When the Lions were only little cubs and Dutch lacrosse was just starting to get off the ground, a few of us ambitiously decided that they would attempt to host their very own tournament. So they traversed the Western European plains (perhaps on horseback, who knows: these were different times) in search of likeminded folks within different cultures and what they found blew their freakin’ minds! To the east they found a Germanic tribe that hosted an event called the Berlin Open where Lax and Bratwürst came together in perfect harmony. Heading south afterwards they entered what was then known as Czechoslovakia where the ancient city of Prague hosted a similar event, minus the würst. Filled with joy, the young Lions continued to travel through Europe during a period that we would later come to call the Summer of Inspiration. They found Lax everywhere they went and keeping detailed notes about each tournament, they came to feel positive that the Lions would be capable of hosting the most epic weekend of lacrosse imaginable.
And so they did: after a year of brainstorming there came a new summer and all of their travels would finally bear fruit. The first Lowlands was held and all of those they had met the previous summer made their way to Amsterdam. France, Germany, Belgium, England, all came to Holland to see what the Lions had come up with and it was glorious!
A lot has happened since that first Lowlands, but the mission has remained unchanged: to annually host the greatest lacrosse tournament imaginable. With teams coming not just from all over Western Europe, but from all over the world! With not just lax in the sun, but with parties and barbecues. Every year the baton is passed to a new group of laxophiles who build upon the ideas of their predecessors and every year the tournament gets just a little more epic. Don’t believe us? Come and see for yourself. Lowlands is the last weekend of June and all that have been there will tell you: it is and always will be the greatest laxperience in the world.