players and coaches discounted US Lacrosse memberships as well as equipment assistance. With this program, US Lacrosse hopes to break down participation barriers and continue to grow the game of lacrosse.
Although the large financial commitment often associated with the game of lacrosse can be a turn-off for many families, program
presidents and directors alike do not want this to be the deciding factor of whether a young child has the opportunity to play lacrosse.
Peter Lisiecki, president of the South Boston program, sees financial burdens as a large obstacle for urban programs, and he notices it in registration patterns. “We start registration in January and don’t get most the players to register until the weekend of the first game,” said Lisiecki. The lack of early registrations usually limits practice opportunities, and leaves coaches franticly searching for players in time for the opening games. This large financial investment into the sport of lacrosse makes many families apprehensive about joining.
“Communicate, communicate, and communicate some more,” that’s Catlin’s motto when it comes to overcoming many of the obstacles the urban programs face every year. “In order to promote the sport and overcome all the ‘noise’, I need to communicate out to parents, schools, community organizations, and in the newspaper, social media, and the like.” It’s that extra effort that local urban program directors like Catlin perpetually put forth that has given the new programs the opportunity to flourish.
While it’s clear the urban lacrosse programs face many challenges, they do have many
advantages compared to their suburban
counter-parts. One of the most obvious
advantages that the urban programs have is a
large population totals: Cambridge (108,000),
Charlestown (17,000), and South Boston
(8,000). These large, dense, urban
populations open up many doors for these
new lacrosse programs and players.
In Cambridge, Downs and Heyworth may be one of the newest additions to MBYLL, but they have one of the largest player pools in the state of Massachusetts thanks to twelve elementary schools in their jurisdiction. The Cambridge board of directors realizes that the large amount of schools in close proximity to the fields serves as a huge bonus. “A number of the kids can walk or bike to our fields. Cambridge is a small geographical area and is easily accessible for biking and walking to our fields,” explained Downs. The easy access to local fields is truly a unique benefit. Players who have two working parents do not have to worry about finding a ride to practice, something that many suburban players and their families are challenged with.
Heyworth adds as a result of such a large
urban population, “We are fortunate to not only
have an abundance of multi-sport athletes in
close proximity, but also have access to a diverse
set of volunteers with prior lacrosse experience
who were willing to contribute from day one.”
Without the consistent support from volunteer
coaches and supportive parents, these young
players would not have the opportunity to learn
and grow.
No matter how young the team is, team chemistry is something that should never be overlooked. A close knit team that gets along well with each other off the field will usually perform better on the field working as one. Like Cambridge, the Charlestown lacrosse program reaps the benefits of a larger town population. Given its area, Charlestown has a relatively large population, and Catlin realizes this.
“There are lots of kids, especially young kids, in a relatively small area. This gives us a good pool of kids to recruit to the sport and once they are on the field, lots of the kids already know each other and play well together,” said Catlin.
10 The Scoop / Spring '15