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Players share their journey to Australia for the All-Star Series

10/22/2009

NLL All-Star Series Player Blog

Kyle Ross, Boston Blazers defenseman
Friday, October 23

Hey lax fans,

I have been down under for three days now and so far I am having an amazing time. Our Australian hosts have been absolutley wonderful and all the boys here are grateful.

The long flight in was much more enjoyable then I had expected. the five of us who flew out of Vancouver ( Dane Dobbie, Ian Hawksbee, Tyler Richards, Jordan Hall, and myself ) met a few of the Eastern guys at LAX (Los Angeles Airport) and all made the long flight over to Sydney together. I was lucky enough to grab the exit row window seat and was able to stretch out and be pretty comfortable.

We got into Melbourne Wednesday afternoon and had a late meeting in the hotel to get introduced and get the schedule for the week's events. Thursday morning we had a practice scheduled at a sports facility around the corner from the hotel. Being as there isn't much hockey in this part of the world, we were at a basketball court and the practice turned into more of a basketball game. Chad Culp edging out Patty Merrill in a game of bump. Following we had a few events to attend in which we learned more about the sponsor groups involved in bringing us all to Australia. A company called Lease Plan is flipping most of the bill and has been fantastic thus far in getting the boys anything they are looking for. There is also a charity involved, Zaidee's Rainbow Foundation, which raises awareness about children tissue and organ donation. The story is a sad yet amazing one and I encourage everyone to check them out on the net. You can find them at http://zaidee.org/. All the players are wearing the rainbow shoelaces in support.

Friday was our first chance so see the venue and when we arrive they were still working hard setting up. Hisense Arena is normally used for tennis and serves as court 2 for the Australian Open. A quick shoot around and back to the hotel for lunch and a quick nap for myself before the game. Playing D in a all-star setting is always hard. Not wanting to hurt anyone but also not wanting to look like a fool. Safe to say it was a tough go for all us playing D is a understatment. I don't think there was a single overhand pass on offense from my East teammates. Everything was back hand to back hand to around the worlds. The fans were great and really started to get into it. With talk of the crowd doubling in size for tonight it should be another great game. More to follow in a day or two.

Ross 97

Jordan Hall, Orlando Titans transition player
Monday, October 19, 11:00PM ET

Now I have just read my work associates' (Kyle Ross and Bruce Codd) respective blogs and my thoughts are similar. Although am I the only one that will step out and question is the juice worth the squeeze?

I have worked out the travel time from door to door from arriving at Vancouver international to estimated hotel arrival in Melbourne where I will be staying for the week. Total travel time equates to about 27 and half hours including layovers and flight time. Like any big decision in my life I made a list of pro's and cons for the trip to decide if this much travel time would be worth the stay. The list looked like this:

Pro: Seeing a country I have never been to before and is by all accounts one of the prettiest in the world

Con: 27.5 hours of recycled air

Pro: Playing lacrosse with some of the NLL's best in front of screaming local Australians who fall in love with the sport

Con: 27.5 hours of the crying baby

Pro: Possibility of free drinks for the 15 hour potion of international flight time

Con: Possibility of free drinks for 15 hours

Pro: Traveling with some of the guys I know from summer lacrosse and getting to know them better during the flight time

Con: Kyle Ross' inevitable bad Aussie accent for 27.5 hours

Pro: Being the one with the Canadian accent like my college lacrosse days in Delaware

Con: Not being able to laugh when they ask "are you from Minnesota?"

Pro: The thought the NLL could have an international fan base one day and have preseason games in Australia, England, the Czech Republic or Japan.

My list of Cons ended there and my pros went on and on (including crocodile hunter RIP and Crocodile Dundee's quote running through my head all trip, "that's not a knife").

If you haven't figured out my list of pros and cons is bogus by now, get with it. In the NLL we don't make enough to turn down fantastic opportunities like this one. I also think most guys in the league try and help grow the game as much as possible. A long flight and bad travel, that is free is like making out with either one of the Duff sisters..... you can't complain.


Kyle Ross, Boston Blazers defenseman
Monday, October 19, 4:00PM ET

Hey lax fans,

I have been asked to share some of my experiences with you guys as I travel to Australia and participate in the All Star Series. Before we get started, let me just say that I am extremely proud and honored to be taking part in the games next weekend with some of the best players in the world.

It's been a long week of prep and excitement leading up to my flight Monday evening. Truth be told I have had a hard time looking at my lacrosse gear since losing a heart breaking game seven in the Canadian National men's Championship this summer. However, I think this trip is exactly the thing I need to put it all behind me.

I will be travelling with two of my summer teammates; Ian Hawksbee and Tyler Richards. It's always a good thing when you can carpool to the airport. Then it's Vancouver to LA , LA to Sydney, and finally Sydney down to Melbourne. All in all roughly 20 hours in the air. Hopefully my PSP and a new book will make it seem a little shorter.

Lots of my friends and family have been sharing their Aussie experiences with me, so I can't wait to get there and live some of my own. I'll be checking in throughout the week so check back often.

Kyle Ross


Bruce Codd, Calgary Roughnecks defenseman
Monday, October 19, 9:00AM ET

Hey Everybody,

As I get set to jet off to Melbourne for the NLL All-Star series, I thought it might be a good idea to try my hand at writing a few blogs and share this unique experience with you all.

I am very excited and grateful to have the opportunity to showcase our great game to the people in the land Down Under and see how the other side of the world lives.

Having been to almost every province and state in North America some people would say I have travelled a lot, but surprisingly I have never been abroad. Leave it to lacrosse to open the door for another great life experience. Since winter starts the first week of October out here in Cow Town (Calgary), this will also be a good time to take off the shirt and get this chalky white skin some much needed Vitamin D.

However, I am not looking forward to the 18 hour journey to get there. Myself and Andrew McBride start in Calgary Monday night where we take the short flight to Vancouver, then on to Sydney before finally arriving in Melbourne on Wednesday. I think I am ready with a few DVDs, a freshly purchased Theo Fleury Autobiography to read and my old travel companion "Brian Urlacher" neck pillow.

Well that's all for now, I will check back when we are settled in Melbourne.

BC

Check back to NLL.com throughout the week as players share their experiences from the All-Star Series in Australia.