Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Drinking The Kool Aid


If state-sponsored religion (or, in this case, town-sponsored religion) were legal, Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, just might establish the Church of Lacrosse. I am only partially kidding. The people of this town seem to eat, sleep and live lacrosse 24-7-365. Stephen will be playing for the first time ever, so we received our "baptism" Saturday morning at the annual Mountain Lakes Lacrosse "Fun Run" -- the official start of the season. It was a real spectacle and, I have to admit, kind of fun. All the kids from all the teams, second grade through high school, gathered at the elementary school and went for a short jog around town as a group. Then, when they returned, they got an inspirational talk from the high school coach. I guess the rather obsessive commitment to this sport in Mountain Lakes pays off: I learned Saturday that the high school team is ranked 5th in the country this year.

The picture above is of Stephen, fully equipped for lacrosse. Except a jersey will presumably be added over the pads at a later time. More pictures here.