Pops Pint: Its about friendship
Technology kick-started my club lacrosse journey, where I developed lifetime friendships that will live beyond the field. My college football career ended in 2003, and I found myself without an anchor (sports) that grounded me in childhood, adolescents, and into the first years of adulthood. Sport was a part of my DNA. Giving it up wasn't an option.
The idea of playing two sports (lacrosse and football) in college constantly entered my mind. Hell, it would have been a long shot to make the college lacrosse team, but the idea of trying to walk on nagged me. The other part of me just wanted to be a regular college student during the spring semesters. Inevitably I opted for football only for a few reasons; fraternity life, semester abroad, college athlete fatigue, and knowing club lacrosse existed. Football after college did not.
I discovered club lacrosse through the lax hounds on my HS team. They had been playing since childhood, whereas I started my Sophomore year. They recruited me to sit in front of the crease and crash on anyone who crossed. To their surprise and mine, I got bit by the lacrosse bug and was addicted. I found myself playing every moment I could get. When winter arrived, I began playing box at Rizzo Rink under I95, playing with a broad spectrum of talent and ages. Invites to summer tournaments came as my skills improved. Bump and Grind Philadelphia is where I saw the "Masters" division for the first time. Fifty-year-olds were trying to get their run and whip a BTB. Club made sense once my college football days ended. Now I just needed to find a team.
Departing Philadelphia for New York after college graduation left me without a lacrosse network. When I settled at my job, I began searching the web for any open leagues in the city. Facebook didn't exist yet, so that wasn't an option. Eventually, I found a site called "Meetup" with a few guys looking to run at central park. Safe to say there were more GB's than passes, but beggars can't be choosers. You had to understand in 2004, NYC didn't have a lot to offer. At least anything that I could find on the internet. After a few months of crazy onlookers in central park, we finally reserved a practice bubble in Ho Hokus, NJ weeknights for open run. It's bonkers just typing it up now. Someone would rent a white van, send out a thread to a group of random lacrosse players in manhattan and drive out with eight guys in tow, hoping word of mouth would spread to other players. Slowly, the quality of lacrosse improved.
Two years later, Stevens Tech in Hoboken began running a summer league. We threw together a make-shift team with about half of the guys being unable to catch and throw. We got smoked, but I was finally playing against better talent. As luck would have it, one game I played against a middie from Villanova (CJ Greene) who was a teammate at Bump and Grind seven years back. He invited me out to the Glastonbury tournament, opening a new door in my lacrosse journey.
The Glastonbury squad was full of talent, and I was out of my element. I would politely take a step back, allowing the next pole to take the run when I was up in the box. I remember hearing… "We didn't invite you here to ride the pine." After that, I got an invite to Miami. The lacrosse was bonkers, and the team was stacked with national players and current box pros. Next lesson in club lax: with talent, comes ego. The squabbling about run began to stand out so I stepped out.
Fast forward through a decade of Salt Shakerz Lacrosse (@laxoften)
New Port, Tahoe, Vail, Ocean City, Prague, Randal's Island, Miami, Vegas, San Diego, New Orleans. Insane memories with an epic group of friends. Spicey Pete dominating Miami. Crushing Buble with Jakey. The bro circle! Getting hijacked in OCMD by some family friends for an epic game of shuffleboard. Mojitos at a Tahoe Village resort. Epic black jack runs in Vegas where we almost missed our flight. We left a hot table. Never leave a hot table. That poor UVA club lacrosse team.
In 2021 the tournaments are rare, run is limited, but the friendships remain. With three little ones and life in the burbs, my lacrosse reality has changed. Work and family with an occasional workout dominate the routine. I miss the boys and the sideline chatter. I miss GOAT happy hours with sharp horns pillaging NYC. I resorted back to technology to help bridge the gap until the tournaments are back in reach.
I am in media tech for a living, exploring new trends and solutions in national news. The mainstream has adopted podcasts over the last five years. The ability to create, produce, and monetize is surprisingly easy. An idea sprouted as a creative exercise to learn podcasting software, execute one a week with a friend, and find an easy topic. The result is Pops Pint, two friends talking about fatherhood over a beer. Easy to procrastinate a text. Harder to ignore a podcast invite. So do me a favor, grab headphones, crack a beer, sit back, hit play on Pops Pint, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts as I discuss "City living during Covid" with my friend, Mr. CJ Greene.
www.popspint.com