SARATOGA, N.Y. — Eight boys club squads captured divisional championships this past weekend at the tenth edition of the annual Saratoga Shootout, held at Gavin Park and co-hosted by Summit Lacrosse Ventures and CNY-based Powell Lacrosse.

Talented teams competed across divisions ranging from 10U to varsity age on June 24 and 25, marking an important start to the summer for a lineup of squads based mostly in the Northeast but programs from as far out as Ontario and Georgia that made the trip to New York’s Capital Region.

Though rain drenched the first day, it didn’t slow the action as teams battled through the highly competitive early matchup rounds with intense play on the field and umbrellas decorating the sidelines. But the clouds eventually parted, and the sun shined bright and hot the following morning for what unfolded as a glorious championship Sunday with families cheering on from the cool shade of the enormous trees lining the beautiful park just north of Saratoga Springs.

Established in 2013, the Saratoga Shootout was founded by Summit Lacrosse Ventures and Powell Lacrosse as a family-friendly event with the goal of bringing teams together to compete and celebrate the game in a serene setting and to offer youth-age players the chance to develop alongside their teammates in a festive environment. 

This year’s Shootout marked the second stop on the 2023 Find Your Summit Tour, sponsored by Gait Lacrosse, headquartered nearby in the Capital Region. A slate of seven events, the Find Your Summit Tour (#FNDURSUMT) represents exciting and rewarding lacrosse experiences for players and their families in destination locations all over the map. 

Even with heavy rain on Saturday, vendor village was hopping throughout the weekend as teams and families perused the lacrosse and non-lacrosse businesses on site. Albany-based Precision Lacrosse was on hand all weekend with Gait Lacrosse’s full lineup of state-of-the-art sticks and gear available for purchase. 

“We’ve been fortunate to keep growing this tournament as a family event where teams can have a great experience and try to improve together as they embark on the rest of the summer,” said Kevin Leveille, Brand and Event Manager for Summit Lacrosse Ventures. 

Leveille starred as a college, professional and international lacrosse player as did his friend, former USA Lacrosse teammate and fellow lacrosse hero Ryan Powell, the Founder and Director of Powell Lacrosse. 

Leveille applauded Powell for conceiving the Shootout and planting it in one of New York State’s most beloved locations, situated close to Cap City, historic Saratoga Springs, the Saratoga Race Course and its world-famous thoroughbred horse racing and, of course, the Adirondack Mountains, among countless other attractions.

“It doesn’t get any better than this,” said Powell, one of three brothers to earn All-America honors an astonishing four times at Syracuse University. 

“Saratoga and the surrounding area have the perfect vibe for these teams, the coaches and all the families to get the most out of their time together. Our hope is that the experience on the field helps the young players and even the high school-age ones too become better and that this event serves as a way for teams to find their rhythm in an inviting location with their biggest fans right there on the sideline.” 

Below is a rundown of each divisional champion at the 2023 Saratoga Shootout, presented by Gait Lacrosse:

Boys 2024-2025: Upstate Rebels
Boys 2025-2026: True Blue 2026 Titan
Boys 14U 2027-2028 Gold: Hustle 2027
Boys 14U 2027-2028 Silver: Stars & Stripes 27/28
Boys 12U 2029-2030 Gold: BEAST Lacrosse 2029
Boys 12U 2029-2030 Silver: BEAST Lacrosse 2030
Boys 10U 2031-2032 Gold: Team 91 Warriors LI
Boys 10U 2031-2032 Silver: Jersey Thunder West

Check out photos of the Saratoga Shootout, including each of the championship teams, via the Summit Lacrosse Ventures Facebook page.

Be sure to use the hashtag #FNDURSUMT to follow Summit Lacrosse Ventures and our partners as we host seven events in the Northeast this Summer.

COLONIE, N.Y. — Northstar athletes made their way to New York’s Capital Region for the twelfth edition of the Northstar Showcase on June 26th, a girls training and recruiting opportunity featuring one-on-one instruction led by respected college coaches. 

