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Why did you choose to play Division 3 lacrosse?
"A lot of it had to do with the type of school I was looking for - a smaller school relatively close to home and alot of D3 schools in Pennsylvania fit the criteria. Also, being totally honest with myself, I was not D1 caliber and did not get any D1 looks. I was a bench player on a very good team in high school. "
What were the positives to playing Division 3 Lacrosse, and the negatives?
"Most people know that D3 comes with a lower budget. We did not have a nice locker room or weight room. We didn’t have multiple jersey options and often had to fundraise to get new helmets or gloves. But none of that bothered my teammates much. We actually liked it and never found ourselves wishing for more. On the positives - it offered a fantastic lacrosse / school / social life balance. I never felt like lacrosse had taken over my life and that allowed me to enjoy my time more at college.
From starting in the basement, to a corporate office in Towson, MD, was your goal ever to start making lacrosse equipment and content creation? And what advice would you give to young entrepreneurs?
"I never set out to start a lacrosse company. What started as a hobby and potential summer job turned into a career for myself and now almost 30 others. I think alot of the success came from my personal interest and passion. This was something that I was willing to do and probably would be doing even if I was not getting paid. Some people tend to overthink starting a business and get caught up in business plans and perfecting a model but sometimes it is better, especially if you are passionate about something, to just dive in and start. I knew nothing about starting a business but have learned to fly the plane as its taking off so to speak. "
What are the next steps for ECD?
"We will continue to push on the content and media side. That is something I am very excited for and I will continue to focus on putting out some of the most entertaining lacrosse content in the industry. We released our first piece of protective and will proceed slowly and carefully but will likely expand that offering. "
What inspired you to start content creation and what advice would you give to someone wanting to start creating content?
"Early on I was watching a lot of The Lacrosse Network and their docu-series on Colorado lacrosse was what inspired me to start filming local lacrosse. "
What was your recruiting process like and what advice would you give on the recruiting process?
"My recruiting process was almost nothing haha. This was in 2007 so before youtube and before recruiting tapes. I met a few coaches, had a few phone calls, and did a few visits and that was pretty much it. "
What is your pregame song?
"Lil Wayne - Skys the Limit"
What do you think lacrosse needs to do as a whole to help elevate the game to become a more nationally recognized sport?
"I think that a professional league presence is a really great place to start. The NLL has a very solid fan base and a good number of teams but professional outdoor lacrosse has never really caught hold. It lacks casual fans - that is people that don’t or didn’t play lacrosse but just want to go to a fun like sporting event.
What is one thing you’d tell your younger self?
"One thing I regret is not working harder on my game in college. I don’t think I made the most of my ability and relied a lot on my natural talent and speed. I had a good career but I think if I had committed myself to being the best player I could be there was more potential. "
What has been your favorite release at ECD?
"This is a tough one because I love them all so much. I would have to go DNA Diamond on ION. "
You’re on a road trip, what 3 items are you grabbing from the gas station?
"Cherry Coke, Reeces Cups, M&Ms"
"A lot of it had to do with the type of school I was looking for - a smaller school relatively close to home and alot of D3 schools in Pennsylvania fit the criteria. Also, being totally honest with myself, I was not D1 caliber and did not get any D1 looks. I was a bench player on a very good team in high school. "
What were the positives to playing Division 3 Lacrosse, and the negatives?
"Most people know that D3 comes with a lower budget. We did not have a nice locker room or weight room. We didn’t have multiple jersey options and often had to fundraise to get new helmets or gloves. But none of that bothered my teammates much. We actually liked it and never found ourselves wishing for more. On the positives - it offered a fantastic lacrosse / school / social life balance. I never felt like lacrosse had taken over my life and that allowed me to enjoy my time more at college.
From starting in the basement, to a corporate office in Towson, MD, was your goal ever to start making lacrosse equipment and content creation? And what advice would you give to young entrepreneurs?
"I never set out to start a lacrosse company. What started as a hobby and potential summer job turned into a career for myself and now almost 30 others. I think alot of the success came from my personal interest and passion. This was something that I was willing to do and probably would be doing even if I was not getting paid. Some people tend to overthink starting a business and get caught up in business plans and perfecting a model but sometimes it is better, especially if you are passionate about something, to just dive in and start. I knew nothing about starting a business but have learned to fly the plane as its taking off so to speak. "
What are the next steps for ECD?
"We will continue to push on the content and media side. That is something I am very excited for and I will continue to focus on putting out some of the most entertaining lacrosse content in the industry. We released our first piece of protective and will proceed slowly and carefully but will likely expand that offering. "
What inspired you to start content creation and what advice would you give to someone wanting to start creating content?
"Early on I was watching a lot of The Lacrosse Network and their docu-series on Colorado lacrosse was what inspired me to start filming local lacrosse. "
What was your recruiting process like and what advice would you give on the recruiting process?
"My recruiting process was almost nothing haha. This was in 2007 so before youtube and before recruiting tapes. I met a few coaches, had a few phone calls, and did a few visits and that was pretty much it. "
What is your pregame song?
"Lil Wayne - Skys the Limit"
What do you think lacrosse needs to do as a whole to help elevate the game to become a more nationally recognized sport?
"I think that a professional league presence is a really great place to start. The NLL has a very solid fan base and a good number of teams but professional outdoor lacrosse has never really caught hold. It lacks casual fans - that is people that don’t or didn’t play lacrosse but just want to go to a fun like sporting event.
What is one thing you’d tell your younger self?
"One thing I regret is not working harder on my game in college. I don’t think I made the most of my ability and relied a lot on my natural talent and speed. I had a good career but I think if I had committed myself to being the best player I could be there was more potential. "
What has been your favorite release at ECD?
"This is a tough one because I love them all so much. I would have to go DNA Diamond on ION. "
You’re on a road trip, what 3 items are you grabbing from the gas station?
"Cherry Coke, Reeces Cups, M&Ms"