Posted on: January 1, 2019
Lacrosse is one of the oldest and fastest growing sports in North America. According to Global Sports Matters, lacrosse has added more than half a million participants from youth to the professional level since 2001. For boys in grades 1-8 looking to get started in the sport, registration is open for the Spring Bulldogs Lacrosse program.
This past year, Bulldogs teams took home ten 1st and 2nd place wins at tournaments. The league is divided into 1st/2nd, 3rd/4th, 5th/6th, and 7th/8th grade divisions. Early registration is encouraged, as participants save $50 when they register by the January 31 regular registration deadline.
Lacrosse offers a variety of benefits to kids who participate in the sport. “One major benefit is the cardiovascular workout the kids get during practices and games,” said Craig Turner, Bulldogs Lacrosse Board member and Head Coach for the 1st/2nd grade program. “Lacrosse is a fast-paced game with high intensity training. The players are constantly moving, building endurance, and getting a great workout for their physical health.”
According to Turner, a second major benefit of playing Lacrosse comes from being on a team. “Lacrosse is played 10 v 10, and there are many different types of positions on the field for different types of skill sets,” he explained. “The players learn team building, have leadership opportunities, and gain experience working as a unit to reach a common goal.”
Turner says there are three different types of skill sets players learn as Lacrosse players. “The first type, Individual Skills, includes picking up ground balls, cradling, catching, passing, shooting, dodging, defensive positioning, and checking. Once players have learned these skills, they’ll be able to work on most of them on their own outside of practice.”
The second skill type is Game Play. “Players will learn the rules of the game and will learn team strategies including offensive and defensive formations, man up vs man down strategies, face-offs, playing in transition, and other game-specific scenarios,” said Turner.
Lax IQ, the third skill type, is a player’s ability to recognize a strategy, assess the situation, and then know which action to take, all in real time and without having to get instruction from coaches on the sideline. “This is easier said than done,” added Turner. “In the youth and teen programs, we teach these concepts at a beginner to intermediate level. We run drills and small-sided games where the players must frequently make decisions. As a coach it’s very rewarding to see players learn these concepts and apply them on the field.”
Playing Lacrosse builds life-long skills in communication, teamwork, leadership, and time management, according to Turner. “These skills are just as important to 10-year-old Lacrosse players as they are to 40-year-old adults in the midst of their careers,” he said. “From personal experience, I know the most valuable skills I learned playing youth Lacrosse were teamwork and leadership.”
Turner’s favorite thing about the Bulldogs Lacrosse program is the group of volunteer parents who keep the well-oiled machine running. “The volunteer group includes everyone from the Board members, coaches, and assistant coaches to the team moms,” he explained. “Without them, the Bulldogs program would not exist. While we do have some paid coaches, it’s our volunteer parent coaches that keep the costs down and make Glen Ellyn Lacrosse so accessible to the community at large.”
To register for the Boys’ Spring Bulldogs Lacrosse program through the Glen Ellyn Park District, please click here. For more information, visit the Bulldogs Lacrosse website.