Dear Parents,

This is a follow up to the 3/5/08 email that outlined the WCLL 2008 Instructional Lacrosse Program. If you did not receive the email, it can be found at the WCLL website http://www.wclacrosseleague.com by clicking the link for “2008 U11/U9 information”. I still don’t have everyone’s email address, so please forward this to anyone that may not have received it.

 

Our season runs from April 5th through June 7th. There are no make up days for cancellations due to inclement weather and we do not meet over Memorial Weekend (Saturday, May 24th).

 

Opening Day Schedule

Opening Day will be held on Saturday, April 5th, at the turf field at Henderson High School according to the following schedule:

U9 age group

8:00 AM check in

8:30 – 9:45 AM on the field in full gear

U11 age group

9:30 AM check in

10:00 – 11:15 AM on the field in full gear

At check in, you will receive

·         a reversible numbered tank top that should be worn to every practice,

·         a mouth guard that can be molded at home and must be attached to the helmet in order for boys to participate on the field after Opening Day,

·         and a sticker with your son’s name to attach to the front of his helmet.

 

Schedule After Opening Day

Both age groups meet at the West Goshen Park soccer fields (near Ice Line) on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings according to the following schedule:

U9 age group

Wednesdays from 5:30 – 6:30 PM and Saturdays from 8:30 – 10:00 AM. Wednesday will be a skills night and will consist of introducing new concepts, reviewing and practicing previously learned skills, and participating in drills or games designed to reinforce the concepts/skills taught. Saturday will be a combination of skills and scrimmages, although scrimmages will not start until a few weeks into the season. All U9 scrimmages take place at the same time.

U11 age group

Wednesdays from 6:45 – 7:45 PM. All U11 boys will meet from 10:30 AM – noon on the first couple of Saturdays. We plan to start intramural games on the third or fourth Saturday of the season with the first scrimmage from 10:30 – 11:30 AM and the second scrimmage from 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM. Each team will scrimmage once per Saturday and a schedule will be posted on the WCLL website before the scrimmages begin.

Both age groups

It is imperative that your son arrive at least 15 minutes prior to each session and be in full gear ready to play at the start of his session. Please be aware that we do not have extra equipment or sticks at the field and the boys must be in full protective gear to participate. The required equipment is listed on the 3/5/08 email that is also posted on the website. Attached to this email is a 10% off coupon that LAX International has provided for the 2008 players.

 

Parent Coaches

We are still very much in need of 1 or 2 U9 parent coaches and 4-6 U11 parent coaches. The parent "coaches" allow us to break out into small groups of 10-15 boys to give the boys more individualized attention and to break into scrimmage teams on Saturdays. Ideally the parent coaches should have played lacrosse in high school or college, but novices that can commit to most Wednesdays and Saturdays are welcome. We need a sufficient number of parent coaches in order to hold scrimmages on Saturdays! Please send me an email if you want to volunteer as a parent coach and include your lacrosse experience so I can pair up more experienced with less experienced coaches.

 

Scrimmage Teams

Scrimmage teams will be formed based on a combination of factors including experience and age. We try to group boys from the same school together and balance the teams with both experienced and inexperienced players. Initial team assignments may change to keep the teams fairly equal for scrimmages. Likewise, on any given Saturday, some players may be asked to play for the other team if one team has 15 boys show up and the other team only has 9 players. All boys within their respective age group meet at the same time on Wednesdays and either at the same time or back to back on Saturdays, so car pooling issues should be minimal to non-existent. Like most recreational programs, we want returning players to experience working and playing with different kids and/or coaches. As a parent, I can appreciate your desire to pair your son with specific friends and/or coach. As the Administrator of the Instructional Program that has seen a steady increase in registrations over the past 4 years, I cannot accommodate the numerous requests to pair groups of kids together. Your son will most likely be on a scrimmage team with other boys from his school, but likely will not be grouped with everyone he knows. Thanks in advance for your understanding.

 

See everyone at Henderson on April 5th!

Dave