opportunity to hang out some, check out what there is to do, and play a game.”
As Franks’ team and others are getting to experience all that Nantucket offers, word is spreading throughout the league and more and more teams are seeking to make the trip a part of their annual schedule. It has even gotten to the point where Gamberoni had more teams vying to come over than he had open game slots. Such a “predicament” also allowed Nantucket’s Select team to play more home games than away games.
When it’s boiled down, the driving reason for Gamberoni’s “dilemma” is the hospitality that accompanies each part of the day. Teams begin by taking the ferry over, are met by the Nantucket parents and driven to the field by bus and pickup trucks, are given food, transported back to the ferry, and are overall truly made to feel at home.
“We really strive to give teams first class service
when they come out here, because it is a commitment and sometimes a full day thing,” says James Hurd, President of Nantucket Youth Lacrosse. “Whether it’s the bus that picks them up, lunch, or getting back to the ferry, it’s all trying to be as hospitable as possible.
It’s really a special place on Nantucket and we want to show that to people and they’re starting to catch on.”
As people are starting to grasp what “island lacrosse” is all about, there even is a desire to reciprocate the friendly efforts of those out on Nantucket. Teams that hosted
Nantucket in Select play tried to emulate the experience for them on the mainland with post-game cookouts and gatherings.
Through those efforts, various programs are demonstrating that Nantucket’s hospitable approach is more than appreciated—it’s something they take inspiration from.
"As schedulers, we are always conscience of how to handle Nantucket—both for home and away games,” said Picard. “But many programs truly stepped up to accommodate them both as hosting teams and as eager visiting teams who wanted to bask in the experience of playing lacrosse on one of the most beautiful settings available to them."
In spite of the rave reviews that Nantucket receives throughout MBYLL, there still are obstacles that cannot be avoided. First and
foremost, there is one aspect that nobody can control: weather.
While trips over and back are all a part of the team-building process and positive environment that oozes from the island programs, a simple storm or bad weather pattern can disrupt weeks of built-up excitement.
“The weather is the biggest obstacle,” says Gamberoni. “If there’s choppy waters or high winds, the boats aren’t going to run. This year we’ve been blessed with a mild spring. We had a really brutal winter, but we’ve been really fortunate this spring as far as boat cancellations go.”
Another defining obstacle is the fact that traveling out to the islands, especially Nantucket, can be expensive. Hurd, Gamerboni, and others work closely with the ferry lines to solicit discounted rates, but the boat ride still requires a financial commitment that assuredly trumps a normal drive.
“The boat lines help us out a great deal with the money aspect,” Hurd says. “They give us a majorly reduced rate for the round trip ticket for us ourselves and the teams that come over, but they need to get in there and make a reservation
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