that in the books? Because, if it was, I don’t remember ever getting any of those.

And I definitely should have.

I’m not sure why I was so loud, so critical, so argumentative – but I was.

I can remember – more than once – shouting matches between officials and me and being told, “That’s it, Coach – not another word!” and then, like a real smart aleck, I’d turn to an assistant coach and start an “I Love Lucy”-type three-way conversation where Lucy won’t talk to Ricky, so she tells Ethel what to say to Ricky. “Tell the ref that I think his call cost us a goal.” Really. Somehow, I/we got away with that…

I recall calling timeouts just to take issue with a ref’s call. The team would meet on the sideline while I went at it with the officials. I can’t believe I’m admitting this now – this was way back in the ‘80s, and it got to the point where I was pulling that stunt far too frequently, until an older, more experienced assistant coach finally called me out on it and told me what I was doing was wrong. He was absolutely right.

Maybe part of the reason I was so critical of our officials was because I refereed in the Fulton summer box program for most of the ‘80s. I wasn’t certified, of course; I was just a young college coach trying to make some money over the summer while I took grad courses at Oswego State. I worked alongside of Terry MacNabb, Ken Peterson, and Jeff Akin – all real, certified officials (Terry worked numerous NCAA championships!) – and maybe that somehow made me feel entitled to critique (question? challenge? argue?) the poor guys who showed up to ref our Laker games each spring.

I tried to brainstorm the names of those ‘80s and ‘90s officials I disrespected – Bob Durland, Walt Munze, Clark Mercer, Neil Sprong, Nate Foote, Joe Catalano, Steve Miller, Joe Escudero, Steve Chambers, John Zagata, Curt Lingenfelter, Mike McAnanaey, Terry MacNabb, Jim Luchsinger, Paul Stockwell, Scott Fiorentino, Greg Norris, Tom Abbott, Bruce Teague, Pat Dahlin, Ed Powers, Doug Meiss, Mel Tomalty... I’m sure there were others who received some of my wrath; sorry if I missed your name, and I’m even more sorry for my transgressions.

As I mentioned earlier, I remember being fairly proud of the fact that I only accumulated four or five unsportsmanlike penalties over all those years (really, is five a lot for a 28-year span?). I honestly don’t recall the first three, but #4 was up at St. Lawrence and I guess I crossed the line when I told the official that his call was “Horrendous.” I didn’t curse; I didn’t question his masculinity or parentage – I just said his call was “Horrendous.”

Flag down. One minute. Non-releasable.

The fifth (and final?) unsportsmanlike penalty I ever got happened while I was coaching my son’s summer league BULL/ULA game. Sad, but true. Not sure of the exact circumstances, but I still remember the ref. And I remember me being so (quietly) indignant – didn’t he know who I was? That I was a college head coach? I mean, how dare he!

I felt pretty stupid afterwards. Genuinely embarrassed.

And I’m pretty sure that that was last time I ever got an unsportsmanlike.

Though there were no flags thrown, another of my head-scratching memories of a heated exchange between a ref and me was when we were playing Plattsburgh in a close SUNYAC contest. We were under two minutes and had to keep the ball in the box. Specific details are a little foggy today, but the ball left the box and for some reason I thought we deserved possession. The official said otherwise. After some two-sided banter and frustration, he turned to me and said, “Funny, Coach, I made the same call the other day at Hobart and B.J. O’Hara had no problem at all with it.”

Still the gotta-get-the-last-word-in idiot, I replied, “Well, that’s why he’s coaching D-I and I’m still at D-III!”

Hah-hah. Funny me. He shoulda thrown a flag.

Maybe most noteworthy about this tale is the fact that, a few days later, I saw that same official again and he apologized for his comment – he said it was unprofessional of him. My respect for him multiplied tenfold.

I like to think that my behavior really started to improve once I got certified to ref (which should be a requirement for every coach at every level). In 2017, I took the leap and became certified to officiate scholastic lacrosse as a member of the Central New York Lacrosse Officials Association (CNYLOA). I took the four or five weekly classes, passed my rules test, bought all my gear, and I was on my way. I was also the assistant coach of the Oswego HS varsity program at the time, and I enjoyed wearing both hats, but I remember leaving one of our first CNYLOA group meetings of the year when someone asked me, “Hey, how’s it feel to be on the other side now?”

Before I could reply, Clark Mercer answered for me. “Whattya mean? He’s been making calls for the last 30 years! This is nothing new!”

I guess I had a bit of a reputation by then. Oops. Sorry, guys.

In a full-circle moment, in 2023 I became the assistant coach at Oswego State and returned to the scene of the crime, if you will. I was still reffing with the CNYLOA – mostly modified and JV games – but I also knew that college assistants were to be seen and not heard, so I adopted and adapted… and pretty well, if I may say so myself.

So I got a good chuckle that first year back on the Laker sidelines when we at Cortland for a SUNYAC playoff game and Steve Miller, now the NCAA D-III assignor, came up to me on the sidelines and said, “Boy, you’ve really changed!”

I said, “What do you mean, Steve?”

“You’re so quiet,” he replied.

Yup.

It might have taken 30+ years or so, but I’d like to think that I have changed. Maybe it’s the certification, or knowing that most college officials could be potential partners later in the week or month. Maybe it’s just maturity, or knowing the lack of tolerance college officials have for mouthy assistant coaches. Or working with them at Lake Placid or international tournaments…

In reality, it’s probably all the above.

So, again, sorry if I might have yelled a little too much, questioned your judgment, or made a fool of myself. I was young and stupid.

Now I’m a lot older.

Thanks for reading! Please consider subscribing at roadtripdad.com to receive weekly RTD pieces via email. It’s free – really! No fine print; no catches.

Please, drive carefully, and put down that cell phone! Donate blood. Get vaccinated. Volunteer. Stay safe, stay smart, and stay kind. Help someone in need – and be sure to take care of your crew!

- Dan Witmer

daniel.witmer@oswego.edu

Dan grew up in Lynbrook, NY before coming to Oswego State to earn his teaching and coaching certifications. He then taught English at Hannibal High School for 33 years before retiring in 2015.

Later in 2023, he created Witmer Solutions LLC, a lacrosse event staffing and internship offering service that he hopes will get his foot – and others’ – in the door at lacrosse events worldwide. He was the game ops staff director for the World Lacrosse Men’s and Women’s Box Championships in Utica in September of 2024, and he served as the field manager at the World Lacrosse Men’s U20 championships in Jeju, South Korea in 2025. Witmer Solutions has since staffed the Heritage Cup, the LAXNAI box tournament, the 2025 Euro Men’s Championships in Poland, and the PALA Sixes tournament in Puerto Rico. This summer, WS staffers will be present in both the Czech Republic for the Euro Men’s and Women’s Box Championships, and Poland for the World Lacrosse Women’s D-II championships.

In 2023, he returned to the Oswego State coaching staff as an assistant coach, where he currently serves as defensive coordinator and alumni and parent liaison.

Dan and Sue Witmer live in Oswego, while their older son Brian, his wife Jane, and son Benji live outside of Prague, Czech Republic, and younger son Eric lives in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado.

The hope is for many more road trips to come.

European Box Lacrosse Championships wrap-up

Dan Witmer — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 13:10:52 GMT

I got back to Oswego on Monday night, two weeks after trying to explain to the nice ticketing agent in Syracuse that, yes, there is lacrosse in the Czech Republic. Now, with the 2026 Euro Box Lacrosse Championships in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to try to wrap my head around these past two weeks…

Following my metaphor that the LCC Arena in Radotin is box lacrosse’s own “Field of Dreams,” this exchange kept going through my head:

Old box lacrosse player: “Is this heaven?”

“No, this is Radotin.”

Here’s the meat:

Results

On the men’s side, only Finland and Switzerland went undefeated in pool play, a testament to the tournament’s parity.

Poland got hot and advanced to the quarterfinals; the seven other teams in the quarters were all from the Blue and Red groups. Germany, England, Finland, and Ireland won their games and played in the semi-finals on Thursday; then Finland and Ireland won – each in overtime – to face one another in the championship game on Saturday. Ireland came out on top by a 9-6 score to win their first gold medal.

Final standings:

Gold: Ireland

Silver: Finland

Bronze: Germany

4^th place: England

5^thplace: Czech Republic

6^th place: Poland

7^th place: Israel

8^th place: Italy

9^th place: Belgium

10^th place: Norway

11^th place: Netherlands

12^th place: Switzerland

13^th place: Scotland

14^th place: Austria

15^th place: Slovakia

16^th place: Wales

17^th place: Portugal

18^th place: France

One the women’s side, Israel went 6-0 through round robin play, followed by Germany, England, and Ireland, each with 4-2 records. Netherlands was 2-4, Czechia went 1-5, and Finland finished 0-6.

Israel and Ireland was one semi-final match-up; Germany and England was the other. Israel and Germany won their respective semis, and then Israel continued its undefeated visit to Czechia with a dominating 10-1 win on Saturday.

Final standings:

Gold: Israel

Silver: Germany

Bronze: England

4^th place: Ireland

5^thplace: Netherlands

6^th place: Czechia

7^th place: Finland

For more details, you can go to EBLC 2026 Prague | European Box Lacrosse Championships, and for complete stats, go to Pointbench – Lacrosse results and statistics system.

And here’s the gravy:

Memories and highlights

Watching 25 men’s and women’s teams representing 18 countries – some for the very first time in international competition – was fantastic. The pride and enthusiasm, the discipline and commitment – it was all so evident and impressive.

For example, when the Czech women’s team played Finland on the first night, in front of a home crowd in Radotin, just before the Opening Ceremonies, both teams had a beautiful “walkout” for their national anthems – every player on both teams holding hands with young Czech girls dressed in blue shirts and red shorts.

And later that night, when the Czech men’s team opened up against Israel, there were fireworks, smoke, flames, and other pyrotechnics throughout the game. Very, very cool!

IYKYK… when the national anthems get played, especially for England, Scotland, and Wales, the players not only sing; they belt their loudest and most proud renditions – and Wales went so far as to request that organizers play only about four seconds of their anthem – they would sing the rest on their own! So much fun!

And I don’t know if it’s a European thing, a FIFA thing, or what, but after the games, after handshake lines, each team thanks the officials and then their spectators – with genuine gusto and enthusiasm, regardless of the game’s outcome.

The Swiss team entered with a cowbell. The Netherlands fans sported inflatable orange slices. National flags were draped, hung, and waved everywhere.

There were 87 games over 10 days…

I was amazed to see Finland’s goalie, Lauri Uusitalo, still playing. I’m no expert on international box lacrosse, but I know I saw him play for Finland back in 2015, 11 years ago, when the World Lacrosse (formerly FIL) Box Championships were at the Onondaga Nation. This time around he led his team to the gold medal game, ultimately settling for silver.

Most interesting strategy: When Switzerland faced the Check Republic in a play-in game on Tuesday night, they played the whole game with two defensemen standing next to the goalie, heels on the goal line, and then played 3v5 against the Czech offense. Did the strategy work? Hard to say. The Swiss held Czechia to 11 goals, but they only scored twice, and those defenders went home nursing lots of bruises and welts. Lots of respect to those Swiss players for buying in 100%; it was almost painful to watch.

There were some amazing comebacks, teams rallying from as many as eight goal deficits to either win or at least force overtime.

Prague was hit by the huge heat wave that swept through the rest of Europe the last week of June. Temps hit 113 in Spain and 106 in Germany… 97 in Denmark and 100 in Switzerland. Prague set an all-time record high on June 28 with a temperature of 103. Two hydration breaks were implemented for every quarter, even after the heat wave broke late last week (in fact, I found it ironic that, on Wednesday, when it rained – really for just one game – officials still had their mandatory hydration breaks, as the players were soaked by the short deluge).

There was a rooftop fire at one of the event’s hotels. Fortunately, it was one that no teams were staying at. Instead, it was the primary housing for the announcers and stat staff, so they had to pack up and move to another hotel. Just another speedbump…

I stayed in a different hotel, one that seven different men’s teams were staying in, which allowed me to catch the 18-minute ride from our place down to Radotin every morning. Many thanks to the teams from Portugal, Norway, Italy, and Switzerland for giving me a seat on your bus!

Thanks also to the team managers from Switzerland and Norway for sharing their Bolt rides with me back to the hotel on a couple occasions. You chatted in the back and I didn’t understand a word you were saying, but your generosity was quite clear. Thanks!

I enjoyed a great visit on Saturday from Upstate’s own lacrosse legend, John Sardella, who was visiting Mike Sanders, a Florida friend and fellow lacrosse dad, who summers in Europe. You all know John (or should) – a J-D grad who played lacrosse at Cortland, coached at LeMoyne when the program started in the mid-‘80s and later Liverpool, one of the founders of the BULL (now ULA), author of several children’s books and a memoir, and former principal at Donlin Drive Elementary School in Liverpool. I was delighted to show John and Mike around the LCC Arena, and, later, Brian gave them a guided tour of his Good Stick Company office and storeroom (aka “the dungeon”).

It was great catching up with John and sharing the “yes, there is lacrosse in other places around the world” message with him!

And it was amazing to see a Good Stick Company presence everywhere – YouTube telecast ads, commercial breaks on the “Jumbotron” big screen every quarter, ubiquitous stickers, clothing, jerseys, and of course, sticks!

Brian’s Good Stick Company business partner, Petr Ghe, went out of his way to make my stay enjoyable. I took a dip in his pool (two different days!), drank from the new beverage cooler and enjoyed the breeze from fans he bought for the office, let him order me a Bolt ride back to my hotel when I struggled to do it on my own, and he even made me a great iced tea – complete with ice cubes and spearmint leaves. Thank you, Petr!

