Article contributed by Jim Van den Dyssel
Austin Easterly started playing lacrosse in fourth gradebrwhen current Dragon Varsity players Jeremy Bach and Greg Hill invited him tobrjoin their third/fourth grade team. Coaches Steve Thompson and JoebrSchupler were the first to instill the love of the game that he still carriesbrwith him today.
Easterly played with Southlake Carroll Lacrosse Association (SCLA) for four seasons, coached by Thompson, Schupler, and later by NealbrDiBello. He also received private shooting instruction from Paul DiBello.brDuring his final season here, he joined Varsity Head Coach Bart Sullivan’sbrinaugural Dragon Select team and had the opportunity to play in a tournament inbrMaryland.
When Bell Helicopter told his father to expect a corporate relocation to Stuttgart, Germany, Easterly's biggest concern was whether he'd be able to continue playingbrlacrosse. “One of the first things we did, even before arriving in Germanybrin 2013, was seek out lacrosse opportunities,” Easterly's mother, Susan, says. “Fortunately,brwe found a local club, ABV Lacrosse.”
Easterly has not only continued to play; he hasbrexcelled. He was quickly named Team Captain and began mentoringbrteammates. He finished the 2014 season ranked as the runner up in totalbrpoints in the entire league with 104 total points, including abrleague-leading 84 goals and seven game-winning goals. ABV Lacrosse finished third in thebrU16 German National Championship with a 9-4 victory, and Easterly led the way with fivebrgoals, including the game winner.
Over the past 13 months, DLaxV, Germany's nationalbrgoverning body for lacrosse, has held tryout camps throughout the country inbrorder to select its U19 German National Team. Easterly attended camps inbrMunich, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Kassel and Hamburg and was recently named to their 23-man National Team.
The U19 German National Team will play a series of international games beforebrultimately playing in the World Championships next summer in BritishbrColumbia.
Once a Dragon, Always a Dragon
Before attending the United States Naval Academy Lacrosse Campbrthis past summer, Easterly had the opportunity to reunite with Coach Sullivanbrand his former Dragon teammates when he was invited to play with the DragonbrVarsity team at the North American High School Lacrosse Cup in Purchase, NewbrYork.
Easterly's father Arnie shares: “We credit SCLA Dragonbrlacrosse with his current success. The leadership skills, sportsmanship, andbrbasics, imparted by his SCLA coaches, and the camaraderie and love for the gamebrfelt with his fellow SCLA players gave him the foundation to excel here inbrGermany. It should be no surprise that he continues to wear the Dragonbrlogo on his helmet today.
“The fundamentals he learned in Dragon Lacrosse werebrinstrumental to his success here,” Arnie continues. “The biggest adjustment isbrtravelling to find competition. We laugh that we used to think a drive tobrUniversity Park or Plano was a trip. Now we travel all over Germany andbrtravel to tournaments to play teams from England, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy,brThe Czech Republic and Israel. It's been a real blessing, and a lot of fun, forbrAustin and for our family.”
See WhybrLacrosse is the Fastest-Growing Sport in the United States
Lacrosse is currently the fastest-growing sport at thebryouth, high school and even the collegiate level. Spring 2016 registration for SCLA is open now for all ages (high school and youth) and for boys and girls. Visit SouthlakeLacrosse.org for more information.
Click here to learn more about the growth of lacrosse.