Syracuse
Men's Lacrosse
Virginia
North Carolina
Penn
May 16, 2018
By Robby Hamman NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The Notre Dame men’s lacrosse program prides itself in offering its student-athletes unique experiences outside of the sport. A central piece of that philosophy is the international trip the program undertakes every four years. This summer the team will embark on an 11-day foreign tour to Spain.
The Irish are one of the few lacrosse programs that takes advanatage of the NCAA allowing teams to travel abroad once every four years. The 2018 excursion will mark the sixth foreign trip for the Irish — following trips to Italy in 2014, Japan in 2010, the Czech Republic in 2005, Ireland, England and Wales in 2001 and Ireland in 1995.
The trip will have a broad focus, as the team will play lacrosse against a number of national teams, learn about the Spanish culture, go site-seeing and try the local cuisine.
Upon arrival in Spain the team will play in the Barcelona City Tournament, a competition set up to help national teams prepare for the 2018 FIL World Lacrosse Championship. The Irish will join the national teams from Spain, Holland, Norway, England, Germany and Switzerland in the tourney.
Tournament Schedule
- ND vs. Spain (June 1)
- ND vs. England (June 1)
- ND vs. Germany (June 2)
- ND vs. Switzerland (June 2)
- ND vs. Holland (June 2)
- ND vs. England (June 3)
- ND vs. Norway (June 3)
More important than the games played, the student-athletes will have the chance to interact with the players from the other teams off the field, as the Irish will share meals, provide lacrosse instruction and spend quality time socializing with members from the other countries.
Following the conclusion of the tournament the city of Barcelona will hold a trophy presentation in the city center that will be covered by local television outlets.
The remainder of the trip will be all about immersing the student-athletes in the Spanish culture.The team will hike to Montserrat, a mountain top monastery in Catalonia, Spain, and Puigmal, a mountain in the Pyrenees.
Another highlight will be a one-day trip to Costa Brava, a beach town on the east coast of Spain. Student-athletes will have the opportunity to go snorkeling and have lunch on a catamaran, along with some time on the beach.
The Irish will also have an opportunity to attend a bullfight in Madrid one evening at Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas. Before attending the event Ernest Hemingway professor and the president of the ND Club of Spain Matthew Kineen from Syracuse University Madrid will talk to the team about the culture of the bullfights and its origins.
Other interesting sites and locations are listed below:
- Segovia
- Penedes
- Nuria
- La Boqueria
- Sagrada Familia
The trip will be a unique experience that each Notre Dame men’s lacrosse student-athlete gets to experience once in their collegiate careers. It has become a focal point to the entire Notre Dame lacrosse experience. Follow the team on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter along with the hasthag #NDLaxSpain to keep up with the foreign adventure.
— ND —
The University of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team pursues excellence on and off the field through the three pillars in which the program is built: Character, Culture & Community. These three foundational values guide the promise of the program, which is to provide its student-athletes with the most compelling and enriching experience in all of college athletics. Through academics, competition, service and travel, the program aims to immerse its players in situations that enhance their student-athlete experience to help them become the people, students and teammates they aspire to be.
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Robby Hamman joined Fighting Irish Media as athletics communications assistant director in September 2016, coordinating efforts for the volleyball and men’s lacrosse program. Hamman is a 2010 graduate of Bethel College, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in sport management and business administration, and earned his master’s degree in business administration from Defiance College in 2013.