Lacrosse is the fastest-growing team sport in the United States. With flourishing community leagues in all corners of the country and a growing travel team landscape, youth lacrosse participation has more than doubled in the last decade.

Through initiatives designed to increase participation in the sport, US Lacrosse has provided thousands of grants since 2000, totaling more than 27,000 pieces of equipment that have given hundreds of thousands of kids the opportunity to play.

A new initiative by US Lacrosse is the development of the TryLax clinics. As part of the Lacrosse Athlete Development Model, US Lacrosse hosts TryLax clinics nationwide to introduce young athletes to the sport of lacrosse in a positive, stress-free way. 

Most recently, US Lacrosse hosted a TryLax Clinic at Rams Park in St. Louis and introduced the sport to more than 150 players.

The day began with a Level 1 Coach Development Program clinic that aimed to introduce coaches to the responsibilities and philosophies of coaching and how to provide a safe and athlete-centered environment that emphasizes positive growth and sportsmanship for all players.

“It was great to see coaches come together and spend a few hours honing their abilities,” said TJ Buchanan, US Lacrosse technical director for athlete development. “It is safe to say that everyone in attendance, from the high school state championship coach I met through the first-time youth coaches, walked away with valuable tools for better serving their athletes.”

Following the CDP clinic, many of the 80 coaches that participated stayed to exercise their new skill set by coaching and participating in the TryLax clinic. This 90-minute introductory lacrosse experience is designed for players who have never played before, but who are interested in trying the sport for the first time.

TryLax clinics feature US Lacrosse-designed curriculum delivered by coaches from both the Coach Development Program and local recreational programs in an effort to help connect potential players with teams.

“The great people of St. Louis did not disappoint in showing hundreds of young athletes and coaches the amazing opportunities that exist in the great game of lacrosse,” said Tim LaBelle, US Lacrosse’s regional manager for the Southwest. “We had over 130 boys and girls playing lacrosse for hours, being instructed by coaches from both sides of the game. The day could not have been any better.”

The TryLax curriculum focuses on small-sided play to establish and develop skills. Through it and other introductory programs, athletes of all ages learn the basics of the game while emphasizing fun, cooperation and maximum touches with the ball.

Each athlete that participated in the TryLax clinic received a stick, a ball and a t-shirt, as well as a free one-year membership to US Lacrosse.

Locally Grown

Central Texas

Two US Lacrosse-sanctioned tournaments — NXT’s The Wild Card (boys) in Lewisville and Bitter Lacrosse’s Texas Lax Festival (boys and girls) in Round Rock — will take place June 2-3. These events also will serve as qualifiers for US Lacrosse Nationals. Plans also are in place for a Sankofa Lacrosse clinic in Austin.

Kansas

Lax Bash Tournaments is operating two youth boys’ tournaments — Fountain City Lax Bash in Overland Park (June 16-17) and Kansas City Shootout (Nov. 10-11) — that are among pilot events seeking US Lacrosse sanctioning.

St. Louis

The sold-out TryLax clinic at Russell Training Center Rams Park served more than 130 youth players who were able to try the sport for the first time. On the same day and in the same facility, formerly leased by the NFL’s St. Louis Rams, US Lacrosse hosted a CDP Level 1 clinic for coaches.

Picture This

Welcome to T-Town

US Lacrosse’s Tim LaBelle, who recently moved to Tulsa, Okla., took some time to meet the Tulsa Lady Bulldogs, the first-ever high school girls’ lacrosse team in the city consisting entirely of US Lacrosse members — including coaches.

My USL Rep

Tim LaBelle, Southwest

Tim LaBelle, a native New Yorker who spent the last seven years as a lacrosse coach and administrator in central Texas, joined US Lacrosse in April 2017. He previously coached youth and high school lacrosse in Maryland, New York and North Carolina and is a US Lacrosse Coach Development Program trainer. A Tulsa, Okla., resident, he supports development efforts in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.

How can US Lacrosse help grow the sport in your area? Contact Tim at tlabelle@uslacrosse.org or 410-235-6882