By Ottawa Sports Pages, for Gloucester Lacrosse Association
If your child’s sports schedule is as busy as a beehive being attacked by a bear – or if your chauffeuring duties to get them to the rink, field or gym are turning into a second full-time job – then it might be time to take a look at lacrosse.
Despite research and long-term athlete development plans that caution against early sport specialization, the pressure for young athletes to train in one sport year-round continues to mount in many settings.
“As a society, we’re getting away from the multi-sport child and seeing a lot more of the single-sport child,” highlights Gloucester Lacrosse Association president Jeff Hartley.
“If you play the same sport all year round, you tend to burn out. At the GLA, we want kids to be able to experience different sports throughout the year.”
A coach of a quarter-century for the not-for-profit Gloucester Griffins, Hartley is a big believer in building an athlete first and teaching lacrosse skills later. Or, if a player has another primary sport, then lacrosse can help contribute to their overall athletic development.
Other perks of indoor box lacrosse are that it isn’t weather-dependent like other summer sports, house league games are only played on weeknights, and competitive teams finish their seasons in time for summer vacation.
Lacrosse registration fees and equipment costs are much lower than many other sports, and anyone who plays hockey will already have most of the gear they need.
“We don’t compete with hockey. We compliment hockey,” notes Hartley, who coached 12-year NHL veteran Cody Ceci with the GLA once upon a time. “One of our messages is: ‘You want your kid to be a better hockey player? Give them a break. Give them something else.’ We believe that lacrosse players make better hockey players.”
Hockey players enjoy the chance to improve their hand-eye coordination and many other abilities through lacrosse. Basketball, soccer, football and ringette players will also find that many of their skills are transferable to lacrosse, and that lacrosse will enhance their talents in those sports.
Read More: Why Hockey & Basketball Players Should Play Lacrosse
On top of the fitness and health benefits, lacrosse also provides an excellent opportunity for character development in a team setting.
“It’s a hard game. It’s a warrior game,” Hartley says of Canada’s national summer sport. “It teaches you toughness.”
But the former Canadian Armed Forces member of 37 years underlines that his definition of being tough has nothing to do with fighting or showing someone that you’re bigger and stronger than them.
“That’s not toughness. That’s being a bully,” he explains. “Toughness is the ability to perform your task under duress. Toughness is fighting through adversity, fighting through the hard check, fighting through the pain. You’re doing everything you can to achieve the mission no matter what. That’s toughness.
“And that’s why I love sport. Because it teaches life lessons.”
While lacrosse players often emerge from a game with bumps and bruises, Insurance Board of Canada studies showed that serious injuries are not as prevalent in lacrosse as other sports.
Lacrosse offers many avenues for long-term involvement. Teenage players can become referees and earn paid employment opportunities, junior lacrosse continues up to age 21, there are university field lacrosse programs in Ottawa and scholarship opportunities in the NCAA, and the pathway continues on to the senior and professional ranks, including right in town with the Ottawa Black Bears of the National Lacrosse League.
“Most of all, lacrosse is a family activity,” underlines Hartley, which is especially true of his clan, with his son now playing into his 30s for the Capital Axemen and his daughter serving as an NLL referee.
“Lacrosse is a different journey,” he adds. “If this journey fits into your family dynamic, give us a shot.”
The Gloucester Griffins’ pre-season Winter Lacrosse program, featuring a flexible choice of sessions, runs from Jan. 13-Mar. 26. Players for the coed indoor program will be offered age-specific training to develop fundamental skills and lacrosse concepts while preparing for the spring lacrosse season. There will be 10 sessions offered at The Nation Municipality’s Sports Complex in Limoges for the U9-U13 group (Tuesdays) as well as the U15+ group (Thursdays). The one-hour U9-U13 sessions are $10 each and the 1.5-hour U15+ sessions are $15, while goalies are free. Look for TRY LAX sessions for new players coming up as well.
Learn more about opportunities available with the GLA at Gloucester-Lacrosse.com.
