TopLaxrecruits.com, Posted 6/17/13
By Tom Peace
OWINGS MILLS, Md. – More than 2,000 participants – including hundreds of high school players – helped raise $126,000 for the Wounded Warriors Project as the 24-hour Shootout for the Soldiers lacrosse marathon weathered several storms and was once again a huge success last week.
The event, held at McDonogh School, began at 9 a.m. Thursday and ended at 9 a.m. Friday, although it had to be moved inside twice for a while due to heavy storms.
In the end, Team Stars beat Team Stripes, 349-336, as players from 8 to the 70s participated. But the score did not matter, of course.
Event coordinator Tyler Steinhardt said thousands of spectators attended the event, including more than 100 veterans. Thirty veterans actually played in the veterans contest at 9 a.m. Thursday.
“The No 1 goal is to build a connection to those who served and the people here in Baltimore,” said Steinhardt. “For me, the more I meet people who served, it becomes more special and more important.
“Raising money is a great priority, but it’s more about building a great event for people to go to, and building the cause.”
“It’s just fun event, a community event for a great cause. The idea is to use the common love of lacrosse and support that goal. Lacrosse has deep roots in the area and I think it’s pretty special. What’s made this so cool is that it’s so grass roots and it’s been organized by students.”
NFL champion Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh was one of the most noteworthy sports personalities to come by. Another highlight was a 4 a.m. hot dog eating contest by MLL players.
The event also featured a raffle and silent auction, each of which had to be moved inside Thursday night when the storms came. thanks to Paul Rabil, many MLL players participated. Steinhardt said more than 100 volunteers made the event possible; he also credited Jay Dyer, Andy Hilgartner and Larry Johnson.
“It began raining at 8:45 so we rushed people to the indoor facility,” said Steinhardt. “We moved the silent auction, the raffle, the food … and then we came back out a few hours later and in an hour we had to do it all again.
“This was a true testament to the adaptability and the helpfulness and overall spirit of the people,” said Steinhardt. “I have to than the 100 volunteers for everything they did.”
In two years, Shootout for Soldiers has raised nearly $250,000 for the Wounded Warriors Project, which provides programs and services to severely injured service members during their transition from active duty to civilian life.
Steinhardt, a 2012 Boys’ Latin graduate who recently completed his freshman year at American University, thanks his many volunteers. He noted that the number of players doubled this year.
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