We had ten Witmer Solutions interns in Prague, hailing from East Tennessee State University (3), Miami of Ohio (2), Ohio Northern (2), Utah, Shenandoah, and Brockport. Watching the WS interns as they collected souvenir pins from all 18 countries and listening to the many tales of their varied experiences. They stepped in as team managers, athletic trainers, and liaisons. They also helped with stats, clocks, announcing, ice baths, locker rooms, bus schedules, and more. They learned how to dye lacrosse heads and made customized “Spirit of Lacrosse” awards in national team colors for all 25 teams, as they visited the Good Stick Company’s “office” and “dungeon.” National team pin collecting and mastering the Prague public transportation system were also major accomplishments.

Most interns’ days started around 6-7 AM and lasted until the final games wrapped up around 10 PM. One night Brian and Carson treated the interns to late-night go-karting (twice!); another night they had private access to an otherwise-closed swimming spot. And somehow they also found time to visit the Prague Zoo, saw the famous Astronomical Clock, walked the Charles Bridge, and took pictures at the Lennon Wall.

I hope we met and exceeded their expectations!

Next week we’ll have four more interns at the World Lacrosse Women’s D-II Championships in Wroclaw, Poland. They come from ETSU, High Point, Florida State, and Georgia. If they do half as well and have even half the fun this event’s group had, it will be a great success!

Speaking of which, I was surprised by players and fans asking if we had any Witmer Solutions shirts or hats for sale. Unfortunately, we didn’t plan for that. Maybe in the future…

I was amazed and impressed by the many languages, clothing styles, and fanwear. It’s not the Olympics, or even the FIFA World Cup, but it’s closer than anything else I’ve experienced recently. As I wrote back in 2019 when I first visited Prague and Radotin, the great Mark Twain said it best: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”

Ironically, my visit to the Czech Republic overlapped with this country’s celebration of its 250^th year of independence – and the World Cup.

What a refreshing reminder of what sport can do!

Thanks for reading! Please consider subscribing at roadtripdad.com to receive weekly RTD pieces via email. It’s free – really! No fine print; no catches.

Please, drive carefully, and put down that cell phone! Donate blood. Get vaccinated. Volunteer. Stay safe, stay smart, and stay kind. Help someone in need – and be sure to take care of your crew!

- Dan Witmer

daniel.witmer@oswego.edu

Dan grew up in Lynbrook, NY before coming to Oswego State to earn his teaching and coaching certifications. He then taught English at Hannibal High School for 33 years before retiring in 2015.

Later in 2023, he created Witmer Solutions LLC, a lacrosse event staffing and internship offering service that he hopes will get his foot – and others’ – in the door at lacrosse events worldwide. He was the game ops staff director for the World Lacrosse Men’s and Women’s Box Championships in Utica in September of 2024, and he served as the field manager at the World Lacrosse Men’s U20 championships in Jeju, South Korea in 2025. Witmer Solutions has since staffed the Heritage Cup, the LAXNAI box tournament, the 2025 Euro Men’s Championships in Poland, and the PALA Sixes tournament in Puerto Rico. This summer, WS staffers will be present in both the Czech Republic for the Euro Men’s and Women’s Box Championships, and Poland for the World Lacrosse Women’s D-II championships.

In 2023, he returned to the Oswego State coaching staff as an assistant coach, where he currently serves as defensive coordinator and alumni and parent liaison.

Dan and Sue Witmer live in Oswego, while their older son Brian, his wife Jane, and son Benji live outside of Prague, Czech Republic, and younger son Eric lives in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado.

The hope is for many more road trips to come.

2026 Euro Box Championships

Dan Witmer — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 08:29:34 GMT

The ticketing agent at the Syracuse airport asked about my flight to Prague, so I told him I was going over to help with the European men’s and women’s box lacrosse championships.

He said, “Is there much lacrosse in the Czech Republic?”

Buddy, is there!

That’s not what I actually said, but it is what I was thinking.

Did you know, for instance…

Of the 97 countries that are members of World Lacrosse, 34 are from Europe. That’s right; there are 34 countries that belong to the European Lacrosse Federation (ELF).

Can you even name 30 European countries?

The European Lacrosse Federation was established in 1995, with six charter members – England, Scotland, Wales, Sweden, Germany, and the Czech Republic. So, in 31 years, membership has grown from six countries to 34.

And I found this little blurb on an ELF website (European Lacrosse Championship History): “The rich history of lacrosse in Europe dates back to 1867 when a team of Native Americans from the Iroquois tribe were brought over to demonstrate the sport to the people of England. Shortly after the Iroquois introduced the sport to Europe it began to spread. Lacrosse moved from England to the rest of the UK, and then to other parts of the continent. Surprisingly, one of the first European nations to take to lacrosse were the people of what was then Czechoslovakia. At the time it was introduced, Czechoslovakia was still a Communist country. Germany was the next country to follow the lacrosse trend.”

While the ELF has sponsored men’s and women’s (and U19) field championships since 1995, men’s box championships didn’t start until 2017, when 14 countries competed in Turku, Finland, and Israel nudged the Czech Republic by a single goal for the first-ever gold medal. Fourteen teams met again in 2022 in Hannover, Germany for the next EBC, won by England in the championship game over host Germany; the Czech Republic finished third.

The 2011 World Lacrosse (then the Federation of International Lacrosse, or FIL) Box Championship was played in the Czech Republic, the only European country to ever host a World Lacrosse Box Championship (Canada has hosted four times; the US twice).

So, yes, Virginia; there is a lot of lacrosse in the Czech Republic – especially this week.

This year’s Euro Lacrosse Box Championships features 18 men’s teams and, for the first time ever, seven countries are competing for the ELF Women’s Box Championship.

On the men’s side, the teams are grouped as follows:

BLUE

Czech Republic, Germany, Israel, Italy

RED

England, Finland, Ireland, Netherlands

GREEN

France, Portugal, Scotland, Switzerland, Slovakia

YELLOW

Austria, Belgium, Norway, Poland, Wales

Teams play three or four pool games before being re-seeded, with every group having a path towards the medal games.

Even more interesting, the ELF has been given 11 slots to the next World Lacrosse Box Championships, tentatively set for 2028. The ELF has said they will use this Euro Championship to determine those 11 countries, so even the 11/12 place game, set for Saturday, July 4, has some serious implications.

On the women’s side, we have the Czech Republic, England, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Israel, and the Netherlands. They’ll play a six-game round robin to determine which four teams advance to the semi-finals.

My older son Brian is one of the tournament directors, and he’s got the familiar duo of Oswego HS grads Carson Colucci and Jack Rice as his site directors. Witmer Solutions has ten interns here, doing everything from announcing games, doing stats (or spotting), shadowing athletic trainers, hosting individual teams from game day arrival until departure, creating social media content, and more. They come from colleges and universities far and wide – Shenandoah, U Utah, Ohio Northern, Miami of Ohio, East Tennessee State, and Brockport.

And my job?

Officially, I am listed as a site manager at the LCC Arena, along with Jack Rice. He’s there from sun-up till long past sundown, so I’m pretty much free to come and go as I like. Jack knows the Czech volunteers, knows where to find everything and everyone, and has the schedule and routine down to a science.

If you ask Brian, though, my primary job is baby-sitter. My daughter-in-law Jane and grandson Benji aren’t seeing much of Brian these days, so he encourages me to go spend time with them. Benji will be two years old in September, and (CAUTION: Bragging grandfather digression…) he amazes me with his vocabulary – Czech and English – his recall and memory, his ability to count and identify colors, his obvious love of lacrosse (say the word “Goalie” and he crouches down in a box goalie stance!), and… well, you get the picture.

Games started Thursday and pool play ends today, I believe. Unlike the FIFA World Cup, there is no “knockout stage;” once the teams are re-seeded, winners advance to the championship while losers move into a consolation bracket. While most of the medal games (and that all-important 11^th place men’s game) will be played on Saturday, everyone will play through a final placement game – 17^th/18^th place for the men, sixth and seventh place for the women, etc.

And the LCC Arena? I’ve come to call it the box lacrosse “Field of Dreams.” This is my fifth trip to Prague since 2019, and I’ve taken in box lacrosse games here on every trip. Brian made his first trip in 2015, I think, and he fell in love with the arena, Radotin, and the Czech Republic a few years before he ever met Jane.

I think I’ve shared these photos before…

THEN:

NOW:

The LCC arena seems to get updates and renovations every year. Landlocked in the middle of Radotin, a suburb of Prague, improvements come by building from within, or up. This year’s additions include two shipping containers that now create permanent space for EMT’s, food and drink vendors, event merch options, and The Good Stick Company (of course!). A sporting goods retailer will be moving in soon.

On the roof of one of the containers is a new MVP deck, with a great aerial view, liquid refreshment, and a much-appreciated breeze.

Yes, the weather…

I think most of Europe has been struggling against a heat wave of record proportions. Saturday’s temps in Prague hit 99; yesterday it hit 101. Yes, that’s Fahrenheit (locals talk about 38, 39, and 40 Celsius like they’re numbers they’ve never seen before).

So, yeah, it’s been hot. My hotel doesn’t seem to have any air conditioning; the most A/C I’ve found is in Bolt ride shares and in Benji’s playroom.

Ice is in short supply. The event’s delivery truck broke down on Saturday so Brian and I drove an hour to Pilsen to load his car with 180 kilos (approx. 380+ lbs) of ice.

All games have two hydration breaks per quarter to keep everyone as fresh and cool as possible. There are towels sitting in coolers of ice water at each bench, and there is ice cold tap water at each bench as well.

Despite the heat, some teams still want to use every bit of their 60-minute warm-up time, while others have minimized their pre-game floor time. From start to finish, the games run about two hours, and no one plays more than once a day so, unless you’re the starting goalie, I think it’s bearable – to my knowledge, we haven’t had any emergency medical issues…

And the heat is supposed to break sometime in the next day or two, so the most important games will be played in improving conditions.

If you’re interested, all games are available here: European Lacrosse Federation - YouTube – for free!

Thanks for reading! I’ll give you another update next week, probably after I get home on Monday night. I’ve got pages of notes with interesting highlights, memorable images, and more to share with you.

Until then, Happy 4^th of July!

Please consider subscribing at roadtripdad.com to receive weekly RTD pieces via email. It’s free – really! No fine print; no catches.

Please, drive carefully, and put down that cell phone! Donate blood. Get vaccinated. Volunteer. Stay safe, stay smart, and stay kind. Help someone in need – and be sure to take care of your crew!

- Dan Witmer

daniel.witmer@oswego.edu

Dan grew up in Lynbrook, NY before coming to Oswego State to earn his teaching and coaching certifications. He then taught English at Hannibal High School for 33 years before retiring in 2015.

Later in 2023, he created Witmer Solutions LLC, a lacrosse event staffing and internship offering service that he hopes will get his foot – and others’ – in the door at lacrosse events worldwide. He was the game ops staff director for the World Lacrosse Men’s and Women’s Box Championships in Utica in September of 2024, and he served as the field manager at the World Lacrosse Men’s U20 championships in Jeju, South Korea in 2025. Witmer Solutions has since staffed the Heritage Cup, the LAXNAI box tournament, the 2025 Euro Men’s Championships in Poland, and the PALA Sixes tournament in Puerto Rico. This summer, WS staffers will be present in both the Czech Republic for the Euro Men’s and Women’s Box Championships, and Poland for the World Lacrosse Women’s D-II championships.

In 2023, he returned to the Oswego State coaching staff as an assistant coach, where he currently serves as defensive coordinator and alumni and parent liaison.

Dan and Sue Witmer live in Oswego, while their older son Brian, his wife Jane, and son Benji live outside of Prague, Czech Republic, and younger son Eric lives in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado.

The hope is for many more road trips to come.

Happy Father’s Day, Larry Powell!

Dan Witmer — Sun, 21 Jun 2026 01:32:33 GMT

Yes, that Larry Powell. Casey, Ryan, and Mike’s dad – and don’t forget Gretchen and Mason, too. You know – Sue’s husband of 53 years.

As a fellow lax dad, Larry has always fascinated me. What was the Powell household like? How did he help raise such amazing lacrosse talents? What kind of family secrets does he hold?

I first met Larry and Sue Powell at one of Mike’s musical performances. My good, long-time friends Bill and Lisa Carney were following Mike’s second career long before I caught on, and they had gotten to know Mr. and Mrs. pretty well. So when Mike came to play at the small Oswego Music Hall, I decided to give the youngest #22 a try.

I’ve written about Mike’s musical talents before, because I was immediately blown away by his voice, his stories, and his music. His original stuff was beautiful, but he also performed covers of John Prine, Leonard Cohen, and even Springsteen. And that night, Billy and Lisa introduced me to Larry and Sue for the first time.

What humble, friendly, and happy people! As I became a more frequent attendee at Mike’s shows (every Oswego appearance, but also gigs in Syracuse, Baldwinsville, Cazenovia, and even Lake Placid), Larry and Sue became very familiar faces at almost every show. While Mike seldom spoke about lacrosse while on stage, Larry and Sue would gladly talk about lacrosse, Lake Placid, and friends we had in common.

I also crossed paths with Larry at one of the earlier Saratoga Lacrosse Shootouts, when he, Carthage varsity coach Kirk Ventiquattro, and assistant coach Tom Piroli were working the headquarters tent with my son Eric and other Summit Lacrosse Ventures staff. Again, he struck me as someone who is easy to talk to, funny, and very “down to earth.”

Then, just a few months ago, Sue contacted me to try to connect her son Mason and my son Brian as they planned to play in the Ales Hrebesky Memorial Box Lacrosse Tournament in Radotin, Czech Republic this past April. Mason and the Wasatch Whalers, his box team from Utah, were making the trip to Prague for their first time, and Sue knew Brian was living (playing, coaching, and operating his Good Stick Co business) there, so together we exchanged our sons’ contact info.

A week after the tournament, I saw this post on Facebook. Looks like they not only connected, but exchanged jerseys as well!

