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| Letter From the
President |
Dear Shamrox Fan,
 It
is two months until Opening Night! The excitement
and anticipation is building. Training Camp starts
November 11, as well as the planning of events
leading up to Saturday January 6th when the Shamrox
host the NY Titans, 7:30pm at the Sears Centre.
“Lacrosse America Appreciation Night” will be the
theme for our January 6th Home Opener, in a tribute
to Chicago area lacrosse players. You’ll want to be
part of this special night for lacrosse in our
first-ever game. Let’s pack the house Opening Night.
Since last month’s edition of Shamrox Scoop, here’s
what’s been going on: we’ve been signing players to
build our Training Camp roster; we hosted two Tryout
Camps (one in Chicago and the other in Ontario,
Canada) looking for the next “Rudy”; auditions were
held October 28 for the Shamrox Dance Team; and our
home arena, the Sears Centre, opened on October 26
with a series of concerts. Details on each of these
events are included in this edition of Shamrox Scoop
and our website
www.ChicagoShamrox.com.
In this edition of Shamrox Scoop, you’ll get an
“Inside Conversation” with star free agent goal
scorer, forward Chris Panos, who recently visited
Chicago and just signed with the Shamrox. You’ll
also get Tryout Camp and Dance Team highlights and
the latest ticket information and how to purchase
tickets.
Also, make note:
- Single Game tickets go on sale November 17. So
ALL ticket options are available…..Season Tickets,
Group Tickets, fundraising tickets, our 10-ticket
“Lax Pax” program or Tickets for individual games.
Call our office at 1-877-SHAMROX or email
Tony@ChicagoShamrox.com on how to order your
tickets.
- It is Holiday Gift time, too. For that special
lacrosse fan, Shamrox tickets and Shamrox
merchandise make great Holiday Gifts. And our new
line of “Reebok Shamrox Gear” goes on sale in
mid-November via our website store and at our
Hoffman Estates offices.
Thanks for your support and encouragement. We
appreciate the emails, your ideas and your feedback.
Get your tickets and get ready for Chicago Shamrox
indoor pro lacrosse!
GO SHAMROX!!
Sincerely,
Conrad “Connie” Kowal
President
Chicago Shamrox |
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| Ticket Info |
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| Chicago Shamrox
Season Ticket Prices |
Chicago Shamrox Season Tickets start at only $10
a game and also feature $15, $20 and $25 per
game options. Whether you like Sideline, Corner
or Endzone seats, or upper bowl or lower bowl
locations, Season Ticket prices are at a reduced
rate compared individual game prices, with
savings of $5 to $10 per ticket per game. Eight
home games, all on the weekend, five Saturday
nights, three Sunday afternoons, make Shamrox
Season Tickets the best sports value in Chicago.
Also, a limited number of Front Row “on the
glass” seats in the lower bowl and Front Row
upper bowl seats are available at VIP pricing. |
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And Speaking of Seating Locations…… |
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The new Sears Centre will have great sightlines for
Shamrox games. The lower bowl seating will have 19
rows and the upper bowl seating will only 9 rows. So
whether it’s Sideline, Corner or Endzone locations,
all Shamrox seats will have a great view of the
action. See the seating diagram and the ticket
pricing chart for all Season, Group and Individual
tickets. |
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Shamrox LAX PAX |
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Lax Pax are books of 10 Shamrox ticket vouchers that
can be redeemed at any time, in any combination,
allowing you the ultimate flexibility in how and
when you attend games. You can use them however you
want (five tickets for two games, two tickets for
five games.) The choice is yours! You receive a
discount off the price of individual game tickets.
Lax Pax are just $200 and are redeemable for seats
in the Lower Level (End, Sec. 108-111) and Upper
Level (Sideline, Sec. 201-205, 214-218). Want better
seats? Upgrade your vouchers to another price
category when you pay the difference (subject to
availability.) See Chicago’s most exciting new team
on your schedule! |
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Groups Should Start Planning Now |
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Those groups and organizations interested in booking
group outings to Shamrox games should contact the
Shamrox ticket office to start coordinating those
plans for games. The Shamrox season starts in
January and runs through mid-April, 8 home games all
on the weekends, five Saturday nights, three Sunday
afternoons, perfect for group outings. Easiest way
to get the ball rolling is to email
Tony@ChicagoShamrox.com or call the Shamrox
office toll free at 1-866-4CHI-NLL. |
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| 1 on 1 With Chris
Panos |
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| Photo
credit: Kyle Clapham |
Shamrox Scoop: Chris, welcome to the
Shamrox and welcome back to the NLL…
Chris Panos: Thank you. It’s good to be
back.
SS: What type of player are you and what will you
bring back to the Shamrox?
