The Third Annual Gorilla Invitational Boys Lacrosse Tournament

June 16 & 17, 2012
for U13, U15 and U17

Click here to download registration forms (PDF).
Click here to download a flyer (PDF).

We are proud to announce the third annual Gorilla Invitational Boys Lacrosse tournament at the University of Massachusetts. UMass has been the home for some of the best high school recruiting tournaments in the country and we are excited to bring this tradition of excellence to youth lacrosse (U13, U15, and U17).

The Gorilla Invitational will take place early summer, the weekend of June 16 & 17. It will be held on the large playing fields surrounding Alumni Stadium at UMass. The expansive space allows for plenty of tailgating opportunities for parents as well as ample warm up space for each team before their games. Each team will be guaranteed a minimum of 5 games between the two days. With teams from all over the country, the Gorilla Invitational will be highly competitive and a lot of fun!

When: June 16th and June 17th, 2012
Where: University of Massachusetts (Amherst, MA)
Cost: $1000 per team
Eligibility: Players in the U13, U15 (no high school players in this bracket) and U17 divisions will follow the guidelines set forth by USLacrosse.
Transportation: UMass is ideally located 90 miles from Boston and 175 from New York City.  It is serviced by airports in Hartford, CT (40 min), Albany, NY (1.5hrs), Boston (1.5hrs), and Providence, RI (1.5hrs) as well as airports in VT, NY and NH.
Payment: Please make checks payable to:
Jungle Athletic Group
Send to:
Jungle Athletic Group
Gorilla Invitational Tournament
One Atwood Drive
Northampton, MA 01060

There’s plenty to do in the area for parents too. With a sprawling green landscape and numerous shops and restaurants within walking distance, the UMass campus is located in close proximity to bustling downtown Amherst. The tree-lined sidewalks of downtown offer over 50 stores, shops and restaurants – among them is a UMass institution in Antonio’s Pizza, where visitors are treated to the Northeast’s best and most unique pizza. Neighboring Northampton is a tourist hot spot with its wide array of shops and eateries, and nearby South Deerfield is nationally recognized as the home to America’s most successful candle maker, Yankee Candle Company. The Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA is only a 20 minute drive away too.

GORILLA INVITATIONAL STAFF
Brett Garber, Tournament Director
860-306-4817

Paul Jones, Managing Director
Jungle Athletic Group
413-575-8011

What is Gorilla Lacrosse and why do I use a Gorilla in our lacrosse logo?

By Brett Garber

The gorilla is a symbol that has many different meanings to me. Fifty Years ago, back when my grandfather, Dick Garber, was coaching UMASS Lacrosse his team wanted a name to call themselves that would stick. A Gorilla being mighty, big, and strong seemed to make sense for the players…so a Gorilla was decided to be their mascot and, to this day, it has become a tradition. You can say my grandfather, Dick Garber, who coached there for the first 34 years, is the Grandfather of UMASS Lacrosse and became most successful. He was the first coach in NCAA Lacrosse history to reach 300 wins and held the record for almost 16 years. So from my standpoint, the gorilla is a symbol that has been passed down from his generation, to my fathers, Ted Garber (Umass Coach 1990-1994), and currently still inspired by Greg Cannella at UMass.

Some of the lessons that have been handed down to myself and the players from Day 1 of Gorilla lacrosse is “Remember WHY you play the game”. I play and teach lacrosse because I have a love for the game. Playing lacrosse has taught me so many aspects about life on and off the field. That involves work ethic, taking accountability for yourself and your actions, devotion to your family/friends (team), and never settling for where you are in life. Always have that hunger to get better, to grow as a person.

That leads me to the next lesson: “When playing lacrosse, you always have to RESPECT your opponents”. There will always be that rivalry amongst teams and/or players. In my mind it makes the game even more fun and exciting when there is good competition. However, when it’s taken too far and people try hurting one another, it weakens the game and sportsmanship goes out the window.

The third lesson that I learned through my Dad and Grandfather is to always be humble. My Dad, Ted Garber, had a great quote that still sits on the desk in Coach Cannella’s office. It reads “always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them”. When I hear players talk trash on the field, yell at refs, or even talk back to coaches, it makes me mad. First off, my father would always tell me, “if we didn’t have the referees, we wouldn’t be able to play the game we love”. Each player needs to realize that the refs make mistakes just like players do. Going through High School and College, I made sure that I kept my head on straight , respected the game, respected my teammates, my coach, my opponents and referees. I had confidence in myself, and the coach had confidence in me, he knew that I would NOT cost us the game because of needless penalties. That’s all I needed to drive myself to the next level.

Overall, the gorilla to me stands for pride, strength, passion, and the reasons I discussed above. I want the Gorilla Invitational to be a day where players from all over the country can come enjoy a weekend of playing the best and the fastest game on foot, lacrosse. The foundation of the weekend will encompass the mindset of Gorilla Lacrosse. Not only will we all come together and have a fun successful weekend, but we will be supporting and raising money for a great cause, Leukemia.