So I got to thinking, why not profile one of Upstate’s most amazing dads for this year’s Father’s Day RTD edition?

I reached out to Larry’s agent (Sue) and he accepted my invitation to sit down and talk; we met at the Wegman’s in Fayetteville for a two-hour chat the Wednesday before Memorial Day Weekend.

On that day, at least, Larry proved to be a man of few words. He answered questions with short replies, and as I’ve listened to our recorded talk now weeks later, I kicked myself for seeming to talk more than he did.

Nonetheless, here are the highlights of our conversation…

“Where and when were you born?” (great opener, right?)

“I was born in Deferiet, New York in 1949. I worked for the St. Regis Paper Company for 40 yrs – maintenance, mostly. I started out at $2.38 an hour. I still have my first paycheck.”

“And where did you go to high school?”

“I went to Carthage HS.”

“Did you play sports in high school?”

“Not a lot. Nope, not a HS athlete… ran XC. I coached baseball – my kids – but then they quit on me. Went to this other sport called lacrosse…”

“Did you go to college? Military?”

“No, went right to work after high school; I met Sue right after she got out of Carthage HS in 1970… we got married in ‘73. Still married…you don’t hear that often anymore.”

“Any memorable stories from your younger days?”

“We lived right near Fort Drum…our little house in Deferiet bordered Fort Drum right in our backyard…and on weekends, the National Guard would leave their heavy equipment for the weekend… and we would ‘borrow’ them.”

“Helicopters? Tanks?”

“No, no, bulldozers. But they could take us for rides, when we were kids, back in those days, y’know. Now, it would be a liability. It was crazy. We made a mess…”

“Tell me about your five children…”

“Gretchen’s the oldest, then Casey is two years younger, then Ryan, two years after him. Then Mike, who is five years younger, and then Mason, who is 12 years younger than Mike. Mike’s 42 now, and Mason is 30…”

“I coached Casey, Ryan, and Mike in baseball… Casey and Ryan got in a fight – charged one another. That’s one of their experiences. They’re very competitive…”

“Gretchen always claimed she was a good softball player – but Sue and I can’t recall her ever playing softball. She tells us she did. But, she played basketball, volleyball…”

“Mason was more like a different kid – skateboarding all the time. He also played hockey. Ryan was a good skater, but he never played hockey. Mason won a state championship; he was the goalie for Cazenovia’s high school team, and he also won a state championship in lacrosse (both in 2011). He likes to remind his brothers that he’s won state championships and they never did. He grew up in Carthage, played hockey in Lowville at first. Then we came down here (to Cazenovia); the first year he never got to play a game, the second year they put him in and he did pretty well.”

“How did Casey get introduced to lacrosse?

“Oh, Coach Ventiquattro. Thing of it is, Coach V, when he went to college, he worked for me at the mill, summers, as a kid. I’ll be darned if he didn’t end up being the boys’ phys ed teacher. And he started the lacrosse program at Carthage. Casey just fell in love with it – he played wall ball constantly. Hour after hour. And Ryan followed. And Mike was something different because he was doing crazy stuff – tricks. Yeah, it was fun…”

“We were at Syracuse for ten years all together. Ten consecutive. Casey was there four, followed by Ryan, and then Mike.”

“That must have been a fun time in your lives.”

“It was great; it was unbelievable. Four national championships. They never gave us any problems; we had some good times, some great times…”

“They also played football and basketball?”

“Mike didn’t play football; he played soccer. They all played basketball. Mike played Utica, in a tournament, and had 54 points in that game. The score ended up 62 to – I forget what it was – but Coach Ventiquattro was his varsity basketball coach. Mike was a very good basketball player – they all were. But Casey and Ryan were all-state quarterbacks; they played for Coach Coffman back then.”

“How about a backyard story? Got any good ones?”

“Oh, my goodness; you know that story; you’ve heard that one… the one with the fence. We had a fence in the backyard and the guy next door – his name was Ralph – we called him One-Eye because he only had one eye. And the ball would go over the fence, and he had a German shepherd back there. That ball would go over the fence, and they always sent Mike out there to jump the fence because he could get the ball. He could run like a sonofabitch and that dog would come back – (laughing) but they would send Mike to get the damn ball… the youngest! He always brought it back! Ralphie would yell, ‘Get your damn kids out of my yard!’ He was the meanest son of a gun.”

“And we always had broken windows. Crazy, crazy times…”

“The boys all played pro lacrosse – field and box… and they all played for Team USA.”

A little Googling found the following:

· In 2010, Casey was named the NLL MVP, becoming the first American to earn the award.

· All three were named 4x USILA All-Americans.

· All three were on the 2006 US Men’s National Team.

· All three played in both the MLL and NLL.

· Casey and Ryan are in the US National Lacrosse Hall of Fame and the Professional Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

· Mike won the Tewaaraton Award – twice.

· Casey won an NCAA championship with Syracuse in 1995, Ryan won a championship with SU in 2000, and Mike won two NCAA titles at Syracuse in 2002 and 2004.

We talked about the Empire State Games and Ray Charles playing at the opening ceremonies in Rochester… who the new coach at the University of Virginia might be… John Grant and John Grant, Jr… the second-generation kids playing lacrosse now – the Millons, Lockwoods, Pietramalas… Kirk Ventiquattro, who had just passed away the week before… and Larry asked me about my family…

“And what are your children doing now?”

“Gretchen works for Powell Lacrosse. Casey has the Casey Powell Foundation, and he coaches at Colorado Academy. Ryan runs both Rhino Lacrosse and Powell Lacrosse in Chittenango. Mike is a musician and also works for Powell Lacrosse. Mason is a stay-at-home dad in Utah; his wife’s a doctor.”

Larry added that he and Sue have 13 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren… “Cold winters!” he said.

“And where are you working these days?”

“Cazenovia transfer station – I’m the ticket puncher! I love it there – best job I ever had! Fridays and Saturdays… no complaining; none whatsoever. It’s a Friday meeting place… they bring donuts. They bring sandwiches; they bring lunches. We get a chicken barbeque once a month. It’s a good retirement job. It keeps me busy; it gets me out of the house.”

“Any Father’s Day plans?” (it was still a month away at the time)

“No, we don’t do anything special. Memorial Day – we always get together. We’re going to Mike’s this weekend for a clambake. Gonna watch the game – he’s got an outdoor kitchen with a TV – real nice!

On Coach V’s passing…

“He was tough on the kids. Messere was, too. Same motivational tools. And it’s a shame; he fought cancer for 15 years…”

Influence on Mike’s musical talents?

“I played the guitar. With my brother-in-law. We played guitar, and we’d drink beer. On the weekends, y’know. I used to sing a lot of Willie Nelson songs. But Mike did it on his own. He always tells me that I stunk; he always says, ‘You weren’t any good, Dad.’ I wasn’t the best guitar player, but I had fun.”

Would you take any credit for your sons’ athletic abilities?”

“They were real good baseball players – real good. But they dumped me – at age 12. But I coached for seven seasons, even after they left. Never lost a game. Never. People hated us. In the Carthage area there used to be, like, ten teams. The Elks, the VFW, the American Legion, the fire department. Ours was the Carthage Papermakers.

“On recruiting…”

“Y’know, when Casey was recruited to come to SU, where do you think Coach Simmons took us out for lunch? Wegman’s. Honest to God. ‘C’mon,’ he said, ‘I’m taking you guys out to lunch.’

“He (Coach Simmons) is quite a guy. When they would travel out of town, the team, you know where he took the boys? To an art studio. Museums, aquariums… just to keep ‘em out of trouble. Worked out well! Paid off…”

“Casey was recruited by everyone… then Coach Simmons grabbed a hold of him. After that, for Ryan, that was his only option. Same for Mike.”

“That must have been an exciting ten years.”

“Oh, it was. Just great. They had all the right people, y’know. And that’s what lacrosse is all about – it’s a family!”

“So, who moved down to this area first?”

“Ryan moved to Caz, then our daughter Gretchen, and then Mike. They were all over for breakfast this morning – Casey, Ryan, and Mike, one right after the other. One was at 7:15, one came at 7:30, and the other one came quarter after eight.”

“Thanks for doing this; I’ll send a draft to you ahead of time for you to look at.”

“Send it to Sue. If she doesn’t like what I said she’ll tell me.”

“So, I should keep going through her?”

“Hell yeah… I’m not good on the phone. I’d rather meet person to person...”

IYKLPYK – If you know Larry Powell, you know. He’s a man of few words, humble, funny, and very entertaining.

If you don’t know Larry, I hope I painted a good picture.

I hope I did him justice.

Postscripts:

Looking back on our meeting at the Fayetteville Wegman’s, I realized that Larry was just as interested in my life – and my family – as I was in his. He deflected, deferred, and demurred… and that’s why there aren’t a whole lot of revealing, deep, dark secrets here.

The fact remains that, if you’re looking for detailed, humorous stories of the goings-on at the Powell household at “25 North Jefferson Street” (also the title of one of Mike’s songs), you need to read Sue Powell’s book, A Knock at My Heart, published in 2015. I wrote an RTD piece about it on July 13 of that year, back when Road Trip Dad was found at www.justlacrosse.com. The book is still available on Amazon…

As she and Larry approved of this RTD text, Sue wrote, “It’s looks good to me, Dan. I wish we could have made it a little more exciting, but we were just a family that lived in the right place at the right time and loved our kids! Thank you for checking out Larry; he really is quite a guy.”

Thanks, Larry and Sue. I look forward to seeing you again soon!

And thank you for reading! Please consider subscribing at roadtripdad.com to receive weekly RTD pieces via email. It’s free – really! No fine print; no catches.

Please, drive carefully, and put down that cell phone! Donate blood. Get vaccinated. Volunteer. Stay safe, stay smart, and stay kind. Help someone in need – and be sure to take care of your crew!

- Dan Witmer

daniel.witmer@oswego.edu

Dan grew up in Lynbrook, NY before coming to Oswego State to earn his teaching and coaching certifications. He then taught English at Hannibal High School for 33 years before retiring in 2015.

Later in 2023, he created Witmer Solutions LLC, a lacrosse event staffing and internship offering service that he hopes will get his foot – and others’ – in the door at lacrosse events worldwide. He was the game ops staff director for the World Lacrosse Men’s and Women’s Box Championships in Utica in September of 2024, and he served as the field manager at the World Lacrosse Men’s U20 championships in Jeju, South Korea in 2025. Witmer Solutions has since staffed the Heritage Cup, the LAXNAI box tournament, the 2025 Euro Men’s Championships in Poland, and the PALA Sixes tournament in Puerto Rico. This summer, WS staffers will be present in both the Czech Republic for the Euro Men’s and Women’s Box Championships, and Poland for the World Lacrosse Women’s D-II championships.

In 2023, he returned to the Oswego State coaching staff as an assistant coach, where he currently serves as defensive coordinator and alumni and parent liaison.

Dan and Sue Witmer live in Oswego, while their older son Brian, his wife Jane, and son Benji live outside of Prague, Czech Republic, and younger son Eric lives in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado.

The hope is for many more road trips to come.

Breakfast with Hall of Famer Bob Shaw - Part 2

Dan Witmer — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 20:54:19 GMT

NOTE: Last week I started to tell Bob Shaw’s story – his high school days in the first decade of scholastic lacrosse at LaFayette Central School, his All-American and NCAA championship career at Cornell, his professional and club lacrosse experiences, and even his Team USA travels. This week, he talks about the Brine Co. and the transition from wood sticks to plastic, his move to the West Coast, his family, and ultimately, his 2023 induction into the US Lacrosse National Hall of Fame.

I hope you enjoy Part 2!

“I was working for the Brines, and I worked for them for two years – ‘75 and ‘76 – and that was when the Superlight II was introduced. I owned the very first pair of cloth lacrosse gloves; they were made in Taiwan. I went to the factory after Australia and they showed me these long gloves, and they were so much easier to use than the leather ones.

I’m not sure I’m proud of this, but… when plastic heads started taking over, I negotiated a contract with Louie and Alfie Jacques to string all the plastic sticks for Brine. We would bring them by the thousands and they would string them. I mean, I figured it was over with for wooden sticks for field lacrosse; they might as well make some money out of it. But when I think about it... I don’t remember the exact number, but I think it was $2 or $3 per stick. They strung thousands of sticks for Brine.

“But I only worked for Brine for two years. I always wanted to live in the West and be in the outdoor business, and I said when I stop playing lacrosse I’d move West. So when the league folded, I got hired as director of marketing at JanSport and moved out to Seattle.

“I kind of disappeared from here. I went into the ski business; I went to work for the K2 ski company and JanSport out in Seattle, and then I moved down to Santa Cruz in California as a manufacturer’s rep.

“And then I came back here about 2003 and started buying real estate. Since then, I’ve been commuting back and forth, and about 15 years ago, I started East/West Properties, and now we’re a property management company.

“So, that’s my story.”

When Bob came back to Upstate New York, he got involved with the Upstate Lacrosse Foundation, the Board, and the Hall of Fame selection committee.

“That’s when I came back, started getting involved with lacrosse again, just in the past 20 years. So, anything from 1976 to 2000, I have no idea. These players’ names would come up and I’d be, like, ‘I don’t even know who he is.’

“And my son Jake came back, ten years ago, and he absolutely loves it here. A California kid! And now this is his home – I don’t think he’ll ever leave. And the refereeing thing is the best thing ever. And it was Billy Ellis and Steve Miller that really encouraged him – because I started him reffing when he was 18 in California. He’d worked for ten years out there before he came back here.

“My other son, Luke, lives in Santa Cruz still, has two grandkids, and he went to UC Santa Barbara, and they won a national club championship – he was leading scorer – and I don’t know what year that would have been, but it was in Minnesota… maybe 2005 or something. They were both good lacrosse players.

