2016 NLL Draft, Awards & Hall of Fame

Ah. My first NLL gig! I'll try to keep this post short & sweet...

Following my 23 hour roadtrip home from North Dakota (I was home for 20 minutes), I headed up to the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre in Oakville, Ontario for a meeting and to scope out the facility prior to the NLL Draft, Awards and Hall of Fame inductions that were held the following evenings.

The Toronto Rock Athletic Centre (TRAC) is a beautiful facility conveniently located a couple minutes off the QEW. It includes turf and linoleum arenas, a fitness center, and offices. I love its location because it's closer to the border than Toronto and avoids the wild city traffic, depending which direction you're coming from.

By some twist of fate, the power went out at work and we were sent home early... So I headed up to Oakville to help out early. I had the very important duties of making sure draftees signed in as they arrived, then during the draft I signaled commentators Stephen Stamp and Andy McNamara when the picks were about to be announced, so the camera could go over to the stage. I also helped solve the step issue (sorry TK) on the mini stage where draftees put on their new team's jersey. On a side note, shoutout to Stamper for associating my name with this website! Caught me off-guard, but it was really cool.

It was amazing to see a great mix of draftees with incredible talent. The OLA, WLA, NCAA DI, NJCAA, etc. were represented. There were athletes I've been watching the past couple years and a lot I had never heard of but I paid attention to the commentary. The first pick's team expressed the same excitement as the 57th and that shows the amount of talent that is about to officially enter the League is incredible.

Congrats to all the draftees and work hard to earn a contract!

The following evening (for a grand total of 3 trips up to Oakville in 3 days) was the NLL Awards and Hall of Fame Inductions. I was just a spectator and very happy to reunite with friends I hadn't seen in a bit. The ceremony was a lot smaller than the draft and created an intimate setting to reflect on the previous season and in the case of the Hall of Fame inductees, unbelievable careers.

Everyone in the league works together, in a sense, to put the best product out there (more eloquently said by NLL Commissioner Nick Sakiewicz), and there certainly wasn't a shortage of deserving people. From the athlete and staff awards to the Hall of Fame inductees, I bet the votes were close. The highlight reels of nominees were close to their competitors and the lists of accomplishments of the staff and the newest Hall of Famers were just unreal. The program was very powerful and a great reminder why I continue down this path.

My thoughts......

Draft: Almost 3 hours of standing on turf was well worth it. I'm so grateful just to have had the opportunity to be there! Like the draftees, I was incredibly nervous but very excited to have some kind of role in the evening. I met many amazing people who I recognized from years of following the NLL, and new faces too, and am looking forward to working with them. It was interesting to see the "What is she doing here?" looks from the guys in the league that I know. Sorry Buffalo, but the League got to me first...

Awards & HOF: Sitting through the Awards & HOF ceremony, I looked around and realized I was surrounded by some of the most influential people. You might've guessed by now that the Bandits have a special place in my heart, but I do root for other players and wish the best for every NLL city so the game can continue to grow. Highlight reels show the guys' points, but nothing really about their character. I have to say that the guys I've met (and their families) are the nicest people- I guess that's another reason why I stick around.

Little do the current teams know, I've traveled to and sat in 6 of their 9 arenas. Making treks to experience the atmosphere of other teams' home turfs is incredible and fuels the fire inside me to keep going, so seeing the staff and athletes of the 9 teams in one place made the evenings extra special for me. It's amazing to experience games in other arenas because I can learn about the markets first-hand. I've gone to the Langley Events Centre (Vancouver Stealth), but it was for a Sr A game, so I need to experience a Stealth game there, and still need to travel to see the Rush and Roughnecks play in their home arenas.

Congrats to all involved- like Dhane Smith said, there's a lot of people who were worthy of the honors presented- I'm excited to see who cracks the rosters and for opening weekend at the end of December!