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The Winnipeg Wolverines look forward every year to their trip to the Vail Lacrosse Shootout.

To take part in an elite North American field lacrosse tournament, the Winnipeg Wolverines had to go to some impressive lengths — and heights.

The team of high school players (and graduates who are under 19) had to sit on a bus for 24 hours in late June before they reached their more-than-mile-high destination: the Vail Lacrosse Shootout in Colorado.
As if playing against rosters from U.S. lacrosse hotbeds such as Maryland and Ohio wasn’t enough of a challenge, the Wolverines had to contend with the thin air at an altitude of more than 8,000 feet.

"The boys don’t realize it at first," said head coach Donna McCartney, a Rivergrove resident who’s been taking the Wolverines, a team made up of players from across the city, to the tournament since 2006. "They have no idea what kind of conditioning you need to go and play in Vail."

Just walking up a staircase to their room — let alone playing a physical, high-tempo sport — is enough for some players to feel the lack of oxygen.

At this year’s Shootout, the Wolverines finally succumbed to the conditions late in their Division 2 semifinal against a team from Kansas City. After giving up a late lead, the Wolverines lost 11-10 in overtime. The team did bounce back for an 11-5 win over a club from Western Colorado in the consolation final.

Matt Mason, an 18-year-old goalie from St. James, received an honourable mention for the all-tournament team. Playing in his third Shootout, Mason said the altitude affected him more this year than in the past.

"The first couple years it didn’t hit me that hard," he said. "I guess now that I’m older it hit me harder than it used to."

Mason, who plays field lacrosse for the Manitoba provincial team and grew up playing box lacrosse for the Shamrocks, said the Shootout tournament is something he’s looked forward to every year.

"The bus ride is a whole lot of fun, and it’s just a preview of what the times are like down at the tournament," he said.

The Wolverines were originally formed in 2001 as a group of bantam players from the Falcons club that wanted to play in the box lacrosse tournament outside Edmonton. Because the roster included players from other city clubs, they decided to begin traveling as the Wolverines in 2002.

Once the players were too old for midget tournaments, there were no options to continue playing box lacrosse. So the team decided to give the field game a try, and the Vail tournament was at the top of its list.

"We started looking at some tournaments that had been around for some time," McCartney said. "That tournament attracts some of the top signed players who are going to Division I and Division II colleges."

About half of the Wolverines have field lacrosse experience thanks to the local high school league, while the other half are used to playing on a smaller surface with boards.

"Field is more a game of control," said McCartney, who works with the players throughout May and June to get them ready for Vail. "It’s more of a strategic game; you have time on your side. But the fundamentals of passing and catching are the same."

avi.saper@canstarnews.com