So I woke up sat morning at 6 AM to get on the road and head to Ridley High school in PA for the 2nd annual Nick Colleluori tournament.  I stumbled out of bed and got on the road around 6:45 and after about 2:30 hours in my car jamming to my IPOD I was at high school.  The good thing about leaving so early was that I didnt hit any traffic, For those of you who have had the pleasure of driving on the NJ turnpike it can get pretty messy at times. 

I arrived at Ridley High school around 9:15 which gave me a couple of minutes to mozy around and see what the high school is all about and what an high school it was.  It was definitely a busy day for the High school,There was a volleyball tournament in the gym and of course the Colleluri lacrosse tournament.  I must say it was def well organized from a fans standpoint, they had signs everywhere for the bathrooms and the announcers kept the fans up to date on what was going on with the games. They had 2 fields which the teams played on,  the main stadium which I pretty much spent the whole day and the side field.  Im not sure how many more teams the school  will be able to hold next year but its for such a good cause that lets hope that more teams make it next year.
 
Organizing something like this is probably not a an easy task so my hat goes off to the whole headstrong foundation and the volunteers  for setting this up.  I have to give respect to the colleluori family for being able to do this, it must not be easy after all that they have been through.  But after seeing all the florescent shirts running around with the number 27 and relentless on the them, it may at least give them a bit of relief that Nick's name will live on.  
 
As for the games they were set up as two 25 minutes running half's with no score, I was filming and taking pictures so I really didnt get a chance to see who really won the games but thats not what the fall tournaments are all about anyway.  Its about testing your team and trying players out in different positions to see where they fit in.  In tournaments like this your D usually stands out and thats what I pretty much pay attention to anyway since Im a former D man.  There was alot of sloppy play as expected and I did see some great hits and plays on offense as well.  I had to leave right after the Headstrong presentation by Nick's Mother since I had to get back to NY and meet up with the fam for dinner so I didnt get to see the evening games.  
 
It was such a great day for me, it was perfect fall weather and the headstrong foundation had something for everyone.  one of my favorite parts about the tournament was the dunk tank, they set it up as a fundraiser and you got to shoot 5 balls at a target with a lacrosse stick.  I thought this was very cleaver and a great way to raise money.   There was also a number of different tents set up for people to browse and there was a clinic which was sponsored by the San Fransisco Dragons and an autograph session as well.
 
Hope the Colleruro family was able to raise a good amount of money and help the cause to fight & research cancer.  If your thinking on how you can to donate please check out http://headstrongfoundation.org/ which gives you an idea who Nick was and what his parents have done in honor of his name.

The Summer is over and everybody is starting to get back in the swing of things, most schools have started and that means fall ball has also started.  Something that I miss so much about college, every fall all the new players coming in and not having a clue whats gonna happen in the coming year. 

1st day of practice, players are usually excited, nervous, or just trying to get over the summer hangover.  The Veterans meeting the new players & transfers and the new players meeting the coaching staff and jumping right into something that their not accustomed to.  I remember my 1st day on campus walking through the Gym and seeing all the names of the all americans on the wall and the 2 national championship trophy's in the trophy case .  I thought to myself I was gonna play at the same school that won 2 national championships with 2 undefeated seasons in a row.  Looking at all the names of the All americans that played in the years past and mostly I remember reading the names of the players who played Defense prior to me.  I remember asking myself questions such as did I make the right decision to come to this school, am I gonna make the team, what happens if I dont make the team, if I dont make the team will I stay here.  Im sure I wasnt the only person asking these questions,  I would imagine anybody going to a new program probably is asking themselves the same questions.   It was def a rough couple of days for me. 

When your playing at the high school level your probably one of the better players on the team but when you get to college your just another player.  There are players that are so much better, faster, bigger and have a better stick  than you and some have been there a couple of years so they know the plays better than you so its up to you to make sure you work extra hard to become one of the better players.  I was blessed with good genes  and at 6'4" I was def one of the bigger guys on the fields but coming in I hadnt played structured lacrosse in 3 years so you could probably say that I was def not in playing shape.  I came into  the fall season weighing 230 pounds, I cant say I was totally out of shape, I had been lifting pretty heavy for the prior 2 years but at that time I really didnt follow a cardio regimen and that definitely hurt me in the beginning.  I had to drop about 15 pounds to get into playing shape which was not the easiest thing to do mostly in the fall. 

In the end I was able to lose the pounds and fortunate enough to make the team and play for one the best programs in the country .  The memories will last a lifetime and this is the great thing about playing sports.  Your grow a bond with your teammates that will never go away. 

In conclusion I leave you with this quote " the older I get the better I was"....