The fluency of Eddy Glazener
By Lauren Merola | Jul 27, 2022
Before Eddy Glazener hits the field as the Redwoods’ air traffic controller, he practices quick decision-making in the locker room.
Particularly, on the aux.
Eddy is in charge of the pre-game music selection, usually pulling from his “Female Vocals” playlist. More often than not, the first song on the playlist, “Ironic” by Alanis Morissette, is the first song he plays.
Eddy’s music taste is extensive. He’s also compiled a “Teenage Angst” playlist with plenty of songs from The All-American Rejects. He has more traditional hype songs – in the rap and techno genres – queued up if need be.
Whatever mood he’s in, there’s a playlist for it.
“He probably should’ve been the DJ at his own wedding,” Redwoods coach Nat St. Laurent said.
Music is like a second – or third – language to Eddy, who’s fluent in English and Spanish. He attended a Spanish-immersion elementary school in La Jolla, Calif. before he moved nearly 1,500 miles away to San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato, Mexico for fifth and sixth grade with his younger brother Davis Glazener.
Eddy’s dad Chris Glazener is a practicing anesthesiologist in San Diego. He attended medical school in Mexico City, where he said he was the only American student and had to learn Spanish quickly. He wanted his children to do the same.
“I use Spanish every single day with my patients,” Chris Glazener said. “The boys know songs, the Pledge of Allegiance in English and Spanish, the Mexican Pledge of Allegiance and the Mexican national anthem. They know both cultures well.”
In April 2022, Eddy, Chris Glazener and Davis Glazener showed family and friends just how well that is. At Eddy’s wedding rehearsal in Naples, Fla., the three of them – alongside a mariachi band that traveled west from Miami – sang “El Rey” by Jose Alfredo Jimenez.
According to Redwoods attacker Matt Kavanagh, “Eddy’s got pipes.”
“Having lived in another country and picking up the language and culture, I’ve come to appreciate other people from different backgrounds,” Eddy said. “You get thrust into a position you may be uncomfortable in, but you have the option to either clam up or embrace it. I learned how to adjust on the fly… I can translate it to lacrosse or work: things aren’t always going to go as planned.”
By the time his 12th birthday rolled around, Eddy had not only assimilated but flourished in his new home.
“He was the only non-Spanish speaking student in that class. It’s the same smile he always has. You can see those kids are having fun with him,” St. Laurent said. “He finds a way to communicate, fit in and at the end of the day, he’s a respectful person so people tend to respect him back.”
Whether it’s words, gestures or text messages, Eddy, who’s “not a fan of silence,” finds a way to bring the noise.
Like Spanish, the 6’4”, 220-pound defender just as easily understands lacrosse. On the turf, Eddy is always directing cutters, communicating bumps and talking his defense through the set.
“He’s constantly taking a cerebral approach for us where he understands the whole picture and the importance of the little things: getting in, communicating, hustling back on defense, what kind of shots the goalie wants to see,” St. Laurent said. “Those are some things that make him special as a player.”
Eddy Glazener is the @PLLRedwoods air traffic controller down low.
— Lauren Merola (@laurmerola) July 27, 2022
“He’s probably one of the best communicators on the field,” Nat St. Laurent said. “I have so much trust in him as a head coach.” pic.twitter.com/GwwQwJHlH0
Eddy said he tries to flirt with the line of being assertive and annoying. The self-proclaimed “Aux God” said he’s the loudest when the team is calm and under control, so the defense still feels a sense of urgency.
“I honestly yell more when things are laid back, making sure we’re dialed in so we’re not giving up goals,” he said. “If you have that aggressiveness and annoyingness, to a certain extent, other people will react quickly and pay attention.”
Kavanagh said during games, he can hear Eddy from the other end of the field.
“I think everyone in the stadium can hear him,” Kavanagh said. “I think he’s the only off-ball defender that the PLL likes to mic up because it’s pretty entertaining how much he talks. He’s a prime example of a defenseman, what they should be thinking about and what they should be talking about on the field.”
Defense is all about communication.
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) August 25, 2019
So we mic'd up Eddy Glazener, the leader of the Redwoods defense.
🎙️Listen in @justglaze pic.twitter.com/KGbYzPbfHU
Eddy and St. Laurent have been together on the Redwoods since the Premier Lacrosse League’s inaugural season in 2019. Together, with Garrett Epple – who Eddy calls the Redwoods’ “best cover guy” – and former standout defender Matt Landis, they built the foundation down low.
With it came a friendship that transcends the coach-player relationship, but a respect that emulates it. There have been times St. Laurent asked Eddy to cover a specific player, like Chaos attacker Josh Byrne, while continuing to be the vocal leader he’s developed into. While Eddy always agreed to do it, he doesn’t shy away from airing out his doubts.
“In our first year, I wanted him to cover somebody, and he said, ‘Coach, I’ll do it if you want me to, but I think we might be better off as a unit if you had this person cover that player,’” St. Laurent said. “That’s when I realized Eddy Glazener doesn’t have an ego.”
Eddy said most of the time, he thinks St. Laurent is right.
“I’m the player and he’s the coach,” Eddy said. “We’re going with his game plan, but he will hear me out.”
Isn’t it ironic…
For someone who loves to talk – and sing – Eddy certainly knows when to be quiet. During games, when the clock stops and the team huddles, the 28-year-old stands silent.
“Everyone has been playing for a long time. It’s very easy for you, in the huddle, to have a different opinion,” Eddy said. “I feel like it comes off wrong when older players try to take over and coach, so I try as much as I can, getting older, to not have as much of an input at all and put it in the coach’s hands.”
Don’t you think?
Back on the field, Eddy is only concerned with conversing with his teammates.
“Glaze is strictly business. He is not a smack talker,” Redwoods defensive coordinator Chris Collins said. “He’s business as usual, but don’t get me wrong, he’ll keep receipts.”
He’ll even keep tabs on St. Laurent, because while older and mature, Eddy won’t miss an opportunity to chirp at one of his own.
During the PLL Draft on ESPN on May 10, 2022, St. Laurent posted to the Redwoods’ Instagram story a photo of him throwing up the peace sign on set. Eddy screenshotted the photo and sent it to St. Laurent, saying he’s going to have to fine the coach for this behavior.
“That was a good, early morning text that got me laughing pretty hard,” St. Laurent said.
Eddy and St. Laurent communicate over the phone regularly. Eddy tends to wake St. Laurent up with witty texts – like, ‘What’s up, sleepy?’ or ‘The team we’re playing is still sleeping!’ – or photos of him working out before 6 a.m.
It’s this work ethic that so easily allowed Kavanagh to stick his neck out.
After Eddy and Kavanagh graduated from Notre Dame in 2016, Kavanagh joined the Denver Outlaws of Major League Lacrosse and Eddy went undrafted. One year later, the Outlaws had holes to patch up on defense, and Kavanagh connected Eddy to Outlaws general manager Tony Seaman.
In 2017, after a tryout and training camp, Seaman added Eddy’s name to the roster.
“Going to bat for him, if he’s given the opportunity, you know he’s not going to give it a half effort,” Kavanagh said. “He’s going to give it everything he has. It’s really easy reaching out to a coach and saying you got a guy who’s ready to work for a spot.”
And if he can’t work through it, he’ll talk through it.
