Congratulations!
* COACHELLA
Triple Threat Green
* INDIO
Team 180 - 2013
* LaQUINTA
MInnesota Storm
More details posted after we ge back to the East Coast.
We hope you had as much fun playing as we did watching!
Third Year's a Charm!
California gears up for return of prominent club
tournament
Annapolis, MD (January 12, 2010) – Sand Storm Lacrosse Festival, which made its wildly successful debut in
2008, returns to the Empire Polo Club in Palm Springs, CA this weekend. In its third year, this club lacrosse
tournament will feature 2 days of high level competition amongst a field of over
45 teams in 3 divisions competing for a championship, amidst a spectacular backdrop
of palm trees and snow-capped mountains.
Returning clubs include Triple Threat, a San Francisco-based program
directed by Noemi Hites and Dearborn David, and Denver based Team 180, directed
by Sam Bartron. Both clubs are
returning to defend their titles as divisional winners in hopes of a three-peat:
Team 180 in the JV and Middle School divisions and Triple Threat in the Varsity
division. Bartron believes Sand
Storm has established itself as the premier club tournament on the West Coast. “Sand Storm has become a staple of our
annual schedule. It is a terrific
tournament in every respect - it’s very well organized, the venue is fantastic
and the competition has been great,” Bartron said. Players, parents and coaches alike have fallen in love with
this innovative event. “Our girls
love the way the tournament is laid out. It’s so nice to have all the games being
played on one gi-normous field,” Bartron said
Organized by Synapse Sports through their brand womenslacrosse.com, Sand
Storm has seen a solid increase in teams again this year, even in light of the
current economy. “Sand Storm has
certainly exploded on the West Coast lacrosse scene very quickly. We are proud to be able to offer our
expertise to ensure that attending teams and players will enjoy a high quality,
competitive tournament experience that also offers exposure to recruiting
information and college coaches,” said Cathy Samaras, founder & CEO.
While the
bulk of teams hail from western states such as Arizona, California, Colorado,
Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington, this year several Canadian teams
will join the mix along with a contingent of East Coast athletes. Several players from the Maryland-based
club program CC LAX will be playing for Team UNO, which will also be coached by
CC LAX co-director and head coach Sue Chittim. In addition, 132 athletes from all across the country will take the field on the 5 National teams sponsored by Bounce.
Sand Storm
has been welcomed with open arms by college coaches in the West, who can scout
a large amount of talent in one location without traveling too far. More than 20 college coaches turned out
to scout for talent last year. Programs
confirmed to attend this year include Cal-Berkeley, Carthage College (WI),
Claremont Mudd-Scripps, Columbia, Connecticut College, Dartmouth, Denver,
Fresno State, Minnesota, Navy, Occidental, Oregon, Pacific, Pomona-Pitzer,
Redlands, Richmond, San Diego State, Santa Clara, SBCC, Stanford,
St. Mary's, UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis & Whittier.
An array of
additional offerings will lend to the festival atmosphere. Collegiate Compass founder Shannon Duff will
be presenting a recruiting seminar geared to helping athletes maximize their
college options, while focusing on their goals on and off the field. Utah-based retailer Tribal West will
have plenty of hot apparel and California Pro Sports will feature the latest
and greatest STX equipment. STX
Promo player Katie Chrest, the 2005 Tewaaraton Award Winner, 3 x All American
and all time leading scorer at Duke University and member of the Gold Medal US
National and 2009 World Cup team, will be conducting individual skill clinics during
the event. Sponsors include STX,
who will be providing prizes to the divisional winners and Gatorade, who
will hydrate the event with on-field product and player giveaways.
Site
Empire Polo Club
81800 Avenue 51
Indio, CA 92201
www.empirepoloevents.com
Directions from Host Hotels
(R onto Calle Tampico, R on Eisenhower Dr, R onto
Avenue 50/Mazatlan, R on Monroe, R into parking)
(R on Eisenhower, L on Avenue 50/Mazatlan, R on
Monroe, R into parking)
- From Holiday Inn Express Palm Desert :
(R on Highway 111 for 10 miles, R on Monroe for 1
mile, R into parking)
Parking
Plenty of it and right at the fields!
Sand Storm Parking is accessible from MONROE ST. (just off Avenue 50 intersection).
Look for the Lax Tournament Parking signs!
Sportsmanship
Sportsmanship RULES at womenslacrosse.com events.
Anyone
violating the good sportsmanship expected of all players, coaches, fans
and parents will be promptly presented with a Purple Card and escorted
from the venue.
Temperature during competition will be in the balmy 70’s while the
surrounding mountains are snow capped!
What’s not to love about that?!!!