Starting a post collegiate lacrosse team can be difficult. Attempts to get 20-30 guys together every weekend can be like herding cross-eyed cats. There’s really two schools of thought. Either you load up your roster so every practice and every game you’re guaranteed to have enough players for each event. Or, you have a smaller team but each person's role is amplified. Either way, it’s a lot like starting a small business with a budget, target audience, and investors. The biggest difference is after our bills are paid we blow the rest of our funding for silliness and at the bar. The overall goal is to play lacrosse and share some well earned comforts with teammates, the opponent and our supporters. This is the story of the beginning of the PDX Pirates.
Like many good ideas, this one started in the backyard amongst friends after a mens league game. We all played on the same mens league team for the past 4-5 years. However, the focus was beginning to change as team captains were pushing for younger, top level players to play in the B league. This resulted in bulking the roster to over 30 players. Playing time was scarce and the focus was on beating teams by double digits rather than boosting team camaraderie. Those of us who gave 100% both on the field and at the post game drink-up were frowned upon. Suddenly a pregame “safety meeting” and sideline beer was considered faux pas.
“You mean I can’t have this Busch lite between quarters? But I have orange slices!”
A handful of us still got together on road trips and for drink-ups with the other teams but many times, it resulted in a lack of playing time. Despite our captains best wishes, we persisted. As our road-trip shenanigans were changing from a night out on the town with the fellas to dinner at the Country Kitchen and bed by 9. Our weekends away from the WAGs were in a slump and “pirate rules” began to come into play.
A small core of us began recruiting halfway through the season. Still playing for the current team, but quietly planning for the next. Our purpose, to bring 24 friends together to play out our “glory years” with a focus towards having fun and letting the rest take care of itself. Our goal was to get one bar sponsorship to provide a drink-up location and a donation towards start-up costs and of course our sweet, sweet, post-game reward. It didn't take long before our current team had gotten word of our plans but the “suck it” sign had already been delivered. We were well on our way to developing our new team.
We wanted to test interest levels by entering ourselves into a tournament. Luckily, the “Doug Foster Memorial Tournament” was fast approaching that December. We of course, wore Pirate Themed “Ugly Sweater” box Jerseys to celebrate the holidays. Prepared with a rolling beer cooler and the occasional sidelines lounge chair, the squad of 16 quickly grew to 35 names of people that were interested in joining the Pirates. We could already tell this team was going to be different than most.
We were able to scrape enough funding together from the committed players to pay for fields and balls to hold three days of “open play”. We collected the information of those interested and compiled all 40 yd dash times, vertical leap, long jumps information to find our 25 players... Ok, admittedly I don’t think we used those specific stats but I’m sure it was scientific. For all those left over, we’ve kept in contact with for future tournaments, open play days and general recruiting for years to come. With the goal being more lacrosse for more people.
Now, who’s going to pay for our beer?
This would take some serious research but rest assured, our captains were up to the task. We drew a three mile radius around our field and plotted every low-end sports bar that could use the boost of 25-60 people coming in for the next 16 weekends. Naturally, we left no stone unturned. The end result, four “captains” with a hangover, no sponsor and a wad of crinkled $1 bills. We decided to take an even more direct approach. This time we were going during the day and we weren't going to be drunk.
Within two quick meetings we had found ourselves a sponsor bar, a small donation and one beer for every player or fan in attendance of a Pirates Game.
With our 25 committed Pirates it was time to get to know each other both on the field and at the bar. Practices were led by competitive “O” vs “D” trash talking, mini games and some good old fashioned stick work. Quickly we were figuring out who we could lean on, where our strengths were and what each individual player can bring to the team. After practice, the expectation is everyone goes and supports the bar. Often one pint leads to two, plays are drawn on napkins and jello shots are purchased in handfuls. Camaraderie was beginning to be the foundation of this team.
With our first game fast approaching it was time to make sure we kicked off the inaugural Pirates season in the most fun way possible and what’s more fun than a “Bouncy House”? Or, in this case, a bouncy pirate ship. Through networking and offering ad space via social media we were able to work with a FOPPA (Friends Of PDX Pirates Athletics) who owned a party rental warehouse. He agreed to have his staff blow up a giant “pirate ship” on our sidelines. I assure you, nothing is more intimidating to an opponent than 25 washed up lacrosse players running lines out of an inflatable Pirate Ship. By the end of the 4th we were able to lock up the win. Our spirits were high but we were not satisfied with just a win on the field. We arrived at the drink up and before the second beer was empty we were working together to line up tables in the bar. Fingers raised as we pointed at our the opposing team from across the bar and began chanting
“LET’S GO HAVE A BOAT RACE! LETS GO HAVE A BOAT RACE! OI! OI! OI! EH! OI! OI! OI! EH!”
At first, blank stares from the other side but before too long it was 3-2 Pirates going into the 6th of an eventual 13 races.
In men’s league lacrosse, especially “B” league, we most likely will never remember the score or our record from previous years. The things we will remember are a couple big plays, the friendships built and the camaraderie that’s shared from being a member of the lacrosse community. The focus of the Pirates isn't necessarily winning a championship but rather going into each game with the mindset to give maximum effort that game, that play, that moment. The rest will take care of itself. It’s been 5 years since our first game. During that time we have strengthened our relationships with businesses in the community, held our own tournaments for other teams, funded numerous scrimmages against college or masters teams, appeared in tournaments all over the west and made some pretty good friends in the process.
Follow us @pdx_pirates_lacrosse_club for our 2020 season!
A huge THANK YOU to our FOPPAs! Follow them on instagram,
Our Sponsor Bar, Deep Space Brewing! @deepspacebrew
Our handmade lacrosse goals from BlackLabel Metal! @theblacklabelmetal
Our super swaggy shorts from publicDIVISION @publicdivision
The Bounce House Pirate Ship! From PartyWorks @portlandpartyworks
A donation from Matin Real Estate @matinrealestateorwa
Photography from Josi Welter @josiwelter
