Syracuse All American Ric Beardsley Recalls "That Field"

Maverick Lakeland High School and Syracuse University All American Defensemen Ric Beardsley #47 recalls "That field"  where here played summer league in the Hudson Valley. As you will see below, Beardsley who had a reputation as a loose cannon is a introspective person who writes well. 

That field was narrow and I think illegal to be honest because it was so narrow. The field served as a drainage field for the school grounds behind it and as a result it had manhole covers on it. I used to try and run opposing attackmen on to those man hole covers in order to try and make then fall. I am sure that field could tell so many stories if it could talk because of all the great players that played on it. It was a horrible field but it was like home for me for all those years. I remember playing an alumni game on that field and guarding Jim Egan the year he started @ SU and I de-sticked him like 5 times and I was only a high school sophomore. . . he was so pissed! But at the end of the game he was determined to have me play for SU and look what happened. Fans would back their cars up to the field in the parking lot that overlooked the field and sit on their tailgates to watch games. In high school I can remember my father sitting and yelling encouraging things to me during my games . . . That field is also the field where I learned to play the game @ all the levels that got me to SU and made me the player I became. Summer league then was full of sick players. College guys would bring their teammates from all of the top programs as ringers so they had a shot @ winning the summer league championship. That field will never ever be forgotten by me. The worst field I ever played on but the best field to have played on.

By Ric Beardsley with Fred Opie

For more on Rick Beardsley: http://rhinolacrosse.com/main-menu/staff/ric-beardsley/

Story Submissions: I welcome email submissions of stories for the historical series on summer league lacrosse I am running this summer on the blog. Particularly interesting in stories from the periods before I started playing summer league (1970s) and after I stopped playing (1990s) and areas I know little about such as New England summer leagues, and leagues where the game has expanded like the Midwest and South West. So long has its historical I will consider running your written or video story (3 to 7 min) on the blog as part of the series.