Local Lacrosse Player Sets Sights On Professional Ranks
April 19, 2007 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Chicago Machine News Release
Chicago, IL (April 19, 2007) - Most guys dream of playing professional athletics. The eighty lacrosse players who will attend the Chicago Machine's open tryout Saturday are taking their shot.
These Major League Lacrosse (MLL) hopefuls will come to MAX McCook Athletic & Exposition in McCook, Illinois, this weekend for a two-day workout in front of the Chicago coaching staff. Five of those athletes will earn spots on the Machine's 35-man training camp roster.
The tryout will feature players hailing from cities that range from Seattle to Baltimore and Miami to Boston. However, the audition won't be without local flavor. One of its Chicagoland heroes will be Colin Robinson of Libertyville.
On paper, Robinson appears to be a long shot to crack Chicago's training camp roster. While most MLL players boast credentials that feature some of the nation's top East Coast high school and college varsity programs, the Libertyville native did not pick up the game until his sophomore year at Illinois State University, a school that competes at a club level. Robinson, however, is not disparaged. He believes his athleticism will help him earn a serious look from the Chicago coaching staff.
"I play defense, run the ball down to the other end, give it to someone else and come off the field," said Robinson, who now lives in Wauconda. "I suppose whether or not the Machine is looking for that type of defensive or transition player will have an impact on my chances. So much of the game of lacrosse is going up and down the field in transition, so hopefully I can work myself into that type of spot."
Robinson, who was a cross country and track athlete at Libertyville High School, specialized as a defensive midfielder for the Illinois State lacrosse team. During his collegiate lacrosse career, he co-captained the Redbirds and helped them win consecutive Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association Division II titles. While working on a graduate degree at Illinois State, he eventually became the team's coach. Now Robinson competes as a member of the Windy City lacrosse club, a men's team in the highly competitive Midwest Cities Lacrosse Conference.
To Robinson, the chance to play for the Machine represents more than an opportunity to play the game he loves. He also hopes it will raise the level of his play.
"It comes down to wanting to play at the highest level possible," said Robinson. "That's really what drives me. The opportunity to play with better players only makes you better.
"Lacrosse is really a working man's game. It's not going to pay your bills. The few who can make a living in lacrosse are very lucky. Having a fulltime job, coaching and training is intense, but at the same time, for the opportunity to play with the best there is, it's worth it."
Robinson first picked up a lacrosse stick in an Illinois State dormitory. Since then, it's been a tough habit to put down.
"I lived right next to a couple lacrosse players and started playing catch with them in the hall," he said. "Before high school I played hockey quite a bit. Lacrosse resembled hockey so I picked up it up pretty quickly. Sophomore year I started coming to practices and the rest is history.
"Even just playing catch in the hall was a lot of fun. Next thing you know I'm hanging out with the lacrosse guys and going to games. The next logical step, instead of standing around and watching, was to get in the game and start playing."
Several of Robinson's teammates were products of the Libertyville High School lacrosse program, which at the time was coached by Chicagoland lacrosse pioneer Rich Martin. Martin owns and operates Lacrosse America, a company that both sells lacrosse equipment and offers a wide range of youth and adult lacrosse programs. He is widely credited for the explosion of lacrosse participation and popularity in the Chicagoland area over the past 10 years. Robinson is now an employee of Martin, coaching youth players at Lacrosse America's Schaumburg site.
"We didn't have a coach when I started playing, so I started off learning from Rich Martin's players," he said. "It's kind of funny, because when I'm coaching now, the things I'm passing on are things I've learned indirectly from Rich.
"Coaching is great because you can help kids identify the areas of their game where they need improvement. I picked up the game fairly late, so I enjoy being able to give that to kids at a younger age. They're lucky because they're starting so early. They have a chance to be phenomenal players if they stick with it."
The Chicago Machine Open Tryout commences at the MAX McCook Athletic & Exposition in McCook with a three-hour session at 4 p.m. Saturday. The audition continues with another three-hour workout at 9 a.m. Sunday. Both sessions are open to the public.
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Major League Lacrosse Stories from April 19, 2007
- Local Lacrosse Player Sets Sights On Professional Ranks - Chicago Machine
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