MICHAEL POWELL INTERVIEW

MIKE POWELL SPEAKS to E-lacrosse about Brine, Denver, the Bayhawks and more...

E-Lacrosse: Your decision not to play in the MLL last year was hot news. You've agreed to play in Baltimore next summer and that is the big news now. Are you excited to play again?

Mike Powell: I'm very excited. I just needed a break after college. Going to college and playing college lacrosse is like having two jobs and I played under a lot of pressure. I needed to rest a bit, get my business life settled, and then deal with playing again.


E-Lacrosse: Was the MLL on your radar while in college?

Mike Powell: Not really. I watched my brothers but I could care less when I was in college about the MLL and where I might fall in the draft. I planned on not playing a season and if whatever team drafted me could wait a year, things would work out. It just happened to be Baltimore and this great opportunity to play with the best players in the world right now including Gary Gait and Tom Marachek.

Powell hopes to help Baltimore back to the MLL Championship

E-Lacrosse: Did you see those guys play when you were a little kid?

Mike Powell: We lived far away from everything didn't have any money so I didn't get to see Gary play live in college, just in the pro leagues later. To have a chance to play with him is special. The combinations of our two styles will be exciting to watch. I don't have his stick. He's got the best stick ever, but I'll bring speed and some other things to the table. I can't wait.


E-Lacrosse: I can picture you feeding Tom Marachek.

Mike Powell: He's one of the guys I grew up saying "I want to play like that guy". He had all these great moves and could do anything with the stick - all the stuff I thought was pretty cool. He's a pure scorer and I'll give it to him all day long to put in the back of the net.


E-Lacrosse: How's it going at Brine?

Mike Powell: It's a dream come true for me. I played lax for 17 years so it's an obsession. I could never have imagined that I'd have my own line of clothing and hard goods. And now I will this March and I'm very excited to see how it's received. I've seen so many things I've liked and not liked over the years. I combined new things with things I already liked. It will all be out on March 1st and we'll have some to show at the convention.


E-Lacrosse: Are you getting to travel a lot?

Mike Powell: I've peeked my head in a couple places. I love to travel around the world and spread the word about lacrosse. And I like talking to the younger guys, giving them ideas and hearing their ideas too.


E-Lacrosse: Did you think everyone just assumed you'd sign with Warrior?

Mike Powell: I can relate it to my recruiting process when everyone assumed that I'd be at Syracuse and I didn't get recruited by many teams. As soon as I came out of college I certainly wanted to pursue a career in what I love. During my brothers' experience with Warrior, I always watched and picked out the things I liked and didn't like. You've got to watch out for yourself. I wanted to do something different. I let things settle down and picked the best option for me. I was lucky enough to pick brine where I'll have the chance to help out some and do some things the way I want. I couldn't be happier. The opportunity with brine has allowed me to work in music and develop lacrosse apparel and equipment.

Mike between ex-Warrior brothers Casey and Ryan

E-Lacrosse: What do you do on the music end? Are you scouting bands?

Mike Powell: Yeah. I'm an A & R guy. My job is to pick music that I think embodies the sport of lacrosse for the Brine Countdown to Chaos CD and other CD products. I get to go to shows and I love doing that. I'm also working on my own music with producer Trevor Pryce, and recording my own record.


E-Lacrosse: What's your musical style?

Mike Powell: Maybe like Jack Johnson, if I had to say. If you watch me play lacrosse, it's nothing like that. I play a mellow style of music that's lyrically driven. I'm not a great guitar player but I think I have a knack for songwriting. Some people may like it and some might not. But I play for myself as a release from the game.

E-Lacrosse: Speaking of the rock god thing, we get mail asking many silly questions. One of the popular ones from the girls lately has been "Does Mikey have a girlfriend?" Let them down easy mike.

Mike Powell: Yes. I have a girlfriend. We've been together for 3 years and live together in Denver.


E-Lacrosse: How is living in Denver?

Mike Powell: I love Denver. I'm having a really good time here. The weather's been really good up until today. Its' like 5 degrees. It feels like I'm back home in Syracuse today.


E-Lacrosse: How was playing in Hawaii with your two brothers?

Mike Powell: It was unbelievable. I still feel like the little brother, though. I remember a couple of times Casey and Ryan stood by the goal and told me to go get the ball for them. But really, it was a blast and everything I dreamed it would be.


E-Lacrosse: You can't use Brine equipment in the MLL because of the Warrior monopolization. What's your take on that?

Mike Powell: I just think that if the sport is going to go main stream and get really big, it's important for all the companies to make it grow. The current marketing efforts of the MLL are counteractive to its own growth to be honest.


E-Lacrosse: STX went through the mill trying to allow Gary Gait to wear the equipment he designed and would obviously prefer and found the price to be a ridiculous sum over 300 thousand. Are you guys going through the same thing now with the MLL?

Mike Powell: We're still asking right now. And it's not even that to be honest. The equipment isn't the biggest deal. The growth of that game is being prevented and that's got to stop. It's hurting the game.

E-Lacrosse: The assumption is that you aren't interested in NLL but I've never heard you say anything on that.

Mike Powell: The indoor game is definitely something I wanted to be part of. San Jose drafted me and it's just too tough to travel this year. So, maybe next year.


E-Lacrosse: If you got traded to Anaheim and could play with both Ryan and Casey, would you do it?

Mike Powell: That's something that I'd love to do. It'd be cool for us and our fans. The NLL can take some years off your career so I want to be smart about it but if the price was right and we could do it, I'd be there.

All Photos from E-Lax Staff, Brine advertising media and Powell Brothers' Camps advertising media.

1/6/04