Hosted by Summit Lacrosse Ventures, the Northstar Showcase drew members of the 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027 graduating classes to Afrim’s Sports Park just outside of Albany for a day of high-level training and competition, which included position-specific training with college coaches, along with a full-field game and contests held in the “Sixes” format, widely considered to be a path to lacrosse in the Olympics. 

Established in 2012, the Northstar Showcase was created for promising young lacrosse players to learn directly from outstanding, respected coaches and then put their skills and IQ on display in front of those coaches with the goal of playing at the next level. 

In addition to the college coaches, four current Division I college lacrosse student-athletes were on staff as counselors to serve as Northstar team coaches and to provide the athletes with both on-field instruction, and advice to navigate the recruiting landscape, develop as a student-athlete, and succeed at the next level. 

The day began with distribution of a custom Northstar Nike uniform and gear kit, readying athletes for intensive positional training, and then the athletes learned from and interacted with the dozen college coaches at breakout and buildup stations that progressed athletes from 1v1 to 6v6 play and then from 2v1 to 6v5 scenarios. 

Attackers and middies learned offensive techniques from some of our country’s all-time greats in Syracuse’s Kayla Treanor, USC’s Lindsey Munday, and Albany’s Katie Rowan, also three of Team USA's all-time greats. Defenders learned from Florida and Team USA's Regy Thorpe, and Hopkins’ Tim McCormack, while goalies received dedicated training as well.

The second half of the day gave way to a team practice and full-field game as participants were broken into four squads that built on the training sessions and put it all together on the turf. 

“We created the Northstar Showcase to offer an impactful, game-changing experience for next generation athletes,” said Summit CEO and President Ashley Gersuk Murphy, who was a standout at nearby Albany Academy for Girls before heading off to star at Northwestern University as a four-year Team Captain and All-American goalie. 

“There are so many talented girls coming up the ranks and for those who aim to play the game in college, the Northstar Showcase has become a valuable stepping stone. By working closely with college coaches, in an extraordinary ~5:1 ratio of athletes to college coaches, and competing against other promising athletes, these girls better themselves and take a meaningful step toward playing at the next level."

"Lacrosse has given me so much personally, as an athlete, and professionally, and I love this opportunity to share what I have experienced with the next generation. Above all else, lacrosse is fun, and we encourage Northstar athletes to remember their love for the game, every time they step on the field.”

Attending institutions are hand-picked based on Summit’s relationships, to include the University of Southern California, Syracuse University, the University of Florida, Johns Hopkins University, Colgate University, the University at Albany, Marquette University, Fairfield University, Niagara University, Southern NH University, Le Moyne College and more. 

“The lacrosse world is a close-knit community, and nothing is more important than the relationships built over time; we are very grateful for our friends and colleagues in the coaching ranks who support our vision for Northstar and make it such an exceptional experience for attending athletes,” said Murphy. 

"I expressed to attending athletes the importance of building relationships, beyond their school and club teams - the athletes to their left and right will likely become college teammates, colleagues, and friends down the road".

After game play concluded, coaches and staff met to tally votes for the day’s All-Stars, and teams were announced just before two All-Star games were held in the Sixes format, with college coaches lining the sideline between the adjacent small-sided fields. CLICK HERE for the All-Star Rosters.

Girls from as far away as California, Colorado and Idaho, along with New England and Tri-State-based athletes traveled to the Showcase, which was the third stop on the Find Your Summit (#FNDURSUMT) Tour sponsored by Gait Lacrosse, a company headquartered in New York’s Capital Region. 

“Like every year, we had a world-class staff, including numerous coaches who’ve worked on professional and world teams, and we structure the Northstar Showcase similar to a college or pro training day", said Murphy, who helped lead the Wildcats to their first NCAA championship in 2005. "We were impressed by the energy and commitment to our philosophy, and are thrilled to make a meaningful impact on the athletes who attended.

To view photos of the 2023 Northstar Showcase, visit the Summit Lacrosse Ventures Instagram page. Be sure to mark your calendar for next year’s Northstar Showcase, which will be announced shortly.

Use the hashtag #FNDURSUMT to follow Summit Lacrosse Ventures and our partners as we host seven events in the Northeast this Summer.

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Six teams celebrated championships in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains last week at the seventh annual Lake Placid Youth Summit Classic hosted by Summit Lacrosse Ventures.

