Minnesota Swarm opens training camp this weekend

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The National Lacrosse League’s (NLL) Minnesota Swarm opens Training Camp this weekend, with its first session running from Thursday, Nov. 24 through Sunday, Nov. 27 at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena in Hagersville, Ontario. The four-day camp kicks off the Swarm’s eighth season of play in the NLL.

“It’s truly a new age in Swarm history that we’re opening up here,” Associate General Manager Joe Sullivan said. “Fans who sit back and watch this team grow are going to witness a great thing.”

If the Swarm’s front office has given any indication on what the expectations are during training camp this year, a few things have been made clear.

Competition will be stiff across the board. Players will be tested both mentally and physically. Jobs will be earned, and nothing will come easy.

“We will be the hardest working team in the NLL in 2012,” Sullivan said. “Why would we ever want to set the tone any less than 110 percent? We need everybody to be fearful of their jobs. We need everybody to be confident enough in their own skills that they want to be aggressive.

“We’re going to ask an awful lot from our players. We’re going to push them like they’ve never been pushed before. I know every player coming back from last year’s team wants nothing but to do better than what we’ve done in the past.”

When main camp opens on Friday, close to 40 players will sport blue and yellow practice jerseys. That number will then drop significantly to 23 after the Swarm’s final preseason game against Toronto on Dec. 18.

“I expect this to be an extremely competitive camp, with a lot of emotion,” Head Coach Mike Lines said. “There’s going to be a lot of guys batting for very few spots.”

Training Camp opens on a different note this year with the addition of Rookie Camp on Thursday. The one-day camp is intended to help develop this year’s draft picks.

“It gives them an opportunity to learn the game real quickly so that they can put their best foot forward during main camp,” Sullivan said.

The Swarm is also hosting an open tryout session at Rookie Camp. For the couple of dozen invitees making the trip, an opportunity of a lifetime awaits, as they will have an opportunity to earn an invitation to main camp.

“Hopefully some people surprise us,” Sullivan said. “Ultimately that’s what we would really love to see at this thing…to see people come here that have slipped through the cracks and are able to make the jump to the NLL.”

The Swarm’s second Training Camp session begins next weekend from Dec. 2-4 at Lakemount Sportsworld in Grimsby, Ontario. To wrap up the preseason, Minnesota is scheduled for two games out East against the Rochester Knighthawks on Dec. 17 and against the defending NLL champion Toronto Rock on Dec. 18.

The Swarm begins the 2012 regular season on Saturday, Jan. 14 on the road against the Colorado Mammoth at 8 p.m. CT. Minnesota hosts the Buffalo Bandits on Treasure Island Field at Xcel Energy Center for its home opener on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. CT.

Courtesy: Alec Schimke/Minnesota Swarm