Home- 2011 Reunion
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Grand Goats finish up with a 1 - 2 record. Unfortunately, the over 50 group was 4 - 6 guys away from a 2 - 1 or 3 - 0 record. Regardless, definitely a good outing and something to build on.
On to new business ....... Old Goats hit the field for the 0900 game against NYAC. Augmented by the rested (and heavily taped) players from the over 50 group, for the first time this year the team had an advantage in depth. 'Goats give up an early deficit but charge back to take a half time lead that they never relinquish. Game remains tight, with NYAC showing class and courage by refusing to quit when confronted with a sea of blue jerseys .... but a couple of late goals by NYAC could only close the gap and the 'Goats walked away with an 8- 6 win and a 7th place finish in the tournament. Not a great finish but, as with the Grand Goats, the over 40 group was one line of midfielders and a strong attackman away from a 3 - 1 finish.
Then it was on to a bit of frosty beverage and spectator time for most of the team. Lacrosse.com handily defeated Team Yellow Dog by a score of 10 - 4 to take fifth place. The Magic Wands (who used to be the Texas Magic Wands but who no longer feature many players from Texas) beat Middlebury 9 - 2. Finally, the championship game was a hard fought affair that saw the Elder Statesmen defeat Rock-it Pocket 9 - 7. The RP goalie was the only thing that kept the championship close since the Elder Statesmen dominated all other aspects of the game.
Next up, time for a power nap, shower and the trip to the Tap Room for our closing banquet. The Tap Room did their normal outstanding job of hosting the event (thanks, Clark!!!) and a great time was had by all.
The banquet featured player recognition from the wives including the "Sweet Delivery", "Stud Muffin", "Little Wounded Warrior" and "Hammer of Thor" awards. If you weren't there, well, you missed it and will have to ask the attendees for more details ..... although I am still amazed that they could find a Zippo with that particular art.
Those awards were followed by the team awards. In keeping with the theme of making out 20th the best outing ever, we were able to present two custom sticks (one to each teams MVP) and four etched wine magnums from Old Goat Vineyards.
Dave M. and Bob Z. took their respective groups MVP awards and walked away with custom lacrosse. The next three players in the MVP voting were Doug P., Jack H. and Don B. Each received an etched magnum and each struggled with the issue of "how in the h@ll do I get this home on the plane??".
The final award of the night was the "spirit" award. Since I won that one, I assume that the "spirits" in question were of the alcoholic kind ..... but we all have to have our talents and contribute where we can!
The closing event of the evening was a 20th anniversary video produced by Mike G. The video covered many, many years of Old Goat lacrosse and was a big hit with the crowd (thanks, Mike!!!). Details on how to get a copy will follow with our final housekeeping email I was privileged to end my evening by sharing a couple of fine cigars with my good friend and retired F-14 driver Paul D. (along with his somewhat greenish tinged hand - a left over from surgery earlier in the day to repair a separated ligament). Good companionship combined with the chance to give Garfinkle's "shot wheel" a clean miss ....... perfect end to a great week!
So, in the words of Buddy G, "mission accomplished". We had a great week. The 20th was arguably the best outing in the history of the 'Goats and we all walked away with a renewed and revalidated sense of friendship, brotherhood and camaraderie. I am and will remain extremely grateful for those who made the trip, those who supported the team this year and most especially all of the friends I have made over the last 20 years in the Navy lacrosse family.
Not sure what else to say so I guess that will do. As always, be safe and GO NAVY!!!
Jim H.
XO and Old Goat Emeritus
As part of our ongoing effort to be "more that just another lacrosse club" we have started working with a couple of charities that support the military. This year we are working with two projects that are "sponsored" by some of our Navy Lacrosse alumni. These are:
Hope for Warriors (Ross Baker, USNA '84, Lt. Colonel, USMC retired)
Wounded Warrior Project (Brenden Drew, USNA '94, Lt. Commander, USN active duty in Afghanistan)
Consistent with our mission to not only support Navy Lacrosse but also programs that support those that serve and their families I am asking for your support for the Hope For The Warriors program. HFTW was founded by the wife of a Marine and friend of mine who was injured in Iraq in 2004 and continues to suffer from Traumatic Brain Injury. I am asking for your support to help me raise funds for the Hope For the Warriors program. I am running the 2010 NYC marathon to highlight this effort, please see my personal website to learn more and contribute to my efforts: http://2010th4w.kintera.org/nyc/rbaker You can make your contributions on the website.
Comments from Old Goat Team 2011
I wanted to send out a heartfelt thank you to all of you for a great weekend. It was truly a very special and unique experience for me. I didn’t know what to expect as I was flying out to Vail. What I found and witnessed was the obvious and special bond that you have with each other and the values that you share.
Very much looking forward to next year
Mike S
It was a privilege to play in Vail with all of you Goats. The last time I played any lacrosse, other than throwing the ball around, was a few pick-up games in Corpus Christi way back in 93-94. I've done a lot of triathlons, swimming events, and road races since college, and got used to individual sports; but it was a great feeling to be part of a lacrosse team again.
As I said at our picnic, I was recruited (along with K-ris) by Tall-Daddy. I had a bit of a dilemma. In 2010 I did the Escape From Alcatraz swim and had such a good time escaping (like Frank Lee Morris...played in the movie by none other than Clint Eastwood) that I immediately registered for the 2011 swim, which was scheduled for 25 Jun. When I mentioned this scheduling conflict to Tall-Daddy, he said "Alcatraz is for pussies". That clinched it, I gave my slot away to a friend. Next year Alcatraz is the end of July so can I do it without feeling like a pussy!
I noticed that there is a Lax tournament in Ft Lauderdale in Jan 2012. Is there any interest from the Goats?? The Supermasters are over-45. Grandmasters are over 52. Take a look at the website. Sea level running is much easier than sucking vapor at 8150'.
Also, much thanks to Jim H. It's apparently a huge logistical effort (pain in the a$$) to get the whole Vail thing accomplished. 21 years of it... a glutton for punishment! Thanks Jim.
In an unusual turn of events, I got paid to fly home from vacation. When we got to the gate in DEN, they needed a pilot for the flight to Chicago. I was legal for the leg, hopped in the front seat, and got to fly my family home. The "bling" for that leg paid for our rafting trip. Karen reports that my landing in Midway was so-so. We fly together a lot (she's a flight attendant for Southwest) and I try to get her down as softly as possible!
Hope to play with you all agin in the future,
Eric F.