Dear Parents,

We hope this letter finds you in great health and spirits. As the scholastic season winds down, we want to inform you of the numerous opportunities for your sons to continue their lacrosse development throughout the summer. As you may or may not be aware of, there’s been an unprecedented movement throughout the Miami-Dade County lacrosse community to unify our efforts to grow the sport. The Magic City Youth Lacrosse League, that began this spring, is one example of that effort. As in previous summers, there will be league play opportunities through both the Miami Lacrosse Association, and The Coconut Grove Lacrosse Club. There will also be opportunities to participate on travel teams, and this may be the most evident area of change and unification.

Tryouts

On May 15^th, tryouts will be held to create this Summers travel teams; teams that will compete this summer against teams from all over the country. Players must also be US Lacrosse members in order to try out. The tryout fee is $25, and the team dues are $425. This covers coaches, practice facility rentals, some tournament fees, insurance, and uniforms. It does NOT cover travel. To register for tryouts go to: http://miamilacrosseleague.com.uslaxteams.com

The Miami Makos Elite team will be comprised of the top High School players in the area, regardless of age. In order to try out for the Makos Elite team, rising Freshmen and Sophmores must be recommended by their head coach. This will be the ONLY team that may have players playing outside of their age group. U15 Miami Makos Select teams (chosen by committee) will be comprised of the best players at that age level. If there are still a significant number of players left at the particular age level, after the Elite teams are chosen, we will create a Select team. For example, if there are enough players still interested in playing U15, after the Elite team is chosen, we will create a U15 Select. The U13 team will be open to all players, but roster spots may be limited. The benefits to our system are numerous. One of the major upsides, however, is that these young men will be able to network with the guys that they will be playing with and against for 2, 3, 4 or more years. This will create a more competitive environment during the scholastic season, will create long lasting friendships with other young men that they may otherwise have never met, and will expose them lacrosse at a very high level, as it’s played in other areas of the country.

Coaches

The following coaches are slated to lead our Elite and Select teams this summer.

v Chris Manley – Varsity Assistant, Belen Jesuit

v Jim Piggot – Varsity Head Coach, Gulliver

v James Palmieri – Varsity Head Coach, Palmetto

v John Okunski – Varsity Head Coach, Belen Jesuit

v Jim Delang – Varsity Head Coach, Columbus

v Jake Koch – JV Head Coach, Gulliver

v Julio Diaz – Middle School Head Coach, Gulliver

v Zach Gagel – Varsity Assistant Coach, Gulliver / Chicago Machine ’06-‘08

v Chazz Woodson – Varsity Assistant Coach, Ransom / Chicago Machine

v Peter DiPace – Middles School/JV Head Coach, Ransom

v Mark Parets – Assistant Coach, Gulliver/Varsity Head Coach Killian

Tryout Schedule

May 15^th, 2010

Ransom Everglades Upper School

10:00am – 1:15pm Miami Makos High School Elite Team/Select Team Tryouts

1:30pm – 4:30pm Miami Makos U15/U13 Elite Team/Select Team Tryouts

Please be aware …

We have tournaments scheduled in Gettysburg, PA, Alexandria, VA, Chicago, IL, and Orlando, FL. Because participation in these tournaments requires a great deal of organizational effort on our end, we respectfully ask that if you and your son(s) are not 100% committed to this schedule (listed below), or committed financially, please do not have him try out. Please double check the dates before committing to be a part of this process. The roster spots on each team will be limited, so we are looking for players that can fully commit. It’s very difficult on the staff and the other participants when we are ready to head off to a tournament and we are short on players. It’s also not fair to those players that did not make the team.

Thank you, in advance, for your participation and your efforts to help us grow the game that has given so much to so many of us. We look forward to working with you and your sons this summer and beyond!

Sincerely,

Mark Parets, Miami Lacrosse Association

Peter DiPace, Dade Lacrosse, Inc.

Chazz Woodson, Dade Lacrosse, Inc.

Tournament Schedule (by date)

Adidas Futures Camp June 11-13 Gettysburg, PA U17

Warrior Summer Get-A-Way June 26-27 Alexandria, VA U19, 17, 15, 13 Select

Gait Cup July 1-4 Gettysburg, PA HS Elite

Chicago Challenge July 9-11 Chicago, IL U17, U15 Elite/Select

Chicago Challenge July 16-19 Chicago, IL HS Elite, U19 Select

US Lacrosse National Championships July 19-22 Orlando, FL U15 Elite

Tournament Schedule (by team)

U 13 Warrior Summer Get-A-Way June 26-27 Alexandria, VA

U15 Warrior Summer Get-A-Way (Select) June 26-27 Alexandria, VA

Chicago Challenge (Elite, Select) July 9-11 Chicago, IL

US Lacrosse National Championships (Elite) July 19-22 Orlando, FL

U17 Adidas Futures Camp (Elite) June 11-13 Gettysburg, PA

Warrior Summer Get-A-Way (Select) June 26-27 Alexandria, VA

Chicago Challenge (Elite, Select) July 9-11 Chicago, IL

U19 Warrior Summer Get-A-Way June 26-27 Alexandria, VA

Chicago Challenge July 16-19 Chicago, IL

HS Elite Gait Cup July 1-4 Gettysburg, PA

Chicago Challenge July 16-19 Chicago, IL