Featured Player

Granite Bay High School basketball player and first year Laxer, Laura Preston, hit more than just net at last night's "Hoops for Haiti" game. Preston, along with her teammates, coach and outstanding community support, helped to raise about $2500.00 for earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. Know and outstanding student-athlete, nominate them for the "Featured Player" section on this blog.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Lax of Love!

Local Lacrosse team adopts teammate with cancer. See their story below.

Kristin -- This is for your team...Can you forward?
Thank you for organizing the visit!!

***********

Granite Bay HS Women's La Crosse --


Wow! Thank you all for coming to the hospital on Tuesday! You were a great bunch! Having 20 people in the hospital could be chaotic – but it wasn’t at all! As I said on Annina’s CaringBridge web page, having you visit was like the beginning of our “end of chemo celebration!” LAST CHEMO this Saturday (and out on Tues)!! Whooohooooo!!

Before we even left the hospital, Annina looked at all things you brought – and started munching on the Rice Krispie treats! Your La Crosse ball is pretty cool! I’ve never seen one! We can tell you all have fun together – It was fun just to look at your photo! As soon as we got home on Tuesday, Annina put on her new GB shirt (fit perfectly), and ate the goodies that weren’t chocolate! (She WILL eat the chocolate treats after chemo next week!) Yes, she will be attending GB High even though we are just outside the boundaries!


I know it isn’t easy going to visit someone very sick (actually, Annina is not soooo sick any more since we are just about done with chemo)! We feel the same sadness when we are with other families in our situation – or read their CaringBridge pages. But, we all have our crosses to bear in this lifetime. You just keep moving forward, taking one day at a time, and learning what you can. Several times in my journal entries on CaringBridge I relay that Annina does not regret getting cancer – She would still say that now – despite what she has been through. It has opened up her eyes to many things – including what many kids regrettably experience. I’ve read about many others who share these sentiments – so it’s not totally unusual. Sounds strange, huh!

Here are a few links for you:

www.caringbridge.org/visit/anninahanlon - You probably already have this one. This is where I keep a journal of what is happening with Annina. It’s the only way I can keep everyone up to date! You can also post a message in the Guestbook. (Page, thanks for signing the Guestbook – I didn’t have your email to respond!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBjCM_YqZXw – This is Annina speaking for her orchestra’s fundraiser for the Sarcoma Foundation of America – She talks about her experience, and explains more about osteosarcoma and research (or lack thereof) for rare and pediatric cancers.

www.kidsarestars.com – Annina’s artwork is on greeting cards – Just search for the fundraiser for the Sarcoma Foundation of America. Other kids can add their artwork too. I am trying to get her peace sign design on t-shirts. Haven’t had time to finish that project yet!

www.walknrock.org – Walk 'n Rock for Kids -- This is the 5K walk I mentioned as you were leaving – May 30th. Should be a lot of fun -- music along the route, entertainment, activities, food, etc.! (Separate concert that night.) There are several Sacramento charities benefiting from this huge fundraiser. We will be walking for Okizu, which is a camp offered free of charge to kids with cancer and their siblings (and weekend family camps). www.okizu.org If you would like to join our team to raise money for Okizu, register online -- our team name is “Footprints for Okizu.” Or form your own team and raise money for one of the designated non-profits! (I think I have some forms, if you prefer to register that way!) Annina will have quite a bit of rehab to do before May 30th!! Shooting to be able to walk one mile by the end of March! Yikes!

www.curesarcoma.org – Good information about Sarcomas -- Sarcomas (cancers of the connective tissues) are often misdiagnosed – and sometimes thought to be just sports injuries.


http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_1_6X_Managing_Side_Effects.asp --- Describes what we were talking about -- how chemo kills fast growing cells -- both cancerous AND normal -- which is why your hair falls out and you can get mouth sores, among other things!

Thanks again for coming to visit! See you soon!


Roma

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

CIF and Club Post-Season Playday

Hey fellow lax fanatics,

I am the Head Women's Lacrosse Coach at Granite Bay HS.

Since there is interest on both ends for a post-season playday, here is the proposed idea, as signed off on by the CIF.

May 8th - CIF "Invitational Playday Playoff"

May 9th - Club "Invitational Playday Playoff"


CIF teams have the chance to participate in both days IF, they register as a "club team," having no CIF- High School team affiliation for the May 9th playday. That means private insurance in addition to US LACROSSE memberships too!

How do these dates fair with your players? We'd like to get on the books to reseve the Granite Bay fields.

Please respond with your team status and date/s interested in participating.

Cost will depend on the number of interested teams, but will likely run between $200 - $350 per team. Please forward along to other teams who may be interested.

(Each team will be guaranteed 2 - 3 games @ 25mins each. Depending on those records, the top teams will advance into round-robin, single elimination play. There will be trophies handed out to the top 2 teams both days.)

Thanks and see you on the field!

Kristin Marshall
Head Coach, Granite Bay HS
410-206-6003

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Banged up and blacked out...but worth it!

