Much like soccer, lacrosse doesn’t get the same respect that the four major sports enjoy.
Also like soccer, lacrosse needs to attract its fans at a young age – and one local school is helping to net some fanatics.
The Cardozo High School boys’ lacrosse team is volunteering their time to assist Doc’s Youth Lacrosse Program – a nonprofit youth lacrosse league – in a clinic teaching the youth of the community the skills and fundamentals it takes to be successful at the sport.
It’s part of Cardozo’s new outreach program, Athletes Helping Athletes. The goal of the program is for the school’s varsity athletes to learn leadership and coaching skills – all while assisting children ages 8 through 12 in the sport of their choice. Cardozo’s lacrosse squad is the school’s first athletic team to take part in the program.
The varsity athletes teaching their skills to a new generation of players find a lot of satisfaction in running drills with the kids. It provides an opportunity for young athletes to get a leg up on the competition early, instead of waiting until their first year in high school to learn the sport of their choice.
“These clinics are a great opportunity to help the sport of lacrosse grow in the city,” said lacrosse team captain Jason Chen. “I am all for these clinics. It introduces the sport to kids at a young age instead of freshman year in high school.”
The Cardozo lacrosse team will continue to volunteer their time and knowledge to Doc’s Youth Lacrosse clinic throughout the spring. For more information on this and other clinics, visit their web site at www.citylax.org/docsnyclax/.
