Tampa Lacrosse- A Florida Lacrosse Store Blog

Pasco parents push to add lacrosse as sanctioned sport

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

By David Rice, Tampa Bay Times Correspondent
In Print: Sunday, February 19, 2012

WESLEY CHAPEL — Lacrosse may be the fastest growing youth sport in the nation, but when it comes to high school, finding a place to earn a varsity letter jacket with a stick in your hand isn’t so easy.

In Pasco County, there isn’t a single school that belongs to a Florida High School Athletic Association-sanctioned district, despite the fact that Wiregrass Ranch and Wesley Chapel have highly successful lacrosse clubs.

In neighboring Hillsborough County, there are only four schools that can play for an FHSAA title, all of which are private schools. The story is similar in Pinellas County, where the private Admiral Farragut Academy has the lone sanctioned team.

Parents and organizers of school lacrosse teams have grown tired of working under the label of “club team” and want their kids to have the right to play for a state title and letter jackets. But that decision rests with the local school district.

“The kids want to play for their school,” said Tampa Tribe coach Renee Diaz, whose daughters attend Wesley Chapel High. “They want a varsity letter. Many players, boys and girls, who would play lacrosse don’t just for this reason, or lacrosse is their secondary sports commitment. This severely stunts the growth of lacrosse in our area. The rest of the nation is booming, but locally growth is slow.”

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Pasco parents push to add lacrosse as sanctioned sport

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

By David Rice, Tampa Bay Times Correspondent
In Print: Sunday, February 19, 2012

Read the full article

Wesley Chapel Lacrosse My Heart tournament benefits pediatric heart center

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0400

By David Rice, Times Correspondent | Full Article on tampabay.com

WESLEY CHAPEL - Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing sports in the United States, and Wesley Chapel hosts two of the southeast’s best men’s lacrosse tournaments, but girls have had less opportunity to compete until now. The first I Lacrosse My Heart girls’ tournament was held last weekend, doubling…..READ FULL ARTICLE

Katie Battershell, left and Mimi Kamm battle for the ball as the South Tampa Sticks take on the FishHawk Coyotes on Sunday.

Fight to bring varsity lacrosse to Hillsborough high schools

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:35:49 -0400

From TampaBay.com / St. Pete Times article
Brandon Wright, Times Correspondent
In Print: Friday, June 24, 2011

Olivia Harris, 14, suits up to play goalie with the Wolfpack team during practice at Al Lopez Park

In Hillsborough County, lacrosse is a club sport. The teams often have names that allude to their geographic locations such as the Freedom Lacrosse Club, a nod to their proximity to Freedom High School. But lacrosse teams are not officially affiliated with public schools.

Until last year, the sport’s governing body allowed lacrosse players to join teams in other areas if no club team existed near their home or school. But a new rule, designed to prepare for the day when Hillsborough County sanctions lacrosse as a varsity sport, changed that. Now, if there is no team near the player’s school, that player will have to sit the season out.

That’s the case for Olivia, who will be a freshman this fall at Bloomingdale High School. With no Bloomingdale team, she won’t be able to play.

“We keep trying to find out why this is happening, and we keep running into brick walls,” her mother, Jolie Harris, said. “We feel like all the time and money we have spent over the last three years is going down the drain because of this new rule.”

Lacrosse’s popularity has skyrocketed over the past decade, and Hillsborough County is no exception. According to a study by US Lacrosse, the sport’s national governing body, youth participation has blossomed from 125,000 in 2001 to more than 350,000 today.

The Florida High School Athletic Association adopted lacrosse as a varsity sport in 2007 and since then, a number of counties throughout the state have joined, rising up from the club level.

“It’s growing across the state,” said Ginger Bean, a member of the girl’s varsity lacrosse committee leadership group for the Florida Gulf Coast chapter of US Lacrosse. “It’s big down in the southern part of the state.”

Yet Hillsborough County, where an estimated 2,500 students in middle and high schools play the sport, has yet to join. Representatives of the sport request each year that lacrosse be added in the county, but officials haven’t budged.

Adding a sport in the current economic conditions is highly unlikely anytime soon, county officials said.

“I don’t care if there are a million teams (playing), the interest level is not an indicator of our decisions,” county athletic director Lanness Robinson said. “No outside influences will affect us. We do what we feel is best for all the student-athletes in the county.”

Because Hillsborough doesn’t recognize lacrosse as a varsity sport, schools have no affiliation with the teams.

“The parents and league provide all financing for uniforms and things like that as of right now,” said Bean, who also coaches the Freedom Lacrosse team. “But the goal is to eventually have it sanctioned by the county.”