This weekend's Santa Barbara Shootout was a huge success. Teams from all over the country, rostering players from all over the world, laced up their cleats to hit the grass, or in some cases, the dirt; Lisa Vogeley, Lauren Uhr and I should know.

Team Baylax, a medley of players from the Sac and Bay areas, sent a top-notch team to the sunny, coastal tournament, proving age doesn't discriminate when it comes to lacrosse. Baylax left the 2-day tourney with a perfect 4 for 4 record, some incriminating dance photos and a few bumps and bruises - to put it mildly.

Attacker Jenny Trang, suffered one of the weirdest injuries I've ever seen...a pulled muscle on the top of her foot. Uhhh yeah. Sounds odd - you should have seen it! Perhaps paparazzi, slash laxer, Cynthia Nguyen snapped a photo????

But I wish the video cam was rolling when Lisa "ate dirt", for oh the 12th time, particularly, the spill in which her feet went up over her head. The 6'4" "Lawong" Islander brushed herself off, raddling off revenge to the intruder, who failed to take credit for the monster take-down. But her bark is bigger than her bite. Maybe it's the diamond-studded tooth or 10-lb bouffant that sits atop her head that gives her away.

Tomo, the Japanese rockstar who refuses to devulge her age, is just the opposite. About 80 lbs wet, Tomo-the-Brut can barrel through any defender and take 'em down in the process. After notching her 5th or 6th goal of the game, she retires to her "Hello Kitty" ground mat for a dry seat and some agua refreshment. I must say, her "Engwish' is improving!

Speaking of refreshing, Lauren Uhr is one of those players you thank GOD for putting on YOUR team. Ripping it off the draw or blasting it past the Keeper's stick, the St. Mary's Head Coach dominated the midfield and basically anyone who crossed it. It was funny to hear her former players, now members of Baylax, still call her "Coach." Pj, Hil and Lisa - no such thing as the 24-hour rule anymore - thankfully. Any advice for Baylax young'n Kalya Berrios as she makes her way to St. Mary's lacrosse next year?

Middle-aged players, and by middle-aged I mean 20-somethings, Dearborn, Pj, Noemi and Hilary; They not only rocked it on the field and in the cage, but ow-ow, you should see them slam the Sake Bombs and hit the pop-n-locks on the dance floor.

Seasoned laxer and fellow Marylander Kim Allen rounded out the stellar defense. I doubt the college teams we played, knew they were getting stuffed by someone over the age of 30. Sorry for calling you out Kim - but it's ok because you like you're 22.

I'm about to kiss my 20's goodbye in 2 weeks, but my 'ole body gave out Saturday after someone sent me flying into the cement - aka lacrosse field. This has to be the worst fall of my 11-year lacrosse career. Concussion - check, whiplash - check, busted knee - check, roadrash and brusing - check, check. It was a fun 5 hours in the E-R Monday morning. Thanks honey.

Can't wait for the next one! Who's in?

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Youth/Club Play Day

Youth/Club Play Day Event info:

http://www.ncjla.org/Page.asp?n=35087&snid=307145091&org=ncjla.org

NCJLA Girl's Season Kick off Play Day & Ref Training
March 6th and & 7th, 9AM-5PM, Treasure Island (Mid-Span Bay Bridge)

What Is It?
In order to kick off the 2010 Lacrosse Season and train our referees at the same time, the NCJLA is hosting a Girl's Play Day.

Where is it?
The play day will be hosted by the NCJLA on the grass fields at Treasure Island. We will have 5 full fields lined for girls lacrosse. This is a great site with all-weather grass fields.

What can the teams expect?
U-11 and U-13 will play on Saturday while U-15 and HS will play on Sunday. Your teams can expect a minimum of 5 games full field games, 20 minutes (running clock) each (based on 70% of teams signing up), with the last game of the day being a "funky dress" game.

There will be games, raffels, and other activities for the girls to do in between games.

Teams can also sign up for fundraising opportunities (selling water, cookies, etc.)

*Vendors and Sponsors to be announced later

What is the cost?
Early Registration, February 1-21, 2010:
$180 U-11 through U-15
$200 HS (to help offset extra ref costs)

Late Registration, After February 21:
Add $50

*Costs cover field rentals, lining, Ref training fees, Medical Trainer fees, and staffing for the play day.

Where do I register?

Register for your teams by clicking on the "Team Registration" buttong under "NCJLA Home".

Or click here:

www.ncjla.org/Registration/TeamRegList.asp


Questions?
Don't hesitate to e-mail or call Kristine Wollam
415-418-8025
girlsdirector@ncjla.org

Youth/Club Stats

Check the link below throughout the season to get the latest stats/standings for HS girls club lacrosse.

www.laxpower.com/update10/bingrl/rating06.php

HS Preseason Outlook

(PER westsidelax.com)

CIF-SAC-JOAQUIN SECTION GIRLS

The Team to Beat: Oak Ridge

After splitting the Sacramento Valley Lacrosse Conference title with St. Francis last season, the Trojans are stacked and ready to win one for themselves. Oak Ridge graduated six seniors, including its top scorer and standout goalie. But it still has a lot coming back.

