As local interest in lacrosse continues to grow, more players are getting caught up in the fastest sport on two feet
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On a warm, March afternoon, Henry Clay High School’s lacrosse team competed valiantly against Northern Kentucky and ran away with an impressive 10-1 victory. As the young players engaged in the fast-paced sport under clear, sunny skies, one thing was apparent: the sheer enjoyment and determination on their faces.
Lacrosse is not a school-sponsored sport in Lexington, but rather a team activity made possible by the Lexington Youth Lacrosse Association. Currently offered at all of the city’s high schools and nine middle schools, as well as at Transylvania University as a NCAA Division III sport and at the University of Kentucky as a club sport, the LYLA board consists of coaches, officials, parents, and advocates of lacrosse and the sport’s development in the Lexington area.
LYLA president Linda Borkosky, whose son plays for Tates Creek High School, caught her first glimpse of the sport’s positive impact on youth when she helped get a team started at Tates Creek Middle School five years ago.
“I witnessed several boys that were not that vested in school suddenly have a reason to attend school regularly, keep their behavior in check, their grades at least at a 2.0 and have a connection to their school,” she said. “Anytime you can give students a reason to be connected to their school, good things usually happen.”
As enthusiasm for the sport started to spread around the city, LYLA grew rapidly, with the organization adding around nine teams to public schools in the last few years. This year, LYLA plans to launch the first girls’ middle and high school teams.
“It’s a lot of work but when you see the rewards of players on the field enjoying a great sport, it’s suddenly all worth it,” Borkosky said.
LYLA also sponsors youth and middle school lacrosse conglomerate teams called the Lexington Lizards for players in the Lexington area that do not have a school team.
“Lacrosse has exploded in popularity as more kids see the game played on ESPN and on the high school field,” said Candace Clay, a local parent that helped get the Lexington Lizards off the ground.
Kim Eldridge, who serves as the LYLA field committee chair, feels lacrosse has gained quick popularity because of the ability of most individuals to pick up the sport, become proficient and hone their skills in a fairly quick manner. Youth also develop an affinity for lacrosse because of the fast-paced, exciting nature of the game.
“There’s also room (in the sport) for people that aren’t experienced,” Eldridge said. “As soon as my son, Grayson, picked up a stick he was hooked. When your kid hasn’t liked any other team sport, and they find something they love, you find a way for them to play.”
Grayson and Clay’s son, Sam, were able to play lacrosse with Sayre’s youth team in fourth grade. Even though they didn’t attend Sayre, the school let them join since it didn’t have enough members to field a team. Now teenagers and still going strong in the sport, Grayson and Sam currently play for Henry Clay High School.
Julie McDonald, the coordinator for the newly launched girls’ lacrosse teams, has a son that plays for Morton Middle School. She noted that lacrosse is known as “the fastest sport on two feet.”
“Players and parents quickly become addicted to lacrosse because it combines all the most exciting features of other sports into one game,” she said. “Lacrosse also has a very strong national governing body, U.S. Lacrosse, and a strong local organization, LYLA, that have ensured the game grows with a continuing emphasis on safety and sportsmanship.”
“(Lacrosse) offense is similar to basketball – pick and rolls, backdoor cuts, and give-and-go passing,” added veteran lacrosse expert Terry Justice, who is currently the head coach at Transylvania University. “The contact is similar to both football and hockey. The hand-eye coordination needed to catch and throw the ball with a lacrosse stick is similar to baseball skills.”
Justice’s experience in the sport began when he helped form the University of Kentucky lacrosse club in 1979. Over the years, he has coached many of Lexington’s current middle school and high school coaches, as well as officials.
Even though lacrosse is ever-popular and relatively safe, Eldridge said one of the challenges LYLA faces with the growth of lacrosse in Lexington is finding safe field space on which teams can practice and play.
“Open city parks space is first come, first serve, and often leagues are competing with each other for field space,” she explained.
While Lexington Parks & Recreation has helped LYLA obtain field permits, there are no fields that can be dedicated to lacrosse since it is a new sport. Space exists at Shillito Park to develop four multi-use fields, but so far there hasn’t been support for funding to move the project forward.
Ben Schaefer, who recently founded a local summer travel lacrosse program with four age divisions, has the distinction of being a high school All American while playing lacrosse at Tates Creek. He went on to play the sport at three different colleges, including Jacksonville University, a Division I program.
“It’s the best game in the world,” said Schaefer, who returned to Lexington last year after finishing graduate school. Schaefer is now an associate head coach at Tates Creek High School.
“Lacrosse is interesting in that it does not necessarily require you to be the best athlete like a lot of other sports,” he added. “Instead, you will see success if you work hard, develop solid stick work, and find a role to fill on the field. I feel that it’s very unique in that manner. Also, the game is special in that if you commit yourself to it, you will be amazed at the number of opportunities it can provide. I have always been grateful for that. Now it’s important that I stay involved, give back, and hopefully provide others with the same opportunities I had.”
Schaefer and Logan Otto, a former standout lacrosse attackman and current coach at Lexington Catholic, decided to form the summer travel program in the spring of 2011.
The two men had observed several lacrosse programs in other states and took note of how beneficial travel programs were in those “hotbed” regions.
“Kids taking part in these programs were improving at a rate far quicker than those on the outside because at every practice they were receiving excellent coaching and they were playing top teams from around the country,” Schaefer said. “We knew we had to start a program to help Lexington catch up with the development other lacrosse communities are seeing around us.”
During the program’s first summer, Schaefer and Otto showcased their inaugural team and enjoyed traveling with the players and families. In summer 2013 they expanded to offer the opportunity to all age levels and the program subsequently grew to four teams.
This summer, Schaefer anticipates participation from nearly 115 players that and will travel to four different states for seven tournaments.
For more information about LYLA, including summer and fall leagues, visit www.lexkylacrosse.com.