Before West Florida and Sunshine State Lacrosse merged to form Florida Gulf Coast Lacrosse in 2010, club teams that went by school names could have up to five players from other areas on their teams.

But that changed when the newly formed chapter decided players must be students at their club team’s associated school — even though the schools have no official connection to these teams.

“(The rule) came about to prepare ourselves and the teams for a possible inclusion (into the FHSAA) through the county recognizing lacrosse as a varsity sport,” Bean said.

That leaves Olivia and other players out in the cold.

“It’s sad because (Olivia) is very talented and really loves to play the game,” said Tim McGoff, who coaches her this summer with a Tampa Catholic High lacrosse club team. “And some girls are going to get caught in the middle.”

Read the full article on the St. Pete times

USF Middie Benny Krienik makes All-Conference Honorable Mention Team

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Johns Creek, GA – The SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference announced the 2011 SELC Awards and All-Conference Teams for Division 1 and Division 2 earlier today.

Congrats to Benny Krienik SELC Division 1 All-Conference HONORABLE MENTION Team

UT Lacrosse Era Begins with Hiring of Coach Whipple

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 13:11:56 -0500

Friday, February 18th, 2011 was a landmark day in the history of University of Tampa athletics. On this truly historic day, the new men’s lacrosse program officially breathed its first breath of life with the hiring of Rory Whipple.

Photo Courtesy of the Sports Information Department
Building a program is no easy task, hence the open tryouts, but Coach Whipple doesn’t want to wait until later to win. He already has a plan of attack for hitting the proverbial recruiting pavement.

“We want to compete at a high level the first year out,” the newest UT coach said. “We will start out here locally in Tampa, then we will reach throughout the state of Florida, and then we will head north to New England, New York, New Jersey and Baltimore. We got going [with recruiting] last week.”

With a clear vision, a plan in place, and proven track record, it appears that UT Athletic Director Marfise did quite literally, “Get a Steal”. It is now officially time for the UT Lacrosse program and Coach Whipple era to begin.

Read the full article by Charles Myer on the UT Minaret website.

2011 University of South Florida Bulls Lacrosse Schedule

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 10:00:06 -0500

The USF Bulls look to start the 2011 lacrosse season with three tough home games against state schools, taking on the UNF Ospreys, UF Gators, and UCF Knights and ending the season against a top 5 ranked FSU Seminoles. New out of state opponents this year are Nebraska, Tulane, and fellow Big East (football) Conference rival Pitt.

View the game start times and full schedule on the USF Men’s Lacrosse Website.

2011 USF Women's Lacrosse vs FSU- Fall Ball

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:46:00 -0400

University of South Florida Women’s Lacrosse team faced off against Florida State University in a fall ball exhibition in Tallahassee on October 2nd, 2010. The games were part of a double header afternoon where the seminoles took on the UCF Knights and the USF Bulls.

The game looked to be full of action as the two squads prepare for the upcoming season.
Both teams will be releasing a 2011 schedule soon, stay tuned for more info

Check out a custom lacrosse shirt FloridaLacrosse.com made for the team! Let us know if you’re looking for custom lacrosse team equipment, apparel, or uniforms!

Special thanks to USF women’s lacrosse team treasurer Rebecca Scheuer (pictured on the right) for sharing the photos!

For more infomation on upcoming fall events and the 2011 bulls lacrosse season, make sure to visit the official USF Women’s Lacrosse website.

2011 Naples Beast Lacrosse Club

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 15:53:00 -0400

Beast Lacrosse Club of Naples is proud to announce sign-ups for our Spring Warriors Travel Program. Registration is now Open to boys in Second through Eighth Grades in Collier & Lee County and runs from Feb 1 to May 1.

Beast Lacrosse Club coaches Matt Hunter, Jeff Ihm, Ron Miller and Mike Friedmann with UNC Head Coach Joe Breshi.

The teams are organized in the following manner: 7th /8th, 5th/6th and 2nd/ 3rd/4th grades. There is no age group for this program and is grade driven. Depending on signups there will either be one or more teams at each level. All teams will play against the some of the most competitive youth lacrosse teams in Florida, with the all levels of players encouraged to join.

Evaluations for all teams will be held in Dec. The travel teams generally with practice one to two evenings per week and plays games on the weekends (with travel required for away games). We will be playing local teams are working on the schedule now and will include games with local teams (SWFYLL) and clubs from Tampa, Miami & Orlando. If you want to take your game to the next level, this is the place to be.

