Poverty & Sport
"Our mission is to create after-school youth lacrosse teams in under-served, urban communities in San Francisco in collaboration with schools, community centers, other neighborhood agencies and members of the community. By participating in a competitive, team environment, local children will learn self esteem through the values of goal-setting, discipline and respect for self and others, enabling them to establish a framework for personal improvement that is applicable to all areas of LIFE."
Lacrosse has been taking great steps forward in attracting more athletes and kids that are outside their normal target market. Lacrosse is naturally an expensive sport due to the purchase of equipment and a stick and this could be hard for inner city kids and families that aren't financially sound to get involved in lacrosse. This is why Lacrosse companies and corporations are sending out big time athletes to represent the sport of lacrosse all across the country. Clinics and tournaments are the easiest way to spread the name of lacrosse, and this is why STX sent Kyle Harrison to Northern California. It is here where Kyle was able to teach lacrosse to a bunch of kids who where truly there to learn.
"As I got out of the car, and walked over towards the field I wasn't sure what to expect. I was greeted by Johanna Thomashefski, Andrew was on the field with the kids already. I walked on to the field to see kids of all different races, boys and girls, some wearing jeans, some wearing football jersey's, and some dressed in athletic wear. As I walked up, some knew who I was, and some didn't. I looked around. For the first time in forever, kids weren't talking about their equipment, the best pocket, the best head, what cost more, whose shoes are better. They didn't care. They were out to learn a game, and that was the only important thing to them. I saw one kid with an STX head, brine pole, and one STX glove and a brine glove. He didn't know the difference, nor was he interested in learning. For the first time I was around kids who didn't think they knew everything about the game and were really inspired from my story, and wanted to learn. I taught them a few dodges, and we began to do a drill to practice them. As the kids grasped the dodges, and were performing them to perfection, it was one of the most gratifying experiences I've had to this point in my life."
Lacrosse has been taking great steps forward in attracting more athletes and kids that are outside their normal target market. Lacrosse is naturally an expensive sport due to the purchase of equipment and a stick and this could be hard for inner city kids and families that aren't financially sound to get involved in lacrosse. This is why Lacrosse companies and corporations are sending out big time athletes to represent the sport of lacrosse all across the country. Clinics and tournaments are the easiest way to spread the name of lacrosse, and this is why STX sent Kyle Harrison to Northern California. It is here where Kyle was able to teach lacrosse to a bunch of kids who where truly there to learn.
"As I got out of the car, and walked over towards the field I wasn't sure what to expect. I was greeted by Johanna Thomashefski, Andrew was on the field with the kids already. I walked on to the field to see kids of all different races, boys and girls, some wearing jeans, some wearing football jersey's, and some dressed in athletic wear. As I walked up, some knew who I was, and some didn't. I looked around. For the first time in forever, kids weren't talking about their equipment, the best pocket, the best head, what cost more, whose shoes are better. They didn't care. They were out to learn a game, and that was the only important thing to them. I saw one kid with an STX head, brine pole, and one STX glove and a brine glove. He didn't know the difference, nor was he interested in learning. For the first time I was around kids who didn't think they knew everything about the game and were really inspired from my story, and wanted to learn. I taught them a few dodges, and we began to do a drill to practice them. As the kids grasped the dodges, and were performing them to perfection, it was one of the most gratifying experiences I've had to this point in my life."
The clinics that take place in these areas are the start of new begining for lacrosse. To one day make lacrosse into a serious proffessional sport and and not just a summer sport will take many years, and lots of hard work, but with the right sponsorships it can be done. I think lacrosse will one day be as big as football or basketball and I want to be one the people who help spread its good name. This is why every lacrosse athlete in the word right now needs to stay involved and continue to teach younger kids about lacrosse. It may not be with a pro sponsorship or with a seriosu organization, but the development of lacrosse is needed everywhere. Satring off my correer as a lacrosse player brought me to a national championship in college and I hope that with the continous growth of the sport it will do the same for many others.
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