“And we started lacrosse in Santa Cruz. We had the first high school team and I coached it. Luke and Jake were my stars – two attackmen. I just coached for five years and once they graduated, I’d had enough.

“And I’ve been in the West ever since… Santa Cruz… Pebble Beach… Monterey Bay, right over the hill from Silicon Valley. We built a second house that my wife and I live in now and my other son Luke and his family live in the original house… the Shaw compound! It’s not that impressive, but we can walk to the beach, we can hear the sea lions, and I can mountain bike.

“I think I have the best of both worlds. I love Syracuse, LaFayette, and Cornell. I’m spending half my time here, and I get to watch and be with Jake. He’s going to take over my business here, and I get to live with my other son when I’m out there.

“Ronnie Hill was on my midfield for two years at LaFayette, and went to Syracuse, and now he coaches girls’ lacrosse in Deland, FL, which is just north of Orlando. He worked at Niagara-Mohawk here and retired down there. He’s been in Florida for at least 15 years, coaching, and I go down there every year and go golfing and we go to Jupiter and I play with Tom Cafaro, Bobby Scalise, a bunch of guys from my era, Billy Ellis... I’ll be there in early March this year.”

“I could see what was going on with the Upstate Lacrosse Chapter, and I’ve heard about it since then, because Sherwin Hill was on the board, when it was part of US Lacrosse, and I got to know him a lot more, and Sid Hill was my teammate at LaFayette; he was a couple years behind me and now he’s the Tadodaho – and so I was kind of the liaison with the Chiefs when we were doing the selection of the Upstate Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Tommy Hall started the whole thing of having a Native American inducted every year, and I pushed hard for Travis, and Alfie, Leo, LaVerne, Ket, Sid Hill, Freeman Bucktooth, Brett Bucktooth – all those guys. And we always went down and ran it by Oren and Sid to make sure we had the approval of the Chiefs.

“So I’ve been more involved down there more as an old man than I ever was as a kid. The interesting thing is, my best friends now, other than Steve Wood, who was a lifelong friend, are LaVerne, Leo, Sid, Ron – all these Native Americans – and we didn’t hang out with them – other than in sports – when I was in high school. We were kind of separated a little bit…

“Steve Wood was a year ahead of me – he was with Ron Doctor, and John Porter… Class of ‘67. He went to West Point and was captain of the team there. Tommy Cafaro was the best player in the country in 1971 – when we played Army at West Point with Richard Nixon there… and it was the semifinals of the first national tournament, and Army was the defending national champion…and we beat them 17-16. Cafaro had 7 goals and 3 assists… and Woody was captain of that team. He was the first guy I ever knew – we went to the same little church when I was a kid – and we faced off against each other the whole game. I was captain at Cornell; he was the captain at West Point… pretty cool!”

After all the high school and college stories, I had to ask Bob what it was like being inducted into the USA Lacrosse National Hall of Fame in 2023.

“It was unbelievable! I was inducted with John Danowski, Kyle Sweeney, and Kyle Harrison – only four guys, along with four women. When I heard about it, Dom Starsia called me and told me, and there were guys pushing for me; Richie Moran was the big one, Dom, Tommy Abbott. I couldn’t believe it; actually, but I was very happy.

“Several of my teammates came down to Baltimore for the ceremony, and Butch Hilliard was there, and Tommy Cafaro and Woody sat at my table, and my nephew Jay Shaw, who coaches at Tully, was there…(nice to get the Shaw name out there!).”

Bob says, “I wouldn’t have gotten in if it wasn’t for Richie – and that book, We Showed Baltimore (by Christian Swezey). People got reminded of me – and the people who are running lacrosse, they’re from my era, and they remember. I got lucky to get in at this point in my life. I was blown away.”

For the record, the list of Syracuse-area Upstaters in the National Hall of Fame is pretty short. Since inductions began in 1957, I counted about 15. That’s 15 inductees in almost 70 years. Bob joins the ranks of CNY officials Bob Durland and Jake Curran; Mike Messere and his WG players – Charlie Lockwood, Todd Curry, Brad Kotz; SU coaches Laurie Cox, Roy Sr and Roy Jr, John Desko; Casey and Ryan Powell; Oren Lyons… That’s not all of them, but it’s most.

And then there’s Bob Shaw, the LaFayette HS grad who played on tremendously successful teams at LaFayette, Cornell, the US National Team, and pro box.

As Bob said that morning at the diner, “Pretty cool.”

Thanks for reading! Please consider subscribing at roadtripdad.com to receive weekly RTD pieces via email. It’s free – really! No fine print; no catches.

Please, drive carefully, and put down that cell phone! Donate blood. Get vaccinated. Volunteer. Stay safe, stay smart, and stay kind. Help someone in need – and be sure to take care of your crew!

- Dan Witmer

daniel.witmer@oswego.edu

Dan grew up in Lynbrook, NY before coming to Oswego State to earn his teaching and coaching certifications. He then taught English at Hannibal High School for 33 years before retiring in 2015.

Later in 2023, he created Witmer Solutions LLC, a lacrosse event staffing and internship offering service that he hopes will get his foot – and others’ – in the door at lacrosse events worldwide. He was the game ops staff director for the World Lacrosse Men’s and Women’s Box Championships in Utica in September of 2024, and he served as the field manager at the World Lacrosse Men’s U20 championships in Jeju, South Korea in 2025. Witmer Solutions has since staffed the Heritage Cup, the LAXNAI box tournament, the 2025 Euro Men’s Championships in Poland, and the PALA Sixes tournament in Puerto Rico. This summer, WS staffers will be present in both the Czech Republic for the Euro Men’s and Women’s Box Championships, and Poland for the World Lacrosse Women’s D-II championships.

In 2023, he returned to the Oswego State coaching staff as an assistant coach, where he currently serves as defensive coordinator and alumni and parent liaison.

Dan and Sue Witmer live in Oswego, while their older son Brian, his wife Jane, and son Benji live outside of Prague, Czech Republic, and younger son Eric lives in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado.

The hope is for many more road trips to come.

Breakfast with Hall of Famer Bob Shaw - Part 1

Dan Witmer — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 21:01:24 GMT

As a Long Island native who didn’t come to Upstate NY until 1978, I’ll confess that I didn’t know who Bob Shaw was, not until I heard his name listed as a member of the Cornell lacrosse team that won the 1971 national championship. The team was inducted into Upstate Lacrosse Foundation’s Hall of Fame 2021, and this was my review of their induction at the time:

“Next, emcee Matt Park introduced the 1971 Cornell men’s lacrosse team – the first, I believe, college team inducted into the Upstate HOF. The ’71 Big Red won its first national championship that year, in the NCAA’s first tournament that determined a champion (Cornell had gone undefeated in 1966, 1968, and 1970, but never received enough votes to claim a title). Coach Moran spoke of his team’s accomplishments, and then members of the team lined up and introduced themselves. Fittingly, this was the 50^th anniversary of that season, and you could see the pride in each man’s face as he introduced himself, and named his hometown and the position that he played. Very cool; very cool indeed!”

Before his All-American career at Cornell, Bob had learned to play the game at LaFayette High School, Class of 1968. LaFayette’s first lacrosse coach, Ket Weist, was also inducted into the Upstate HOF in 2021, and that was when a lot of pieces started coming together for me. Mike Cotsonas ’88 had played for me at Oswego, and he was also a LaFayette grad, and he had helped organize the LaFayette Lacrosse Alumni group as they collected names, stats, records, and overall history.

Bob’s name kept coming up everywhere. I learned that he had been inducted into the Upstate Hall of Fame way back in 2000, before I had ever attended a HOF induction.

Turns out I knew Bob’s son Jake from officiating high school games, and in the next year or so, I ran into him at various lacrosse games and events. Then, in 2023, Bob was named to the USA Lacrosse National Hall of Fame.

Determined to get to know his story a little better, I sat down with Bob last winter at the Gem Diner in Syracuse – and he told me his remarkable story…

· He didn’t play lacrosse until his freshman year of high school – and was a teammate of some of the biggest Upstate and national lacrosse names of his generation.

· He was a three-time All-American, captain, and national champion at Cornell, and played in the USILA North/South Game.

· He played for the US National Team in the 1974 FIL World Championships in Perth, Australia.

· He worked for the Brine Company.

· He played professional box lacrosse, despite having never played box as he grew up.

· He now serves as a Board member for the Upstate Lacrosse Foundation.

When I asked Bob about his days at Cornell, he laughed…

“I’ll give you my short version. Not that I’m still holding a grudge, but… Ned Harkness recruited me, but Richie Moran came to Cornell as head coach in the fall of ’68, same time as me. My initial reaction was, I was disappointed, because I wanted to play for Ned. I think they had lost one game in three years but always voted somewhere down the line in terms of the national championship. And of course, we couldn’t play varsity in our freshman year in those days, but our freshman team was really good. We could actually beat the varsity. I think they tied for the Ivy League championships that year.

“But then our sophomore year we had an incredible team; we went undefeated. Our opening game of the season was at Virginia, and we had been in Florida for a week for training, and we woke up in the morning at Virginia and they canceled the game because of a wet field… and we went on to run the table that year; we beat Syracuse, Hobart, Cortland, Princeton, everybody – including the Ivies – and we got voted fourth in the country. And that was the best year, that was the best team – my sophomore year – because we still had Mark Webster, who was a crease attackman and three-time All-American.

“Our junior year, 1971, we played Virginia again. Same deal – we went to Virginia, it was our first game, first time on the field, and I think we were down 8-1 at halftime… and we ended up losing 10-9, so we came back in the second half. After that, we ran the table… and won the national championship.

“Bob Rule was our All-American goalie that year. We called him The Dog. The guy could not pass the ball. Every pass he threw was a bounce pass. But, one on one, to win a game, I’d take Rule over any other goalie I’ve ever seen or played with. He was unbelievable. And he had no memory. If he got scored on, he was just as good the next shot.

“In 1972, my senior year, there were eight teams that got into the tournament, and we played the whole season without a goalie – a middie played goalie – because our goalie Bucky Gunts got hurt in the first game of the season. He came back at the end of the year, when we beat Brown and won the Ivy League championship. We were 10-3 – lost to Navy by two goals, lost to Hobart by one, and we lost to Cortland, I think, by one. And they were all great teams. Both Cortland and Navy went to the NCAAs – DI, and of course Hobart won the D-III. It was the only year in the history of the NCAA tournament that no Ivy League team was in the tournament. So we were actually shocked that we didn’t get in – and we thought we had a real good chance of winning it.

“So that’s my beef. We didn’t even get a chance to defend our national championship.

“Not that I hold a grudge. It still bothers me, but that’s what happened.”

After graduating from Cornell, “I went to Harvard Business School, and helped start the Brine Lacrosse Club. We had Tommy Cafaro, Bobby Scalise, John Burnap, Steve Wood (who was from LaFayette), Billy Ellis (who was a Cornell guy and my roommate for two years – and his dad was a student of my dad at Syracuse, and we didn’t know it; Harkness just put us together). So I went to Harvard for two years, and then the second year – 1974 – was the first FIL World Championships. There were no tryouts, it was just your resume. So, I sent in my resume and I got on the team. We had won the club championship, the first team ever north of New York City to win the club championship. We had a really good team – we beat Long Island, beat Mt. Washington; we beat everybody.

“Buddy Beardmore was the coach of that US National Team, and Jack Emmer and Jack Kaley were assistants. Emmer and Kaley had both played against me, and they both knew me. And Jack Emmer was our coach in the North/South Game, and I had worked for the Brines when I got out of Harvard, as their lacrosse product manager. We had to pay our own way to Australia… and I was broke, so Brine paid my way. I stayed with the Brine distributor in Australia, a guy named Eddie Toomey, and after the tournament I went to Japan and helped introduce lacrosse to Japan. I also went to Taiwan, and it was a business trip, and they wrote it off, and that’s why I went to work for them – because they paid my way!

“And at the same time, I was drafted into the National Lacrosse League – the pro box league. Each team had to have two Americans. I was originally drafted by the Boston Bolts, but I never went to one practice – I was traded to the Maryland Arrows because Beardmore was involved there and knew who I was.

“So I played in 1975, the year after the World Championships. I played one year in the NLL and I was a regular – and Bruce Arena played as a regular. There were, like, three Americans playing in the whole league – six teams – and I was one of them. We played in Landover Mall; we shared the locker room with Wes Unseld, Kevin Grevey, Truck Robinson, guys on the NBA Baltimore Bullets, so that was kind of cool.

“Glen Mueller ran with Russ George and Travis Cook for the Quebequois. Glen was from Manhasset, along with Richie Moran and Bob Rule, and he and Billy Ellis and I were like the three musketeers at Cornell. We were friends, all belonged to the same fraternity… two LaFayette guys and a Cornell guy – and they won the NLL championship that year.

“And I lost them all in one year – Richie, Glenn, and Bob all died a couple of years ago. Sad.

“But I did play pro box lacrosse, and I learned a lot from Travis Cook, especially. I learned to shoot from Travis. There wasn’t anybody that could shoot like that, maybe Ronnie Fraser from Syracuse University, but other than that, there wasn’t anybody in college lacrosse that could shoot like that – sidearm or underhand – maybe Ronnie Hill.

“And then the league went bankrupt.

“We played with wooden sticks; the first plastic stick I used was when we went to Australia in 1974. I was working for the Brines and I played with an STX stick – because they had the red, white, and blue one, of course!”

Of course!

Circle back next week for Part 2 of my “Breakfast with Bob Shaw” Road Trip Dad exclusive!

Thanks for reading! Please consider subscribing at roadtripdad.com to receive weekly RTD pieces via email. It’s free – really! No fine print; no catches.

Please, drive carefully, and put down that cell phone! Donate blood. Get vaccinated. Volunteer. Stay safe, stay smart, and stay kind. Help someone in need – and be sure to take care of your crew!

