Starsia Named Winner of the 2011 Dan Spillett Grand Master's Award
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LAKE PLACID, N.Y. –Virginia head men’s lacrosse coach Dom Starsia was honored with the 2011 Dan Spillett Grand Master’s Award at the Lake Placid Summit Classic over the weekend.
The Lake Placid Summit honors Dan Spillett, a long-time participant in the tournament by making an annual award that recognizes Dan’s many years of determination and perseverance in the face of complex personal challenges and obstacles. Dan finally succumbed to his illness in 2005, and this award, which was established in 2004, is presented annually to the Grand Master’s player that best exemplifies Dan’s tenacity, determination, perseverance and positive attitude both on and off the field during the tournament.
“I am deeply moved to have received the Dan Spillett Award,” said Starsia. “Dan was a good friend and a great teammate. His untimely and premature passing touched everyone who knew him. I feel blessed to have stayed in close contact with his wife Julie and their children. To have received this award in his name, presented by Dave White, one of my closest friends, makes this a moment I will long cherish. I want to thank the folks at US Lacrosse, George Leveille and everyone involved with the organization of the Lake Placid Tournament.”
Starsia has been coming to the Lake Placid Summit for 20 years and in 2011 played close defense for the Ultra Legends. Starsia and the Ultra Legends finished 3-1 in the Super Grand Master’s division.
The history of the Lake Placid Summit dates back to 1990 when tournament founder Leveille mentioned to Mike DeRossi that he’d like to combine two of his favorite things: lacrosse and Lake Placid, N.Y. The idea was born and with limited resources, eight teams traveled to Lake Placid in the summer of 1990 to compete in the first ever Lake Placid Summit Lacrosse Tournament. Over the next couple of years, the word slowly spread across the Northeast and down into the Mid-Atlantic and each year a few new teams would join the line-up. Eventually, the best players in the country, from high school to post collegiate, found themselves competing at the Summit. Now over 150 teams of men and women over various age groups compete at the event during a seven day period every year.