Over 5,000 coaches, officials, and lacrosse enthusiasts walked through the gates of the Pennsylvania Convention Center, January 18-20. The 2008 US Lacrosse National Convention was heralded as “the best sport specific convention ever” by one seasoned convention attendee.

Another attendee e-mailed US Lacrosse and stated: “After attending the convention, I have a much stronger grasp on the sport of lacrosse. This is in fact due to the sessions that I attended. The quality of the speakers was phenomenal. [The speakers] presented their sessions in a very organized and thorough manner. I found myself much more knowledgeable about lacrosse after listening to them.”

What caused people to leave with such a positive outlook on the 2008 season? It could have been the rousing keynote speech by Mike Eruzione, captain of the 1980 Olympic hockey team. Over 2,000 people were in the audience for the convention opener. Or perhaps, it was the 127 educational sessions offered at this year’s convention. Some might say it was the first-ever Vendor Village open house that brought in over 380 Philadelphia area community members to check-out the latest equipment, apparel and services offered by the over 120 vendors. The four-hour event raised over $1,000 for the Philadelphia Chapter of US Lacrosse. The convention’s presenting sponsor, adidas, certainly created a buzz with the introduction of its new apparel and equipment.