Hey Paul, I’m an 8th grader that lives in Southern Georgia. Living here has dramatically changed my lacrosse journey. I started playing last year when I started watching your videos. It was the one about you getting traded to the New York Atlas and you strung the net. Seeing that and seeing how smoothly you shot changed something in me. I tried out for the team after getting private lessons from a High Schooler in my town. I ended up making it and not playing at all. We had a terrible season and was second to last in the league. I remember my coach coming up to me after our last game and saying to me “we’re gonna need you next year”. This struck into me and I have been shooting 100 shots a day, weightlifting and running. I was an overweight kid in elementary school and got picked on for being dumb, fat and un athletic. Your content and drive and love for the game has changed my life. Thank you so very much. God bless you
Hi Paul - growing up I was always teased for my height and my ethnicity. In my early years of high school, I faced a lot of teasing, which eventually led me to quit playing Lacrosse. Despite stepping away from the competitive nature of Lacrosse, I refused to let the negativity take away my love for the sport. I continued to pick up my stick, hit the wall, and shoot around in my backyard. Through this experience, I learned the importance of perseverance and staying true to myself. I discovered that I could find joy and growth in doing what I loved, regardless of external opinions and challenges. Today, i'm happy to say I still play the sport at 30 years old and love every minute of it!
Failed every class in year 4 of HS and had to re-do the entire year, almost dropped out. Now 28, beginning a Ph.D. in political science next year. Even if you fail at first, give yourself another chance. Failure is as important as success! HBD Legend
My adversity is I have hemophilia it’s a bleeding disorder. I don’t let it slow me down. I’ve spent many days in the hospital when I was little and had to get blood transfusions. Today I start for my middle school teams and work to inspire others with my RUclips videos
Hey Paul! Happy Birthday! I was a 15 year old freshman in high school trying to make my varsity lacrosse team. All of my friends made it except for me. I was stuck playing on the JV team and the coach hated me. I kept working on my own time, never gave up on my dream of playing varsity with my friends, and never listened to the mean stuff the coach would say to me. I tried out for varsity the following year and made it with ease because I worked so hard on the little things I knew would make me better. Shooting with my left hand, getting faster, and getting stronger. If I had made varsity the first time I don’t know if I would be as resilient as I am today. Side note- thank you for everything you’ve done for the sport of lacrosse. The growth in these past 6 years have been amazing, can’t wait to see what’s in store for the future of the W & PLL
hell yea. I bet you if you keep working hard, and espically respecting your coaches/interacting with them in a positive way. You will 100% make varsity. Good luck big dawg.
Happy 39th! 37 here, and my adversity has always been imposter syndrome. I strive to be the best at everything I do, but it's extremely difficult to be a jack of all trades and a master of none. It really messes with my head and sometimes it's a struggle to keep it together, especially being a husband and father whom you also have to raise, protect and provide for.
HBD Paul. You’ve been the GOAT since I was in middle school (now I’m nearly 30) and it’s so cool to see how you’ve revolutionized and leveled up the entire sport of lacrosse for the whole world. A piece of adversity I dealt with was when I was in high school lacrosse. I was always a top athlete in the sports I played but lacrosse at my school had major competition for varsity. My 10th grade year, I sadly was left behind on the 9/10 grade team while many of my friends went on to JV/Varsity, which I felt was unfair. I played middie at the time and due to me being on the 9/10 team one of my coaches made the suggestion to switch to defense as I was a bigger athletic guy. That sucked to hear at first, I loved the opportunity to score while playing midfield, but it was a defining moment for me to have to decide to do what was best for my team instead of doing what I wanted to do deep down. I’m so glad I listened, because I was a varsity starter the following season in 11th grade. Playing a team sport, you often have to put the team before yourself. Oftentimes, those sacrifices can lead to greatness. See you at 40 brotha. 💪🏼
Happy Birthday. I remember seeing you walk through the tunnel before a game at Navy when I interned for the Bayhawks in college. I've followed your career every since. I was laid off from my job in tech and was unemployed for a year. That adversity taught me to never take what I have for granted. I appreciate every day I get to wake up and go to work. Thank you for all that you've done to take the sport we love to new heights.