CP: I'm definitely an offensive minded player. I
like to think of myself as a hard nosed, gritty
playmaker that enjoys scoring goals, passing,
setting picks, grabbing loose balls. I've always
been a very unselfish player and will do whatever I
need to do on offense to get myself or fellow
teammates open for good scoring opportunities. I
hope the fans of Chicago will embrace my style of
play.
SS: Having won a Champions Cup ring with the Wings,
how does that help the younger players?
CP: Well, having the opportunity to win the
Champions Cup in 2001 with the Philadelphia Wings
was an amazing experience. I've been fortunate
enough through my career to play on some great teams
and have participated in 3 Champions cups in the NLL
(1998 Baltimore Thunder, 2001 Wings and 2005 Arizona
Sting). I hope my experience and leadership will
show the younger players what it takes to compete at
this elite level of lacrosse.
SS: What are your realistic goals for the Shamrox
this season?
CP: I know we will be an expansion team as far as
being a new team in the NLL, but we'll be very
disappointed if we don't make the playoffs this
season. Coach Jamie Batley and the staff did a very
nice job with our expansion draft and will bring in
the best available talent in North America to
Chicago. The Shamrox fans will definitely embrace
this team’s character and hard nosed style of play.
SS: Is your approach to the season any different
when you are on an expansion team?
CP: Well I've had the opportunity to play on several
expansion teams (Calgary, New York, Anaheim). Those
three seasons were the longest of my career. We
weren't very good and our team chemistry was awful.
I think with the Shamrox we will have a very good
nucleus of players who know one another and will
have lots of time to introduce newer players to our
system and style of play. Team chemistry is
essential on any team, especially an expansion team.
SS: What type of coach is Jamie Batley?
CP: I've had the opportunity to play for Coach Jamie
Batley for 4 years now. I played for him while he
was in Colorado with the Mammoth, and have played
the last three seasons for him in Peterborough,
Ontario. I really enjoy his style of coaching. He is
very organized and knows how to prepare and get the
players focused on the task at hand. Whether it's
practice or game preparation, Jamie is a solid coach
and I know we will have a chance to win every night
if the players buy into his system.
SS: What are your feelings about returning to the
NLL after a year off and why did you sit out last
season?
CP: Not playing in the NLL last year was very
disappointing. I had been battling some injuries
from the summer of 2005 and wasn't 100% when I went
to training camp in Calgary. I wasn't able to train
and prepare like I normally do and I just couldn't
do the things I'm capable of on the field. Having
the season off was probably a good thing because it
gave my body the proper time to rehabilitate my
injury and get back to where I need to be to play at
my best. I'm 100% now and extremely anxious and
excited to be back in the NLL.
SS: What do you think of the city of Chicago?
CP: I had the opportunity to visit Chicago a couple
weeks ago to meet the Shamrox staff. I was very
impressed with the organization. I really enjoyed my
time in the "windy city". I got a chance to go to
Soldier Field and catch the Bears versus the Buffalo
Bills. The fans were awesome there and I can only
hope the sports fans of Chicago support the Shamrox
like they do every professional team in this great
city. I really enjoyed the food there as well.
SS: Are you planning on moving to Chicago and, if
yes, what will your job be outside of the NLL?
CP: I will be relocating to Chicago in the coming
months. I will be working with Lacrosse America with
youth lacrosse development as a program director. It
will give me a great opportunity to stay involved in
lacrosse and give my knowledge and experience to
young players that are relatively new to this
rapidly growing sport in the greater Chicago area.
SS: Have you had a chance to visit the new Sears
Centre and what do you think of it?
CP: I was fortunate enough to get inside the new
Sears Centre with Shamrox Vice President Phil Ryan.
We were taken on a tour of the facility. It was
really cool to see the construction going on. It
will be a fun place to play our games and we hope
the fans will sellout the Sears Centre and make it a
hostile environment for our opponents.
SS: In your opinion, what team will be the Shamrox
biggest rival?
CP: Honestly, every team is our rival. In the East
division there will be lots of parity this season.
On any given night any team can win a game. Whether
you're on the road or playing at home, every game
will be a dogfight. I know we will develop rivalries
very quickly…especially since we play each team
twice.
SS: What is your favorite away arena to play in?
CP: Over the years I've had some great experiences
in some great venues. I got the chance to play in
Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto which was awesome. All
the arenas I've played in have something unique and
distinct about them. If I had to pick a favorite
arena it would have to be the Pepsi Center in Denver
Colorado. The fans are amazing and the atmosphere is
electric. Being a New York native, I'm really
looking forward to playing at Madison Square Garden
against the New York Titans on January 20th. It will
be a very special night for my family.
SS: If you weren’t a professional lacrosse player,
what other sport would you be playing
professionally?
CP: I really enjoy hockey and football, so I would
hope that I could've pursued a professional career
in either of those two great sports. Lacrosse has
been very good to me and I'm really enjoying my
career and love to see the popularity of the sport
growing so rapidly in North America.