- Dan Witmer

daniel.witmer@oswego.edu

Dan grew up in Lynbrook, NY before coming to Oswego State to earn his teaching and coaching certifications. He then taught English at Hannibal High School for 33 years before retiring in 2015.

Later in 2023, he created Witmer Solutions LLC, a lacrosse event staffing and internship offering service that he hopes will get his foot – and others’ – in the door at lacrosse events worldwide. He was the game ops staff director for the World Lacrosse Men’s and Women’s Box Championships in Utica in September of 2024, and he served as the field manager at the World Lacrosse Men’s U20 championships in Jeju, South Korea in 2025. Witmer Solutions has since staffed the Heritage Cup, the LAXNAI box tournament, the 2025 Euro Men’s Championships in Poland, and the PALA Sixes tournament in Puerto Rico. This summer, WS staffers will be present in both the Czech Republic for the Euro Men’s and Women’s Box Championships, and Poland for the World Lacrosse Women’s D-II championships.

In 2023, he returned to the Oswego State coaching staff as an assistant coach, where he currently serves as defensive coordinator and alumni and parent liaison.

Dan and Sue Witmer live in Oswego, while their older son Brian, his wife Jane, and son Benji live outside of Prague, Czech Republic, and younger son Eric lives in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado.

The hope is for many more road trips to come.

A Road Trip with – and for – Old Friends

Dan Witmer — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 18:13:31 GMT

As I greeted Doc Nelson at the funeral home yesterday, he asked, “What, you gonna write a Road Trip Dad piece about another trip to Canton?”

I replied, “Well, as a matter of fact…”

I guess I’m that predictable.

Back in January of 2013 (more than 13 years ago!), I actually wrote an RTD blog entitled “100th Trip to Canton, NY” and, since Doc grew up near Canton, that piece must have made a lasting impression on him. At the time I described the well-worn path from Oswego to Canton, the treks I made over all the years as a college lacrosse coach, girls HS hockey coach, brother of a Clarkson student, etc.

Yesterday I found myself making that familiar trip one more time, this time with a couple of long-time lacrosse friends – for another long-time lacrosse friend.

Doc’s mom, Bethany Nelson, passed away last week at the age of 91. Calling hours, a funeral service, burial, and a reception were yesterday in Canton and nearby Morley.

My passengers were Bill and Lisa Carney. If you’ve been reading my RTD pieces for any length of time, you should recognize their names. Lisa came to Hannibal HS as a special ed teacher a few years after I started, and we hit it off as good friends from the very beginning. We played city league volleyball together, she played softball with my wife, and I can even remember a couple Pictionary game nights.

She was single then, but then she met Bill in the early 90s. She brought him to watch Laker lacrosse games, and her friend quickly became one of my friends. In ’91 or ’92, when I needed an assistant coach over the age of 25 to drive one of our rented vans on a weekend lacrosse trip to New Jersey and Maryland, I asked Billy if he’d be a driver for us. Long story short, Billy quickly became an Oswego State assistant coach and stayed on the staff for most of the next ten years. He had never played lacrosse, never coached lacrosse, but he was a sports junkie who developed a great relationship with our players, and he was a loyal and tremendously helpful assistant.

When he left the Lakers, he did so for the best of reasons – he and Lisa had a newborn son and Billy told me he wanted to “get fatherhood right.” How could I argue with that?

As the years passed, Bill and Lisa joined my wife and me as we traveled the East Coast every Memorial Day Weekend to follow the NCAA lacrosse championships. We went to Rutgers, the University of Maryland, and the Dome. They were great road trips!

Lisa left Hannibal to teach at Oswego County BOCES, at Fulton and Oswego State, but we always stayed close. I watched as Josh grew up, playing baseball and volleyball (Billy and Lisa’s two favorite sports), got a counseling degree and a masters, coached volleyball and baseball at Oswego HS, got married, and is now a guidance counselor in the Fulton School District.

Billy was diagnosed with MS about ten years ago, and then Stage 4 cancer about six years ago. Despite the severe health challenges, he’s still at every one of Josh’s games, and he’s been named Fan of the Year by the Oswego Buc Boosters. When I was coaching JV and varsity lacrosse at Oswego HS, Billy would occasionally stop by a practice or even join Doc and me on the sideline on game day. These days we go to a couple Oswego State hockey games each year and he comes to Laker lacrosse games when the weather’s good (which wasn’t often this spring).

Lisa retired from teaching and now spends most of her time also following Josh’s teams, quilting, and helping with foster children in the Oswego area.

As we made the two-and-a-half hour trip up to Canton, the three of us had plenty to talk about. Old memories from the ‘80s and ‘90s. Alumni updates. Josh’s coaching. Oswego HS sports. Lacrosse, baseball, volleyball, even hockey. We told and heard stories for the first time, and we told and heard stories for the tenth time. I don’t think there were more than a few seconds of silence.

When we learned of Doc’s mom’s passing last week, we started planning our trip. Yes, Canton isn’t exactly right down the road, but we three retirees didn’t exactly have a lot on our Monday, June 1 schedules, if you know what I mean.

And Doc? Well, we’ve known Doc and his wife Cathy since… forever?

I met him in my freshman year at Oswego, in the fall of 1978, when we had our alumni game and he made a grand first impression. You see, Doc is 6’7”, and if you meet him once, you tend to remember him. He had just graduated from Oswego in the spring of 1978 after four years of earning a degree and playing four years of lacrosse and basketball. He stayed in town, worked on his master’s degree and, soon after I graduated and started coaching at the college, he helped start the scholastic program in the Oswego City School District.

We were close allies – he and Dave Gillmeister at the OCSD, and me at O State. We helped one another as much as we could, shared ideas, went to coaching clinics together, even shared hotel rooms at national conventions over the years. Doc and Dave coached the middle school team at first, and then when Dave left to go into administration, Doc moved up to the JV level, and ultimately up to varsity as the program grew.

After finishing his master’s in counseling, Doc went on to earn his CAS degree and became an administrator at Oswego County BOCES. Because he wasn’t ever a member of the Oswego Classroom Teachers Association, he was always a bit of an outsider, but he persevered and coached the Bucs until he got nudged out around 1995-1996.

As soon as I heard of his situation, I invited Doc to join my coaching staff at the college. Coincidentally or not, these just happened to be the years when the Lakers had the most success (3x league champs, Top 20 status, program-best 12-3 W/L record, five ECAC appearances, three All-Americans and five North/South representatives). Bill was already my right-hand man, but in ’96 especially, Doc joined a coaching crew that included Frank Mahar ’93, PJ Williams ’96, and Tom Dumas (an Oswego HS grad who played at both Morrisville and then Albany). Talk about a loaded staff!

Doc coached with us for four or five years until the Oswego HS position opened back up and his son Travis was starting his varsity career. Give or take a year, Doc’s second stint with the Buc varsity program lasted from 2000-2024.

For those keeping track, that’s about 35 years as an Oswego Buccaneer lacrosse coach – plus another 5 at the college. And oh yeah – he helped start the Oswego Lacrosse Club (now operating as the Oswego Lacrosse Foundation), a 501-c-3 youth organization that has supported not only boys and girls summer programs, but also occasional men’s leagues and most recently, the Oswego River Hawks NABLL team. Doc has served as president, vice-president, and every other position for the Club for the past 40 years – and now he’s the GM of the River Hawks.

But wait – there’s more.

Doc has also played box lacrosse since I’ve known him. He enjoyed a brief moment in the spotlight about 25 years ago when he got called out of the stands and made a pro appearance with the Syracuse Smash. He still plays – at age 70 – and he helped introduce decades of Oswego HS players to box lacrosse by bringing them down to the Onondaga Nation to learn the game.

And (as if that’s not enough!), just like I found a new chapter after OHS by coaching at Oswego State, Doc has also found a new coaching opportunity – he worked with the college’s club lacrosse team this past year, and I’m guessing he’ll be back to coach those guys again next year.

Doc’s son Travis went on to play at Fairfield, and his daughter Kayla played lacrosse at Gannon University. Doc and Cathy’s four grandchildren are elementary school-aged or younger, and they’re playing – wait for it – basketball and lacrosse.

So despite the somber reason for yesterday’s North Country day trip, it truly was a day spent with old, (forgive me) old friends. Almost 50 years of friendship, lacrosse, loyalty, and laughs.

And almost 50 years of amazing memories.

Thanks!

And thank you for reading! Please consider subscribing at roadtripdad.com to receive weekly RTD pieces via email. It’s free – really! No fine print; no catches.

Please, drive carefully, and put down that cell phone! Donate blood. Get vaccinated. Volunteer. Stay safe, stay smart, and stay kind. Help someone in need – and be sure to take care of your crew!

- Dan Witmer

daniel.witmer@oswego.edu

Dan grew up in Lynbrook, NY before coming to Oswego State to earn his teaching and coaching certifications. He then taught English at Hannibal High School for 33 years before retiring in 2015.

Dan is now in his 19^th year assisting Summit Lacrosse Ventures with their various tournaments, especially the annual Lake Placid Summit Classic, and he worked for 3d Lacrosse for three years as well. He has served on the staffs of the 2014 FIL World Games in Denver, the 2015 FIL Indoor Championships in Syracuse, the 2018 FIL World Games in Netanya, Israel, the 2022 U21 World Championship in Limerick, Ireland, and the World Lacrosse Championships in San Diego in 2023. He was the game ops staff director for the World Lacrosse Men’s and Women’s Box Championships in Utica in September of 2024, and he served as the field manager at the World Lacrosse Men’s U20 championships in Jeju, South Korea in 2025. In 2023, he created Witmer Solutions LLC, a lacrosse event staffing and internship offering service that he hopes will get his foot – and others’ – in the door at lacrosse events worldwide.

In 2023, he returned to the Oswego State coaching staff as an assistant coach, where he currently serves as defensive coordinator and alumni and parent liaison.

Dan and Sue Witmer live in Oswego, while their older son Brian, his wife Jane, and son Benji live outside of Prague, Czech Republic, and younger son Eric lives in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado.

The hope is for many more road trips to come.

2026 Heritage Cup – “Who’ll stop the rain?”

Dan Witmer — Wed, 27 May 2026 15:52:01 GMT

Witmer Solutions LLC staffed the Heritage Cup score tables for its third year this past weekend at Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ with 16 staffers. That’s right… 16. We had five workers our first year, when the Heritage Cup was at Haverford College in 2024, when there were just five fields; this year we had ten fields – seven equipped with shot clocks – and needed 16 staffers to provide adequate coverage, which included breaks from days that had games starting at 7 AM and running through 8 PM or later.

The tournament has grown exponentially since its earliest rendition – just two teams in 2013, three in 2014, four in 2016 after a year off in 2015, seven in 2017, eight in 2018, and 12 in 2019. After COVID, there were 28 teams in 2022, 33 teams in 2023, 69 in 2024, and 112 last year! With another girls division added, this year there were more than 120 teams!

My son Brian and I helped in a very limited capacity in 2017 and again in 2018, when the NCAA Championship Weekends were in Foxboro, MA and the Heritage Cup was down the road at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, RI. I don’t remember much from those two years, except helping to set up some cameras and then doing some play-by-play commentary with Brian (he was so clever – when Portugal scored a man-up goal, Brian referred to it as the well-schemed and lethal “Portuguese man-o-war”).

I lost track of the Heritage Cup (which it officially became in 2018; before that it was the International Lacrosse Showdown for a few years) after that, but in 2019 it was at the Shipley School in PA before taking two years off due to COVID. It returned in 2022 at Springfield College (MA), and in 2023 it was at Rowan College in NJ. Brian and I went down there that year and helped again – he reffed and I worked the score table on one of the fields used for two youth divisions.

When the tournament grew from 33 teams in 2023 to 69 teams in 2024, when girls and women’s divisions were added, that’s when Witmer Solutions was brought on board. We had five workers in our 2024 debut, and we brought in nine last year when we spread out at Weston High School, Lasell University, Regis College, and their surroundings.

Finding a staff of 16 proved difficult this year, but we managed. I ended up with five Oswego State men’s lacrosse players, three Oswego State women’s ice hockey players (one who also played lacrosse), three SUNY Delhi lacrosse players, the USC men’s club lacrosse coach, a former Ireland coach, a grad student from East Tennessee State University, and two Oswego HS juniors. Talk about diversity!

I drove down on Friday morning, leaving Oswego at 8:30 with the two girls from Oswego. We got to the Rider campus just before 2 PM and were immediately greeted by the Untouchables – the team of about ten guys who used to work for Witmer Solutions but have since graduated to bigger, more important administrative roles. Among the ranks of Untouchables were my son Brian, four other former Oswego River Hawks/Lake Placid/World Lacrosse Box Championships/Heritage Cup/Brockport grads, a couple former Witmer Solutions interns who worked in Ireland and Poland, and a 2023 San Diego volunteer from Colorado who also worked at the Utica box championships in 2024. Again, talk about diversity!

I honestly don’t remember if it rained on Friday when the first game started at 4:10 on Field 6 – a Sixes match reffed by Babs and Brian. The shot clocks worked, the teams ran hard, and we were off to a good start. Almost every other field had games starting at 5 PM, so we rolled up our sleeves and spread out…

“Long as I remember the rain been comin’ down…”

Saturday’s weather was downright miserable. I put on my Gore-Tex pants, jacket, and hat… and was soaked by 7:30 in the morning. Staff members and spectators were wearing what I call barn boots, and I was envious. I was never much of an umbrella guy, but on Saturday (and Sunday, and Monday), I envied those who had them.

I was mad at myself for not bringing more bad-weather gear. I own Gore-Tex sneakers, I have about four other Gore-Tex coats, and another pair of Gore-Tex pants, but I left them all at home. I might have even worn gloves if I hadn’t taken them out of my car the week before.

