Category: Events

by Brian Salgado

Classic 8 Girls Lacrosse Programs Face Off Against Cancer

The Classic 8 Conference is one of the most competitive leagues in Wisconsin girls lacrosse. But this year, the squads have joined forces to take out a common foe.

Led by Mukwonago head coach Shelly Schumacher 20 teams from the Classic 8 Conference have come together to fundraise for Lacrosse vs. Cancer in support of childhood cancer research. Each squad aims to raise $2,000 to donate to Gold in September (G9), the childhood cancer nonprofit launched by former Arrowhead lacrosse player Annie Bartosz, who founded G9 when she lost her twin brother, Jack, to cancer.

“Having teams that would otherwise be rivals all join together for such an important cause is encouraging, but not surprising based on what I know of this amazing group of coaches and players,” Schumacher said.

Schumacher joined G9 in October as public relations and marketing director. This year, she challenged Classic 8 rival Arrowhead to a fundraising contest since Bartosz played for Red coach Tom Truttschel. (Bartosz is not playing lacrosse this year to focus on field hockey now that she has committed to play for Penn on an athletic scholarship.)

Along with their mutual connection to G9, Truttschel instantly agreed to the challenge because cancer has affected him and his family personally. His nephew, Kevin Boeckenhauer, is in the midst of a five-year battle with bone cancer, so Truttschel named him honorary captain of the Lacrosse vs. Cancer’s kickoff game between Mukwonago and Arrowhead. Although Boeckenhauer couldn’t make it to the game Tuesday night, he called the coin toss for Mukwonago via a FaceTime call.

“I just think it’s a cause where everybody has somebody they know among their family or friends who has been affected by cancer,” Truttschel said.

An honorary captainship was one of a handful of ceremonial events Tuesday night at Taraska Stadium. There also were announcements of the new initiative throughout the game. And at the end of Arrowhead’s 17-1 victory, the teams came together for a group photo with the new traveling trophy, designed and built by Mukwonago senior Paige St. Clair. At the end of the initiative, the team that raises the most money will win the trophy — a gold lacrosse stick with every participating program’s name listed — until they are dethroned.

“Every year we try to do a service project, but this one we’re able to incorporate our whole conference,” St. Clair said. “And we’re able to raise money for something extremely meaningful and impact a ton of people.”

Getting an entire conference together to raise funds is a monumental task, but Schumacher wants to aim higher next year. In 2020, she hopes every girls program in Wisconsin participates in Lacrosse vs. Cancer.

To help out you can donate at the Lacrosse vs Cancer web site

 

Lacrosse vs. Cancer

 

by Brian Salgado

Wisconsin Lacrosse Community Comes Together to Bring the Sport to Milwaukee

There’s no question lacrosse has experienced meteoric growth throughout Wisconsin. The participation numbers on the boys’ and girls’ sides of the sport grow exponentially season to season, and new programs sprout every year at every age level. Geographically, lacrosse’s allure has touched just about every part of the Dairy State.

However, as prominent as the sport has become, lacrosse has yet to truly take hold in within Milwaukee’s borders.

On Sunday, the Wisconsin Lacrosse Federation (WLF) led the charge to rectify that situation by hosting the Sankofa Clinic, a diversity and inclusion initiative backed by U.S. Lacrosse aimed at exposing lacrosse to underpriviledged and economically challenged communities.

Courtesy  James Ninomiya

Created in 2013, the Sankofa Lacrosse Alliance (SLA) focuses on supporting efforts to expand the reach of the sport. The SLF draws from its network of players and coaches, including many of the nation’s top current and former African-American players.

Spearheaded by Randy Kohn, a past president of WLF, the clinic was an overwhelming success. A picture-perfect day, weather-wise, saw over 60 athletes interacting with over 50 volunteers at Journey House Packers Field in Mitchell Park on Milwaukee south side.

“To start here and see the number of kids here is kind of overwhelming,” said Erin Ennis, president of the WLF. “The event itself, I think, is fantastic to increase the participation rate down here. The volunteers that have come down from the universities and the various high schools shows the outreach and the willingness to give back to the game and give back to the community that we have here in southeast Wisconsin.”