SS: What are some of your off-the-field interests
besides lacrosse?
CP: In my spare time I enjoy coaching, music,
racquetball, traveling, bowling, movies, camping,
fishing, hiking, and biking. I like to stay active
all year and I enjoy other forms of physical
activity to stay in shape.
SS: If you were stranded on a deserted island and
allowed to have three things, what would they be?
CP: Three things I would need if I was stranded on a
deserted Island would be as follows:
- Food
- Water
- 2006 Playboy Playmate of the Year, Kara Monaco
Just the basic essentials...
SS: Chris, thank you for your time and good luck
with the Shamrox in 2007…
CP: It was my pleasure. |
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| Shamrox Dance Team
“Gets Down” |
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By: Barrett Sallee,
Schaumburg, Ill. – October 28, 2006 |
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The Chicago Shamrox held auditions for their first
ever Dance Team on Saturday, October 28 at the Hyatt
Regency Hotel in Woodfield. Almost 100 women came
out to the event to take their shot at making the
inaugural dance team for the Shamrox. Dance Team
Director Kim Brancamp led the participants in a
variety of routines designed to test their
abilities.
“The energy and talent at the auditions was
incredible in there.” said Brancamp. “All of the
girls were so positive and very eager to learn the
routines. They all picked it up very fast. You could
tell that they all really wanted to be a part of our
inaugural squad.”
Judging the event along with Brancamp were: Shamrox
President Connie Kowal, Wynning Teams LLC director
Wynne Bickhaus (Chicago Blackhawks and Chicago
Rush), local choreographer and Shamrox Assistant
Choreographer Marchello Lee, former Chicago Bull
“Luvabull” and current Edelman PR executive Laura
Larrick, owner of Arcadia Hair Salon Diane Pazcka,
JackFM 104.3 Account Executive Sam Vangelovski,
White Sox Pride Crew and Bulls “Incredibull” member
Kevin Martin, Shamrox Director of Ticket Sales Tony
Infusino, and Shamrox Ticket Sales Executive Ray
Kincaid
 Due to the large turnout, the event lasted for
almost 12 hours and final decisions were still too
difficult to make.
“I could not believe how hard they worked.” said
Brancamp. “We worked for almost 12 hours. We cut it
down from almost 100 to 27 but couldn’t get it down
any farther than that. We will take 27 girls to
training camp and then make final cuts. It was just
too difficult of a decision to make after one day.”
The Shamrox dance team will hold a training camp
this weekend at the Hyatt Regency in Woodfield.
Following the camp, the final dance team members
will be announced. The Shamrox open play on January
6, 2007 against the New York Titans at the Sears
Centre arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Tickets
are on sale now by calling 877-SHAMROX or by
visiting www.chicagoshamrox.com. |
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| Photo Gallery |
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New photos have
been added to the photo gallery.
Come on in and see the new additions!
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| Dare to Dream? |
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By: Barrett Sallee |
 The
Chicago Shamrox continued the roster building
process in October by holding tryout sessions in
suburban Chicago and in Six Nations, Ontario.
Players came from all over the country to vie for a
shot on the Shamrox 40-man training camp roster.
Players in attendance included players from the
Chicagoland area, Ontario, British Columbia, and
Denver. The players that were chosen from the two
initial evaluation camp will be invited back to the
final evaluation camp in November. From there, the
Shamrox will be forced to cut down its roster to fit
within the 40-man mandate for training camps.
“There were definitely a few guys out there that
caught our eye.” says Director of Lacrosse
Operations Phil Ryan. “We were very excited to see
what some of these players could do. Some of them
are going to have a very legitimate shot at making
the roster.”
These evaluation camps are the last phase of the
roster building process for the first-year team. The
Shamrox have already participated in the NLL
Expansion Draft with the other expansion team, the
New York Titans; drafted college and junior players
via the NLL Entry draft; and signed free agents.
Players acquired from all processes will attend the
Shamrox first ever training camp on November 11 in
Six Nations, Ontario, Canada. At that point, the
roster will be trimmed to the 23 that is mandated by
the league. Those 23 players will make up the
opening day roster on January 6, 2007 against the
New York Titans at the new Sears Centre Arena in
Hoffman Estates, Ill. You can get tickets by calling
877-SHAMROX or by visiting
www.chicagoshamrox.com. |
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| How To Reach Us |
| We are always accessible to talk to
our fans. Below is a directory of Shamrox owners,
executives, addresses, etc. Feel free to contact any
one of us if you have questions, comments or
concerns. |
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Chicago Shamrox | 5401 Trillium
Blvd. | Suite 320 | Hoffman Estates, IL 60192 |
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1-877-SHAMROX |
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