Happy Bday Paul, I'm from Southern California and was introduced to the game of lacrosse 2 years ago before entering highschool. Last year, I faced tons of adversity between trying to find confidence in my game, playing time for my school team, and developing a play style. From then, I have improved so much and the way you overcame adversity back when you had broken your foot inspires me to write this. Just recently I was injured and I'm still developing my stick skills and athleticism back, but I always have always been committed to this game since I've started playing. I hope the message taken today is the idea that everyone faces adversity, but what defines each person is how they face it. Thank you for those who read this and I hope you guys overcome whatever challenges face you.
Happy Birthday Paul! Two years ago I got a concussion during our first round of state playoffs. Nothing seemed off at first but they did scans and found a brain tumor. At the end of the season I had to get it removed. This taught me that life isn’t guaranteed and not to take a single day for granted. I ended up being to play my senior year and returned to the state playoffs.
Happy B-day Paul, like #101. Im a sophomore in highschool. 3 days before school got out last June, my coach passed away after a plane crash. A week before, I had gotten an invite from the local traveling team to play the summer season, my coach was the one who actually recommended me. The summer tournaments were hard, every screw-up and mistake in-game felt heavier than ever. Not having someone to guild me has been rough, anything lacrosse makes me miss him. He was my mentor and now my inspiration. Still trying to get back on the horse and in the groove for spring.
Hey Paul, during my senior year of lacrosse we were supposed to be incredible after a historic year the previous season. We came out and played very poorly for our expectations. As the year went on we realized that the only thing that could turn the season around was us. Being a captain on the team I decided it was my responsibility to pull everyone together and do something great. We went on a good run winning the rest of our games until we ended up losing in double overtime to a team that was ranked way higher than us. Now I’m playing Division Two Lacrosse and am slotted out to be a starter in the spring season as a freshman. I learned a lot from last spring that is why I am where I am today. Happy Birthday Paul, can’t wait to see what you bring to the lacrosse world next, how 39 treats you well!!
Hey Paul, been watching ya since the mll days. I ruptured my Achilles tendon almost a year ago. And the first lesson I learned was to warm up before any workout. The most important one was that during the whole healing process, post surgery and the physical therapy, I learned that even at the worst of moments and situations you can't let anything break you. Your body might get broken up but not the soul or the mind. I learned a lot about myself during the healing process and I've become a better man for it. Thank you for being an inspiration and if I win give the prize to some lucky kid.
Hey Paul, I’m in tenth grade and I lost my brother in 2021 and it really messed me up but I came back playing lacrosse for the first time and fell in love with the game and I will never forget it, I get 100 shots a day and I look up to you and you inspired me to face my adversity thank you Paul.
Happy Birthday Paul, biggest adversity I faced was believing in myself to try and play lacrosse at the international level when no one else did. Cheers on 39.
Last year I was made fun of and always told that stuff was my fault, but now through hard work and dedication, I am helping and carrying my teams through games and practices
One of my biggest challenges is that there was no lacrosse where I live in Southern Utah. My dad played his senior year in high school in northern utah, and loved it. Some people played a little bit, but nothing major. My dad took over the middle school league, and the high school girls league. For the first time, the boys and girls teams are sanctioned at all the high schools, and we were actually at a clinic for the middle school all day yesterday, we taught the P.E. class! I learned that with the love for the game, you can change so many lives for the better!
What’s up Paul, I never would have known who you were until my daughter showed me your channel 7 years ago when she started playing lacrosse at 6. Been following your journey ever since. I’ve never played lacrosse but I played football for 20 years. My junior year in college October of 2009, I tore my acl, mcl and pcl in my left knee when a d lineman fell on my leg which ended my season obviously. I played center. The Dr told me the significant damage done to the knee joint I should never be able to play football ever again at the level I was at. I wasn’t trying to hear that as a 21 year old kid. So I put my head down and went to work. 10 months later I reported to camp and played my senior year. Made all conference and all region at the d2 level. My dream was to play in the nfl. I never made it there. I ended up playing in the CFL and the AFL. Long of the short, the biggest life lesson learned is anything is possible. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t or shouldn’t do something if it’s your dream or your passion. Love the videos brother. Been a subscriber for years.
