This article appears in the March edition of US Lacrosse Magazine, available exclusively to US Lacrosse members. Join or renew today! Thank you for your support.

It’s hard to believe it’s been two months since we staged the 2021 installment of our annual US Lacrosse Convention, also known as LaxCon. The event has become a fixture on the national lacrosse calendar and a pilgrimage for more than 7,000 coaches, officials, players, administrators and industry reps who attend in a typical year.

But no one needs to be reminded that what we’ve been living through has been anything but typical, and the pandemic forced the sport’s largest educational event to go virtual for the first time.

Despite the lost opportunity to reconnect face-to-face, the virtual convention drew more than 3,000 registrants from 48 states and a dozen countries. They committed to continue their ongoing investment in professional development despite such disrupted circumstances. LaxCon featured more than 200 speakers who delivered a total of 118 educational sessions covering a wide range of topics, including men’s and women’s game strategy, program culture, inclusive leadership and mental health, as well as an update on the sport’s Olympic vision.

All sessions were recorded and will be available to attendees on demand through the end of the year. Additionally, content from a number of sessions will be made available to the national lacrosse community across various US Lacrosse platforms.

For 22 years, US Lacrosse has pursued its nonprofit mission by providing national leadership, structure and resources to fuel the sport’s development and enrich the experience of participants. The investment made by members and donors has allowed our organization to invest almost $275 million into the sport’s expansion, and national participation has more than tripled.

A wide range of US Lacrosse programs and resources have played pivotal roles in the sport’s growth over the last two decades, including grant offerings that support new program development, educational curricula for coaches and officials, injury research that guides rule and equipment development and now the creation and advocacy of Return to Play recommendations that provide for a safer return of lacrosse.

The pandemic will bring continued challenges to our lives and the sport in 2021, but the turn of the new year brings the promise of the full return of lacrosse in the months to come. Those who attended the 2021 US Lacrosse Convention will be ready.