WLF may be the governing body of lacrosse in Wisconsin, but many organizations came together to make the Sankofa Clinic a reality. Journey House – a not-for-profit focused on empowering families on Milwaukee’s near southside neighborhoods – provided Packers Field for the occasion and had roughly 20 athletes participate in the clinic. PeppNation – another nonprofit that offers after-school programs, summer camps and other events throughout southeastern Wisconsin – also brought the event to the attention of its athletes while donating t-shirts for the occasion.

Courtesy  James Ninomiya 

A handful of Marquette University men’s and women’s lacrosse players dedicated their Sunday morning to the cause, as well.

Marquette University High School boys coach Rich Pruszynski brought a handful of coaches and players to help run the clinic for the boys’ side. University School of Milwaukee girls coach Sam Adey brought coaches and athletes to volunteer, as well.

As the nationwide governing body, US Lacrosse works with the local organizations to plan and implement thee clinics. Sankofa-affiliated players serve as the instructors.

Bryce Woodson, Midwest regional manager for US Lacrosse, was one of a handful of former players leading drills for the athletes at Packers Field. He said he has run Sankofa Clinics and similar events throughout the region, but seeing so many people from different parts of the Wisconsin lacrosse community join forces for this initiative is what stood out Sunday morning.

Courtesy  James Ninomiya 

“I think the fact there’s multiple organizations coming together is incredible,” said Woodson, who played collegiate lax at Ohio State. “Having all this collaboration and group effort for one goal is amazing.”

Spreading the Word

Exposing athletes to the sport is just one of the many barriers to entry underprivileged communities encounter with lacrosse. Once the excitement is in place, a myriad of costs – registration fees, equipment, uniforms, etc. – often stand in the way, as well.

Pruszynski believes once kids are ready to join an organized team in Milwaukee city proper, there is plenty of money to be found to make sure the infrastructure is in place to give them a place to play lacrosse.

Courtesy  James Ninomiya 

“The big key here is, we have to eliminate the barrier to entry, which is money,” said Pruszynski, who also is a senior manager for the Positive Coaching Alliance. “We can continue to get the word out to kids here today to make sure we capture that excitement from today. Once we get these kids saying ‘yes’ to lacrosse, we can continue to work with US Lacrosse and write some more grant requests for more equipment and opportunities.

“If we can get over that hurdle by US Lacrosse assisting with donations, then we’ll be fine,” Pruszynski adds.

Starting from Scratch

Charles Brown knows a thing or two about launching athletic programs. As deputy director of Journey House, he plays a major role in the organization’s youth athletics programs, which include baseball, football and basketball. He knows what it takes to build the infrastructure of a youth sports program.

Courtesy  James Ninomiya 

He also knows what it’s like to get in on a new sport at the ground level. Brown’s love of lacrosse started in the 1970s when his high school in Baltimore launched a program. He played in the first two seasons of a new program his junior and senior years.

He brought his passion for the sport with him to Milwaukee, and ever since joining Journey House 15 years ago, he has wanted to bring lacrosse to his athletes.

Brown knows it will take a lot of work to launch a new program, but it starts with exposing more kids in Milwaukee to the excitement of lacrosse. On Sunday, about 20 of his 100 football players attended the clinic.

“But you got to start it if you’re going to expose them to it, and the clinic provides that,” Brown said. “We’re going to get a program, we’ll have a team, and more kids will see

Catching Lax Fever

The excitement was palpable throughout the morning as kids learned the very basics of the sport from Sankofa’s instructors, elite players themselves. Athletes were taught how to cradle the ball in the nets of their sticks, how to fire a shot at the goal with force and accuracy, and how to position their entire body to ensure they catch the ball in the air.

Most of all, they learned that a sport they hadn’t given a second thought before participating in the Sankofa Clinic was more fun than they could have imagined. Take it from Roseana Mendez, an 11-year-old pioneer in her own right who tried lacrosse for the first time Sunday morning. She already plays football and baseball on all-boys teams, often as the only girl on the squad.

