It’s a great time to be a lacrosse fan

Spring is finally approaching and hopefully we never have to hear the term "polar vortex" again. With spring comes a bevy of lacrosse options. It is a great time to be a lacrosse fan. Depending on the day and your Internet feed, you can have access to an NLL, NCAA, or high school game.

The college lacrosse season is in full swing, where the rivalries are intense and every game will have an impact on tournament seedings. I'm always amazed to see the growth at this level and the exposure that it continues to receive.

We are hitting the second half of the NLL season. In a league that has so much parity, the "wide open" nature of the league is exciting. We have seen time and time again that is it not necessarily how you start in the NLL it is how you finish.

I have been able to experience the unique intensity of U.S. high school lacrosse first-hand. I'm currently down in Baltimore coaching with The Hill Academy. Growing up in Ontario, where we primarily played indoor lacrosse, the experience is much different than in the U.S. We would play in the summer time through our community teams. It was an amazing experience and was great way to learn and develop skills.

I was so lucky to have that experience. Unfortunately my high school in Orangeville never had a lacrosse program, so I was never exposed to what makes high lacrosse so great. You are competing with your classmates and coached often by your teachers. There is a different connection. Your coach knows how you did on your math test on Monday and your teacher knows how you did on your game on Saturday.

Playing down here with the Hill, you see the pride and tradition that exists at schools like Calvert Hall and Boys Latin. It has been a learning experience to see how well these teams are prepared and the attention to detail that exists at this level. In some cases, the speed, pace and level of strategy would be comparable to that of the college game.

One thing that makes high school lacrosse unique is the crazy, unpredictable swings in the game. As I think we can all attest, the swings of emotions during your high school years are pretty intense. I have been on each side of some of the biggest comebacks I have seen in the game while coaching high school lacrosse. It makes it enjoyable and stressful all in the same breath.

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Speaking of "swings" we are hoping the Wings experience a big swing. We are at a critical time. We have dug ourselves in a big hole. That being said, we understand the power of positive momentum. We are hoping to build on the little victories in the game and get ourselves back into playoff contention. Hope to see you at the Wells Fargo Center this Sunday.