i grew up playing volleyball and got teased for it and started getting into lacrosse, i wasnt great but it was the most fun i had while playing a sport and learned that no matter how good you are if you love the sport stick to it and it we all come as time goes - also you share the same birthday as my little brother and i thought that was kind of cool, i got him a lacrosse stick and im trying to get him into the sport
Hi Paul I am in 4th grade I have been playing lacrosse for my whole life and always loved watching your videos. You inspired me even more about the game. In second grade I broke two bones in my wrist and I was out for the season my team ended up losing in the playoffs. But next year I was able to play and I lead my team to the championship and scored the game winning goal. You are my favorite lacrosse player and I would love to meet you.
Happy birthday Man. A piece of adversity I had to go through was my first few months of playing lacrosse, beginning during my freshmen year of high school. It was very difficult for me to learn the game and practice, but I eventually caught on. I am now a sophomore in high school and on track to be a starting attackmen next season.
Happy Birthday , good to see the older guys out there still putting in the work. When I first started playing my goal was to get right into the goalies face and put it in the net, could hardly shoot at all, but kept leading the team in goals. I don't know how big of adversity this is but I wanted to keep it Lacrosse related. I started playing when I lived in New York (Johnson City), took to it and the year after I start playing in 8th grade I got taken up to varsity. I had dreams of playing in college, playing for team USA so I put in alot of work so that in my second year playing lacrosse on Varsity I got a good amount of playing time and the following year I became a starter as a sophomore. Then things went down hill, job change for my dad and I have to move to Maryland to live with my mom. She lived in western Maryland where Lacrosse was not a school sport (1998), most school had a club team so that's how I kept playing. Since I was a senior in 1999 I didn't know how to get college coaches attention, so my dreams of college and team usa died, I didn't know how to get to where I wanted to go. I tried getting into some pick up games here and there, but in 2003 I joined the Army. I always had a stick and ball everywhere I went ( even Iraq) , but I thought my involvement with Lacrosse died. Fast forward to 2021 and my 5 year old son starts learning to play, I get pulled back into the sport. I am not coaching beginner lacrosse and JV as a high school in Florida. Didn't get my dreams of playing in College or team USA but maybe I can help some other kids get there.
Hey Paul Happy Birthday first of all. second I wanna tell you about the piece of adversity I had to face. I played baseball and basketball from the age of 4 to the age of 15, in which I quit baseball to focus on Basketball. After spending all this time and making all of these sacrifices I was cut from the team. I had no idea what to do and it was the first time in my life I had not played a sport. I had a friend who played on the lacrosse team at my school and he said that I should play. I had no intention of playing and was sure I was never gonna play sports again; until I saw your videos. After I watched “How to Shoot a Lacrosse ball” I decided hey why not give it a shot? That video was my first time ever seeing lacrosse and it really intrigued me and ultimately is what drove me to go to my first practice. It was all uphill from there, I started practicing and watching your videos everyday and was playing Varsity by the end of my first year playing ( sophomore year). Now as a senior I am committed to play Division 2 lacrosse and had 28 goals last year for my team breaking the schools record. Because of you my dream of playing College Sports is a reality and I can never thank you enough. You taught me that hard work beats talent, and that even though I started late I can still achieve my dream. Thank you.
Hey Paul, I struggled when my dad had leukemia cancer since I was in 4th grade to my 6th grade year, I am in 8th grade now but during this time I was struggling to stay focused in school and a hard time with my mental health always thinking the worst and not being able to search for help, but the love I had with sports, wrestling and lacrosse, really affected me by knowing that at the end of the day I can just play something I love. But when my dad was in the hospital all the time from months on end not being able to provide for me or my siblings it taught me how to take responsibility for myself and how to really be there for my mom and my siblings and it has stayed with me for 4 years now for staying consistent in the gym and wrestling and lacrosse and staying true with god, thanks for listening to my story happy 39th birthday, god bless. ✝️
I started in 3 grade and my team has won only 20 games since then and I am a 8 grader about to be in high school I have been doing my shots and practicing my long pole skills I have been a pole for 5 years but I still practice short stick because my team doesn’t have many attackmens so I have to step up so I have been watching you for 5 year following your work out so I can be like you and I hope to go to a d1 school and dominate the defense so thank you for keeping me hooked on lax for all this time
Commenting on behalf of my 9yr old daughter who is a fan and enjoys the videos. Not much adversity to speak of at this point but the videos do inspire her to get out there and work. Loosely adopting the "no day off" mentality while juggling softball and basketball.
