Tradition Never Dies
Image courtesy of Lake Placid Summit Lacrosse Classic
When the Lake Placid Summit Lacrosse Classic kicks off August 3, more than 140 Ohio Wesleyan University alumni will take to the field during the six-day event.
The Lake Placid tournament hosts more than 10 divisions of players, ranging from “under 15” boys and girls to “over 52” veteran players.
Steven Corrigan ’74, a former Battling Bishop varsity lacrosse player, keeps the Ohio Wesleyan fire burning every year at the New York event.
“OWU has an unbelievable reputation in the lacrosse alumni world,” Corrigan says. “Part of it is due to our teammates, both alumni and friends of alumni, [and] another reason is our longevity. For the past 10 years, we have carried the OWU banner in tournaments across the country.”
Corrigan plays in the Grand Masters division, featuring players over age 45, as well as in the Super Grand Masters, featuring players over 52.
“Our consistency, love of the game, and our gratitude for being together playing the greatest sport on the planet has made us the envy of the lacrosse world,” he says.
And it’s a tradition that often gets handed down, Corrigan notes.
“We have some players with sons on the current team,” he says, including Mike McCormick and his son, Jack McCormick ’11. “He and I played in high school together and found each other after 30 years—once again a lacrosse connection leading to his son’s enrollment at OWU.”
Corrigan says not only does the tournament represent physical sacrifice, but it also reminds players of the unbreakable bonds they developed at OWU. After the muscles are iced up and the pain has settled down, the OWU players relax and relive the good old days.
“Once [the tournament] is done, a tailgate of epic proportions happens, and we usually have a large crowd from people of the lacrosse community,” Corrigan says.
Click here for more about the Lake Placid Summit Lacrosse Classic.