“I really didn’t know anything [about lacrosse] other than from movies and shows that I’ve seen,” Mendez said after the clinic. “Then I came here and started understanding the sport. It’s an interesting sport, it’s new to me, and I would like to try it.”

by WisconsinLacrosse

Used Lax Equipment Drive

We need your  used Lax Equipment. Please look in your garages, equipment bags and closets.  Donated boys’ and girls’ used lacrosse equipment will be collected on 

Saturday, September 15th

9:00 am to noon 

1133 Quail Ct, Pewaukee 

With the proud support of Milwaukee County, Milwaukee Police Department District 7 & District 5, Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department, The City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee Public Schools, Safe & Sound, Artists Working in Education, Youth Empowerment Seminars, Journey House and Groundwork Milwaukee, we have served over 4,000 youth and young adults. In partnership with US Lacrosse Federation and Foundation (since summer 2014), PeppNation Sports Leadership Camps has been afforded the opportunity to promote and introduce the game (Lacrosse) to thousands of Milwaukee County youth and young adults.
by WisconsinLacrosse

State Tournament Changes

The Wisconsin Lacrosse Federation is announcing the restructuring of Boy’s High School postseason.

While still consisting of two tournaments, the Division 2 designation will be dropped.  All Wisconsin boys varsity teams will be eligible for the Championship Tournament with the top 20 teams seeded into the Championship Tournament.

Those teams not qualifying for the Championship Tournament will be invited to play in the Wisconsin Invitational and have the ability to opt out should they choose to do so.

The top 20 teams in the Championship Tournament will compete in a five round playoff culminating in the Championship Game at 7:30PM  Saturday, June 9th.

The Finals for the Invitational will be held at 4 PM on June 9th with both games will be held on Schneider Field at Carroll University.

“This change will create a more competitive Championship Tournament, particularly in the early rounds,” said WLF President Erin Ennis.

“The seeding committee can now take into consideration the strength of each individual team without regard to program size or school designation. But more importantly, we still retain the opportunity for every high school boy’s program to participate in the postseason should they choose to do so.” Ennis said.

The seeding committee will meet on May 23rd with the tournament brackets and invitations issued the following day.

This marks the first major change in the boy’s state tournament structure in eight years.

by Brian Salgado

LAXtravaganza Celebrates Milwaukee’s Youth Players, History of Lacrosse

Jim Calder has attended lacrosse events of every kind across North America throughout his four-decade career, so he knows when a community has truly embraced the sport. As he arrived at University School of Milwaukee’s campus for LAXtravaganza on Saturday morning, he quickly realized the Milwaukee market was pumped for the occasion.

“There’s a buzz,” said Calder, a longtime ambassador of the sport based in Canada who came to the Milwaukee Area Youth Lacrosse Association’s (MAYLA) annual event to deliver a presentation on the history of the sport.

“You know when things are dead, and you know when there’s a buzz, and there’s a buzz here. You can see people are excited.”

That excitement has translated to ongoing growth for lacrosse at just about every level of competition throughout Wisconsin, and the youth divisions are no exception.

According to Mary DiGiacomo, secretary of MAYLA and the director of LAXtravaganza, the 2017 edition grew to 90 teams playing across seven fields over two days. In 2016, the “festival” attracted 72 teams.

MAYLA uses the term “festival” to differentiate its event from tournaments that are run throughout the area. DiGiacomo said the association launched LAXtravganza in 2012 as an annual affair (it was canceled in 2013 due inclement weather delaying the start of the youth season) to celebrate youth lacrosse, so teams may keep score, but there is no final champion declared at the end of Day 2.

“We started this as a way to give back to what MAYLA provides the members of the league,” DiGiacomo said.

With hundreds of boys and girls participating in 171 games over two days, DiGiacomo estimated that between 2,800 and 3,300 spectators would attend LAXtravaganza 2017 – if the weather cooperated. Considering the dreary conditions most of the weekend, that expectation might not have been met.

However, the excitement was still palpable, especially because someone with Calder’s pedigree in lacrosse was in attendance. These days, Calder travels throughout this continent reminding athletes and parents alike about the historical significance lacrosse has in the cultural fabric of North America.

The Creator’s Game – as the First Nations of Canada call lacrosse – was first played by these tribes long before it evolved into its current format, and Calder is on a mission to make its participants aware of their role in the game.

“I think it’s important because it gives you respect for the game from the beginning because you understand you’re just a little tiny part of a thing that’s been going on 10,000 years,” said Calder, who has penned two books about lacrosse and is presently planning the 150th anniversary celebration of the game’s organization as a modern sport. “It’s important to understand that you’re playing a game unlike any other in the world – it’s a spiritual game.”

Each week WisconsinLacrosse.com will highlight select games from around the State of Wisconsin. Made possible by a donation from Amplify Lacrosse.