By Stacy Case
Athletes here are blessed to have the local weather conditions yield a conducive environment for outdoor sports. Many area youth lacrosse players capitalize upon the climate to play that ‘fastest game on two feet.’ Both the Coral Springs Chiefs and Parkland RedHawks are in the midst of their respective recreational lacrosse seasons and, once they wind down, they’re going to stay busy with registrations for next year.
Before the whistle blows and time is called, both leagues will have had quite busy seasons. “From beginner to experienced, the beauty of rec lax is that new players get to learn from those who’ve already been playing, which is great because some learn a new sport while others develop leadership skills,” says Anthony LoFurno, who is in his fourth year as the Chiefs’ President. “This game has been around for so many years and its historical aspect is so unique when compared to that of the many other sports kids play.”
So besides its longevity among young athletes, it also gives a glimpse of reality to its participants. RedHawks President Rob Windesheim tells us, “It teaches them about life and the importance of learning how to collectively play together. They develop a camaraderie that’s like no other.” Growing up in the sport with their friends, many of the current area high school players used the rec leagues as stepping stones to now play on a bigger stage.
“I think we’ve been instrumental in helping some kids get their start with lacrosse and also provided that base for the local schools’ clubs/teams to draw from,” continues Anthony. “I think it says a lot about what the rec leagues offer.”
This year is quite different, as the Chiefs, whose home field is North Community Park, and RedHawks, whose home field is Pine Trails Park, have ‘combined’ rosters in a few age divisions due to lower registrations this season. So with that effort, lacrosse is offered to boys and girls at ages U7 up to U13 in the community from about late February until early May. Both programs are under the South Florida Youth Lacrosse umbrella, and usually play 10-12 games against teams in the tri-county are. Once the regular season is concluded, the RedHawks will begin preparations to host the 110-team Sunshine State Games from May 19-21st.
For more info, visit www.parklandlacrosse.com
or www.coralspringslacrosse.com