The most adversity I’ve gone through is what I’m going through right now I broke my knee cap and can’t play till half way through my senior season. The lesson I’ve learn so far is not to take the game for granted or even walking.
Piece of adversity for me was I got a concussion my sophomore year when all I wanted to do was get better and help my team, and I couldn't for 2 weeks. The short break was frustrating, but I looked back, and it was more beneficial for that short break to happen because it deepend my love for the game.
Happy birthday from your favorite kid🎉🎉🎉 I already bought a book so don’t send me one but one time I had to go through adversity was when I was put on the worst team for my club but I worked my but off at a training camp and got moved up to the best team.
Middle school. Played a horrendous game and shot maybe 0/7 with some turnovers. I get to the wing for the faceoff and the other teams middle says “of course you suck at lacrosse, you’re black” Simple words but they cut deep and highlighted a very real stigma within our sport. Stuck with the sport and became a damn good player!
Had heart surgery right before my senior year in high school and I was scared that first game back on the field but every since then i played that season and in college it took a lot to get back to the game but I loved the game so I couldn’t stop and give up
Subbed! Broken foot AAU hoops, blessing in disguise. Rehabbed all Summer at 5am ti beat 105+ heat and began the LAX journey! 6th Grader scored 30 goals the last two tournaments. #100shotsaday
Hey Paul! In terms of adversity, i have talk more about a period of time instead of just one singular event, so kind of bare with me lol. growing up in brooklyn with a less than ideal family life inside, i was mostly sat alone in the confinement of a room occasionally with my siblings. I started getting into lacrosse around 5th grade, but i didn't really stick with it until my family and I were displaced from our home throughout the entirety of middle school and most of highschool. I lived between 2 different family member's homes as well as my mother's car at the time before it broke down. Middleschool to now i had stuck with the sport and used it as well as my mother as a way to show adversity and trudge through middleschool considering my bad mental and physical health. If i let everything get to me, how would i play or practice with my teammates? how would my mom feel? these thoughts and more used to rush through my head and even when i sometimes thought that would be it for me, i simply decided to keep moving. from simply hitting the wall everyday before or after school, when we finally found a place to live i learned that there will be times that are extraordinarily rough, situations that don't end out well for you whatsoever, and people that you meet along the way that don't have your best interests at heart; but regardless, if you keep on moving no matter how much they try to get you, you'll see a light at the end of the tunnel. You and your dedication to this sport have constantly been there for me to look up to, to start setting my own goals etc. every time i see one of your videos it just adds more flame to the fire inside, making me want to get after it more and more. Thank you!
Hey Paul, I’m an 8th grader that lives in Southern Georgia. Living here has dramatically changed my lacrosse journey. I started playing last year when I started watching your videos. It was the one about you getting traded to the New York Atlas and you strung the net. Seeing that and seeing how smoothly you shot changed something in me. I tried out for the team after getting private lessons from a High Schooler in my town. I ended up making it and not playing at all. We had a terrible season and was second to last in the league. I remember my coach coming up to me after our last game and saying to me “we’re gonna need you next year”. This struck into me and I have been shooting 100 shots a day, weightlifting and running. I was an overweight kid in elementary school and got picked on for being dumb, fat and un athletic. Your content and drive and love for the game has changed my life. Thank you so very much. God bless you
Hi Paul - growing up I was always teased for my height and my ethnicity. In my early years of high school, I faced a lot of teasing, which eventually led me to quit playing Lacrosse. Despite stepping away from the competitive nature of Lacrosse, I refused to let the negativity take away my love for the sport. I continued to pick up my stick, hit the wall, and shoot around in my backyard. Through this experience, I learned the importance of perseverance and staying true to myself. I discovered that I could find joy and growth in doing what I loved, regardless of external opinions and challenges. Today, i'm happy to say I still play the sport at 30 years old and love every minute of it!