The best thing that happened on Saturday was that I got a text from one of my former Laker Lacrosse players telling me he’d just learned that he’s going to be inducted into the Oswego State Athletic Hall of Fame next October (the official press release isn’t out yet, so I’m not supposed to reveal who it is). I called to congratulate him and was just about in tears – I’m so, so proud of him!

We all survived Saturday’s long, wet day, but I was in a celebratory mood, so I told the five Lakers and assistant coach Nate Schultzkie (who was invited down to NJ to coach a couple of the Cyprus house teams) that I was treating them all to dinner. The boys weren’t shy when it came to ordering their dinners, and the bill was indeed sizable, but their employer gladly picked up the tab.

“Clouds of mystery pourin’ confusion on the ground…”

Sunday’s weather was like Groundhog Day – an exact re-run of Saturday. The visual images will stick in my head for a while – long winter parkas, bare shoulders, skirts, and shorts; refs wearing garbage bags, boots, gloves, and ear warmers; impressive bad-weather gear worn by spectators; athletic trainers – sitting under their tents – in individual plastic pods meant to protect them from the weather; players covered in mud to the point where you couldn’t read the numbers on their jerseys; water bottles, Stanleys, sticks and goggles, a plethora of discarded clothing, jewelry, and other items left on the fields daily; socks and shoes left out in the dorm hallways, banished from the rooms; and mud – I watched a Braveheart face-off that featured both players getting clear opportunities to pick up the ball but not succeeding – each player had about four chances to pick up the ball but failed due to the mud. And the memories weren’t all visual; other senses were stimulated as well. Staffers said their fingers were numb (temps were definitely in the upper 40s), and you know it’s bad when you can smell your own feet…

We had requests for sand, kitty-litter, zip-ties, dry score sheets, and balls. Refs complained that creases were quagmires. We tried several different remedies, but our best move proved to be simply moving the goals up about 18”-24”, so that the worst of the mud was behind the goal line and then we simply spray-painted a new goal line. In some case the front area of the crease was reduced, but in most cases, there were no visible signs of a crease anyway.

“Good men through the ages, tryin’ to find the sun…”

Good men (and women)? Boy, I saw a lot of them – everywhere I turned. Bill Beroza was following the Israel teams as always. Catherine Conway was coaching the Ireland women’s team. Colin Regan was playing for the Ireland men’s team. Ryan Park was following the Korea teams. Tom Lang was watching his daughter play for Mexico. Ryan Pratcher-Bey was there coaching the Ghana team. Anthony Bucello and Miguel Lozada were there with Puerto Rico teams. Lots of familiar faces with the Czech team. Barb Zelaney (aka Babs), who lives in Germany but referees in every country where lacrosse is played, was there as well. Jim Stagnitta was coaching his son and the Italy men’s team…

Israel, Germany, Ireland, Czech Republic, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Mexico, Ghana… friends I’ve met from all over the world, all meeting up in New Jersey looking for a couple days of Memorial Day Weekend sunshine…

“And I wonder, still I wonder, who’ll stop the rain?”

On Sunday, some refs and coaches on Field 3 decided they weren’t going to play the second half of their game because of unplayable field conditions. The teams scheduled to play the game after that agreed not to play as well…

At almost the same time that was happening, tournament administrators decided to move games from Fields 1 and 4 to Fields 11 and 12, which were on the map only as practice fields until that point. Scrambling for coverage, three or four table staff went down to Fields 11 and 12, but now the master schedule was compromised. Staffers could no longer take breaks or move from field to field as planned.

It was about 2 o’clock. I sent out a group message telling my crew to stay on the fields they were at until the end of the day (roughly 8:15, if daylight was cooperative). Those currently on break were asked to move from field to field and offer to cover a half or full game for the others.

With all the chaos of re-scheduling and moving field set-ups, lunch didn’t get delivered until 3 PM – tuna salad sandwiches this time (not a popular choice!). Some took what they could; others held out for a promise of Jersey Mike’s subs coming soon. The subs came around 5 PM. I knew my crew was hungry and tired, so I ordered pizzas and a case of water for the gang back in the dorm.

“…tryin’ to keep warm.”

I took a break on Saturday to change clothes. That was when I still had some dry options waiting for me in my dorm room.

I took another break on Sunday just to dry my clothes. Took off (almost) everything I had on, put it all in a dryer for about 25 minutes, and then got dressed again and went out in the rain. Not sure everything was completely dry, but at least I was warm… for about 20 minutes.

“Still the rain kept pourin’, fallin’ on my ears…”

And on Monday it was still raining, though not as hard as it did on Saturday and Sunday. Championships were at stake and, fortunately, almost all of them were played on the one turf field – from 7 AM until almost 2 PM – and the trophies were handed out one after another.

These were the championship results:

Women’s Open: Israel Blue 6, Philippines Blue 5

Girls U19: Italy (6-0 in round robin)

Girls U15: Ireland 10, Greece 9

Girls U13: Korea (6-0 in round robin)

Men’s Open: Italy 6, Jamaica 5

Boys U19: Greece 8, Philippines Blue 4

Boys U15: USVI 8, Greece 0

Boys U13: Ireland 7, Haudenosaunee 4

As I understand it, the Men’s and Women’s Sixes teams played an informal schedule of as many games as they wanted. Scores were kept, but standings were not. Some teams had separate Sixes rosters, while others borrowed from their Open teams. A few teams came with only a Sixes team.

Through the entire weekend, I was impressed by the perseverance of the players, from the 13-year-olds to the Open players, boys and girls, men and women. The conditions were miserable, but I think everyone understood that that was beyond anyone’s control, and the players seemed to just appreciate the chance to play.

“Was it great lacrosse?”

Probably not.

“Was it fun?”

Oh yeah!

“Will you come back next year?”

Absolutely!

“And I wonder, still I wonder, who’ll stop the rain?”

Thanks for reading! Please consider subscribing at roadtripdad.com to receive weekly RTD pieces via email. It’s free – really! No fine print; no catches.

Please, drive carefully, and put down that cell phone! Donate blood. Get vaccinated. Volunteer. Stay safe, stay smart, and stay kind. Help someone in need – and be sure to take care of your crew!

- Dan Witmer

daniel.witmer@oswego.edu

Dan grew up in Lynbrook, NY before coming to Oswego State to earn his teaching and coaching certifications. He then taught English at Hannibal High School for 33 years before retiring in 2015.

In 2023, he returned to the Oswego State coaching staff as an assistant coach, where he currently serves as defensive coordinator and alumni and parent liaison.

Dan and Sue Witmer live in Oswego, while their older son Brian, his wife Jane, and son Benji live outside of Prague, Czech Republic, and younger son Eric lives in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado.

The hope is for many more road trips to come.

Graduates’ favorite memories

Dan Witmer — Wed, 20 May 2026 13:48:27 GMT

The head coach and I took our ten seniors out to lunch during finals week last Wednesday. This was a special group for us, as their four years were also Coach Daly’s and my first four years as head and assistant coach at Oswego State. In many ways, we were all freshmen back in ’22-’23.

By all measures, it was a pretty successful four-year run. Collectively, this group had four winning seasons, went 36-22 overall and 19-9 in conference play. But they also bought in to everything asked of them. They raised money for various charities and provided helping hands when requested. Disciplinary action was seldom necessary. This was a great group of Lakers.

As we sat on the deck at the Press Box last week, one of them asked, “Coach, what was your favorite memory from the past four years?”

I had to pause; I didn’t have a quick, easy answer, but everyone else chimed in immediately…

“The overtime win against ___!”

“Or the OT game at ___!”

“How about the ___ game our junior year!”

“Or this year’s win against ___!”

“What about when we beat ___!”

“Or finally beating ___!”

Without a doubt, these big wins were still fresh in my mind, too…

The 5-4 overtime win at home against a SUNYAC foe in 2024 was a real goaltender’s battle. The memory of our 2026 attackman scoring the game-winner as a sophomore brought a smile to everyone’s face.

And the other OT win – on the road against a conference rival, also in 2024 – was another highlight. Our Class of ‘26 goalie made an incredible game-stealing save in extra time and then we got the game-winner at the other end.

The following year we beat that same team again, this time at home, rallying in the final minutes to steal the W. Clutch plays at both ends of the field in the fourth quarter made it all happen.

And then there was this year’s most dramatic win, at home against a team we lost to last year. Down by six goals at halftime, we won the second half 10-3 and secured a 14-13 victory. The game-winning goal was scored with just 25 seconds left in the game, by one of our Raiders (ssdm) who actually intercepted a pass from one of our attackman to another attackman. No matter – the ball went in the net – but what a great memory!

Then there was the very last-second goal that gave us another amazing win in 2024. The other guys had the ball in our defensive end, in the final minute, with the score tied. Next thing you knew, the ball was on the ground, and our guys picked it up and moved it up field. Our LSM carried the ball leading a fast break, and as the final seconds ticked off, he spied an attackman sitting on the crease. Instead of shooting, the pole made the pass, and his teammate buried his shot – just as time expired! After a quick conference, the refs said it was a good goal. Wow.

And we finally beat a team we’d lost to the past three years, once by six goals and twice by one; this time we won by six. What a great feeling of accomplishment!

But as quickly as those memorable wins were listed, the answers soon turned to practices, bus trips, and more.

One senior smiled and said, “The snow practice” – and we all knew exactly what he meant. One night last year, as we practiced under the lights, a snowstorm came through and covered the field in a matter of minutes. As luck would have it, a team manager was up in the press box running the shot clock for us that night, and he captured the beauty and stillness of the night with an awesome photo – one we’ve printed and copied and enlarged and shared with friends, alumni, and family…

Definitely a night to remember.

Coach Daly recalled a raucous bus trip home when everyone took a turn, from the back of the bus to the front, standing up and saying his/her name, his/her hometown, and then some lesser-known fact about him/herself. It was loud, energetic, and a genuinely good time. The seniors and I all laughed, and we wondered why we had never even once tried to repeat that scene. Maybe it was just the spontaneity of the occasion.

It made me feel good when one senior mentioned that the team’s February 2026 St. Baldrick’s fundraising event was one of his all-time best memories. Not since the very first year the Laker lacrosse team shaved heads, way back in 2007, raising more than $11,000 in support of childhood cancer research, has the lacrosse team taken the planning and workload of such an event into its own hands. This year’s event raised more than $30,000, but maybe the most memorable image of that Sunday afternoon was watching the seniors and upperclassmen, mostly one at a time but sometimes in groups of two or three, as they stood up to be shaved next – when they hadn’t planned on shaving at all. I wouldn’t call it peer pressure; it was more an act of solidarity, and it was awesome to watch as it unfolded.

Again, smiles all around.

As for my answer…

Today, a week later, to answer the “best” or “favorite memory” question, I would probably say that I honestly didn’t have a single favorite highlight. I say it all the time to anyone who will listen – I truly enjoy every day of coaching these guys. The only thing better than game day is practice, and the only thing better than practice is game day.

One of them had asked me earlier last week at our end-of-the-year team picnic, “So, Coach, do you miss us?”

Too quick with a smart-aleck answer, I replied, “Not yet.”

But truth be told, I did miss them already.

I missed them over Winter Break. I missed them every Sunday from the end of January through the end of April. I missed them the first day the season was over, and I’ll miss them all summer.

And now they’re talking about their next chapters – sales jobs, union work, teaching, law enforcement, and grad school.

When I “stepped aside” (Administration’s words, not necessarily mine) as head coach back in 2010, one of my deepest regrets was believing that my long list of former players was suddenly and abruptly finite – I would no longer be adding to my years of new names, friendships, and memories.

But maybe the very best part of going back as an assistant coach – and here it is, my favorite takeaway from the past four years – is the realization that now I’m once again working with more young men who are dedicated, talented, and appreciative of their lacrosse experiences at Oswego State… and these seniors, this Class of ’26, were instrumental in making the last four years a wonderful chapter in my lacrosse journey.

And I think they enjoyed it as much as I did.

Congrats, thanks, and good luck!

Thanks for reading! Please consider subscribing at roadtripdad.com to receive weekly RTD pieces via email. It’s free – really! No fine print; no catches.

Please, drive carefully, and put down that cell phone! Donate blood. Get vaccinated. Volunteer. Stay safe, stay smart, and stay kind. Help someone in need – and be sure to take care of your crew!

- Dan Witmer

daniel.witmer@oswego.edu

Dan grew up in Lynbrook, NY before coming to Oswego State to earn his teaching and coaching certifications. He then taught English at Hannibal High School for 33 years before retiring in 2015.

In 2023, he returned to the Oswego State coaching staff as an assistant coach, where he currently serves as defensive coordinator and alumni and parent liaison.

Dan and Sue Witmer live in Oswego, while their older son Brian, his wife Jane, and son Benji live outside of Prague, Czech Republic, and younger son Eric lives in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado.

The hope is for many more road trips to come.

Pole Priority – for 7th and 8th grade defenders

Dan Witmer — Mon, 11 May 2026 19:10:39 GMT

When we do our scouting reports, we identify our “pole priority” – who we want to assign our LSM to whenever possible. If the bad guys run two potent midfield groups, there will be a second pole priority on the #2 line.

That’s all well and good, but this week’s piece has nothing to do with that, except (hopefully) a catchy title.

No, this week I want to address the needs of 7^th and 8^th grade defenders.

I wrote some similar thoughts last year about this same time, but those two pieces covered everything – offense, defense, lots of overall observations – and were aimed more at the modified coaches. You can revisit those RTD newsletters here: (17) If I coached a 7th and 8th grade team - by Dan Witmer and (17) More 7th and 8th grade coaching comments - by Dan Witmer.

But I just reffed my seventh consecutive weekday of boys modified lacrosse last Friday, and what I’ve observed kept me awake at night (literally!), so I put together these thoughts for coaches, players, and parents… all targeted for improved defensive play…

#1 Choke Up!