For full details and registration info, visit the Beast Lacrosse Warriors Program website or Contact Ron Miller at 207-4737 or Jeff Ihm at 537-7965 with any questions. Play like a Beast!

The 2010 Pumpkin Lacrosse Challenge at FishHawk

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 18:20:00 -0400

Boys & Girls High School & Middle School team lacrosse: Sunday, October 24, 2010 - Come on over with your team on Saturday and check out Busch Gardens or the Gulf Coast Beaches and then play lax on Sunday!

Full Field Lacrosse Festival

Get ready for your 2010 Fall Lacrosse FUN with the PUMPKIN Challenge!

*When: Sunday, October 24, 2010, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
*Where: Pinecrest Fields – FishHawk/Tampa – See Map
*Who: Boys & Girls High School & Middle School teams
*Format: Full Field Games - 4 fields of lacrosse action!!!
Full Registration details at the Team FLC website.

Florida Lacrosse & Sports will have a booth set-up with a great selection of our lacrosse t-shirts and apparel.

Tampa Jesuit Lacrosse vs Benjamin School in IA State Championship

Sun, 18 Apr 2010 13:08:26 -0400

Tampa Jesuit High School (15-1) defeated Fort Myers-Bishop Verot 13-11 in the state semifinals to advance to the championship game versus The Bejamin School. Benjamin had an incredible second-half run in the Interscholastic Associates state semifinals as the Buccaneers rallied with a dozen consecutive goals to beat defending champion Dwyer 18-16 on Friday at Boca Raton High.

The game went into overtime but the Tigers couldn’t hold on as Benjamin went on to claim the victory 12-11.Congratulations to the Jesuit Tigers on a great season finishing as the state runner up with an impressive 15-2 record.

Benjamin School is the Florida 2010 IA Lacrosse State Champion. Congrats to the Buccaneers boys lacrosse team on a solid season !

For more on Florida Lacrosse teams and high school playoffs, make sure to visit our florida regional lacrosse blogs and become a fan of Florida Lacrosse & Sports on facebook.

Tampa Jesuit HS Lacrosse Team Advances to IA Semifinal

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 16:50:31 -0400

2010 Tampa Jesuit High School Varsity Lacrosse Team
from WFLL news:

The Jesuit Boy’s Varsity Lacrosse team won in convincing fashion Saturday night with a 16-3 victory over first-year sensation East Lake. The team jumped to an early 3-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back as the team kept the foot on the accelerator for the entire contest.

The Tigers hit the road on Friday, April 16th to take on Bishop Verot at Boca Raton High School in the state semifinal game at 6:30 p.m. The championship game will be on Saturday at 7 p.m. and more details can be found on the Jesuit Lacrosse facebook fan page. The boys lacrosse program at Jesuit proved to be a powerhouse this year, producing 12 players who were selected for the WFLL All-League Teams.

WCAA Lady Warriors- Girls Middle School

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:31:00 -0500

The Wesley Chapel Lady Warriors put on a strong showing this weekend at a round robin middle school girls lacrosse tournament held at anderson elementary which was put on by the south tampa sticks youth lacrosse program.

The WCAA lady warriors took on the STS stingrays in one of the early games of the day.

Wesley Chapel’s middle school goalie “C.C.” age 11 found some lacrosse socks at our booth which were spot-on with the compression shorts she was wearing.

C.C. told us “I LOVE my Florida Lacrosse stuff- I look forward to every time I see thier lacrosse store at events to buy more girls lacrosse gear and lacrosse apparel!”

Make sure to become our fan on the official Florida Lacrosse Facebook Fan Page, Follow us on Twitter, and visit our Florida Lacrosse blog for everything lacrosse going on in the state!

USF Men's Lacrosse Schedule for 2010-2011 season

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:38:00 -0500

University of South Florida’s Mens Lacrosse team is a Div 1 MCLA team. The team is a member of the SELC ( South East Lacrosse Conference ) and plays a competitive schedule of NCAA Div II, Div III and MCLA teams. Though at Club Status, the team is considered, a “virtual varsity” program working towards NCAA Div 1 status.

The team will be opening up the season this weekend in Jacksonville, taking on University of North Florida on Saturday, January 30th. The Bulls will also be playing three in-state rivals in February getting Florida State and Miami at home while traveling to Orlando to play UCF. The bulls will have a tough month with Florida lacrosse teams, then hit the road for games against Alabama, Mississippi, LSU, and back home to play University of Florida.

You can view the entire USF Lacrosse schedule on thier website.

Plant High School Girls Lacrosse Program add JV team

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:25:00 -0500

Plant High School girls lacrosse team made some changes to the lacrosse program that are expected to make them a stronger, better, more competitive team this year and in the years to come. In 2010, they will be separating the girls into a Varsity and a JV team.

