The Scoop / Summer '15 9
If there’s such a thing as a lacrosse
playground, Fort Devens in early June certainly
fits the mold. For two weekends a year, the United
States Army Reserve Base is transformed into the
epicenter of youth lacrosse in Massachusetts.
The vast array of fields become filled with
players, coaches, and families alike. Team tents
line the perimeter of the venue stocked with
enough food and beverages to feed a small army,
or in this case, a team of young lacrosse players.
The concession stand aroma fills the late spring
air. And from sun-up to sun-down, the maximum
amount of lacrosse is crammed into four days
spanning two weekends.
Just from the sheer magnitude alone, the
MBYLL Jamboree is truly unique, as it continues
to be the largest annual lacrosse Jamboree in the
United States. This year’s Jamboree spanned
over two weekends (June 6th, 7th, 13th, and
14th) and included teams playing in the U9, U11,
U13, and U15 age-brackets. The Jamboree has
had an astounding transformation: Once a two-
ay tournament which included 62 teams, the
event has blossomed to average 475 teams,
7,500 players, and 16,000 total attendees
annually.
With thousands of lacrosse Jamborees across
the country, it’s tough to find a better venue than
Fort Devens for such a large undertaking. Very
few facilities are able to produce 13 games
running simultaneously at one central location.
After hearing good things, Ryan Larkum, the
Northeast regional manager for US Lacrosse
made his first visit to this year's MBYLL Jamboree
and was not disappointed one bit: “It’s been a
phenomenal event, with all these games going
on at once, it’s an absolutely terrific day."
While coordinating a Jamboree could be
challenging enough, the size of the festival alone
calls for an extreme amount of preparation and
organization well before the teams arrive at the
grass fields. As the director of MBYLL’s Jamboree
for the past four years, Jim Olivier has found
himself immersed in the organization and
growth of the Jamboree. In particular, Olivier
finds himself extremely busy on those four days
in early June making sure the event runs as
smoothly as possible. But many people are
unable to see the work he puts into the Jamboree
year-round. When asked about some of his most
daunting tasks leading up to the Jamboree,
Olivier noted: “There are many logistical
activities over the course of the year. The main
year-round efforts involve working with Fort
Devens and our various sponsors and business
partners.”
SPONSORS
While lacrosse is the focal point of the
Jamboree, a strong vendor and sponsor presence
is what makes the event unique. MBYLL president
Tom Spangenberg credits the growth and success
of the MBYLL Jamboree in part to the strong
sponsor presence that return on an annual basis:
“Our Jamboree sponsors play an important role
in adding value to the player and family
experience," he said. "All of our sponsors provide
some additional fun and excitement to the
event.” This year’s Jamboree featured
participation from the Boston Cannons,
Commonwealth Lacrosse (ComLax), Infiniti, and
Trilogy Lacrosse.
Griffin Kirkwood, a member of the Boston
Cannons front-office, noted the strong
relationship between the Cannons and MBYLL:
“We have a great relationship with MBYLL; a large
part of our fan base are the members of MBYLL
and the lacrosse community as a whole. We are
both invested in the growth of lacrosse at every
level and we have a great deal with MBYLL where
we [the Cannons] make it out to the Jamboree
and members of MBYLL always seem to have a
good presence at all of our games.”
The relationship between the Boston Cannons
and MBYLL is something that has certainly been
enjoyable for both parties. When asked about his
favorite part of attending the Jamboree as a
member of the Boston Cannons front-office, Matt
Northrop said, “It’s fun when the kids come over
to our tent and are very excited and
knowledgeable about our team. The kids usually
look forward to coming to our games, and we
really appreciate their support.”
Like the Cannons, ComLax has been a
consistent presence at the MBYLL Jamboree over
the years. While ComLax no longer attends other
lacrosse tournaments or Jamborees, they still
continue to support MBYLL’s Fort Devens
tradition. Like Jim Olivier, Stew Bernstein of
ComLax noted the company’s thorough
preparation for the two weekends in June: “It’s
about a six month set-up between people,