LaxMuse Blog

The Intern Challenge - Final Check-In

Aron — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:13:58 +0000

The week with my stick wrapped up pretty well. Definitely got my fair share of weird looks and questions, so I had to come up with a couple excuses for why I was carrying it around. A few of my favorite included “National Bring your Stick to School Day”, “found it on the ground” and “you can never be too prepared”. Speaking of being prepared, I did feel a little bit better about having it as a 350 pound guy dressed in chains and back-length blonde hair approached me in one of the sketchier areas around the U at night. Turns out he just wanted to say lacrosse is a great sport, guess the “don’t judge a book by its cover” held true in this situation.

Last night my stick saw one of the more interesting places it’s been this week. I went to Mesa Pizza in Dinkytown, and for those who don’t know what Mesa is all about, this place is ridiculous. I had chicken penne alfredo and spicy quesadilla pizza, and the people I was with had chili cheese fry and mac-n-cheese pizza. If you haven’t experienced this place yet, definitely check it out.

It was definitely an interesting week having to bring my stick with me everywhere, although I got some weird looks, it was also a great icebreaker. Maybe we should make National Bring your Stick to School day a reality.

Mid-Week Intern Challenge Check-In

Aron — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:06:53 +0000

Halfway done with the week and my stick and I have seen a couple interesting things. We saw heartbreak at it’s finest as Grankowski came up a few feet short, took a math test, and made it to the grocery store. Definitely have been getting a few weird looks in class and walking around campus, but not too many people have asked me what I was doing, by the last day they may start to wonder though. It has at least started up a few conversations. While on the bus a hockey dad asked me about it and I ended up learning that the Lake Elmo Inn caters for every U of M sports team except baseball. Who knew?

This has definitely been a challenge. Some places, like Best Buy, I don’t think have ever seen a lacross stick come though their doors. I’m sure the Green Party Caucus tonight will be similarly surprised when I come in. For the next couple of days I may need to start bringing a lacrosse ball around to work on my split dodges in the hallway. It’s all about getting better and it’s obviously working for Brantford Winstonworth.

The Intern Challenge

Aron — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:26:39 +0000

This morning when walking into the office I was approached by Jesse in a very Mission Impossible-esque fashion giving me my first challenge. For the next seven days anywhere I go, my stick goes: English class, Super Bowl parties, family dinners, the bus. Every. Where. Part of the challenge is when people ask me what exactly I’m doing I can’t tell them about the mission. I’m sure I’ll be getting more than one strange look throughout the week.

Hopefully not every one of the 50,000 people at the U will mange to see me in the next seven days and write me off as that weird kid with a lax stick. Coming with the twig to do calculus definitely will raise some questions, which I won’t be able to answer as a part of the challenge. After one day people probably won’t think too much of it, but every single class? Definitely going to be in for an interesting week.

Climbing Camp

Jesse — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:36:26 +0000

During my recent trip to East Africa, I traveled to Tanzania to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and to Kenya to see various parts of the country. My great friend, Grant Griebenow and myself joined forces in Nairobi, late on a Sunday with our friend, Porter Nellans, who is currently living in Kenya as a Peace Corps Volunteer. We arrived at the hotel for about one hour of packing and two hours of sleep. From there, we were picked up in the middle of the night to depart on a six hour drive to Arusha, Tanzania. Outside a small bed and breakfast, I was greeted with a welcoming handshake and an outstanding smile.

The handshake and smile belonged to a man named Baraka. Along with Phillip, Baraka would be our guide to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. These introductions marked the start of a journey that reminded me a lot about what we do at Homegrown Lacrosse. Yes, one of our main goals is to develop individuals’ lacrosse ability, but we also provide experiences. That is what this adventure was, an experience. My time with our fearless leaders and my time on the mountain seemed similar to our camps, but I also came away with ideas on how to make our camps a greater experience for the kids that we work with.

Just like our camps, from day one on the expedition, our leaders started with ground rules and started speaking to us with specific terms that we weren’t sure we knew the definition for.