This really applies to all defensemen at all ages – from youth to college. Catching is easier, ground balls are easier, throwing is easier, and cradling is easier.

Hold the stick like it’s a short stick; move your hands up towards the middle of the shaft. Yes, that leaves a big target below your bottom hand for opponents to check, but at least you’ll have the ball in your stick; keep it at full length and you may never have possession! Besides, if you cradle, scoop, pass, or catch with your stick at full length, you’re still exposing plenty of stick for opponents to check. Either way, you’re still vulnerable – so why not hold the stick so you have more control over the part that matters – the head of the stick and (hopefully) the ball!

So, why the pushback?

I don’t have an answer. Maybe it’s a macho thing; maybe it’s coaching. Junior high stubbornness. But watch a D-I game on TV, maybe even a PLL game. Yes, there are times the D-men carry the stick at full length, scoop up GBs at a full 72” – but they’re also 6’4 monsters who are the very best in the game.

Otherwise, watch as they come in off the wing on face-offs, or win a scrum in front of their goal. I’m confident that you’ll see big strong players carrying their crosses like they’re short sticks.

#2 Cut down your shafts!

You would think this would be obvious, but the reply I get when I suggest a youngster cut down his shaft is, “My parents wont’ let me.” Yes, shafts are expensive, but I’ve never heard of a youth hockey player showing up to practice (or tryouts) with a full-length stick – he’d get laughed out of the rink. And yes, hockey sticks are expensive too. And you wouldn’t see a Little League player insist on using a 32-ounce bat like the pros use. And guess what? I just Googled “baseball bats” – and they might cost more than a lacrosse or hockey stick!

Coaches, start an inventory of shorter shafts you can offer your younger defensemen; tell your ADs the improved play will be well worth the expense.

Parents, network with your other lax moms and dads and pass used equipment around – in this case shorter d-poles. You can thank me later.

Manufacturers (yeah, you!), you could help the situation if you marketed a slightly shorter d shaft for a slightly lower price. C’mon, man!

For the record, NFHS and NCAA rules say defenders’ sticks can be anywhere from 52”-72”.

I went down the “lacrosse shaft rabbit hole” and found this on www.lacrossemonkey.com:

Lacrosse Stick Length Guide & Size Chart

Adult: 42-60 inch long shaft

There is a variety of opinions about the length of which defensemen should have their defense shafts. As specified by rule, defensemen can have a stick length anywhere between 52” to 72” long. Typically the total combined length of the long pole should be the same height as the player. If the player is 5’10, then his lacrosse shaft should measure 60 inches with the addition of a 10 inch head that combines for a total of 70 inches.

Generally, the longer the shaft the more reach you will have when posting up on defense. Playing defense is a game of inches, and with a long pole you have the ability to check anyone within 6 feet of you. One inch could be the difference between a takeaway and a goal against. However, with length comes added weight to the shaft. This will make your stick checks harder and more forceful, but not as quick. Longer shafts also have the ability to throw the ball farther when clearing, but are heavily exposed to riding attackman trying to get the ball back. Ultimately, bigger/stronger players are going to want the longest shaft length possible whereas, shorter/faster players are going to want their stick to be shorter and lighter for better handling because they can cover more ground with their feet.

Long pole midfielders tend to have shorter sticks than close defensemen due to the fact that they are more involved in the possession and clearing game. Most of their game is comprised of picking up ground balls and running the ball up the field. Therefore, the shorter the stick, the easier it is to pick up ground balls and fend off opposing midfielders.

Youth: 26-60 inch long shaft

As specified by rule, youth defensemen can have a combined stick length anywhere between 37” to 72” long, but make sure they are strong enough to handle it. It’s highly recommended that the combined stick length needs to be equal to the height of the player, and never taller. If a player is struggling with his stick skills, then maybe it’s time to cut down the shaft a few inches.

Hmm. “If a player is struggling with his stick skills, then maybe it’s time to cut down the shaft a few inches”...

#3 Stress stick skills!

At our college practices, we spend time almost every day when offensive players work on feeding and shooting while defensive players do stickwork and footwork drills and, quite honestly, I don’t see why that can’t be done at modified, JV, and varsity practices, too. Repetition, repetition, repetition. The drills can vary, but the skills can’t be overdone.

Just a few months ago, I published two RTD pieces describing my favorite drills from this spring. Many of them are aimed at defensive players. Take a look back and pick out a favorite or two. They can work at tomorrow’s practice or year-round in your backyard: (17) This year’s favorite drills – Part 1 - by Dan Witmer and (17) This year’s favorite drills – Part 2 - by Dan Witmer

#4 Don’t forget the footwork!

I’m generalizing, I know, but too many young defensemen rely on their stick way too much. They don’t move their feet, and a halfway decent ball-handler or dodger can blow by them anytime they want.

Coaches, practice 1v1s using “nubs.” Have your 7^th and 8^th graders practice what we used to call NBA defense (no, that’s not an oxymoron) – have them defend a ball carrier with no stick at all. Let them keep their arms out and keep their feet moving to maintain position.

Remember this old-school go-to? Put two players butt-to-butt and place a ball at their feet; then have them battle for the ball on the whistle. This teaches boxing out, GB skills, and quickness.

It’s always been billed as “The fastest game on two feet” – make sure your defensemen can handle that!

#5 Play less zone defense!

I’m not against teaching or even using a zone defense – but don’t stop there. A 9^th grader who has only played zone D for the past two years is not going to be ready to play JV or Varsity lacrosse. You might win some modified games or maybe limit the loaded team to fewer goals by playing zone, but last I knew, the W/L results weren’t getting your team into the 7^th and 8^th grade playoffs. Modified lacrosse (or soccer, football, basketball, etc.) is about teaching.

#6 Teach clearing skills and play the NFHS rules!

Another pet peeve is watching young defensemen (and goalies) simply throw the ball into the other team’s defensive zone because they don’t know what else to do when pressured.

Teach dodges. Give your players the tools and the confidence to throw a fake and use a roll, split, or face dodge to blow by an attackman. Even – maybe especially - at the junior high level, most attackmen aren’t excellent riders.

Teach the defenders and goalie to use the extra man. When clearing, you’ve got seven, and the riding team only has six. Someone is open. Create and execute 2v1s. Don’t just tell one of your middies to run the ball out from the end line.

In the seven games I just reffed, only once did the coaches agree to use the NHS 20- and 10-count clearing rules. Granted, a few of the games were the teams’ first game of the season, but the consensus was that their players would struggle clearing the ball in 20 seconds or less. If that’s the case in Week 1 or Week 2, that’s understandable – lots of these players are playing lacrosse for the first time – but make it a goal to add the counts to your games as the season progresses. Don’t be afraid to raise the bar and challenge your squad – you’re helping your players learn the game that they’ll (hopefully) be playing for years to come.

The 20-second count gives your defenders enough time to make three, four, maybe even five passes, which should enable them to clear successfully. Is that asking too much?

But again, this all goes back to sticks and stickwork. Johnny can’t help his team clear the ball if he can’t throw and catch, and maybe he can’t throw and catch because he’s 5’2” and is playing with a six-foot pole.

In “short,” it starts with a shorter, more manageable stick. Even then, tell Johnny to choke up. When he does, he’ll find that throwing, catching, and picking up GBs will get that much easier…. Guaranteed!

My next modified game is Wednesday… stay tuned.

Thanks for reading! Please consider subscribing at roadtripdad.com to receive weekly RTD pieces via email. It’s free – really! No fine print; no catches.

Please, drive carefully, and put down that cell phone! Donate blood. Get vaccinated. Volunteer. Stay safe, stay smart, and stay kind. Help someone in need – and be sure to take care of your crew!

- Dan Witmer

daniel.witmer@oswego.edu

Dan grew up in Lynbrook, NY before coming to Oswego State to earn his teaching and coaching certifications. He then taught English at Hannibal High School for 33 years before retiring in 2015.

In 2023, he returned to the Oswego State coaching staff as an assistant coach, where he currently serves as defensive coordinator and alumni and parent liaison.

Dan and Sue Witmer live in Oswego, while their older son Brian, his wife Jane, and son Benji live outside of Prague, Czech Republic, and younger son Eric lives in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado.

The hope is for many more road trips to come.

How to Cel-le-brate (Good Times – C’mon!)

Dan Witmer — Fri, 08 May 2026 16:42:15 GMT

Like most of you, I imagine, I’ve been watching a lot of lacrosse recently. Since February I’ve been watching from the sidelines, and then watching HUDL films of our games as well as our opponents. In the past couple weeks, there have been more and more D-I games on TV – on ESPNU, the ACC Network, the Big Ten Network, and CBSSports. And, for the past week, I’ve been watching games from between the GLE to the 35-yard line, reffing six of what will be eight consecutive weekdays of modified games… with 19 games assigned so far.

So, let’s talk about team’s goal celebrations.

I tackled this topic back in 2016 – ten years ago! – when I went on a rant about “choreographed skits” performed by teammates on the sideline when their teammates scored. I tried to find a link to that June 6 RTD piece but was unsuccessful.

But now I want to draw the camera back and take a look at the wider scene – more than just the guys acting like bowling pins, weight room heroes, or a coxswain and his eight rowers.

Because it’s not just about the sideline antics – which I was surprised and disappointed to see a (meaning one) prominent D-I team display last weekend in their conference playoffs. It’s also about on the field, in the press box, and making comparisons to other sports…

Look, pro teams do some crazy stuff. The Boston Red Sox (I think) stuff the home run hitter into a shopping cart and push him down the length of the dugout. Silly, right? But remember, in what other sport does the coach/manager wear a gameday uniform just like his players? Imagine Bill Belichick, Phil Jackson, or Lindy Ruff doing that?

And somewhere, somehow, it became a thing to put a big, heavy chain around a football or baseball players’ neck if he made a big play. That’s not sports – that’s Flavor Fav.

The NFL outlawed the staged end zone celebrations, because they were getting out of hand. The NCAA, I believe, prohibited players from taking off their helmets to celebrate. Good call.

Yes, I’m biased, but you don’t see hockey players on the bench pretending to paddle a canoe after their teammate scores. Or put a chain around his neck when he comes back to the bench. Sure, many teams do silly stuff in the locker room afterwards – the Flyers award the game’s MVP with a Bernie Parent-style goalie mask, the Rangers present the Broadway Hat, the Islanders have an Iron Man helmet, and other teams use championship belts, a fireman’s helmet, a construction hard hat, etc. – but that’s done in the team’s locker room, not on the ice or on the bench. I think we can take something away from that.

Even soccer players – known for their own style of histrionics on the pitch, faking one calamitous injury after another – even they don’t put on a skit after a goal. Yes, they run away from their teammates, slide on both knees, and then get mobbed by their teammates, but then it’s over.

A recent development, stemming I believe from baseball, has players designating a “walk-up” song, or in lacrosse these days, individual “goal songs.” Yup, Aaron Judge’s is “Swag Surfin’,” and Austin Wells comes to the plate with “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin (if I knew more baseball players, I’d give more examples; they’re all listed on numerous websites). But at more and more big lacrosse games, home team goals are greeted by the scorer’s own individual song selection. When I experienced this in person for the first time last year, I was impressed. I wasn’t familiar with the team, but I quickly realized that one attackman was having a great afternoon, because I kept hearing the same song after each of his goals.

Now, I’m lucky to be able to turn my cell phone on and off, so I can’t imagine the technology and advance preparations necessary to plan for this sort of thing. I mean, how many songs do you need to have at the ready? Does every team member have his own song? Even defensemen? They might score. What about a back-up goalie? Does he get to pick his own tune, just in case? I can’t imagine asking “the starters” for their picks but not asking for “the reserves’.” With 50-man rosters, are there really 50 different songs queued up?

Still, I like the concept.

And for sportsmanship’s sake, the PA crew needs to have music for the visiting team, as well. Maybe not a complete list of 45-50 titles the team sends in advance, but at least a few different appropriate selections (when I went to the infamous NLL Wings/Swarm game in 2019, I noticed that the music played when the Wings were on offense was hard, pounding rock – Black Sabbath, AC/DC, and Metallica – but when the Swarm had the ball, the music was more Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift-ish… but it wasn’t the music that night that made headlines).

No, when I first experienced those goal songs, I saw teammates on the sideline joyously celebrating after their team scored, often dancing to the particular song blasting over the PA system, and the dances tended to vary from one song to the next.

No pantomimes. No weight benches or grenade blasts…

Just music and dancing.

“What if you did that sort of thing back in 1980? What would your goal song be?”

Funny you should ask.

At this year’s St. Baldrick’s head-shaving, fundraising event for childhood cancer research, I had the idea of adding “walk -up songs” for each shavee as he approached the stage. I asked those who were going to “Brave the Shave” to select a song to be played as he walked approached his waiting barber.

Personally, I chose the intro to Bruce Springsteen’s “10^th Avenue Freeze-Out.” Someone else selected “Peace Frog” by the Doors. Another chose Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s “Taking Care of Business.”

See? This could be fun.

Unfortunately, the request was met with an overall mild interest, and to be perfectly honest, we didn’t use them… but I still think it was a great idea and you are free to steal the idea from me if you’d like.

You see, I’d rather hear a unique 10-second blast of music than watch a bunch of athletes act like they’re playing charades.

On the field and on the sidelines, let’s keep it limited to unlimited leaping chest bumps, hip bumps, and back bumps – whatever you can manage. High fives. Low fives. Exploding fist bumps. Bring it on! Enjoy! Celebrate!

Goal-scorers – run to your teammates and if your goal was assisted, head straight for that feeder. Enjoy a group hug. You don’t have to gather right in the goal crease; you know that that’s where the defense is going to huddle up – no need to create a conflict. Just get together with your five teammates, jump up and down a few times, and then get ready for the next face-off.

Remember; rules are made because, at some point, someone crossed the line of safety, propriety, or sportsmanship.