Failed every class in year 4 of HS and had to re-do the entire year, almost dropped out. Now 28, beginning a Ph.D. in political science next year.
Even if you fail at first, give yourself another chance. Failure is as important as success!
HBD Legend
My adversity is I have hemophilia it’s a bleeding disorder. I don’t let it slow me down. I’ve spent many days in the hospital when I was little and had to get blood transfusions. Today I start for my middle school teams and work to inspire others with my RUclips videos
Hey Paul! Happy Birthday!
I was a 15 year old freshman in high school trying to make my varsity lacrosse team. All of my friends made it except for me. I was stuck playing on the JV team and the coach hated me. I kept working on my own time, never gave up on my dream of playing varsity with my friends, and never listened to the mean stuff the coach would say to me. I tried out for varsity the following year and made it with ease because I worked so hard on the little things I knew would make me better. Shooting with my left hand, getting faster, and getting stronger. If I had made varsity the first time I don’t know if I would be as resilient as I am today.
Side note- thank you for everything you’ve done for the sport of lacrosse. The growth in these past 6 years have been amazing, can’t wait to see what’s in store for the future of the W & PLL
hell yea. I bet you if you keep working hard, and espically respecting your coaches/interacting with them in a positive way. You will 100% make varsity. Good luck big dawg.
Happy 39th! 37 here, and my adversity has always been imposter syndrome. I strive to be the best at everything I do, but it's extremely difficult to be a jack of all trades and a master of none. It really messes with my head and sometimes it's a struggle to keep it together, especially being a husband and father whom you also have to raise, protect and provide for.
HBD Paul. You’ve been the GOAT since I was in middle school (now I’m nearly 30) and it’s so cool to see how you’ve revolutionized and leveled up the entire sport of lacrosse for the whole world.
A piece of adversity I dealt with was when I was in high school lacrosse. I was always a top athlete in the sports I played but lacrosse at my school had major competition for varsity. My 10th grade year, I sadly was left behind on the 9/10 grade team while many of my friends went on to JV/Varsity, which I felt was unfair. I played middie at the time and due to me being on the 9/10 team one of my coaches made the suggestion to switch to defense as I was a bigger athletic guy. That sucked to hear at first, I loved the opportunity to score while playing midfield, but it was a defining moment for me to have to decide to do what was best for my team instead of doing what I wanted to do deep down. I’m so glad I listened, because I was a varsity starter the following season in 11th grade.
Playing a team sport, you often have to put the team before yourself. Oftentimes, those sacrifices can lead to greatness.
See you at 40 brotha. 💪🏼
Happy birthday to my favorite lacrosse player
Favorite and best lacrosse player Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday. I remember seeing you walk through the tunnel before a game at Navy when I interned for the Bayhawks in college. I've followed your career every since. I was laid off from my job in tech and was unemployed for a year. That adversity taught me to never take what I have for granted. I appreciate every day I get to wake up and go to work. Thank you for all that you've done to take the sport we love to new heights.
Happy birthday Paul! I want to challenge you to donate to LaCROSSe Out Cancer for childhood cancer research.
Happy Bday Paul, I'm from Southern California and was introduced to the game of lacrosse 2 years ago before entering highschool. Last year, I faced tons of adversity between trying to find confidence in my game, playing time for my school team, and developing a play style. From then, I have improved so much and the way you overcame adversity back when you had broken your foot inspires me to write this. Just recently I was injured and I'm still developing my stick skills and athleticism back, but I always have always been committed to this game since I've started playing. I hope the message taken today is the idea that everyone faces adversity, but what defines each person is how they face it. Thank you for those who read this and I hope you guys overcome whatever challenges face you.
