Some shooting practice at the Ladner outdoor box will have to do these days for Logan Schuss.
The homegrown standout has re-signed with the Vancouver Warriors for the coming National Lacrosse League season. When exactly that will be is unknown at this time.
COVID-19 wiped out the remainder of the 2019/20 season back in April and it may take a vaccine for the NLL to be back up and running again. A bubble season isn’t realistic with many of the players working in their hometowns and flying to their respective teams for weekend games.
“Usually we get training camp going in late October, then the season starts in December. I can’t see anything happening before the new year and after that it’s anyone’s guess,” said Schuss. “It’s such a unique league in that players come in from all over North America and lot of guys have jobs where they live. A bubble (format) won’t work in that sense. There are just so many variables that go into it.”
Not only was the NLL campaign cut short but the entire 2020 Western Lacrosse Association season never got started. It meant Schuss had his first free summer for as long as he could remember.
“I don’t think I have ever had a summer off from lacrosse. It was probably when I was a baby being pushed around at my dad’s (Ladner Pioneers) games,” he laughed. “It was almost a blessing in a way that I could take the time to give my body six to seven months of recovery. I’ve dealt with a little bit of injuries the last couple of NLL seasons. It was nice just to let the body relax and just get to square one where I could maybe start more training and get back into it.
“I became a member at Beach Grove and probably have been golfing three to four days a week, although I can’t say my game is any better. But there has been a lot of family time and hanging out with friends. It has been nice from that sense.”
If there is no opportunity to play box (indoor) lacrosse in 2021, the 29-year-old isn’t ruling out a return to the field version of the game which he enjoyed a decorated collegiate career at Ohio State University.
The Major Lacrosse League and Premier Lacrosse League both managed to have “bubble” seasons this summer. Schuss played over 100 games for the now defunct Ohio Machine of the MLL several years ago until the travel became too much.
“I would have to work it out with my job and my availability but it’s something I have been exploring with the MLL and the PLL. They had their bubble seasons and did a great job of promoting lacrosse. There were a lot of games on the big TV networks and it was exciting lacrosse," he said.
“I did it for three years and then life became a little bit too busy travelling across North America every weekend. They can do the bubble season since the majority of the players are from the U.S. and where about five percent are from Canada. I don’t know if I can see myself not playing lacrosse for two years. If push came to shove I would have to get my reps somewhere.”
There are certainly enough NLL players living in the Lower Mainland, especially on the Warriors' roster, to be having informal workouts and scrimmages at say the Langley Events Centre, however, it’s easier said than done.
“I’ve been refreshing my email every couple of hours for any possibility of getting together as a small group, but there are regulations in place as some teams don’t have the opportunity to do it,” Schuss added. “The league wants to keep it a level playing field. My stick has been close to me. Guys are just doing stuff on their own and hopefully staying in shape for whatever call happens.”
