As I sit here in the air-conditioned club house here at the Blues ground, there is a group of women players sitting at the benches across from me. They are all American with a few British players mixed in and they seem to be trading stories from their summer travel plans, future tournament dates, and general “catch up” type details. Now I wouldn’t normally ease drop, but being an ex-pat myself, it’s hard to not pick out
the ol’ Yank accent from a mile away. Just as I was about to clear my throat and make it known that I need some quiet over here (don’t they know I’m writing stimulating lax
articles over here…) I realize that they are exactly what this tournament has become
about.

Being my first BluesFest, I was open-minded to what I was going to expect. I’ve heard everything from “it’s a great tournament with some serious lacrosse being played”, to, “it’s a giant piss up with a little lax thrown in”. Now granted both of those descriptions can fit in at one point or another along the weekend, I started seeing a pattern of a different sort. After seeing the 30th person that I knew but hadn’t seen for a while, I started realizing events like BluesFest is about a lot more that just lacrosse; or just drinking for that matter. It’s about friends, family, teammates, and even general acquaintances getting together for a weekend to enjoy this amazing thing that we all share a passion for.

BluesFest is a phenomenal event and is a staple in most UK lax players summer schedule. If you havent made the trip down here yet to enjoy one of the biggest tournaments in the country…make it happen. You’ll thank us.