Happy Birthday Paul! Two years ago I got a concussion during our first round of state playoffs. Nothing seemed off at first but they did scans and found a brain tumor. At the end of the season I had to get it removed. This taught me that life isn’t guaranteed and not to take a single day for granted. I ended up being to play my senior year and returned to the state playoffs.
Happy B-day Paul, like #101. Im a sophomore in highschool. 3 days before school got out last June, my coach passed away after a plane crash. A week before, I had gotten an invite from the local traveling team to play the summer season, my coach was the one who actually recommended me. The summer tournaments were hard, every screw-up and mistake in-game felt heavier than ever. Not having someone to guild me has been rough, anything lacrosse makes me miss him. He was my mentor and now my inspiration. Still trying to get back on the horse and in the groove for spring.
Hey Paul, during my senior year of lacrosse we were supposed to be incredible after a historic year the previous season. We came out and played very poorly for our expectations. As the year went on we realized that the only thing that could turn the season around was us. Being a captain on the team I decided it was my responsibility to pull everyone together and do something great. We went on a good run winning the rest of our games until we ended up losing in double overtime to a team that was ranked way higher than us. Now I’m playing Division Two Lacrosse and am slotted out to be a starter in the spring season as a freshman. I learned a lot from last spring that is why I am where I am today. Happy Birthday Paul, can’t wait to see what you bring to the lacrosse world next, how 39 treats you well!!
Hey Paul, been watching ya since the mll days. I ruptured my Achilles tendon almost a year ago. And the first lesson I learned was to warm up before any workout. The most important one was that during the whole healing process, post surgery and the physical therapy, I learned that even at the worst of moments and situations you can't let anything break you. Your body might get broken up but not the soul or the mind. I learned a lot about myself during the healing process and I've become a better man for it. Thank you for being an inspiration and if I win give the prize to some lucky kid.
Hey Paul, I’m in tenth grade and I lost my brother in 2021 and it really messed me up but I came back playing lacrosse for the first time and fell in love with the game and I will never forget it, I get 100 shots a day and I look up to you and you inspired me to face my adversity thank you Paul.
Happy Birthday Paul, biggest adversity I faced was believing in myself to try and play lacrosse at the international level when no one else did. Cheers on 39.
Happy birthday Paul🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Happy birthday!🎉
No days off.
Last year I was made fun of and always told that stuff was my fault, but now through hard work and dedication, I am helping and carrying my teams through games and practices
Yoo, Paul, Happy birthday, 39 years of the best lacrosse player to touch a field!!
Happy Birthday Paul!
Happy birthday Paul! Bring the PLL to the PNW please!!!
Happy bday, Paul! Can't wait to see where your journey takes you next!
One of my biggest challenges is that there was no lacrosse where I live in Southern Utah. My dad played his senior year in high school in northern utah, and loved it. Some people played a little bit, but nothing major. My dad took over the middle school league, and the high school girls league. For the first time, the boys and girls teams are sanctioned at all the high schools, and we were actually at a clinic for the middle school all day yesterday, we taught the P.E. class! I learned that with the love for the game, you can change so many lives for the better!
Happy birthday Paul! I admire you so much and you are my ideal. I look up to you and try to replicate what you do like the 100 shots a day. Happy 39
Happy birthday
What’s up Paul, I never would have known who you were until my daughter showed me your channel 7 years ago when she started playing lacrosse at 6. Been following your journey ever since. I’ve never played lacrosse but I played football for 20 years. My junior year in college October of 2009, I tore my acl, mcl and pcl in my left knee when a d lineman fell on my leg which ended my season obviously. I played center. The Dr told me the significant damage done to the knee joint I should never be able to play football ever again at the level I was at. I wasn’t trying to hear that as a 21 year old kid. So I put my head down and went to work. 10 months later I reported to camp and played my senior year. Made all conference and all region at the d2 level. My dream was to play in the nfl. I never made it there. I ended up playing in the CFL and the AFL. Long of the short, the biggest life lesson learned is anything is possible. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t or shouldn’t do something if it’s your dream or your passion. Love the videos brother. Been a subscriber for years.
