The Wisconsin Lacrosse Federation announces the results of the recent Board of Directors election.
The WLF Board of Directors for 2020-2021 are
President – Erin Ennis
Vice President – Mark Jamieson*
Treasure – Carla Miller*
Secretary – Becky Unterriker
Coaches Director – Dave Diehl*
Girls Director – Tom Truttschel
Boys Director – Eric Marsh*
Officials – Randy Kohn
Events Director – Paul Espinosa*
Communications Director – Tracey Kaczik*
* Newly elected
WLF 2021 Spring Schedule Update
The Boys’ and Girls’ High School Lacrosse season will begin March 8th, 2021 or week 36 of the WIAA calendar as normal. Tournament play and the State Invitational and Championships will conclude on June 12th, 2021. After much discussion amongst the board, athletic directors, coaches, and the official’s contingency, the board concluded that leaving the season as normally scheduled is in the best interest of both the Girls’ and Boys’ High School programs.
Under consideration were:
With those being the foundational considerations, delaying the season provided no significant benefit at this time. If warranted, the board may revisit this decision as we know we are still in a very fluid situation regarding the health and safety of our student-athletes. Until then, plan accordingly and play ball.
Thank you,
WLF Board of Directors
Erin M. Ennis
President
The WLF is collecting nominations for its board positions which are up for election. Beginning in 2020 the WLF will be transitioning to 3-year terms For the next two years, board terms will be staggered so that beginning in 2022 all position terms will be full 3 years terms. Nominations will be open up through August 10th
This year positions up for election are Board position descriptions click Here
Click here for more information and to access the nomination form.
To our WLF member programs,
Now that the official season for Wisconsin High School lacrosse and State Tournament series has been canceled and the youth programs across the state are still in flux, the question regarding US Lacrosse membership necessity has come to the table. As the US Lacrosse chapter for Wisconsin, WLF supports our historic, current, and future relationship with US Lacrosse. Being so, we also support the continued membership of US Lacrosse for the contingency we serve which includes current 2020 membership renewal. Outlined here are the opportunities available for current members and those considering their options for membership renewal. Those options will include:
US Lacrosse has and will continue to provide for your coach background checks, safe sport training, extensive learning through the management system resource, and a multitude of online resources that will continue to engage parents, players, coaches, and officials until the threat subsides. In addition, all insurance premiums for insurance coverages are paid for the year for both individual members in good standing and member organizations.
Direct Member Value from Investment
Indirect Member Value from Investment
In addition, you can follow US Lacrosse on Instagram, Facebook or on the web for tips, drills, games and more to keep you and/or your young athletes ready to retake the field. Should you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to US Lacrosse Vice President – Relations, at mcather@uslacrosse.org or Bryce Woodson, our Regional Manager, at bwoodson@uslacross.org.
Thank you again for your support and commitment to the game here in Wisconsin and elsewhere.
Erin M. Ennis
WLF President
WLF Board of Directors
The following message was released Thursday afternoon by Erin Ennis, Wisconsin Lacrosse Federation President.
All,
Per a press release announcement from the Governor’s Office, the Safer at Home Order will remain in place until Tuesday, May 26, or until a new order supersedes today’s order. Also, it has been announced that in-person private and public K-12 schools, and all in-person co-curricular programs, will remain closed through the end of the 2019-2020 school year.
To remain compliant with the Governor’s Office and the Safer at Home Order, all organized WLF High School lacrosse activities are canceled for the 2020 Season. Youth lacrosse activities will be determined by the local Leagues, under the guidance of the State Order.
Be assured that we are looking at all options for our young student athletes to participate in organized lacrosse this Summer and Fall as soon as safe play can begin.
I would like to pause and thank all of you who have so graciously volunteered your time to prepare for this season. You are our front line leaders, teachers, mentors, and coaches and are critical to the development of our young student athletes through the game of lacrosse.
And finally, I would encourage everyone to take a moment and personally thank their graduating Seniors who will not be able to transition into the next chapter of their lives with the High School lacrosse experience escorting them there. Thank them for the years of dedication to the sport and the communities that have supported them throughout.
Sincerely,
Erin M. Ennis, WLF President
Wisconsin Lacrosse Federation Board of Directors
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The Wisconsin Lacrosse Federation has announced it’s Board of Directors for 2019 – 2020. New to the board is Becky Fuchs as the Events Director and Becky Unterriker as Secretary.
The Wisconsin Lacrosse Federation is governed by an elected, volunteer board which represents the various constituents of Wisconsin Lacrosse.
All WLF board members are listed here.
The Wisconsin Lacrosse Federation is looking for nominations for board positions. The WLF Board is responsible for governing the US Lacrosse Chapter.
This year the positions up for election are
Nomination process – 50% of board positions will continue to come up for election each year. Anyone can be nominated for consideration by any Wisconsin based US Lacrosse member, including themselves.
Board elections –
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.
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.
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.
“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.
“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.
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.”
The Wisconsin Lacrosse Federation is looking for nominations for board positions. The WLF Board is responsible for governing the US Lacrosse Chapter.
This year the positions up for election are
Nomination process – 50% of board positions will continue to come up for election each year. Anyone can be nominated for consideration by any Wisconsin based US Lacrosse member, including themselves.
Two new / combined positions will come up for election for a one-year term in 2018 and then a regular 2-year term in 2019.
Board elections –
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