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Arlington, VA - Taylor McCord became the first Florida prep player to tryout for the Under Armour All-American all-star games this week when she made the trip to Arlington, Virginia to compete with the best players from the DC Metro area. The area, which includes hotbed areas Severna Park, Annapolis, Montgomery County, DC private schools, and northern Virginia, is known as one of the most competitive areas in the country and each year pumps talent to the top collegiate programs nation wide. Competing at the tryout were 45 rising seniors and 30 rising sophomores and juniors. Many of the rising seniors have already committed to play Division I college lacrosse.
McCord, who is a rising junior from Bartram Trail High School, tried out as an attack-midfielder at the event. She earned honorable mention all-American and 1st Team all-State as a sophomore while scoring 128 points for the Bears. At UA tryouts, the attack position had the most registrants with 40 players registering as attackers and 20 as midfielders or both. McCord more than held her own at the event which featured selectors with US National team experience and local DC metro coaches from top prep programs. Under Amrour and Corrigan Sports Marketing as well as deBeer Lacrosse were sponsoring the event.
Last year’s Under Armour games produced a ‘who’s who’ of lacrosse talent. Teams are selected from DC-Metro, Baltimore, Philadelphia/South Jersey, and Long Island. The closest tryout for Florida prepsters is the DC-Metro tryout. In order to tryout for the team, McCord had to miss two days of school (the tryouts are over two days), so studying has been a primary focus when not at the event.
We sat down and did a Question and Answer with Taylor to help girls from Florida better understand and prepare for trying out for top national-level teams, such as the Under Armour All-American games.
FLL – What did you think the UA games tryout would be like before you left Florida for the trip?
TM – I thought it was going to be fast paced, intense, with lots of insane ball movement and everyone having a very high lax-IQ. I thought it would not be easy with everyone going 110% trying to earn a spot on the roster. They only take 22 field players, so I was worried that maybe I would not stand out over the other players with so much competition.
FLL – And after the tryout? How did it measure up to your expectations?
TM – It was very fast paced and intense. I was surprised at how well I fit in and could play. The lax-IQ of some of the players was excellent and then there were others who were 1-v-1 players and did not make the reads on slides. The drills were intense. You could tell during the drills that some players were very nervous and would force it, or they would get tunnel vision.
FLL – So, having experienced it, what does a player from Florida need to have to show well at such a tryout?
TM – Fast acceleration, know when to use their speed to change speed and direction, and be able to book-it on transition both directions. You must be strong and tough physically and if you are not a big person you must use your presence and stick to make yourself seem bigger than you are. You have to use intimidation and project strength. Fortunately I like to hit the weights, and that help me to take some ‘hits’ to my body during the two day event. Physical play is expected at the higher levels of play.
In terms of stick, I think having skills with both hands helped me a lot. You need to be able to pass and catch from anywhere and anyway they want to give you the ball your handle has to be able to receive. You need to be tough on the double teams on defense and on attack you have to not be afraid of pressure or double teams and you have to know where your options are before you get into trouble. You also have to protect your stick very well and get your stick vertical on your shots while hitting the corners. The more I faked the better I played.
" I just played like I had played with all of them my whole life. I wanted to pretend like I was just one of them, not like I was some kid from Florida."
FLL – You mentioned that “the more you faked, the better you played”. How do you think you played?
TM – I guess I will find out from the selectors by the end of the week. I would say overall I played well. I think there was one point at the end of the first day that I was at a low point and I was not showing well with a particular group I was scrimmaging with. Part was me and part was the team dynamic, which is tough at a tryout. My stick skills were very good and I scored a lot assist-wise and goal wise. I think I created a lot of slides out there and I was very aggressive on defense. I need to work on my overall speed. I accelerate well, but what I want to focus on after the summer events is my 40-50 yard sprint speed and sprint endurance. I hope I make the team, I would be an honor to represent Florida and my high school and club teams on that level.
FLL – What was it like competing with the nation’s best players for a spot on the team?
TM – Helpful.
FLL – Were you nervous? How did you handle it?
TM – Definitely. Everyone was. It’s scary being the only ‘outsider’ at the tryouts and not knowing anyone. The St. Mary’s players had 5 or 6 teammates there. Other teams had club players who knew each other. I had to get over that feeling by being mentally tough and not let that stuff get to me. I just played like I had played with all of them my whole life. I wanted to pretend like I was just one of them, not like I was some kid from Florida. It was funny when they did introductions and I said I was from Bartram Trail. The girls were like “where’s that?” and I said “Florida” and they were like “Whoa!” I guess that made me feel pretty special.
FLL – What was your favorite drill?
TM – I personally like the 3-v-2 drill, and the King of the Hill, depending on if I was on a stacked team or not. I loved the drills I performed well at and my teammates made it all possible for me to have success. I wanted to help them have success. That’s kind of the goal of the game is to make your teammates look good out there. When you play like that you can rack ‘em up!
FLL – If you make the team, will this help you in your goals to play college lax?
TM – Yes, because it will gove me confidence to realize if I can make a team of the top 24 and not be in the top 75 or get cut, then I have a chance to play at one of the top schools in the nation. I am sure many of the girls who get cut will end up playing at schools high on their lists. The schools that the girls on the team may have already committed to that are considered top-10 programs, some of those girls will not make the team. Programs that I am interested in as well. So, it’s a real confidence boost to make the team. But make the team or not, I feel like I belonged there. I was not out of place. It was a great experience and can only help me as I tryout for more and more teams in the future.
My parents are there to give me a dose of reality, so while it would be an honor, it would also mean a lot of work to prepare for.
