This article appears in the Midwest version of the May/June edition of US Lacrosse Magazine. Don’t get the mag? Join US Lacrosse today to start your subscription.

“Never stop. Never quit. Be resolute.”

Resolute Lacrosse’s mission reflects its unwavering commitment to developing youth lacrosse players. The fast-growing organization recently added girls’ lacrosse and has facilitated several college commitments, including players who have committed to Cleveland State, Hofstra, Maryland, North Carolina and Ohio State. 

But Resolute’s resolve runs deeper. Its foundation is “to advance the ability and character of today’s player,” pushing youth athletes to their limits while teaching life lessons, aligning with the mission of US Lacrosse to fuel the sport’s growth and enrich the experience of its participants. 

At the root of the training and development club are two former Ohio State standouts — Greg Bice (’04) and Anthony Kelly (’03) — who played 10 years together in Major League Lacrosse. 

After a coaching stint at Harvard as an assistant, Kelly decided to move to Columbus in 2008 and was later joined by Bice and his wife after they took a mission trip to Honduras. 

In 2009, Bice pursued his MBA in leadership, entrepreneurship and marketing at Ohio State, while Kelly took a job at STX. Yet, something was still missing.

“Neither one of us at the time had coached high school, so we decided to come together and do something to help the kids in the area,” Kelly said. 

That fall, they founded Resolute and recruited players who didn’t play football or a fall sport. After starting with six kids in a parking lot with a pop-up goal, the program grew to field its first club team in 2012 and now 25 teams in 2018. 

Still, something was missing.

Resolute purchased an indoor facility in Columbus five years ago — it’s the only club in the country to own one, Kelly said — as Bice and Kelly worked to expand its offerings to players and grow their skills through box lacrosse.

“It’s a unique opportunity for us. Let’s start doing box,” said Kelly, who began his professional career in 2005 with the NLL’s Minnesota Swarm and most recently led Team White to a 13-12 win over Team Blue in a U.S. indoor exhibition during the 2018 US Lacrosse Convention. “Ohio’s ready. We need to do this. … The kids love it.”

Resolute, one of the first programs to join the US Box Lacrosse Association (USBOXLA) with teams ranging from third grade through high school, will run the new Ohio College Box Lacrosse League (OCBLL) this summer. It also operates the Midwest Classic, which brings the top youth box lacrosse talent in the U.S. to Columbus. The Feb. 17-18 event drew 40 teams spread out over four divisions.

Resolute’s effort mimics that of US Lacrosse, supporting adaptive and innovative versions of the sport while deepening its commitment to the indoor game. 

“I definitely think [box is] the future of the growth of the game in the states, without a doubt,” Kelly said. “We’re very pro kids playing multiple sports, but the reality of it is that kids are down to two sports and oftentimes just down to playing lacrosse. The fact that we can offer something in the winter, these kids can train and can develop with a different mindset, develop new skills and develop a new reach of their game.”

“Lacrosse has given me so much and this game has been so great to me,” added Kelly, who recently announced his retirement from MLL. “To give kids the opportunity to do the same things, that makes me a happy guy.”

Locally Grown

Illinois

DePaul University hosted a tournament for the Great Lakes Lacrosse League April 6-7. The GLLL is a college club league that is comprised of 41 teams from Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Michigan.

Indiana

Local officials associations have provided more than 10 training opportunities since the beginning of 2018. Additionally, more than 95 coaches have received Level 1 or 2 US Lacrosse CDP training.

Michigan

The Michigan Chapter will host the MI Youth Championships (May 19-20, Brighton, Mich.),  bringing together the top 12U/14U boys’ and girls’ teams from the state. The event is sanctioned by US Lacrosse and will serve as a qualifier for USL Nationals.

Minnesota

On March 24, Homegrown Lacrosse hosted its sixth-annual Captain’s Cup. Since its inception in 2013, the event has welcomed more than 500 athletes, who take away an understanding of community as well as lessons and skills to bring back to their teammates. This year’s keynote speaker was Kyle Harrison.

North Coast Ohio

The first-ever Lacrosse Community Fair is May 12 at Urban Community School. The fair will give families a chance to learn the game of lacrosse in a fun, carnival-like atmosphere. There will be food, prizes and player demonstrations.

Central Ohio

On March 10 at Capital University, the Central Ohio Chapter coordinated its first Lacrosse Training Day that included both men’s and women’s coaching education, junior officials training for both boys and girls and a stat book class. More than 70 individuals participated.

Southern Ohio

Trilogy Lacrosse will bring Future Aces, a US Lacrosse-sanctioned overnight camp, to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio (July 17-20).

Wisconsin

More than 120 coaches attended US Lacrosse Level 1 CDP clinics in February and March.

Picture This
Hope and Strength

Indy Adaptive Sports provides sport for disabled athletes in the Indianapolis community. The goal is to bring sport to help rehabilitate and provide hope and strength. Indy Adaptive Sports brought lacrosse to its program in 2015, beginning with three participants. The program has seen exceptional growth each year. Since 2015, the Indy Adaptive Wheelchair Lacrosse has competed in three tournaments. On April 21-22, Indy Adaptive Sports had a wheelchair lacrosse clinic at Park Tudor School in Indianapolis.

My USL Rep
Bryce Woodson, Midwest

Bryce Woodson joined US Lacrosse last July. He oversees development and growth efforts in the Midwest, including parts of Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin. A Hampton Roads (Va.) native, Bryce began playing lacrosse in first grade. He was a four-year letterwinner at Ohio State and captain of the team in 2011. Since college, Bryce has enjoyed coaching at the high school and club levels in Miami and Cleveland.

How can US Lacrosse help develop the sport in your area? Contact Bryce at bwoodson@uslacrosse.org or 410-235-6882, extension 189.