The Trojans return two 60-goal scorers, three first-team All-Conference players and two team captains. Junior attack-middie Danielle Trapani and senior attack-middie Kristina Reyes will give Oak Ridge quite a one-two punch on offense.

Trapani scored 63 goals during her sophomore season, and Reyes, a returning captain, scored 62 last year. Both were first-team, All-Conference selections, as was returning captain and senior defender Carmen Gaddini. Also on the defensive end, Oak Ridge welcomes back senior defender-middie Leanne Aroyan, the younger sister of graduated Oak Ridge star Cassie Aroyan.

Contenders: St. Francis

The Troubadours return one superstar, and she will be pressed to rally the troops in a big way. George Washington-bound senior middie Samantha Bauer will be the unquestioned leader of a program in transition. St. Francis graduated nine seniors, including four first-team All-Conference players, and the program also lost head coach Kristy Wilson, who stepped down in December.

Offensively, aside from Bauer, St. Francis will need senior attackers Rachel Reed and Elizabeth Brown to step up their game. Reed and Brown combined to score 30 goals and dish 26 assists last season. Defensively, senior middie Gabrielle Desgeorges picked up 32 ground balls last season, which tied Bauer for third on the club.

Sleeper: Bella Vista

The Broncos look like they could take a step forward this season after graduating just five seniors from their 2009 team. Bella Vista returns seven starters, including two first-team All-Conference players in junior attack Missy Fackler and senior middie Shannon Keene. The Broncos will also look for big contributions from senior defender-middie Aleah Lawson, senior attack-middie Imani Russell, sophomore middie Cheyenne Frost and junior defender Natasha Taylor.

NCAA Division I Recruits: Samantha Bauer, MF, St. Francis (George Washington).

Bauer is a strong two-way player who is a threat to score and set up goals on offense and can do the job on defense. Last season, she finished with 38 points on 26 goals and 12 assists, making her the second-leading point producer on the team. Defensively, she picked up 32 ground balls, tied for third highest on the squad.

Other Top Players: Leanne Aroyan, Def.-MF, Oak Ridge; Elizabeth Brown, Att., St. Francis; Gabrielle Desgeorges, MF, St. Francis; Missy Fackler, Att., Bella Visa; Cheyenne Frost, MF, Bella Vista; Carmen Gaddini, Def., Oak Ridge; Becca Gandler, Att.-Def., Granite Bay; Shannon Keene, MF, Bella Vista; Aleah Lawson, Def.-MF, Bella Vista; Rachel Reed, Att., St. Francis, Imani Russell, Att.-MF Bella Vista; Kristina Reyes, Att.-MF, Oak Ridge; Natasha Taylor, Def., Bella Vista; Shelby Tooley, Att.-MF, Granite Bay; Danielle Trapani, Att.-MF, Oak Ridge.

Preseason Top 5: 1. Oak Ridge, 2. St. Francis, 3. Bella Vista, 4. Granite Bay, 5. Christian Brothers.

Notes: Granite Bay won just one game and finished last in the league last season, but it should be better this year after graduating just four seniors. A lot will depend on who comes back for the Grizzlies, but two of the team’s top scorers last year were underclassmen. Junior attack-middie Shelby Tooley scored a team-high 26 goals, and senior attack-defender Becca Gandler had 17 goals, good for third on the club.

High School Regional Stats/Standings

Check out http://www.laxpower.com/update10/bingrl/rating05.php throughout the season for HS regional girls' stats and standings.

High School Teams/Contacts

(Please leave any missing information in comment box below)

1.) Granite Bay HS (Granite BAy, CA) http://gbhslacrosse.org - Kristin Marshall (HC) kmarsh30@hotmail.com Kait Brzozoski (AC)

2.) Tam HS (Mill Valley, CA)- tamdistrict.schoolwires.net/1711209210354167/blank/browse.asp?A=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&C=57516 Christina Samala (HC) c.samala@gmail.com

3.) St. Francis HS (Sacramento, CA) www.stfrancishs.org/athletics/lacrosse.html Dara Lundregan djlundregan@gmail.com

4.) Oak Ridge HS (El Dorado Hills, CA) www.oakridgelacrosse.org

5.) Christian Brothers HS (Sacramento, CA) www.cbhs-sacramento.org/home

6.) Clayton Valley HS (Concord, CA)www.eteamz.com/CVHSLacrosse/index.cfm
Coaches: Allen Raymond, Andrew Jackman, Kelsey Piper and Chuck Blankenship

7.) Bella Vista HS (Fair Oaks, CA) www.sanjuan.edu/BellaVista.cfm

8.) Ursuline HS (Santa Rosa)www.ursulinehs.org/news/sports_updates/sports_scores.asp?team=70

9.) Sonoma Academy HS (Santa Rosa, CA) www.sonomaacademy.org/athletics/about-sa-athletics/index.aspx Lynn Ritzman (HC)

10.)Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, CA) www.bishopodowd.org/s/770/sub_level3.aspx?sid=770&gid=1&pgid=591 Jennifer Carlisle (HC)

11.)Rewood HS (Larpsur, CA)redwoodathletics.olinesports.com Elizabeth Teasdale (HC)