This article appears regionally in the November edition of US Lacrosse Magazine. Don’t get the mag? Join US Lacrosse today to start your subscription.
Everything’s bigger in Texas, right?
That’s certainly the vision for many of the state’s lacrosse enthusiasts who are working to promote the game from Dallas to Houston and from Austin to El Paso. Make lacrosse bigger.
George Webb, president of the Greater Houston Chapter of US Lacrosse and a local resident for over 25 years, said that the sport’s momentum among youth and high school players in the sprawling Houston metropolis is clearly evident.
“We’re seeing explosive growth all the way out to the farthest suburbs with new high school teams every year,” he said. “And that’s a reflection of the growth among the youth ranks.”
This past May, Houston served as host of the boys’ and girls’ high school state championships, which rotate annually to different parts of the state. A few weeks later, led by the organizational efforts of longtime volunteer Stacie McKay, the chapter supported the local Shootout for Soldiers event, which raised more than $37,000 for American veterans.
The back-to-back events did not escape the purview of the Houston City Council, which issued a formal proclamation in June honoring the sport of lacrosse in the Greater Houston area. The proclamation recognized the history and growth of the sport and its contributions to charitable causes.
“That did a fair bit for the visibility of our chapter,” Webb said.
The North Texas Chapter of US Lacrosse was also part of a unique event this past summer, providing local promotional support for Major League Lacrosse’s championship game in Frisco, a northern suburb of Dallas. The chapter hosted a welcome table at the Ford Center with prize giveaways, and also provided support for the youth and high school tournaments held in conjunction with championship weekend.
“The tournaments were aligned with LADM principles, with an 8-v-8 format for the high school teams and 7-v-7 format for the youth teams,” said Tim LaBelle, US Lacrosse manager for the Southwest Region. “It was very well received, with a focus on having fun.”
The event as a whole must have left an impression. MLL announced last week it is relocating the Rattlers — one of the six original franchises from the league’s 2001 debut — from Rochester to Dallas.
LaBelle also was an on-site clinician in Austin for the St. Francis School Play Day earlier in the summer. Utilizing soft stick equipment donated by US Lacrosse, the school hosted a half-day youth clinic to introduce the game to local boys and girls.
Lisbon Berry, a St. Francis parent who served as coordinator for the event, was excited to introduce the game to kids who had never seen it before.
“We want our students to have as many options as possible as they grow up,” he said. “One of our objectives is to expand their opportunities.”
Also in Austin, the Capital Area Youth Girls Lacrosse League (CAPLAX) is emerging as an industry leader by becoming one of the first in the state to adopt the Lacrosse Athlete Development Model (LADM) guidelines outlined by US Lacrosse.
Michael Murphy, outgoing president of CAPLAX who has been instrumental in its development, said that the early returns on LADM have been extremely favorable.
“The truth is, once we started playing, coaches and most parents were convinced that it’s the right decision,” he said. “And feedback is overwhelmingly positive from the kids. The flow of the game and the number of players getting touches; it’s been positive across the board.”
The sport’s newest frontier is the southwest panhandle, with teams popping up in El Paso, Odessa and Midland. El Paso’s Coronado High School boys’ club team, which also includes players from several of the city’s other schools, has grown from 13 players to 30 in three years. Due to geography, Coronado crosses state lines to compete as a member of the New Mexico High School Lacrosse Association.
The growth in Texas does come with some challenges, many of the same ones encountered by other regions of the country. Available field space for practices and games can be difficult to find, as even the school-affiliated teams are not guaranteed access to school fields.
And the acute shortage of officials appears to be constant in most of the state.
“There is a dearth of officials,” Murphy said. “There’s just not enough.”
Webb, who serves as a boys’ official, said, “We just can’t keep up.” But as chapter president, he also sees the silver lining. “I guess that’s a good problem to have. It’s better than having too many officials and not enough players.”
