Welcome back to NLL.com’s weekly feature, Where Are They Now? Every week we will be catching up with former NLL players to hear what they are up to. As always, if there is a former player you’d like to hear from, send us a tweet @NLL.
This week’s feature is on Geoff Snider, 38. Drafted by the Philadelphia Wings with the fourth overall pick in the 2006 NLL Entry Draft, Snider played with the Philadelphia Wings (2007-2010) and Calgary Roughnecks (2011-2015).
Snider was named to the All-Star team in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2012. In 2007, he was the only rookie voted onto the All-Star team, and he won the Accuracy challenge in the All-Star game Skills Competition.
In 2008, he was named All-Star game MVP for scoring three goals, recording 28 loose balls and winning 31 of 38 faceoffs.
Snider played college lacrosse at the University of Denver and was named a third-team All-American with the Pioneers in 2006.
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NLL.com: What are you up to these days?
Snider: I’m working on a few projects, but am primarily focused on running our company, ELEV8 Lacrosse. We started it when I started in Philly with the Wings in 2007. It’s grown from grassroots to coaching mentorship to elite level development of NCAA lacrosse players.
Our club travel teams are primarily made up of student-athletes from sixth to twelfth grade and we coach development and grassroots programming for boys and girls aged 4 – 19.
Since 2009, we’ve sent 101 student-athletes to school and have helped source 15.36 million dollars in academic athletic and financial aid to Western Canada student-athletes.
We’re incredibly proud of having introduced lacrosse to over 71,000 students in Calgary and surrounding areas with our ELEV8 CLASSROOM Lacrosse program since 2015. We are equally excited to partner with the Roughnecks as the presenting sponsor of the program this past year.
NLL.com: What was your favorite team growing up?
Snider: My team growing up was the Flames. I was eight when they won the Finals in 1988-1989 but I didn’t follow them too closely.
NLL.com: What inspired you to start ELEV8 Lacrosse?
Snider: It was right at the downturn of the U.S. market and I was looking for something to do that I enjoyed but I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I had recently left a job in commercial real estate in Calgary and I elected to move to Philly.
I came back to Calgary in the summer, ran a lacrosse camp in the summer of 2007, then ran another camp in the summer of 2008 and that was it. We just went from there.
NLL.com: Do you keep in touch with any of your former teammates? If so, which ones?
Snider: All the time. Kyle Sweeney, Andrew McBride. Scott Carnegie, Taylor Wray. All guys that were great friends and a big part of my life.
I’m still involved with the Roughnecks which is great as I get to see a lot of the guys that I finished my career with, lacrosse is such a tight community. It’s a lot of fun.
NLL.com: What is your most memorable moment playing in the NLL?
Snider: My last game in Calgary. The crowd was incredible. I valued and appreciated being in that moment at that time with guys and people I cared about. You never know when your time is up.
NLL.com: You scored :05 seconds into a game on January 26, 2008 vs. the Bandits. Take us through that moment.
Snider: Every game I ever played that I started I tried to score off the first face off.
That goal wasn’t different than any other time. I never didn’t think about scoring in that situation, I always tried to push the ball of the draw. It happened to be one of those moments where I scored right away. I was in the right place at the right time.
NLL.com: Finish this sentence: If I were playing in the NLL today, I would ….
Snider: (Laughs). I’d try to stay out of the penalty box.
NLL.com: What’s the biggest difference with today’s game than the game you played in 10 years ago?
Snider: The speed and size of the guys, teams are bigger faster, and more athletic. The game has come so far, it’s great to see it expanding and the growth in the US market thanks to USBOXLA is huge for the sport.
NLL.com: What’s your favorite city to play in?
Snider: My favorite away city is Colorado. I really enjoyed playing there.
NLL.com: Favorite comedian?
Snider: Jim Carrey. Favorite Jim Carrey movie is Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind.
