Beach Blast features 500 lax games over three days

Two days of threatened rain at the Beach Blast Lacrosse Lacrosse Tournament at Cape Henlopen High School produced no umbrellas, but when the sun came out Sunday, two days past the summer solstice, there were grown men looking like Mary Poppins. The campus was hotter than a 1955 grammar school. Turf temperature reached 100, and hoagies became grinders after being unwrapped.

Directors Sue Murphy and Courtney Vaughn, overseeing a tournament in its seventh year, are sports management majors with degrees.

“It’s all about preparations, and adjustments when things go a little wrong, and building relationships,” said Murphy, a former head coach at the University of Richmond.

“Make it fun for the players and families while realizing it’s a competitive environment in women’s lacrosse,” Vaughn said. “And we don’t put up with adults behaving badly. But honestly, it’s not much of a problem.”

Murphy mentioned Cape custodian Jay Kennedy like she has every year since the tournament began. “Jay and the rest of the Cape people are just so nice. It gives the tournament a great feel. And such a beautiful, yet cozy campus. And let’s not forget we are at the beach.”

The Beach Blast welcomed a 124-team field this year equally divided between middle school and high school teams. There were 31 club teams entered, and there were eight age groups slugged by year of graduation from high school. Players can play up but not down and, in some cases, a goalie may be on more than one team.

The Cape campus was divided into seven fields, including two turf, two grass and three bermuda. The third bermuda field runs from center to right field inside the baseball diamond.

A second venue behind the Lewes School on Savannah Road produces another four fields.

The Eastern Shore Lacrosse Club played 28 games over three days. Each team entered is guaranteed four games. And there are 14 championship trophies presented.

The Eastern Shore 2021 and 2022 teams both lost in a one game 32-minute championship final.

“There’s room for every player at the next level at some level,” Murphy said. “We like to see young women enjoying the process along the way, and, hopefully, families aren’t too caught up with chasing scholarships.”

Several players used the word waxed to describe what happened to their teams in some of the games played. Athletes are aware that there are teams and players out there who are better than them, but none are convinced it’s going to stay that way.