FLL – You had to miss school late in the year, what did you do to keep up with your studies?
TM – It is really not different than being a college student-athlete and going to away trips, so this is good practice! I studied on the plane, 4 hours or so, and I think I pay attention better when I am in the plane than when I am in class! Just kidding. I try to stay on top of my school work all the time so I can do lacrosse events. Committing to be a college student-athlete means you have to organize your time well. But there are tons of times to hang out and have a social life too.
FLL – What else did you do on the trip?
TM – I went on an unofficial visit at Maryland, one of my top choices right now. We (my parents and I) met with the coaches and sat down with Coach Kenis (Maryland assistant coach) and she gave me a great look at their program. I grew up in Maryland, although I did not play lacrosse until I moved to Florida. Kinda funny how that worked. We ate at the student-union and hiked the campus. We went into their locker room and on their stadium field. It was nice. I have been around sports a long time, so I have seen a lot of places and this gives me an idea of how Maryland stacks up.
We took the DC Metro everywhere because my Dad wanted me to experience going to a school that was “urban” and using the train system to get places. We hopped out at the Smithsonian and saw “Night at the Museum” which was really cool because all the places we were visiting were in the movie! We took taxis everywhere, even the tryouts. It was funny watching my 6’7” dad try to flag down a taxis. Apparently being 6’7” does not help you flag down a cab!
FLL – If you could offer someone a year or two younger than yourself a bit of advise in the recruiting process, what would it be?
TM – To start early. Coaches get surprised to see young players sending them things.
About the Under Armour All-American Games:
The new Under Armour All-Stars will represent Baltimore, Long Island (NY), Upstate NY, Midwest, Philadelphia, New England, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. and will come to Baltimore on June 27 and 28 to participate in the tournament in front of lacrosse fans and college coaches. Each team will play three games in pool play. The winners of each pool will meet for the Underclass Championship. 
SELECTION: Each player must register for their geographic region. Players will be judged by a panel of knowledgeable sources including coaching experts from that region. Each team will consist of a maximum of 24 players and will be chosen based on position and their performance at that tryout.
ATHLETE BENEFITS: College Coaches from DI, DII & DIII lacrosse programs will be invited to attend both the regional tryouts as well as the games in Baltimore. Participants who play in the Underclassmen games will have the inside track to being exposed to the selection committee of the Under Armour All-America team which they will be eligible for once they are seniors.
For more information on the games, visit www.underarmourlacrosse.com
Lax Maniax Elite Club Tryout is coming to Boca Raton on February 17, 2-5 pm at Pope John Paul II High School. Coach Mindy, Coach Paul, Sarah Burlingame-McGoey (Cornell), Sarah Anderson-Fisher (Cornell), and Dave Blouin (Salisbury) will all be there to coach you up and evaluate the South Florida Maniax! Over 200 girls have already tried out for the Maniax this season, how many more want to be Elite?
You can sign up for the tryout by clicking on this link: South Florida Tryout
Be Your Best!
What a beautiful day here in Jacksonville! While Orlando brought the wind and rain, it was 60 degrees and sunny up in Jax for the day. 50 girls showed up for the Elite tryout, and the number of new players was awesome, over half the players were new Maniax tryouts.
The best part of the day was to see representation from schools that didn’t have any Maniax girls last year, or only had a couple. Fleming Island had 3 girls (0 last year) and Fletcher had 5 (2 last year)! Bartram Trail and Flagler Palm Coast had their usual crews of returning and new players, and brought the biggest number of players of all the schools.
The level of play was great, seeing the strides made by the entire area in such a short amount of time is mind-boggling. To think that the vast majority of these girls haves been playing lacrosse for a little more than 1 year makes my jaw drop. In a couple of years North Florida as a whole will hold their own with the other top regions in the state.
There was a special guest coach in attendance, Nicole Pritchard of Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Coach Pritchard worked with the returning Maniax players, running them through drills and coaching the girls in a scrimmage. Coach Pritchard runs one of the only scholarship programs in the Southeast, and plays a great schedule. As a school, SCAD is one of the top design colleges in the world! Find out more about Coach Pritchard and SCAD at SCAD.edu
As the high school season starts up now, these girls will share that special bond of being “Maniax Players” at any school they compete against this season. Because in the summer, we’re all working towards the common goal of making Florida Lacrosse a force to be reckoned with throughout the country.
Lax Maniax: Play with Best, Play for the Best, Be the Best!
Wow, what a great day of lacrosse here in Orlando. 1st, over 100 girls showed up for the free clinic held by Ann Philips, Head Coach at Franklin and Marshall, and her assistants, Brooke and Mia. To see everyone running around, passing, catching, shooting, and playing tough D was fantastic.
At 1:00 pm, the main event was taking the field, Lax Maniax Elite Tryouts for the Central Florida area. Over 125 girls were present, and the level of competition and fire was incredible! Girls were placed into teams based on grad year, and were then run through a series of up-tempo, fun, and exciting drills. We made it nearly an hour before the heavens opened up and the thunder came. For the returning Maniax players, this was nothing new, it is a running joke that rains always come with a Maniax event, and so today was no different! When we all got back on the field, it was scrimmage time!
The games were fantastic, returning Maniax players were on teams together, and new players were on teams together, being thrown into the fire so we could see how they performed. It was awesome, new players from all over showcased themselves and proved they belonged with the Elite, while the Maniax players showed off the skills and strategies they learned last year after 8 months of elite training and games with the Maniax. The talent level was great, and now everybody is hungry to become better and strut their skill acrosse the nation this year!
Georgia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, Naples, Ft. Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Ft. Myers. Where do you wanna go this year? The Maniax will take you!
