LAXFU Lacrosse News Blog

Fresh from its Casting Tour at the NCAA Lacrosse Final Four in Baltimore, the feature film Crooked Arrows will be holding auditions for lacrosse athletes in Hempstead, Long Island, Norwalk, CT, and Summit, NJ from Friday-Sunday, June 10-12.

Reebok, will once again sponsor the event, which drew over 400 lacrosse players at the Final Four Casting Tour. Producers J. Todd Harris and Mitchell Peck will be looking for lacrosse players and actors to be featured in the movie being shot this summer in the Boston area. Details are on each city’s casting event are below.

The producers announced the signing of Superman Returns star Brandon Routh to play the film’s leading role. The movie, written by Virginia native Todd Baird, tells the story of a Native American high school team’s unlikely ascent to the Prep League championship game. Veteran Hollywood director Steve Rash (The Buddy Holly Story, Can’t Buy Me Love, Bring It On 3 and 4) will helm the picture set for nationwide theatrical release during the spring of 2012 at the peak of lacrosse season.

The lacrosse drills will be run by Sports Studio’s Coach Mark Ellis. Ellis is best known for casting the athletes and choreographing the action in Miracle, Invincible, The Longest Yard, and Game Plan, among other sports movies classics.
(more…)

Patriot's Head Coach, Bill Belichick

Hopkins head coach, Dave Pietramala

Checkout the story over at Press Box Online about the relationship between Dave Pietramala and Bill Belichick.

If our moms were correct — and they always are, right? — we are often judged by who we associate with. For Dave Pietramala, that’s not a bad thing.

Hardly a day goes by that the 10-year Johns Hopkins lacrosse coach doesn’t reach out via text, phone call or e-mail to bounce thoughts and ideas off his friend. And that friend just happens to be New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

Instead of “guilt by association,” with these two it’s more like “success by association” as they have forged a friendship that spans their personal and professional lives.

Read the full story: http://www.pressboxonline.com/story.cfm?id=7663

The Wall Street Journal and Sports Business Journal are reporting that there’s a new pro lacrosse league coming on the scene: The North American Lacrosse League (NALL).

Details are limited, but it appears to be an indoor (box) lacrosse league that will serve some of the smaller markets that are not currently home to NLL franchises.  According to league officials, they believe there is an opportunity to reach new markets that the NLL (National Lacrosse League), the premier pro indoor league, does not serve. The NLL is currency’s on in seven U.S. cities.

The league is planning to start playing games in January 2012, and will consist of at seven teams with 17 players each.  Unlike the NLL, fighting would not be tolerated, and they have stated that it would look more like field lacrosse than the NLL (which some compare to hockey).   Franchises are being offered for an entrance price of $250,000.  Players would earn $100 up to $1,000 per week of play, contrasted with the NLL, where the average player earns roughly $18,000 per season.

The The rumored cities with franchises who will initiate the league include:

• Charlotte, NC
• Hershey, PA
• Lexington, KY
• Orlando, FL
• Richmond, VA
• Wilkes-Barre, PA
• New York (Brooklyn?)

Remember this video “For the Love of the Game“?  Well, this guy took it to heart.  Brookdale Community College lacrosse player Dave Zoni is living the dream held by many middle-aged former athletes who saw their careers end in their late teens. At age 37, he returned to junior college as a freshman nearly two decades after he was forced to give up the sport due to the death of his father. Now 39, he’s winding down what he says will be his final season.

Check out the video story on NJ.com >

Dave Zoni returned to the lacrosse field at age 39.

Nerd alert! Apparently some of the “indie” video game makers for Xbox Live are upset that their games were receiving “1-Star” ratings.  One of the independent game developers claims he’s traced the issue back to to the College Lacrosse 2011 Facebook page, where he feels the lax followers were instructed to rate other games lower so CL2011 would climb in the rankings.

The only statement found on there relevant to the issue seems to be this post by the game company:

Have you noticed that CL10 is rated BETTER than CL11? Help College Lacrosse 2011 become the #1 rated game by clicking here (Please remember to not rate other games low to help CL11.)

Read the full story on the ratings controversy at “The Escapist“.

The game originally debuted in 2010 with mixed reviews, although it was for sale for a mere $5 on Xbox 360′s Indie Game Channel.  Since then, the fan base has grown and College Lacrosse 2011 was released earlier this year with significant improvements.  A video game featuring the National Lacrosse League (NLL) was also released in 2010.

VAN NUYS, Calif. – Easton Lacrosse released “Wall Ball,” a video featuring national lacrosse stars Casey Powell and Brett Queener. Using the new Easton Launch head and Scandium shaft, Powell and Queener put their ball skills on display at home and on the streets of New York.

Easton Lacrosse fans are encouraged to “Find Their Wall,” by submitting their own “wall ball” videos to Facebook and be entered to win an Easton Lacrosse stick.

“This short film really allows Casey and Brett’s personality and skills to shine and shows how they live and breathe lacrosse each and every day,” said Doug Appleton, General Manager of Easton Lacrosse. “The combination of fun, competition and passion for the game featured in ‘Wall Ball’ truly represents Easton Sports and the lacrosse brand.”

–

About Easton Sports
Easton-Bell Sports, Inc. is a leading designer, developer and marketer of innovative sports equipment, protective products and related accessories. The company markets and licenses products under such well-known brands as Easton, Bell, Riddell, Giro and Blackburn. Easton Sports is division of Easton-Bell Sports with products in hockey, baseball, softball, lacrosse and cycling equipment for both sports professionals and enthusiasts. Headquartered in Van Nuys, Calif., Easton-Bell Sports employs over 1,200 people worldwide and maintains facilities in Utah, California, Mexico, Canada and Asia. For further information on Easton Lacrosse, please visit the company online at www.eastonlacrosse.com.