Bud Light Major League Lacrosse Skills Competition to Determine Fastest, Most Accurate and Most Crea
May 6, 2004 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL) News Release
Boston, MA (May 6, 2004) â Major League Lacrosse (MLL), the premiere professional outdoor lacrosse league, today announced it will hold the Bud Light MLL Skills Competition at the Long Island Lizards-Philadelphia Barrage game on Thursday, July 15 at Villanova Stadium outside Philadelphia. The third annual installment of this fan favorite will see the league's best vie for top honors in three contests: Fastest Shot, Bullseye and Freestyle. The Bud Light MLL Skills Competition will take place during an extended halftime of the game, with the Lizards and Barrage scheduled to face off at 7:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased through the Barrage at (888) 450-7802. The Bud Light MLL Skills Competition will also be shown nationally as part of ESPN2's broadcast of the game on Saturday, July 17 at 2 p.m.
"This is one of the most exciting events of the season," said MLL Founder Jake Steinfeld, CEO of Body By Jake Global L.L.C. "From the fans to the players themselves, everyone loves to debate who's the fastest, most accurate or best finisher. With the Skills Competition and the support of Bud Light, the world's top lacrosse players get to determine who really is the best of the best."
The Fastest Shot competition is one of awesome, jaw-dropping power. Six players, one representing each team, will each get two attempts to shoot as hard as possible from thirty feet away. The speed of each shot will be determined by a radar gun on the field. This year's contestants will be trying to unseat Boston Cannons attackman David Evans, who won this contest each of the last two years. In the inaugural event in 2002, Evans wowed the crowd with a top speed of 108 mph, a mark he matched last year.
Where the Fastest Shot recognizes power, the Bullseye event focuses on precision and skill. Instead of shooting at an open goal, players will aim at one with target openings only in the corners of the net. A pair of players representing each team will have 30 seconds to feed each other and take up to ten shots on goal, with the pair scoring the most goals through the target declared the victor. This event has been a wide-open affair in the past; a New Jersey Pride unit led by midfielder Dave Curry won two years ago, but Mark Millon and Jeff Sonke of the Baltimore Bayhawks took the prize last year.
Without question, though, the most exciting contest is the Freestyle. Not only is it the most creative event, but the winner is also determined by fan reaction. Six of league's top talents will have two breakaway attempts to show their best finishing move. This contest has seen some of the MLL's most memorableâand most talked aboutâplays. In 2002, Bayhawks legendary player/coach Gary Gait walked off with top honors after unveiling "Air Gait", an unstoppable 360-degree maneuver. Rochester Rattlers Attackman Casey Powell brought the fans to their feet with an aerial, one-handed, behind-the-back shot that won the prize last year.
Three of the MLL's best netminders will rotate in goal for the Freestyle, and the one that makes the most saves will be recognized as top goalie.
Fans throughout the league will be able to enjoy the Bud Light MLL Skills Competition, even if they don't make the trip to Villanova Stadium. Each team will select several finalists for the Fastest Shot and Bullseye competitions during training camp, then conduct team finals prior to home games early in the season. At the first home game, fans can enjoy their team finals for the Fastest Shot, with the team Bullseye competition taking place at the second home game. Fans will also be able to select the six finalists for the Freestyle competition by registering their vote in an online poll on the MLL's official web site, www.majorleaguelacrosse.com.
Bud Light also gives fans the opportunity to test their skills and be a star. At every Major League Lacrosse game, several fans are invited to the field to participate in the Bud Light Accuracy contest. Contestants shoot on the same goal with target openings that the league's best will take aim at in the Bullseye event. Winners in the Bud Light Accuracy contest are awarded a Bud Light prize pack.
Bud Light has been the official beer sponsor of Major League Lacrosse since the league's inaugural season in 2001. Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. is the leading U.S. brewer and holds a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico's leading brewer. In a survey of 10,000 business leaders and securities analysts, Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. ranked first overall in quality of products and services among nearly 600 companies researched in FORTUNE magazine's 2004 "America's Most Admired Companies" listing. The company also is one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and is the world's largest recycler of aluminum beverage containers. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com or www.budlight.com.
Major League Lacrosse, a six-team professional outdoor lacrosse league, was founded in 1999 by fitness entrepreneur Jake Steinfeld, CEO of Body by Jake Enterprises, and partners Dave Morrow, a former champion lacrosse player and now CEO of Warrior Lacrosse, a leading global provider of innovative and high performance lacrosse equipment; and Timothy B. Robertson, former CEO of The Family Channel and the current chairman of Bay Shore Enterprises, L.L.C., an investment holding company with activities in international media and Internet technology ventures. The MLL commenced play in June of 2001 and enters this season with teams in Baltimore, Boston, Long Island, (Montclair) New Jersey, Philadelphia and Rochester. The 2004 MLL season begins on Saturday, May 22 and concludes with the New Balance Major League Lacrosse Championship Weekend, Thursday, August 19 and Sunday, August 22. League information can be found at www.majorleaguelacrosse.com.
Major League Lacrosse Stories from May 6, 2004
- Bud Light Major League Lacrosse Skills Competition to Determine Fastest, Most Accurate and Most Crea - MLL
- Rattlers enter week three of MLL training camp - Dallas Rattlers
- Bayhawks Name Jeff Klodzen As Assistant Coach - Chesapeake Bayhawks
- Philadelphia Barrage Claim Chaddsford, PA Native Josh Bergey Off Waivers - Philadelphia Barrage
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