Founded in response to the growing popularity of the long-established Lake Placid Summit Classic adult and scholastic tournament, this year’s Youth Summit Classic drew 42 boys youth clubs to the Adirondacks’ storied Olympic Region for three days of competition and festivities from June 26 to 28. 

Though air quality pushed the start of the Youth Summit Classic back a few hours, action was underway at the North Elba Lacrosse Fields by noon on Monday as hundreds of families made their way onto the storied grounds that have played host to thousands of lacrosse games since the first Lake Placid Summit Classic was held in 1990.

The fourth stop on the 2023 Find Your Summit Tour presented by lead sponsor Gait Lacrosse, this year’s Youth Summit Classic featured a bustling vendor market, with the full lineup of Gait sticks and gear available for purchase by way of Albany-based Precision Lacrosse leading a varied assortment of lacrosse and non-lacrosse businesses on site.

Meanwhile, the Youth Summit Classic filled the Village of Lake Placid with lacrosse players and their families who enjoyed the area’s many attractions as well as eye-popping views of famous Adirondack summits, including Algonquin Peak, Mt. Colden and Mount Marcy to the east, and, to the north of the lacrosse fields, iconic Whiteface Mountain. 

Of course, visitors had the opportunity to take in or even visit the emblematic Lake Placid Olympic Ski Jumping Complex. And though lightning flashed and rain clouds soaked the field numerous times throughout the three days, forcing schedule adjustments, sidelines were full and boisterous for every thrilling contest that unfolded. 

“We love it here and we consider the Adirondacks and especially Lake Placid a special place for lacrosse for many reasons, and players discover that at an early age when they come here with their families for this tournament,” said Kevin Leveille, the Event and Brand Manager of Summit Lacrosse Ventures and one of the game’s all-time greats. 

“The Youth Summit Classic is certainly designed to help club teams compete and get better and this year saw the most talented collection of teams we’ve ever had,” Leveille said.

“But our hope is that this becomes a tradition that goes beyond college and pro lacrosse and brings people back every year to celebrate the game regardless of where they end up playing down the line.”

Leveille’s father, George, co-founded the Lake Placid Summit Classic as a getaway experience for lacrosse players, friends and families. Kevin, along with his younger brother, Mike, attended the Summit Classic each summer when they were youngsters and watched its evolution into one of the sport’s most important events, now with more than 200 teams competing over the course of a week each August.

“Seeing my father and his friends compete and make memories up here set the stage for me and my brother to dream of playing lacrosse at the highest levels, for as long as we could,” said Kevin, a four-time All-American attackman at UMass before moving on to a star as a pro and international attackman. Four years younger, Mike led Syracuse University to a Division I title and won the Tewaaraton Award in 2008 before playing at the pro and international levels.

“We hope that the kids who play here not only feel inspired to play in college but want to make Lake Placid an annual lacrosse tradition as have so many others in this sport,” Kevin said.

A first at the event, Tuesday night featured a Parents vs. Kids showdown, pitting Skaneateles, New York folks against a highly energized pack of their own children. In an amusing display of the Creator’s Game at its finest, parents and kids went all out — with some of the barefoot “elders” unveiling impressive stick skills, speed and finesse, and an Alf Jacques stick in use to pay tribute to the late, great Onondaga Nation stick maker.

“Lax Placid is an experience, and we’re always trying to enhance it,” Kevin Leveille said. “We were able to overcome the air quality and weather challenges, and we’re thrilled to host another awesome three days up here in these amazing mountains.”

Below is a recap of the divisional champions at the 2023 Lake Placid Summit Youth Classic, presented by Gait Lacrosse:

Boys 16U 2025-2026: PowellX 
Boys 14U 2027-2028 Gold: Sidewinders 2027 
Boys 14U 2027-2028 Silver: Movement Lax 
Boys 12U 2029-2030 Gold: HardCor Lacrosse 2029 
Boys 12U 2029-2030 Silver: West Islip Lions 2030 
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. Be sure to use the hashtag #FNDURSUMT to follow Summit Lacrosse Ventures and our partners at events all summer long.