The Lifestyle of a Midwest Laxer

The lifestyle of a Midwest laxer is unique compared to every other lacrosse community in the United States. We mid-westerners recognize that the east coast is king when it comes to Lacrosse… we give credit where credit is due. However, over the past ten years the game is taking hold in the flat-lands, and we are making a name for ourselves in our own unique way. When I started playing lacrosse in High School seven years ago, Lax was mostly thought of as “that sweet game where you get to whack people with sticks.” Since that time only one thing is for sure…. Times have changed.


From 2005 to 2010 the popularity of high school lax in Midwest states has exploded. As a devout Laxer who is a product of this explosion in popularity I can tell you it is not just some fad or coincidence. Kids all over the state have developed a great passion for this game and the laxbro persona that comes with. States like Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin have all caught the lacrosse bug.


With the above being said, it is important to note that the Lax outbreak in the mid-west has had its own unique road towards popularity. For the past fifty years, the mid-western states have been ones where football, basketball, and baseball are kings. Sports like lacrosse were nothing more than an afterthought. In fact, before a few years ago, most high school programs only had one or two players whose 1st sport was Lax. For lax-bros who wanted to dedicate themselves to lacrosse; it was up to them to find a way to play at a high level of competition. Players found this level of competitiveness on private club teams and summer ball clubs. It was in these clubs that the persona of the mid-west lax-bro took hold. The opportunity to play on these club teams opened to door for us to go out east and increase our lacrosse IQ and swagger. While at these tournaments, Midwest teams had a chance to see how the best clubs from out east did it. When we returned home we took what we saw and applied it to our own high school programs. For mid-west laxers, the east-coast waggle was meshing together with the mid-west big shoulder swagger. A breed of lax bros with a reputation for having a scary combination of bro-ness and toughness was multiplying.


But it wasn’t just about what was happening on the field that appealed to us. We all noticed that there was something greater going on than just the game itself. Excitement began to develop around the culture of our own laxbro lifestyle. By traveling around the country tournaments in the summer, and going to various camps, friendships began to develop between mid-west laxers and kids all over the U.S. who had their own style and flair. As mid-west teams began to show winning results on the field, the dream of our style being accepted on a national level was quickly becoming a reality.

The life of a mid-west laxer is something that is hard for me to put into black and white. The passion and unique swagger these boys have for the game is nothing short of an obsession. I wouldn’t change the path I took to get where I am for a second. Growing up in the Midwest and playing lacrosse here has installed a love for the game and a sense of pride in our unique lax culture. The expansion of kids starting at younger ages brings a smile to my face every time I drive past a park and see some bros in the making tossing a lax ball. It makes me proud to know that it is my generation that laid the groundwork for the younger guys. Whether we come from the Windy City, The Motor City, The Twin Cities, Mad Town, Indy or The Loop, we all have that mid-west bro swagger that is all our own.

I am from the Northwest suburbs of Chicago where I have grown up my whole life and have loved every second of it. I attended St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights Ill. where I first started playing lacrosse and grew my passion for the game by soaking up ever bit of knowledge I could on and off the field. I now attend Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan and play goalie for the Bulldogs where I have earned the starting spot the past 2 years.

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26 Comments

  1. Nasimonetti16 on March 25, 2011 at 3:18 pm

    thats my boy who made tht video check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S6SdBo3OFk

  2. johnhorner on March 23, 2011 at 10:17 pm

    heres the video of the posted picture. im the one with the real long hair flowing in the wind.

  3. johnhorner on March 23, 2011 at 10:17 pm

    heres the video of the posted picture. im the one with the real long hair flowing in the wind.

  4. JHohlz on March 23, 2011 at 6:31 pm

    dude i go to saint viator too and play on the now officially school sponsored team.

  5. Znisson on March 23, 2011 at 6:18 pm

    PK you da man! This is one of the most legit articles i’ve read dealing with our kind! Swagger kid!

  6. Znisson on March 23, 2011 at 6:18 pm

    PK you da man! This is one of the most legit articles i’ve read dealing with our kind! Swagger kid!

