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The Southampton Shootout beneifited CityLax
a not-for-profit dedicated to developing the sport in New York City.
The tournament featured school-age players as well as college and post-collegiate athletes.
Southampton has hosted the shootout every year since 2009.
The Southampton Shootout was a daylong event
As the lacrosse program continues to build momentum at Southampton High School, the school has also helped the progress of programs in New York City by hosting the third annual CityLax Summer Shootout Charity Lacrosse Tournament on Saturday.
Mat Levine, the president and founder of CityLax, said he expects the Shootout to raise between $8,000 and $10,000, which will be put toward the not-for-profit organization’s mission of developing the sport in New York City public schools.
“Programs like ours with the [Public Schools Athletic League] prove that the sport of lacrosse can grow and prosper in an urban setting, paralleling what is going on in the suburbs,” Levine said in a press release.
Each team was guaranteed three games, with the finals taking place late Saturday afternoon. Mariners athletic director Darren Phillips and Southampton students helped with setting up the day-long affair. At the conclusion of the event, CityLax hosted a beach party at Flying Point Beach.
“I can’t say enough about Southampton High School and its ability to host us and work with us,” Levine said. “Darren Phillips was instrumental in helping us organize the tournament and has been terrific about letting us use their facility and getting it ready.”
Levine estimated that 200 players—the great majority of which were post-collegiate players—took part in the weekend. In the men’s division, a team entitled Jeremy’s Kids, which was comprised of Johns Hopkins alumni, went 3-0 on Saturday, as did a squad sponsored by Jagermeister. On the women’s side, the Yale University alumni team finished undefeated as well.
When Levine founded CityLax in 2005, there were just six varsity teams in the five boroughs. Six years later, there are 30, including 15 girls teams. A number of the program’s alumni have gone on to play in college at places like the College of Mount Saint Vincent and the State University of New York at Oswego.
CityLax consists of a volunteer force of approximately 100 former collegiate players in and around New York City. In addition to providing one-on-one training for city players, the organization holds off-season tournaments during the summer and fall to develop their skills as well as showcase them for college coaches. CityLax also provides scholarships for kids to further their ability at lacrosse camps.
