LAKE PLACID, N.Y.—Six teams were crowned victorious on June 29 at the sixth annual Lake Placid Summit Youth Classic, a boys tournament hosted by Summit Lacrosse Ventures in the breathtaking Adirondack Mountains and the fifth stop on the inaugural Find Your Summit Tour (#FNDURSUMT) sponsored by Gait Lacrosse. 

Established as an extension of the wildly popular scholastic and adult lacrosse tournament held each August in the Adirondacks’ historic Olympic Region, the Youth Summit Classic drew more than 40 teams from as far away as Georgia, Illinois and Canada to the North Elba Athletic Fields for three days of action. 

The fields came to life the morning of June 27 and the vendor village quickly became a busy pathway for families making their way to games that kicked off Monday and ran through Wednesday afternoon with the culmination of title matchups.

“There’s simply no better place for a player of any age to play and come to appreciate this game than these storied fields,” said Kevin Leveille, the Event and Brand Manager of Summit Lacrosse Ventures and one of the most respected lacrosse players of all time. 

Leveille’s father, George, co-founded the Lake Placid Summit Classic in 1990 as a getaway experience for lacrosse players and their friends and families. Kevin, along with his younger brother, Mike, attended the event every year when they were growing up and watched its growth into one of the sport’s most important establishments. 

“We watched our dad and his friends celebrate and play lacrosse up here in a way that truly honored the game, where it comes from and what it stands for,” said Leveille, a three-time All-American attackman at UMass before moving on to a storied career as a pro and international attackman. Mike helped lead Syracuse University to a Division I title and won the Tewaaraton Award before going on to star at the pro and international levels.

“Our experiences at the Summit Classic helped us develop as people and players, it allowed us to view this sport differently and carry it with us wherever we go,” said Kevin, who was in Lake Placid overseeing the event this past week. 

“In 2016, we launched the youth version of the Summit Classic to create that same experience but for young players to actually take the field themselves in a setting that brings out the best in this game.” 

Of course, newcomers and their families were treated to the stunning backdrop of the Lake Placid Olympic Ski Jumping Complex and several famous Adirondack High Peaks to the south, including Algonquin Peak, Mt. Colden and Mount Marcy further east, and, to the north of the fields, iconic Whiteface Mountain. 

“Our hope is that the experience of playing lacrosse up here in the Adirondacks alongside their friends will make young participants and their families want to come back to these mountains as much as possible,” said Leveille, who grew up in Albany and was the captain of the 2014 U.S. men’s national team.

“We hope to eventually see these young players competing at our scholastic Summit Classic and, later on, the adult tournament, which has become an important tradition to so many players over its 33 years of existence.” 

Below is a recap of the divisional champions at the 2022 Lake Placid Summit Youth Classic, presented by Gait Lacrosse:

Boys 16U 2024-2025: HarCor Lacrosse
Boys 14U 2026-2027 Gold: Brotherly Love LC 2026
Boys 14U 2026-2027 Silver: Savage Lacrosse
Boys 12U 2028: FCA Upstate 2028 Navy
Boys 12U 2029: BEAST Athletics
Boys 10U 2030-2031: Mountain Valley

View photos of the Lake Placid Summit Youth Classic, including each of the championship teams, via the Summit Lacrosse Ventures Facebook page, and mark your calendars for next year’s Summit Youth Classic, scheduled for June 26 to 28, 2023. 

Be sure to use the hashtag #FNDURSUMT to follow Summit Lacrosse Ventures and our partners as we trek across the country hosting a total of ten different events this summer.