The girls lacrosse team at plant high school has had sucess at fielding strong teams, losing a close championship game against reigning champs - Freedom HS in 2009.

Plant Varsity programs will participate in the “in-school” only WFLL league.

Wesley Chapel Lacrosse was founded in 2009 to offer students at...

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:41:52 -0500

Wesley Chapel Lacrosse was founded in 2009 to offer students at Wesley Chapel High School and Weightman Middle School the opportunity to play lacrosse for their “in-school-club” teams beginning in 2010.

Founded in 2009, Wesley Chapel Lacrosse is the only high school lacrosse team in Wesley Chapel. Wesley Chapel Wildcat players will be representing Wesley Chapel High School and Weightman Middle School in the West Florida Lacrosse League in 2010 and beyond. Wesley Chapel Lacrosse offers students at Wesley Chapel High School and at Weightman Middle School the opportunity to represent their schools on the lacrosse field for the first time.

Featured Product: Brine Lacrosse Goalie Gloves

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 13:34:05 -0500

orlandolacrossestore:

One of the most popular and best valued lacrosse goalie gloves out threre on the market is the Brine Deft. A great glove with supercrosse fingers and a mesh palm. This glove offers amazing protection with a light weight feel. A supreme design for a serious player. Extra hard thumb protection makes it the perfect goalie lacrosse glove.

Protection Triple density foam fingers Dual density foam backhand Molded Supafly thumb design Adjustable free-floating wrist guard

Comfort Snug fitting with New Smart Fabric Technology temperature control liner from Outlast® Breathable mesh gussets and palm

Size

L (13”): 14+ yrs, 141+ lbs

M (12”): 10-13 yrs, 100-140 lbs

S (10”): 7-9 yrs, 70-100 lbs

XS (8”): 5-7 yrs, 0-70 lbs

Find the Brine Deft Goalie Lacrosse Glove at Florida Lacrossse store website for only $98.95. Make sure to check out all of our lax goalie gear including great deals on goalie shafts

Lakewood Ranch Fall Lacrosse Programs

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:02:18 -0400

Lakewood Ranch Clinic!
We will be hosting two registration clinics in October, on Sunday (10/18) & Sunday (10/25). The clinics will be held at Adventure Park from 10am to 2pm each Sunday. The clinic will be open to both girls and boys, so please plan to attend, particularly if you have never played lacrosse. Registration for the upcoming season will be accepted at both clinics, so come join the fun!

FALL Pee Wee Lacrosse!
We are offering a Fall Pee Wee program for K through 5th grade boys. Starting October 1st at Adventure Park (4:30pm to 5:30pm), Chris Markowski will lead the boys in an instructional based program. The program will last 8 weeks and cost $20. Any questions, contact coach Chris at chris@minvest.com.

Tampa Bay Fire's 2010 Lacrosse Combine

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:32:04 -0400

Tampa Bay Fire’s 2010 Combine to launch exciting innovations at this year’s tryouts The Tampa Bay Fire is recognized as one of the first elite lacrosse clubs nationally to implement the combine concept as part of it’s tryout process. This year’s event will be marked by the launch of some of the most innovative concepts seen in lacrosse in years!

Planned upgrades to the Fire’s player development system (PDS) will keep the organization at the forefront of elite lacrosse program delivery for years to come, and lock in it’s reputation as the only elite lacrosse club in West Florida. Stay tuned for this year’s announcement and spread the word. It will be here shortly! source: tampabay fire’s website tbfire.com

Shooters Lacrosse Men's Fall Ball begins this week!

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:06:53 -0400

Dates: Sunday’s Sept. 18th through Oct. 18th.

Times: Games will start at either 5 PM, 6 PM or 7 PM

Location: North Lakes

Cost: $80 if you already have a Shooters Jersey, $95 if you need a Shooters jersey.

Rules: Will run Club rules with the following exceptions: Will run 25 minute running halves. 1 time out per game. No time out can be taken with less than 5 minutes left in the game. 5 minute half time. Depending on numbers will run either 7 on 7 or 10 on 10. 5 minute sudden death for OT.

Extra’s: All Shooter’s Team, (Voted on by teams and ref’s) Offensive and Defensive MVP’S - (Voted on by teams and Ref’s League MVP will receive a $50 gift certificate to Play It Again Sports.) and Championship T-shirts to the league champions.

All games will have ref’s and stats kept!

Send Dan Wood a registration form.

Meet the teams:

Schedule: