VAIL LACROSSE SHOOTOUT 2006 DAY 1: June 24, 2006

VAIL LACROSSE SHOOTOUT 2006
DAY 1: June 24, 2006
Contact: Alex Smith – alex@rock-itpocket.com

The 34th annual Vail Lacrosse Shootout got underway on Saturday with Masters and Supermasters divisions taking the field. This year’s version of the Shootout is a little more drawn out in 2006. What used to be “Eight Days at 8,000 Feet” has expanded to “Ten Days at 8,000 Feet” as the tournament works around a pesky July 4th that falls on a Tuesday.

The Masters Division has moved back to the Athletic Field near the Vail Golf Club, much to the general delight of both participants and organizers. The Athletic Field has been home to some of the most memorable moments in Vail lacrosse history, so this is a bit of a return home for some of the older players who have been in Vail since their glory days. Day 2 should be interesting as most of the pre-tournament favorites moved through.

MASTERS DIVISION
Day 1 of the 2006 Masters Division kicked off on Saturday with most of the favored seeds moving through. Three-time champion Rusty Red moved through with an easy 14-6 win over Barely Legal while Lacrosse Unlimited beat Lodo’s 14-7. The bracket’s other two games were more competitive as Middlebury and Noreaster moved through with one and two point victories over Lax Gear and Rhino Linings. Rusty Red and Lacrosse Unlimited seem destined to meet in the finals Monday, but they both have to move through their semifinals first.

Saturday Results:
Quarterfinals
Rusty Red 14, Barely Legal 6
Middlebury 8, Lax Gear 7
Noreaster 5, Rhino Linings 3
Lacrosse Unlimited 14, LoDo's 2

Sunday Schedule:
Masters Semifinals
Rusty Red vs Middlebury at 1:00 pm
Noreaster vs Lacrosse Unlimited at 11:00 am

Masters Consolation Bracket
Barely Legal vs Lax Gear at 9:00 am
Rhino Linings vs LoDo at 3:00 pm

SUPERMASTERS DIVISION
The last thing the Vail Shootout needs is extra confusion and with the unfortunate dropout of Tap Room (last year’s champions), the Supermasters Division was thrown for a loop before it even started. One grandmasters team per day will fill in where needed. The brackets have been completely reworked, making for a lot of head scratching, even for tournament organizers. While some were confused, the rest of the division just got on with their business and there were several entertaining games on day 1. The Princeton Obsoletes defeated the Magic Wands 6-5 while the Tri-City Canadians won a spirited 9-6 contest with NYAC. Favorites thus far are the Navy Old Goats, Tombstone and the Elder Statesmen, all who won handily in the first round. With four games in four days, the Supermasters Division is often a test of attrition more than anything else, so we will see who gets through on day 2.

Saturday Results:
First Round
Navy Old Goats 11, AFA Gray Birds 2
Princeton Obsoletes 6, Magic Wands 5
Tri-City Canadians 9, NYAC Founding Fathers 6
Frogs won by forfeit over Tap Room
CVLC 17, Cactus Lacrosse 4
Tombstone 8, Middlebury 3
One West 11, Rockies 6
Elder Statesmen 16, WahoosWoofs 0

Sunday Schedule:
Supermasters Quarterfinals
Navy Old Goats vs Princeton Obsoletes on Ford West at 1:00 pm
Tri-City Canadians vs Frogs on Ford East at 11:30 am
CVLC vs Tombstone on Ford East at 1:30 pm
Corrected Location:
One West vs Elder Statesmen on Ford West at 11:00 am

Supermasters Consolation Games
Modified from published schedule:
AFA Gray Birds vs Majestic Rockies (Grandmasters) on Ford East at 4:00 pm
Modified from published schedule:
NYAC Founding Fathers vs Magic Wands on Ford West at 9:00 am
Cactus Lacrosse vs Middlebury on Donovan at 10:00 am
Rockies vs WahoosWoofs on Ford East at 9:30 am


GRANDMASTERS DIVISION PREVIEW:
Three teams made it up to Vail to participate in the first ever Grandmasters Division (ages 50+). The Majestic Rockies, Disciples of Norm and Los Viejos are all set to take to field on Sunday. One team per day will fill into the Supermasters Division as well.

Sunday Schedule:
Majestic Rockies vs. AFA Gray Birds (Supermasters) on Ford East at 4:00 pm
Disciples of Norm vs. Los Viejos on Ford West at 4:00 pm