This story appears in the January 2020 edition of US Lacrosse Magazine. Don't get the mag? Head to USLacrosse.org to subscribe.

Physical education lacrosse, also known as soft-stick lacrosse, is a co-ed version of the sport that utilizes modified equipment and rules and is designed for youth to achieve quick success executing basic skills.

Since its inception in 2011, US Lacrosse’s Physical Education Grant program has provided more than 3,000 schools and community organizations with the equipment, curriculum and training needed to introduce the sport in their areas.

To learn more, head to USLacrosse.org/PE.

Teaching the Teachers

Since 2011, US Lacrosse has conducted more than 50 physical education workshops nationwide. Lisa Christiansen and Kathy Ayers [pictured above], two of the volunteers who helped design the curriculum, have put on many of these clinics. They are geared toward teachers who can then convey the sport to their students in a fun and safe manner.

“I tell the teachers that lacrosse incorporates a lot of the principles from other team sports, and then I can see the wheels start turning,” Christiansen said. “They get it.”

Christiansen, Ayers and Justin Moe speak from experience. They’re all physical education teachers. Tom Welsh also contributes as a trainer in the program. If you are a lacrosse-knowledgeable PE teacher and are interested in being a trainer, contact sportdevelopment@uslacrosse.org.

Cold Call

US Lacrosse has awarded physical education grants in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The program’s geographic reach goes as far as Noatak, Alaska, where the Napaaqtugmiut School received a grant in 2016. Located 70 miles above the Arctic Circle, the area’s rich resources have made it a site for hunting and fishing camps since the 1800s. The school serves about 180 students, 96 percent of whom are Alaskan Native.

Sharing the Love

“I was a recipient of opportunities provided by lacrosse, and I want to give our youth those same opportunities. It’s about spreading the love of the game.” — George Mason women’s lacrosse coach Jessy Morgan, who helped organize a US Lacrosse Physical Education Workshop in her native Baltimore in 2016.

What’s in a Grant?

∙ 30 soft sticks (15 blue, 15 red)
∙ 30 soft balls
∙ 1 copy of the US Lacrosse PE Curriculum Guide and Reproducible Packet
∙ 1 copy of the DVD, “Teaching Soft-Stick Lacrosse”

Coming in 2020

US Lacrosse developed the current physical education curriculum in 2006. It”s time to hit refresh. Look for an updated curriculum this spring.

By the Numbers

3,427

Grants awarded over the last five years (2015-19).

$2.5M

Retail value of soft-stick equipment furnished during that span, including $347,400 in 2018-19.

103K

Estimated reach of the Physical Education Grant program in terms of kids availed of these resources in 2015.

44

Soft-stick demos, activities, drills and games available for free on the US Lacrosse YouTube channel.

10

Days of unit plans for elementary school (grades 4-6), middle school (6-8) and high school (9-12) instruction.