MHC Welcomes the Cardinal Cup

The Smith River Sports Complex (SRSC) will be hosting a youth lacrosse tournament June 30-July 1, 2012. The Cardinal Cup will feature 31 teams of U-11, U-13, U-15, and U-18 age divisions. The tournament is set to begin at 9 AM for both Saturday and Sunday and admission is free for both days.

Over 1,600 athletes and spectators will be coming into the Martinsville-Henry County area from Fort Mill, South Carolina, different areas of North Carolina including Greensboro, Kernersville, Winston-Salem, Raleigh, and Wilmington, and also in Virginia, from Lynchburg and up into Northern Virginia.

The Cardinal Cup is sponsored by the Old North State (ONS) Foundation- a North Carolina non-profit organization. The ONS Foundation provides support for the development and enhancement of playing, coaching, and officiating opportunities in the sport of lacrosse.

Tournament directors, Mark & Kathy Goldsmith, decided on choosing the SRSC as the location for the Cardinal Cup after attending an event hosted at the Complex in 2010. "The Smith River Sports Complex is a great venue with 5 beautiful fields and it is close enough for most teams in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina," stated Kathy Goldsmith.

For the Complex, this will be the third lacrosse event hosted at the facility. Director of Operations, Billy Russo, said, "this area is not known for lacrosse, but it is one of the fastest growing sports in the country and the Complex is trying to become a leading facility for the sport in our region."

The first lacrosse event hosted at the SRSC was the Southwest Virginia Lacrosse Open Play, which hosted around 480 players and spectators in July 2010. The second event featured the Legendary Lacrosse College Showcases in October of 2010. It brought around 150 participants from 19 different states to Martinsville and Henry County for the weekend. The Legendary Lacrosse event was estimated to have brought an economic impact of around $90,000 to the area.

"The involvement of areas like Greensboro, NC helps the Complex become a more regional factor not only for lacrosse, but also as a Sports Complex. " said Russo. "Tournaments like the Cardinal Cup can hopefully generate enough interest in the area so that one day we can host this sport locally."

For further questions please contact Amanda Gray, Director of Marketing, or Billy Russo, Director of Operations at (276) 638-5200. Also, check out either www.SouthernVirginiaSports.com or www.OldNorthStateLacrosse.com for more details.