“And what are the rules, anyway?”

OK, let’s go to the rule books.

Honestly, they appear to be pretty vague, in my opinion.

In NCAA men’s lacrosse, “excessive celebration is considered unsportsmanlike conduct under Rule 5, Section 4 of the rules book. This section prohibits players, substitutes, nonplaying members of a squad, coaches, and other officials from engaging in behavior that is deemed unsportsmanlike, including baiting, taunting, or calling undue attention to oneself.”

The NCAA men’s lacrosse rule book states: “Excessive celebration—such as prolonged, exaggerated, or inappropriate post-goal gestures – falls under this category if it is deemed to be baiting or taunting.” It goes on to say, “While the 2025–2026 Men’s Lacrosse Rules Book does not have a separate ‘celebration’ rule, the unsportsmanlike conduct section covers all forms of inappropriate conduct, including post-game or post-goal behavior that is not part of normal celebration. This is why excessive or prolonged celebrations are treated as violations. Tip for players: Keep celebrations short, respectful, and within the bounds of normal post-goal gestures. Anything that appears to provoke or distract is at risk of being called a foul.”

Hmm. “…behavior that is not part of normal celebration.”? I wouldn’t want to try to define or explain that one.

Meanwhile, the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) boys’ lacrosse rule book states, “Team celebrations should be limited in length, appropriate for an educational setting, and positive in nature.”

Here we go again… lots of hard-to-define terminology.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not taking a shot at the rules-makers. In my opinion, the onus is on the coaches. If they let it happen, it will. If they don’t let it happen, it’ll disappear.

Early this past spring, a group of our exuberant freshmen and other substitutes celebrated one of our goals with a short skit – I don’t even remember what it was, exactly. But I turned around and told them in no uncertain terms that “we don’t do that here.”

Ya know what? I don’t think they ever did anything like that again all season. Instead, they found other ways to celebrate. They jumped, they cheered, they ran up and down the sideline bumping into one another.

I don’t see middle school teams doing silly stuff on their sidelines; don’t think I’ve even seen it at a JV game. Never seen it at a PLL or international game, either. I think it’s been contained to the varsity and college levels.

So, what’s the answer?

Coaches can and should set the boundaries – because we don’t want the officials to do that. Not in this case. Imagine that Pandora’s Box opening up, with refs calling teams for excessive cellies. It’s within their right – it’s in the rule book.

But it shouldn’t have to ever come to that.

Thanks for reading! Please consider subscribing at roadtripdad.com to receive weekly RTD pieces via email. It’s free – really! No fine print; no catches.

Please, drive carefully, and put down that cell phone! Donate blood. Get vaccinated. Volunteer. Stay safe, stay smart, and stay kind. Help someone in need – and be sure to take care of your crew!

- Dan Witmer

daniel.witmer@oswego.edu

Dan grew up in Lynbrook, NY before coming to Oswego State to earn his teaching and coaching certifications. He then taught English at Hannibal High School for 33 years before retiring in 2015.

Dan is now in his 18^th year assisting Summit Lacrosse Ventures with their various tournaments, especially the annual Lake Placid Summit Classic, and he worked for 3d Lacrosse for three years as well. He has served on the staffs of the 2014 FIL World Games in Denver, the 2015 FIL Indoor Championships in Syracuse, the 2018 FIL World Games in Netanya, Israel, the 2022 U21 World Championship in Limerick, Ireland, and the World Lacrosse Championships in San Diego in 2023. He was the game ops staff director for the World Lacrosse Men’s and Women’s Box Championships in Utica in September of 2024, and he served as the field manager at the World Lacrosse Men’s U20 championships in Jeju, South Korea in 2025. In 2023, he created Witmer Solutions LLC, a lacrosse event staffing and internship offering service that he hopes will get his foot – and others’ – in the door at lacrosse events worldwide.

Dan served as the Community Service Coordinator for the Oswego State athletic department from 2010-2023 and has been a certified lacrosse referee for the past seven years. He has also been the Volunteer Event Organizer for the annual St. Baldrick’s fundraiser in Oswego for the past 18 years, raising more than one million dollars for childhood cancer research.

In 2023, he returned to the Oswego State coaching staff as an assistant coach, where he currently serves as defensive coordinator and alumni liaison.

Dan and Sue Witmer live in Oswego, while their older son Brian, his wife Jane, and son Benji live outside of Prague, Czech Republic, and younger son Eric lives in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado.

The hope is for many more road trips to come.

Top Ten Worst Reasons to Quit

Dan Witmer — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 20:25:16 GMT

Remember The Late Show with David Letterman? Arguably the best part of that program was his nightly “Top Ten” lists. With great homage and respect for my all-time favorite late-night host, here’s my own Top Ten…

Road Trip Dad’s “Top Ten Worst Reasons to Quit”:

#10 “It’s no fun.”

Hmm. It should be; make no mistake about that. Ask your friends and teammates if they’re having fun. Maybe they have a different perspective; maybe they are having fun. If that’s the case, ask yourself why you’re not enjoying the experience. My guess is that there’s more to it than that…

#9 “I’m falling behind in my schoolwork.”

Hogwash! I’ve always believed that playing a sport helps you budget your time, not cause you to lose time for schoolwork. You say that practice is every afternoon from 4-6 PM? Then I guess you can’t waste time after dinner when you get home. Or maybe use that study hall, or those two hours between classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, instead of wasting that time.

And if you don’t mind, let me ask – how much time do you spend on your phone, gaming, or swiping left on social media? Hate to say it, but I was always told, “If there’s a will, there’s a way.”

High schools and universities are filled with student-athletes who excel in the classroom and on the field. It can be done. Learn to manage your time; it’s a life skill you’ll need in the years ahead.

#8 “I want to hang out with my friends” or “My girlfriend won’t let me.”

Seriously? Friends – and maybe even girlfriends – are great, but you’ve got to make your own decisions. How awesome would it be if your friends and girlfriend came to cheer you and your teammates on? You only get to be a high school or college athlete for a few years – take advantage of the opportunity and have no regrets. If you lose a BFF or GF because of that, what kind of friend were they?

Personal note: I have HS friends and college friends who never played lacrosse. I still get together with some of them every year – 48 years since HS graduation and 44 years after graduating from SUNY Oswego. I don’t remember any of them ever trying to discourage me from playing a sport. Those are friends worth keeping!

#7 “I’m not as good as my teammates.”

Then do something about it! If it really bothers you enough to consider quitting, there’s always time to get better. Set some achievable, short-range goals, talk with your teammates and coaches, and make a plan. I’ve seen newbies become excellent players in a matter of a few short years. If you’ve played another sport well, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to transfer some of those skills or concepts to lacrosse.

In 2016 I coached a HS junior who had never played lacrosse before; he begged his coaches to teach him the game. He was an excellent baseball and hockey player. Guess what? He went on to play lacrosse at a competitive D-III college for four years (minus COVID) and now plays professional box lacrosse in Canada.

Like I said, no excuses. Do something about it.

#6 “I don’t get any playing time.”

And exactly why is that? How do your skills match up with your teammates? Do you give it your best in practice every day? What’s your Sportsmanship Score (I just made that up, but let’s make it a real thing). What kind of teammate are you? How do you think you can help your team on game day? Are you willing to fill a utility role, or do you define yourself as a takeaway defenseman, a left-handed attackman, or a man-up specialist? Consider expanding your options.

The cold hard fact is that most teams, in most close, competitive games, play an average of 21-24 players. Maybe less. Varsity teams might carry 25-30 players; college teams often have rosters of 40-50. Do the math; not everyone is going to play in every game.

Instead, if you can’t manage to get on the field on game day, maybe you can help drive a teammate to get better. Maybe you can be part of the scout team, running an opponent’s man-up offense or man-down defense. Talk to your coach; let him know you’re willing to help in any way you can. I promise you he’ll appreciate the offer and will be more likely to find a way to use you – in practices, yes, but who knows? Maybe on game day, too.

#5 “Their system doesn’t fit my style of play.”

Oh, really? And what style is that? Zone defense vs. man-to-man? Motion offense vs. individual matchups? Is your game that limited that you can’t learn to adjust? Just how much experience do you have with your style?

‘Cause guess what – if you’re going to keep playing this game (and that’s the long-range goal, right?), you’re going to have different coaches, with different ideologies and strategies, and remember – and there’s no guarantee that the college coach recruiting you now will still be at that same university for all four of your playing years. Heck, the same coach might just change his style while you’re playing for him, so why limit yourself to this style or that?

Or maybe Coach’s style is hustle, and win battles, and play with respect for the game, your opponents, and the officials. I can see where that style might not agree with some…

#4 “My club team is better, so I’ll just play there.”

And you wonder why I usually don’t like club programs? A pox on any club or travel coach who allows this to happen! Travel teams will lead to the demise of scholastic sports as we know them. Yes, the European model is different, but we’re not in Europe. American public schools offer athletic opportunities that European schools don’t. And haven’t you ever watched Hoosiers, or Remember the Titans, or even Teen Wolf? Even the Beach Boys agreed – “Be true to your school.” Your high school teammates, the kids you went to elementary school with, class trips with, and Homecoming with, those guys will be your friends for life. And your college teammates? They will be there at your wedding, kids’ birthday parties, golf outings, and funerals. I don’t think your travel teammates will be (do you even know all their first and last names?).

#3 “I’ve got to work.”

Aaagh! I hate this reason. My usual reply is, “You’ve got the rest of your life to work; you may not ever have a better opportunity to play a sport and be a part of a competitive team.”

Yes, maybe there truly is a need for some income, but I would also argue that there are part-time jobs, summer jobs, and other ways to help pay for gas and weekends. I had a morning paper route when I was a kid, and I worked in summer camps for nine years, all through high school and college.

Talk with your employer from the start – let him/her know you’re hoping to play a sport while working. If you’re up front and ask for some flexibility, you just might be surprised.

#2 “The coach doesn’t like me,” or “I don’t like the coach.”

Based on what? Does he not play you on game day? That may not mean he doesn’t like you; maybe he’s more likely to play the best players, or the ones who deserve to play on game day. Take a look in the mirror and ask yourself, “Do I deserve playing time?”

Or does he yell at you, demand more from you, day in and day out at practice? Maybe he’s trying to get a little extra from you; maybe he sees that you need to be challenged to bring out your best. You’re probably in worse shape if he never says a word to you.

Or maybe he says mean things to you, makes fun of you. If that’s the case, ask to talk to him after practice and explain how his comments bother you. He might just take your concerns to heart and change his ways – or maybe he is, in fact, an insensitive person and is not about to change. But at least give him a chance.

Which leads to you not liking the coach…

The cold-hearted truth is that you may not like everyone you encounter in this world (wouldn’t it be nice if you did!). Employers, teachers, maybe even family members – you’re probably not going to like everybody. But you’d do yourself a huge favor if you learn to work, learn, and/or live with them. It’s another life skill that will pay dividends for decades.

…and the #1 Top Ten Worst Reason to Quit is…

“I want to concentrate on another sport,” or “I’m planning on playing pro hockey.”

Huge mistake. Almost all college coaches agree – playing multiple sports makes for a better athlete. Studies show that burnout and injury are less likely. Exposure to multiple coaches and coaching styles is beneficial.

And as far as setting your sights on the pro level? Great, aim high! But the odds and numbers don’t support your chances for big-time success. Sure, CNY has sent a fair number of local players to the NHL – Erik Cole, Alex Tuch, Dustin Brown, Tim Connolly, Zach Bogosian, and others - but out how many hundreds (thousands?) of CNY youth hockey players? Basketball? Football? Soccer? I don’t know for sure, but I’m guessing those lists are even shorter.

And no one mentions this, but think of the teammates you’re missing out on. If you only play hockey, for instance, your pool of teammates is limited to those 20 guys. But if you play soccer, lacrosse, and hockey (like I did in HS), now you’ve got so many more friends, locker room laughs, relationships, and memories. Why reduce those numbers?

My collective high school teammates were Chinese, Italian, Jewish, German, Irish, Black, and Norwegian – seriously! My coaches taught social studies, chemistry, and driver’s ed. I can’t imagine what I would have missed out on if I hadn’t played all three sports.

But you go ahead and put all your eggs in that one basket. You’ll never know what you’re missing, so good luck.

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Some of these responses might be more likely to be the case on a scholastic team; others might apply more to collegiate student-athletes. Of course, every case is different, and there are always extenuating circumstances. I’m not saying it’s always wrong to quit; I’m just sharing what I think are lame reasons, based on some 44 years of coaching 68 seasons of JV, varsity, and college lacrosse, soccer, and ice hockey.

And remember; sports are indeed an Honors Program, not necessarily meant for everyone. I mean, if it was easy, everyone would do it, right?

But as a former player, parent, and coach, let me tell you – it can be one of the most rewarding experiences imaginable.

So please, think twice before choosing to step away.

Thanks to Oswego State lacrosse alums Doc Nelson ’78 and Todd Zahurak ’96 for their contributions to this piece.

And thank you for reading! Please consider subscribing at roadtripdad.com to receive weekly RTD pieces via email. It’s free – really! No fine print; no catches.

Please, drive carefully, and put down that cell phone! Donate blood. Get vaccinated. Volunteer. Stay safe, stay smart, and stay kind. Help someone in need – and be sure to take care of your crew!

- Dan Witmer

daniel.witmer@oswego.edu

Dan grew up in Lynbrook, NY before coming to Oswego State to earn his teaching and coaching certifications. He then taught English at Hannibal High School for 33 years before retiring in 2015.

In 2023, he returned to the Oswego State coaching staff as an assistant coach, where he currently serves as defensive coordinator and alumni liaison.

Dan and Sue Witmer live in Oswego, while their older son Brian, his wife Jane, and son Benji live outside of Prague, Czech Republic, and younger son Eric lives in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado.

The hope is for many more road trips to come.