Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. The U.S. men's team tryouts have begun at Tierney Field at US Lacrosse Headquarters. Coach John Danowski's message to the 71 players: "be yourself." Tryouts continue with morning and evening sessions today.
2. Know your foe: England, or more specifically, Megan Whittle. The three-time IWLCA All-American attacker at Maryland will suit up for Team England as the FIL World Cup gets underway this week. "Give and Go" caught up with the self-described cheetah.
3. Colombia will become the first South American country to compete in the World Cup when it begins play in England this week. Coach Peri West is accustomed to building programs, having launched news teams at Hendrix College in Arkansas in 2013 and Mount Ida College in Massachusetts in 2010.
4. If you missed it over the weekend, Team USA's Megan Douty checked in with an entry of "Mission Log," the U.S. team's player blog from its trip to England for the FIL World Cup and to Poland for the International World Games. It's tough to tell who was most excited about the trip to the Harry Potter set.
5. The Baltimore Sun profiles Team USA veteran Kelly Rabil, who never wanted to look too far ahead in her quest to return to another World Cup.
6. More on the U.S. men's team tryouts, as Inside Lacrosse projects which players will advance to the next round.
WHAT WE’RE READING
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Grab another cup of coffee and enjoy The St. Augustine (Fla.) Record's feature on 18-year-old Ben Wiegel, who will travel to southwestern South Dakota next week to conduct a lacrosse camp in memory of his friend, Koby Stevens. The latter, conflicted with depression, committed suicide two years ago, and Wiegel's clinic for the Lakota tribe on the Pine Ridge Native American Reservation will attempt to encourage participation in the sport in an area plagued by teen suicide.
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BBC profiles some of Team England's World Cup players and looks at the state of lacrosse in the U.K. in advance of the FIL World Cup, opening ceremonies of which are tomorrow.
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If you're inclined to provide some personal information for a free four-week trial to Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal, you can read how lacrosse franchises are using community outreach to build fanbases.
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KCNC-TV in Denver has an inspiring story on young Jake Taylor, who played in the recent World Series of Youth Lacrosse. Jake was born with club feet and hip dysplasia, and had to endure some intensive corrective procedures as a toddler.
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In MCLA news, former Georgia Tech assistant J.J. Arminio has been named head coach at Auburn. He replaces Alex Mauro, who will remain the Tigers' offensive coordinator.
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And a final bit of international content, The Queens (N.Y.) Times Ledger spotlights local product and coaching veteran Pete Ginnegar, who coaches in Israel and soon will head the 2018 Uganda men's team.
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
John Danowski of Duke and Nick Myers of Ohio State represent two of the better coaches in collegiate men's lacrosse. They also share the distinction of coaching Team USA; Danowski, the current senior team, and Myers, the 2016 U19 squad. As Danowski evaluates players during this week's tryouts for 2018, Myers provides prospective on the importance of trust and accountability in the critical process of selecting players who will wear the red, white and blue.
Also, The Lacrosse Network has a fun recap of the recently completed World Series of Youth Lacrosse in Denver. Some future U.S. teamers here, perhaps?
WHAT’S ON TAP
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The final installment of the Nike/US Lacrosse High School Boys' National Top 25 and Epoch/US Lacrosse Player of the Year will be released Tuesday. Catch up on our regional rankings here.
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We'll have more from the FIL World Cup today, including a look at new nations competing, a "Mission Log" from a Team USA player, and a check-in by our Megan Schneider, who's overseas covering the team and the event.
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It's a two-a-day for the U.S. men's team tryouts. They conclude with a single morning session tomorrow.
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