Texas Forever

This week’s blog is a little different. I usually begin writing the blog on Wednesdays, with an eye towards our Friday release. This time however, I decided to get a jump on writing and get started on my flight home. I have always found that airplanes give me a good head space to get thoughts onto paper, so this week’s blog consists of my thoughts from 30,000 feet above the ground.

This weekend was a humbling one for myself and the team. We saw what a championship team looks like during the stretch run and just how far we have to go. We were led offensively by Patrick Dodds, who had four goals including three in the fourth quarter. Doddsy has such a slick shot and he has the ability to pick both the top corners with a release that looks the exact same for goaltenders. It’s cool to watch.

Also, I need to mention Nick Damude, who aside from his work in the cage, recorded his second goal of his career, an insane feat for a goaltender of any age let alone one in his mid twenties. His other goal also came in Colorado, a wild coincidence.

One of the challenges of the NLL is having to wait a full week to be able to go out and play again. In college for example, the team goes back to practice on Monday and begins to correct the errors that need to be fixed. On a personal level, it is a chance to start building the confidence back up, try new things that you need to improve upon, and in general fill your mind with more urgent concerns of what comes next, rather than what happened last.

Traveling home in the NLL is a particular challenge, especially when you are alone (I stayed an extra night in Denver so this is the predicament I find myself in now). As an athlete in team sports, you are used to taking in the whole experience alongside your teammates. In this league, you are forced to sit with your own thoughts a lot of the time. After losses, that can make flying shall we say… less enjoyable.

So to brighten the mood, I wanted to turn to a more cheery subject. This week, PCLC is excited to be hosting “Texas Forever Night,” and the team is looking forward to a great crowd, and great event. We will be sporting some fantastic new uniforms, designed by our own Abigail Rosenbaum. Abigail is a tremendously talented graphic designer for us, and she should be rightfully proud of her work.

This was the first mock-up Abigail designed, literally using crayon. Aside from color, this was pretty close to the final product.

Another variation of the jersey with different colors. The final product eliminated a lot of the black in the jersey, emphasized purple, and added a good splash of red.

This design, obviously virtual, shows a near final version. of the jersey with only minor changes (like the longhorn logo being on both arms) from the final version.

I am not sure people realize how difficult it is to design a jersey from scratch. It is easy to comment and give opinions on the finished product, but actually starting from a blank canvas is a whole different challenge. This is especially true when pursuing a non-traditional jersey design, so kudos to Abigail and the rest of the PCLC staff for not only imagining these jerseys but having the courage to go ahead with them. We had some fun with the new jerseys this week at a photo shoot we did at the Fort Worth Stockyards. Stay tuned to our social media accounts for lots of great content from the shoot.

In honor of Texas Forever Night, and in honor of the now seven years I have spent living in America, I decided to write a list of my favorite things about this great country and great state (nothing serious, let’s have some fun).

In no particular order:

• The Panther City Lacrosse Club
• Gas stations with good food (I haven’t been to Buccee’s yet but will try ASAP)
• College Football
  • Tailgating for College Football
• Alicia Keys
• Those mini pretzel hot dogs from Auntie Anne’s
• 75-80 MPH speed limits
• Texas Roadhouse
• My friends
• Bundt Cakes
• Dickies Arena
• My girlfriend Ellie
• Trader Joes
• July 4^th
• Pat Foley
• The mist machines that all restaurants have on their patios here
• Miller Lite
• The TV show Gossip Girl
  • Blake Lively
• Liam Byrnes (Hey Byrnesy, bet you’ve never been on a list with Blake Lively)
• Mozzarella sticks
• Getting a week off school for thanksgiving
• American Airlines

There is plenty more, but that seems to me to be a pretty good list to start. Normally, I would start this sentence with the phrase “kidding aside” (which I use entirely too much), but the point of Texas Forever is that we are supposed to kid and have fun. This is going to be a celebration of this awesome state and overall a really fun night.

And if the lacrosse wasn’t enough, the Squeezebox Bandits will be performing at halftime and after the game in the Frank Kent Cadillac Club. Season ticket members can watch from the club, and all other fans can watch the concert from their seats or up in the Reliant Club.

On the floor, this is one of the biggest games of our season, as the Western Conference remains jammed, and we will need all the help we can get from our fans.

If you need tickets, check here.

If you are interested in bidding for a game worn Texas forever jersey, click here.

And, if you want to read more words from me, check back here every Friday.

Until then, heres to good friends living large in Texas.

Texas Forever