Happy birthday paul. You’re one of my biggest inspirations
i grew up playing volleyball and got teased for it and started getting into lacrosse, i wasnt great but it was the most fun i had while playing a sport and learned that no matter how good you are if you love the sport stick to it and it we all come as time goes - also you share the same birthday as my little brother and i thought that was kind of cool, i got him a lacrosse stick and im trying to get him into the sport
Hi Paul I am in 4th grade I have been playing lacrosse for my whole life and always loved watching your videos. You inspired me even more about the game. In second grade I broke two bones in my wrist and I was out for the season my team ended up losing in the playoffs. But next year I was able to play and I lead my team to the championship and scored the game winning goal. You are my favorite lacrosse player and I would love to meet you.
Happy birthday Man. A piece of adversity I had to go through was my first few months of playing lacrosse, beginning during my freshmen year of high school. It was very difficult for me to learn the game and practice, but I eventually caught on. I am now a sophomore in high school and on track to be a starting attackmen next season.
Happy Birthday , good to see the older guys out there still putting in the work. When I first started playing my goal was to get right into the goalies face and put it in the net, could hardly shoot at all, but kept leading the team in goals.
I don't know how big of adversity this is but I wanted to keep it Lacrosse related. I started playing when I lived in New York (Johnson City), took to it and the year after I start playing in 8th grade I got taken up to varsity. I had dreams of playing in college, playing for team USA so I put in alot of work so that in my second year playing lacrosse on Varsity I got a good amount of playing time and the following year I became a starter as a sophomore. Then things went down hill, job change for my dad and I have to move to Maryland to live with my mom. She lived in western Maryland where Lacrosse was not a school sport (1998), most school had a club team so that's how I kept playing. Since I was a senior in 1999 I didn't know how to get college coaches attention, so my dreams of college and team usa died, I didn't know how to get to where I wanted to go. I tried getting into some pick up games here and there, but in 2003 I joined the Army. I always had a stick and ball everywhere I went ( even Iraq) , but I thought my involvement with Lacrosse died. Fast forward to 2021 and my 5 year old son starts learning to play, I get pulled back into the sport. I am not coaching beginner lacrosse and JV as a high school in Florida. Didn't get my dreams of playing in College or team USA but maybe I can help some other kids get there.
Hey Paul Happy Birthday first of all. second I wanna tell you about the piece of adversity I had to face. I played baseball and basketball from the age of 4 to the age of 15, in which I quit baseball to focus on Basketball. After spending all this time and making all of these sacrifices I was cut from the team. I had no idea what to do and it was the first time in my life I had not played a sport. I had a friend who played on the lacrosse team at my school and he said that I should play. I had no intention of playing and was sure I was never gonna play sports again; until I saw your videos. After I watched “How to Shoot a Lacrosse ball” I decided hey why not give it a shot? That video was my first time ever seeing lacrosse and it really intrigued me and ultimately is what drove me to go to my first practice. It was all uphill from there, I started practicing and watching your videos everyday and was playing Varsity by the end of my first year playing ( sophomore year). Now as a senior I am committed to play Division 2 lacrosse and had 28 goals last year for my team breaking the schools record. Because of you my dream of playing College Sports is a reality and I can never thank you enough. You taught me that hard work beats talent, and that even though I started late I can still achieve my dream. Thank you.
Happy Birthday Paul!!!
Hey Paul, I struggled when my dad had leukemia cancer since I was in 4th grade to my 6th grade year, I am in 8th grade now but during this time I was struggling to stay focused in school and a hard time with my mental health always thinking the worst and not being able to search for help, but the love I had with sports, wrestling and lacrosse, really affected me by knowing that at the end of the day I can just play something I love. But when my dad was in the hospital all the time from months on end not being able to provide for me or my siblings it taught me how to take responsibility for myself and how to really be there for my mom and my siblings and it has stayed with me for 4 years now for staying consistent in the gym and wrestling and lacrosse and staying true with god, thanks for listening to my story happy 39th birthday, god bless. ✝️
Happy birthday you are my role model Paul
my freshman year i barely missed making varsity. it taught me to work for things with my whole being
I started in 3 grade and my team has won only 20 games since then and I am a 8 grader about to be in high school I have been doing my shots and practicing my long pole skills I have been a pole for 5 years but I still practice short stick because my team doesn’t have many attackmens so I have to step up so I have been watching you for 5 year following your work out so I can be like you and I hope to go to a d1 school and dominate the defense so thank you for keeping me hooked on lax for all this time
Commenting on behalf of my 9yr old daughter who is a fan and enjoys the videos. Not much adversity to speak of at this point but the videos do inspire her to get out there and work. Loosely adopting the "no day off" mentality while juggling softball and basketball.
happy b-day paul rabil my son loves u
Happy birthday Paul
The most adversity I’ve gone through is what I’m going through right now I broke my knee cap and can’t play till half way through my senior season. The lesson I’ve learn so far is not to take the game for granted or even walking.
Happy Birthday - Legend
Happy Birthday!
Pre ordered the book months ago and love it!
happy birthday paul
Spread the book love!
Piece of adversity for me was I got a concussion my sophomore year when all I wanted to do was get better and help my team, and I couldn't for 2 weeks. The short break was frustrating, but I looked back, and it was more beneficial for that short break to happen because it deepend my love for the game.
Happy belated birthday
Happy birthday my adversity is getting concussed while during the biggest tourney of the year but having to play through
Didn’t get any playing time my junior year. Worked hard everyday(100 shots a day) and ended up having the most points on my team senior year
Happy birthday from your favorite kid🎉🎉🎉 I already bought a book so don’t send me one but one time I had to go through adversity was when I was put on the worst team for my club but I worked my but off at a training camp and got moved up to the best team.
Middle school. Played a horrendous game and shot maybe 0/7 with some turnovers. I get to the wing for the faceoff and the other teams middle says “of course you suck at lacrosse, you’re black”
Simple words but they cut deep and highlighted a very real stigma within our sport. Stuck with the sport and became a damn good player!
Had heart surgery right before my senior year in high school and I was scared that first game back on the field but every since then i played that season and in college it took a lot to get back to the game but I loved the game so I couldn’t stop and give up
W I love lax I went to the quarterfinals a couple times
Subbed! Broken foot AAU hoops, blessing in disguise. Rehabbed all Summer at 5am ti beat 105+ heat and began the LAX journey! 6th Grader scored 30 goals the last two tournaments. #100shotsaday
Hey Paul!
In terms of adversity, i have talk more about a period of time instead of just one singular event, so kind of bare with me lol. growing up in brooklyn with a less than ideal family life inside, i was mostly sat alone in the confinement of a room occasionally with my siblings. I started getting into lacrosse around 5th grade, but i didn't really stick with it until my family and I were displaced from our home throughout the entirety of middle school and most of highschool. I lived between 2 different family member's homes as well as my mother's car at the time before it broke down. Middleschool to now i had stuck with the sport and used it as well as my mother as a way to show adversity and trudge through middleschool considering my bad mental and physical health. If i let everything get to me, how would i play or practice with my teammates? how would my mom feel? these thoughts and more used to rush through my head and even when i sometimes thought that would be it for me, i simply decided to keep moving. from simply hitting the wall everyday before or after school, when we finally found a place to live i learned that there will be times that are extraordinarily rough, situations that don't end out well for you whatsoever, and people that you meet along the way that don't have your best interests at heart; but regardless, if you keep on moving no matter how much they try to get you, you'll see a light at the end of the tunnel. You and your dedication to this sport have constantly been there for me to look up to, to start setting my own goals etc. every time i see one of your videos it just adds more flame to the fire inside, making me want to get after it more and more. Thank you!
Yessir unc
Big lobsta guy
You did Andy Towers so dirty
Unc is ancient, jezus
I have to ask, why did you try to fire the chaos assistant coach over two unhappy players, now the entire coaching staff and Andy towers are gone
Pls I love u
G*D D*MMIT I was going to ask for a book then you p*ssed me off by having that net not properly secured at the top ..._GET THAT FIXED_
I would like to have a book of yours @Paul Rabil
Happy birthday Paul
Happy birthday