Andrew Mollenbeck, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – Twenty-four hours is a long time to play lacrosse.
For a single game, it will be a record and one that benefits wounded warriors.
The Shootout for Soldiers, which will feature hundreds of players during the game, will be divided up into 1-hour sections.
Each player suits up for either the Stars or the Stripes.
“There’s a whole range of people playing, including D-I All Americans, MLL [Major League Lacrosse] players, professional athletes from other sports,” says founder Tyler Steinhardt.
“People signed up who are 10-year-olds and people signed up who are 65 years old,” Steinhardt says.
He adds that as many as 50 members of the armed forces could be involved.
The marathon game begins at 9 a.m. June 14 at the Boys’ Latin School of Maryland. To get on the field, players donate at least $20 for the Wounded Warrior Project.
Steinhardt jokes that the estimate on total goals scored during the 24-hour game is 380.
Though Steinhardt has both organized and promoted the event, Steinhardt himself has no direct ties to the military.
“I’m an 18-year-old senior. I graduate high school on Saturday. No one in my family has ever served in the military, to my knowledge,” Steinhardt says.
“My connection [to service members] is I’m an American.
“Every day I can go to school and play lacrosse, hang out with my friends because someone serving overseas 5,000 miles away protects my freedoms,” Steinhardt says.
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