Tuesday, August 25, 2009

when lax was king

Lacrosse was the rage at Frost Valley in the 70s, starting--I would say--around '72. Two contributing factors in particular: the influx of campers and staff from Long Island, where lacrosse has long been a dominant sport, and the emergence of Montclair High School as a lacrosse power. Maurice Penn and Rick Cobb, both from Montclair, pushed it hard and it began to appear on the activity schedules. Next thing you know, camp has bought dozens of sticks. Maintenance built some goals. Now there are regular staff games and everyone is watching, hoping to learn a few things about the sport. There's probably a generation of campers who came of age in the mid-70s who first picked up a stick at FV. This photo was taken in the late 70s in the main field--hardcourts would be to the left, laundry straight ahead (Marie Hess' jeep parked out front).

Dave King Jr. who has had a longtime passion for lacrosse, was first taught by Rick Cobb right here. Cobb was a Montclair High star and went on to play at Hobart College. Dave still plays in the "Vail [Colorado] Shootout" every year. This is the premier gathering of the best lax players in the country; they play by age groups and Dave plays for a team named "The Adidas Magic Wands."

Dave meets up with Rick Cobb (who lives in Boulder) when he is there. And so it goes on, the Frost Valley connection... in all kinds of ways. Lax being one.