Give & Go: All-World Defenseman Brodie Merrill
by Corey McLaughlin | LaxMagazine.com | Twitter
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| Brodie Merill, the six-time MLL
Defensive Player of the Year and new Philadelphia Wing in the NLL,
has no trouble finding ground balls, but can't get anywhere
unfamiliar without a GPS. © Greg Francis |
Brodie Merill knows lacrosse. You can find out in person at the 2012 US Lacrosse National Convention, presented by Champion.
The All-World defenseman -- from the NLL's Philadelphia Wings, MLL's Hamilton Nationals and director of lacrosse at The Hill Academy in Ontario, Canada -- will host "Long Stick Middie (Offensive and Defensive Threat)" at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 13 on the STX Live Field in Philadelphia. Register for the convention online at www.uslacrosse.org/2012convention before Dec. 28 for just $105, a savings of $45 on the walk-up price.
In the meantime, Merrill appears in December's Lacrosse Magazine in our Give & Go interview, a version of which appears below. Don't get the mag? Join US Lacrosse and its 350,000-plus members today to start your subscription. And don't forget to submit a Double Overtime question below to be used in a future Give & Go.
Who is your favorite athlete?
Tough to identify one guy. Growing up I loved watching guys like
Pat Coyle and Jim Veltman. In terms of a mainstream athlete, I have
always admired Steve Nash. Canadian notwithstanding, he is an
extremely hardworking and intelligent player. He seems to really
make the players around him better.
What's one thing you can't live without?
GPS! I rely on it way too much.
Who in lacrosse is destined to be a reality TV
star?
I think our two goalies in Hamilton, Brett Queener and Scott
Rodgers, would be pretty interesting. They seem like polar
opposites, but they became really close, watching romantic comedies
until the wee hours of the night, drinking Mountain Dew and Red
Bull. Scott has a weight room in his living room and I don't think
Brett has ever touched a weight. It would be like the movie "Twins"
with Arnold and Danny DeVito.
Where did you go on your last vacation?
My beautiful new wife and I just returned from our honeymoon. We
went to the Bahamas, and I'm still recovering from my sunburn.
What's been the proudest moment of your lacrosse
career?
2010 Mann Cup. I played with many of my best friends in the game,
including my older brother Patrick. We joke that the series should
be the topic of an ESPN "30 for 30." Craziest lacrosse experience I
have ever been a part of.
Do you have any pregame rituals?
Yes, I have so many I usually have a tough time making it out for
the national anthem.
What's your favorite moment of a lacrosse
game?
First faceoff. I love the feeling of excitement and
anticipation.
Overtime
(from Michelle Tumolo, Syracuse and Team USA
attack)
If you had to hang out with one of the "Jersey Shore" cast
members, who would it be and why?
Steven Waldeck, because he is a sick LSM. (Editor's note: We know
Nationals' LSM Steven Waldeck is neither from New Jersey nor a
"Jersey Shore" cast member.)
Double Overtime
(from Garrett McNeely, Canton, Ga.)
Do you think lacrosse will be a primetime sport in
2025?
I have a feeling it will eventually break out. Right now we are
still in that cool underground stage, like a good band. Maybe if we
go mainstream, we will suck like the Foo Fighters.
(from Camden Reyka, Madison, Conn.)
What do you do to get pumped up before a
game?
Brett Queener usually yells and plays Katy Perry, which fires me
up!
Pose a question for our next subject.
As our good friend James Lipton from "Inside the Actor's Studio"
would ask, what would God say when you arrive at the pearly
gates?
Submit a Double Overtime Question
Submit a question to be included in a future Give & Go interview in Lacrosse Magazine.