  7. Znisson on March 23, 2011 at 6:18 pm

    PK you da man! This is one of the most legit articles i’ve read dealing with our kind! Swagger kid!

    • jhubes on March 25, 2011 at 12:46 am

      PK howd you get on lacrosse playground?!?! Blue magic all the way brotha. i heard z niss wrote the first draft of this for you

  8. Adam Edg on March 23, 2011 at 3:51 pm

    I want to add that the infatuation with football in the midwest has created some puzzling issues for us. While many East Coast and Texas schools seem to use lax as a way to keep their football players in top shape during the spring, we tend to encounter resistance from the football coaches in Iowa. They try to prevent us from using the fields and almost discourage players from taking up lax. But the AD has been very helpful in regards to overcoming these issues and getting us field space and stadium time.
    In the Des Moines area, baseball has become less prevalent and soccer has overtaken it as the top spring sport. This has been working great for us as we pick up more soccer players as they recognize the lack of space on the varsity teams. Soccer players are generally more fit than baseball players and can handle the footwork and running required for lax.
    We are also blessed with a decent hockey community here. The hockey kids and, to a lesser extent, coaches are beginning to embrace lax as an off season tool. That concept worked well in Minnesota…

  9. Adam Edg on March 23, 2011 at 3:51 pm

    I want to add that the infatuation with football in the midwest has created some puzzling issues for us. While many East Coast and Texas schools seem to use lax as a way to keep their football players in top shape during the spring, we tend to encounter resistance from the football coaches in Iowa. They try to prevent us from using the fields and almost discourage players from taking up lax. But the AD has been very helpful in regards to overcoming these issues and getting us field space and stadium time.
    In the Des Moines area, baseball has become less prevalent and soccer has overtaken it as the top spring sport. This has been working great for us as we pick up more soccer players as they recognize the lack of space on the varsity teams. Soccer players are generally more fit than baseball players and can handle the footwork and running required for lax.
    We are also blessed with a decent hockey community here. The hockey kids and, to a lesser extent, coaches are beginning to embrace lax as an off season tool. That concept worked well in Minnesota…

  10. Coach Collier on March 23, 2011 at 5:02 am

    Nice article PK! I’m proud of you kid!

  11. warriorlax1003 on March 23, 2011 at 12:56 am

    this definieley goes for the west coast as well which i think may even be more developed lacrosse wise than the mid west

  12. Gaeger Patrick on March 22, 2011 at 7:59 pm

    Hey guys thanks for all the likes and shares, keep spreading the love of the Midwest.

  13. MSULax20 on March 22, 2011 at 7:18 pm

    I’ve got some bro’s that play at football at Adrian. I’m a GLLL club laxer at MSU. Straight outta the TOL

  14. murph on March 22, 2011 at 6:26 pm

    Awesome article. Thanks LPG!

  15. MNLax on March 22, 2011 at 4:33 pm

    You can’t forget to mention the huge influence of hockey, especially here in MN.

    The combination of “bro” lifestyle with the serious attitude taken towards hockey has taken hold. I feel like Midwest laxers are more physical than those in some areas. The hockey and slightly blue collar attitude is pretty prevalent.

  16. Nick Sentoso on March 22, 2011 at 4:11 pm

    Midwest Lacrosse… Muthafuckas need to know. Many of us kids in Ohio had to create our own lacrosse programs in high schools and that really helped the growth of lacrosse in the midwest. These kids deserve some respect. BOOM

  17. Nick Sentoso on March 22, 2011 at 4:11 pm

    Midwest Lacrosse… Muthafuckas need to know. Many of us kids in Ohio had to create our own lacrosse programs in high schools and that really helped the growth of lacrosse in the midwest. These kids deserve some respect. BOOM

    • Tyleroblong on March 23, 2011 at 5:47 pm

      OH Lax better than any other midest state

    • Tyleroblong on March 23, 2011 at 5:47 pm

      OH Lax better than any other midest state

    • Tyleroblong on March 23, 2011 at 5:47 pm

      OH Lax better than any other midest state

    • Tyleroblong on March 23, 2011 at 5:47 pm

      OH Lax better than any other midest state

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