Create The Itch
Team 91 Charlotte Spring Trip Vlog
If we can do anything for our players, it is to help them fall in love with lacrosse.
We can run great practices, training programs and leagues. We can, and do, provide them with a ton of resources outside practice like film sessions, edge work and playbooks. But if they don’t want to touch their lacrosse stick outside of a practice environment and don’t have big goals in the sport, we aren’t doing enough right.
Our trip worked out to be @ohiostatemlax vs. @hoyasmlacrosse at Georgetown. The game was expected to feature two of our alumni in Ohio States Bobby Van Buren (until an injury kept him out) and Georgetown’s Jack Ransom. Those are guys that our players can relate to since they grew up in Charlotte, our guys have met them since both come back and coach with us a lot, and also have similar backgrounds as players in our program which makes them relatable for our kids. If Jack and Bobby can do it from Charlotte, so can our younger players if they are willing to work as hard as those two.
Going to Georgetown was also something different from Duke, UNC and High Point (since a lot of our families have been there or can get there any day). Georgetown is about an hour south of the Baltimore schools, so a little easier logistically, and it meant we could set up a play day versus another club program (which we couldn’t really do in Charlottesville at UVA).
The trip would also serve as a great team building opportunity for our players. Due to the high school season, and NCAA rules, we cannot do trips like this once our guys are in high school. The last opportunity to do a trip like this is when they are in 8th grade. In addition to trying to give our guys the itch to play college lacrosse, the trip would also allow our players to spend a ton of uninterrupted time together off the lacrosse field.
There were A TON of highlights from the trip and it was a lot of fun. You can check out the full recap below and more #CharlotteLacrosse content on our YouTube channel! A few highlights:
We saw a GREAT game in a really cool college environment at Georgetown. Ohio State pulled out a 1 goal win that came down to the final possession of the game.
Jack Ransom scored two goals which was awesome for our players to see live.
Cell phones were taken away whenever the players were on the bus or at a meal. With no devices, it meant a lot more jokes, stories and more.
The first rest stop, at 8AM on a Saturday morning, was a GREAT look in to the dietary decisions of 8th graders when they are on their own. I think everyone got candy and soda. We are working to schedule some summer nutritionist meetings.
We held a team trivia competition after dinner one Saturday night. The losers had karaoke, jokes and interviews on the bus ride home. We had a ton of laughs during trivia and even more during the bus ride home.
While the trip was built around seeing a college campus and lacrosse game then playing a game of our own on Sunday morning, the trip was about so much more.
Our hope is that all of our players involved walked out with a memorable experience and better relationships with their teammates. They were able to see what playing lacrosse in college is like and they watched guys with the same background as them do it. They know it’s a realistic and attainable goal now.
And if it drives them to get a stick in their hand outside of practice to reach that goal, we have done something right.
Ryan
2026 Summer Programming:
Team 91 Charlotte Boys & Girls Day Camps! Learn More Here.
91 Charlotte Summer Positional Training! Learn More Here.
91 Charlotte Boys Player Application! Submit Interest Here.