University of Minnesota vs. Marquette University

Jesse — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 00:46:11 +0000

Success in Duluth

Jesse — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 02:03:27 +0000

We had a nice, three hour block of time to reflect on our time in Duluth, during the long, yet scenic drive South back to the cities. I thought about the energy the students brought to each Phy. Ed. class as well as the intensity the kids brought to the clinics on Wednesday and Thursday evening. I told them that organized, youth lacrosse in the area is not too far off from being a noteworthy program in our state. From there, they will move on to the existing Duluth-Superior High School squad.

The area is in good shape to grow lacrosse. With the UMD Bulldogs just down the road and loads of excitement surrounding the sport from parents and kids, lacrosse is soon to be a staple in the Duluth area. We also owe a huge thank you to Duluth Public School's Physical Education Department and their staff. All of the teachers couldn't have been more supportive. Moreover, they fancy a plethora of extracurricular activities for their students that positively impact their health.

We're Moving in Duluth

Jesse — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 02:07:40 +0000

We've been in Duluth for three days now. Very similar to any trip, you never have enough time to do absolutely everything you want to. Our three days have included 28 classes, at an average of about 25 students per class, which puts a lacrosse stick in the hands of about 700 individuals. We also held a free clinic this evening at the YMCA for any young person in Duluth, interested in learning more about the sport. In addition to the kids who came out to the clinic, there were about 12 high school players from the Duluth Superior squad, along with their two coaches.

The kids loved the clinic and the fact that the high school players were there to assist. I have found that looking at a lacrosse program as a complete organization from the high school team to the youth players proves to be a successful model. Not only do the high school players benefit from coaching, the youth players have something to strive for, right in front of them. Additionally, it facilitates a sense of community as well as a unified goal.

Day One in Duluth

Jesse — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 02:13:11 +0000

Today's classes were similar to day one of any Phy. Ed. unit but as always, they possessed a unique routine. I worked at Lowell Music Magnet Elementary School with Mrs. Bergerson and her student teacher, Mr. S. Chaun taught at Lincoln Piedmont and from what I hear, the kids loved it.

Assisting me, was Alex McNamara, a junior attackmen on the UMD squad. In 2008, Mac worked as an LDP counselor at the first ever Homegrown Summer Camp I ever worked. In 2009 and 2010, I played against Mac, two times each year. Today, we were working to introduce our sport to the students in Duluth, with the goal of facilitating the continued growth of lacrosse in the area.

Day one is always interesting. Some of the kids are intently focused on observing every detail of the introduction, while the rest of the kids can barely sit still, impatiently waiting to get their hands on a lacrosse stick.

Either way, our sport is growing with the one by one accumulation of ambassadors to the sport. For every student who has a great experience with lacrosse (especially for the first time), we've developed a constituency who will positively advocate for the sport.

Duluth Arrival

Jesse — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 03:34:31 +0000

The drive into Duluth is always interesting. With a lot to look at, it is easy to lose track of your speed when descending down to the harbor's level.

Nonetheless, the city has an intruiging persona, with the endless outdoor recreational activities and unique establishments plotted around the city.

Getting settled into the hotel room is not unlike when we would first arrive at the hotels for trips in college. Our gear is spread out all over the room, television instantly on and an anticipation for what tomorrow's game will bring is present. In this case, we're looking forward to meeting the students and the teachers for a day filled Phy. Ed. Lacrosse.

Changing Face for Homegrown Lacrosse

Aron — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:21:42 +0000

The face of Lacrosse in Minnesota has changed a lot since 2003 when Homegrown Lacrosse began. And Homegrown Lacrosse has grown right along side the sport.

So much so that it was time for a new website. And we agree, it was about time to take it to the next level.

The website that was created in my dorm room at Whittier College back in 2004 by Aaron Jaffe (Div III, All-American) no longer could meet the needs of our programming and leagues.

So after nearly a year of planning and nearly three months of development, I am proud to announce the launch of the new Homegrown Lacrosse website – www.homegrownlacrosse.org.