Recently someone asked me if I had to pick an All-Star lacrosse team, who would be on the first midfield line. The first guy I picked was Max Seibald, without hesitation. Max embodies the fundamental two way midfielder. He is so unbelievably fast and strong that it is really difficult to count him out of that kind of a discussion. Max graduated from Cornell University in 2009 where he was always one of the top five scorers. He received man All-Ivy and All-American honors and won the 2009 Tewaaraton Award. He was originally drafted by the New York Lizards coming out of college and was traded to the Boston Cannons for Paul Rabil and Mike Stone. Max is coming into this season poised to lead the Cannons midfield.
What head and shaft are you using?
Nike Vapor head and the Nike Vandal shaft
Do you string your own sticks? If not, who does?
I do, sometimes. When it comes to my sticks, I’m not really that picky. I really trust anyone to string it. I adjust my game based how my stick is throwing.
What kind of pocket are you using?
Mesh: StringKing the x version. I’ve also been using the Knot Mesh from STX
Pocket placement: Mid low. I like it because it gives me a consistent pocket.
Shooters: three shooters across the top.
Whip: I’ve always had a decent amount of whip but I’m trying to pull back on it. I want to be able to pass better.
How do you tape your sticks?
Nothing too crazy I usually have tape 6-10 inches up the shaft and then a nub at the bottom
How has your stick changed since college?
I pulled out a lot of whip and I’ve had a ton of other people string my sticks. The only thing that’s been consistent is that my pocket is pretty shallow.
Any superstitions or funny stories?
Not really. I’m not too superstitious. The weirdest thing I do is if I hit one good shot in warmups, I’m usually good to go. I don’t really like to over use one stick or else it’ll lose all of its good shots.
You’re a Nike guy, what’s it like working with such a huge company?
I signed with Nike coming out of college. There’s no other company that I could imagine being a part of. They are the greatest sports company in the world. When they do events, like the ride, it’s really all first class and everything is done so well.
Why number 42?
When I was being recruited in high school I was 18 and Coach Tambroni wrote to me saying that he would save 18 for me if I went to Cornell. So I went to Cornell expecting to get 18 again. When we were picking numbers, 18 came up and three people raised their hands. Coach put his hand behind his back, and told us to guess what number he was holding up. My roommate got 18. I was kind of crushed so I got the last number that was brought up, which was 48. Then Matt McMonagle came up to me and said that he was always the highest number on the team. So that forced me to switch to 42. I’ve stuck with it ever since.
Where does the nickname Bisky come from?
Matt McMonagle started calling me Seabiscuit because of the movie that came out when I started college. There’s been a bunch of variations and it finally came to Bisky and the name has stuck ever since.
What camps have you been running all year?
Rob Pannell and I have a club team in New York called LC New York. It’s grown a lot and it’s our way of giving back to the city and have kids play a higher level of lacrosse. Rob and I also run camps all around the country to get lacrosse out there to non-hotbeds. I’m also working with Gold Coast Sports Academy. They picked professional athletes to coach their specific sport and I was the one they picked for lacrosse. The athletes help build the curriculum and staff and we share the core values that we find useful in the game we play.
In 2009, Adam O’Neill, Harry Alford and Thomas Alford launched Lacrosse Playground as the preeminent site for lacrosse gearheads. For years Lacrosse Playground provided lacrosse fans with tutorials and tips on how to string a lacrosse head, up-close looks at the gear the top players used and sneak peeks at equipment and uniforms before they were released. More than 10 years and millions of visits later, Lacrosse Playground has relaunched with a focus on storytelling. Our mission is to provide comprehensive coverage of the latest lacrosse news, share insights into the sports betting and fantasy lacrosse world and showcase the lifestyles and personalities of the sport of lacrosse through articles, videos and podcasts.
Oliver Marti: Starting an NLL Team in Albany and Investing in the PLL and Epoch Lacrosse (Pro Lacrosse Talk Podcast #130)
byPro Lacrosse Talk
On this episode of the Pro Lacrosse Talk Podcast, Hutton Jackson and Adam Moore are joined by three-time All-American at Brown University, investor in the PLL, and the newest NLL owner Oliver Marti. He discusses moving the New England Black Wolves franchise to Albany, New York, why the city of Albany was chosen and share his thoughts on the team’s potential new identity. He also discusses his time playing for Dom Starsia at Brown University, playing for the New York Saints in the MILL, starting the Connecticut Box Lacrosse League, investing in the Premier Lacrosse League and equipment manufacturer Epoch Lacrosse, and his opinion on the current state of pro lacrosse.
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Pro Lacrosse Talk is the flagship lacrosse podcast of the Lacrosse Playground network covering all three professional lacrosse leagues (NLL, PLL, Athletes Unlimited). Each week throughout the season we’ll recap the games, provide analysis on the teams and feature exclusive postgame and off-the-field interviews with professional lacrosse players, coaches and executives. If you’re a fan of lacrosse podcasts like the Unbuckled Chinstrap, The Inside Feed, Lacrosse Classified or The Crease Dive, then give us a listen.