(January 29, 2021)… This weekend, a full slate of US Box Lacrosse Association (USBOXLA) certified tournaments will take place across the country, with events scheduled in Utah, Wisconsin and Kentucky.
"We're lucky we're playing box lacrosse," said PJ Martin, the state director for boys and girls for True Utah. "We have a tournament. It's going, and there are more teams than our True Utah teams, so we are excited about it. It's also an excellent time of year to visit Utah."
The trio of tournaments kicks off Saturday with the two-day Wasatch Winter Invitational in Draper, Utah. The tourney, hosted by True Lacrosse Utah, includes Pee Wee, Bantam, Midget and High School Elite Divisions. The premier box lacrosse tournament in the state enters its fourth year.
"It has a been a staple for box lacrosse in Utah," said Martin. "We draw on a lot of teams from the Mountain West region. This is something we use as a home finale for our winter box season, and it has been a great event for all age groups."
This year's tournament features 23 clubs from various areas in the Western states. The event is run by US Lax Events.
"The facility is great because you step outside, and you are seeing the Wasatch mountains," said Henry Sitkiewicz, business director for US Lax Events. "You are in a valley and looking at these peaks."
The tournament is significant because of COVID-imposed restrictions that most communities are abiding by these days.
"An event like this is fun," added Sitkiewicz. "It's a great outlet for kids to expend some energy and release that physical, emotional and mental feeling to just be kids again."
US Lax Events will manage a second box tournament this weekend in Wisconsin. The fifth annual Good Land Box Invitational runs from Saturday, Jan. 30 to Sunday, Jan. 31 and features the top programs from all over the Midwest, including True Minnesota and Alpha Lacrosse.
Players at grades 5/6, 7/8, Junior Varsity and High School B and High School A levels will play for USBOXLA Gold. The event returns to Milwaukee to the two-pad Midwest Orthopedic Sports Complex. The sold-out tournament includes 21 teams from states like Minnesota, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan.
The clubs will compete in a full-style box tournament. Like the Wasatch Winter Invitational, the games will be played under USBOXLA rules and with USBOXLA-certified referees. Teams are guaranteed four games and will compete in a championship-style format.
The final tournament is the Louisville Box Classic, set for Saturday through Sunday at the four-pad King Louie's Sports Complex. The 42-team event, hosted by L4 Lacrosse, features teams competing at the Novice, Pee Wee, Bantam, Midget, High School Elite B and High School Elite A levels. The two-day tourney is unique as it will be held primarily outdoors, with box fields set up on football fields.
The largest tournament of the weekend features top club programs like tournament hosts L4 Lacrosse, along with Resolute (Columbus), Juiced Cherries (Michigan), 7 Flames Lacrosse (Georgia), Team Illinois Beast Ave, Doughboys Illinois and Project Missouri. Now in its second year, the event has grown exponentially from 13 teams to 42 teams.
"We have a great turn out, and we are excited about it," said Dylan Gatt, co-owner and director of L4 Lacrosse. "It has expanded quite a bit and we took it upon ourselves to stay at our home base at King Louie’s Sports Complex and invest in these two amazing sets of the boards. We were able to expand the event and it’s going to be awesome.”
All three events this weekend are following facility, county and state guidelines.
More information on the Tournaments
Wasatch Winter Invitational - www.uslaxevents.com/wasatch
The Goodland Box Invitational - www.uslaxevents.com/thegoodland
Louisville Box Classic - www.l4lacrosse.com/louisville-box-classic-1
About USBOXLA
The US Box Lacrosse Association (USBOXLA) is the country’s largest and most recognized box-specific governing body operating today. USBOXLA is a 501(c)3 charitable corporation whose mission is to develop and promote box lacrosse in the United States through a unified organization that provides high-value services, programs, and benefits to its members. Founded in 2010 by the current University of Denver Associate Head Coach, Matt Brown, and former National Lacrosse League player, Shaydon Santos, USBOXLA has grown from a small regional association to one that presently serves in excess of 23,000 individual members all over the US, all playing box lacrosse the right way.
