by
posted 03/12/2010 Dear all Pasadena Lacrosse parents, players, and fans -
2010 has proven to be a pivotal year in the growth of lacrosse in Pasadena.
This Spring we have over 120 players across all our teams, and each year the number of participants continues to grow.
The inaugural season of the Pasadena Lacrosse Boys program here in the San Gabriel Valley dates back to the Spring of '04 when we started with just a HS boys team - 20 boys in total.
Over the years we have incorporated addtional programs - Boys U14, Boys U12, and Boys U9 and added the Girls program last year to help bridge the gap to HS Girls Lacrosse, as most HS programs adopted the CIF designation.
We are also proud to have successfully built upon our Fall clinics which have served to introduce the sport of lacrosse to newcomers and keep those already in love with the game the opportunity to play year round.
The recent Jamboree in the Palisades is the culmination of how far lacrosse has come - hundreds of players coming together to enjoy the game of lacrosse - and that day should be savored for that accomplishment.
The LALL and the Pasadena program have been built on three main tenets for all participants - Coaches, players, parents -
Respect
Sportsmanship
Fun
and our mission statement is geared to ensure that no child will ever be turned away, and subsequent to that, "every child plays."
After the Jamboree last week the coaching staff of both the U14 and U12 team were keenly aware of the challenges of practicing the principle that every child plays. We are adopting some systems to help, as we go forward.
1) We are going to put in place, a "substitution card" like the AYSO model, to track the kids during the game.
2) We will also start a regular inter- squad scrimmage, every Friday called the PASADENA CUP. Each team will be split into two teams to compete with one another in complete, game -like atmosphere; clock, horn,penalties etc. This, in the hope that everyone will get more than ample playing time , and that our game skills will only get better as a result. The Pasadena Cup will be awarded to the championship teams for each age group.
We are aware that with growth there may be some snags along the way, but be assured we will always be committed to the above philosophy on which the program was founded upon.
If you have any concerns or suggestions, please contact John or Tim and we will do our best to remedy any issues that may arise.
If you have any ideas on how you think the program can be improved, share those too.
And if you have a chance, pass on any positive feedback to the volunteer coaches whose dedication and time is making lacrosse in Pasadena possible.
Let's all look forward to a rewarding and successful 2010 season.
Tim Rider and John Cook
Directors
