By Stacy Case
Lacrosse may be one of the more up-and-coming sports amongst area youths, however, those who played years ago during their younger heyday, still possess such a love for the game that they continue to get out onto the playing field.
The Buzzards Mens Lacrosse Club, which calls their home field at Pine Trails Park in Parkland, has been playing under the Florida Lacrosse League’s Masters Division umbrella for about four years. The team currently has approximately 38 team members. They had been playing on a more casual level for a bit but then formed into an organized program. And according to Joe Chiarella, who manages the Buzzards, the group has been together for a while and has developed a special closeness.
“We have such a nice brotherhood with our players,” says Joe, who played lax in high school and now uses that experience to coach the boys team at J. P. Taravella High School. “Many of us have played Lacrosse for more than 30 years and still just want to play.”
The Buzzards’ loyalty is certainly not in question. They practice for a couple of hours every Sunday morning and when they are not playing games at home, they travel all over the state to meet up against the four other Masters 35-and-older teams. But just because they are ‘older’ players, the intensity and game length still stays true to form. They play 4, 20-minute quarters. A 38-man roster may seem like quite a lot of players, but with the traditional 11-on-11 format, they play in short, high energy shifts just like they’ve always done.
“We have a certain skill level on this team and many of the guys had played professional lacrosse at one time or another,” adds Joe, whose daughter plays lacrosse at Taravella. “So it stays pretty competitive out there.” The Buzzards are in the midst of their regular season, which concludes at the end of this month, and they will then start to prepare for playoffs at the end of March. Since they play teams from Jacksonville, Tampa, Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale, they meet in Central Florida for the playoffs. But regardless of who, when or where the Buzzards play, they are ready to suit up!
“I think it’s great that we still have such a love for the game, even after it’s been years since some of us played in high school, college or pro,” says Joe. “It’s just nice for us to get together out there and still have that type of camaraderie in our lives.”