BALTIMORE, Oct. 8, 2013 — US Lacrosse today announced that 125 teams nationwide have been awarded development grants through the 2013 First Stick Program.
This national USL initiative is designed to deliver comprehensive resources, including equipment, US Lacrosse membership and coaches training, to awarded teams. The program is geared for new and developing youth and high school lacrosse teams nationwide.
“We’re excited that we were able to award grants to teams from so many different parts of the country,” said Meghan Mulford, program’s manager at US Lacrosse. “The geographical diversity in the applications that we received is further evidence of the growth and interest in the sport beyond its traditional roots.”
First Stick Program grant recipients enter a two-year partnership with US Lacrosse, during which time the national organization will help to develop a self-sustaining lacrosse program that operates by US Lacrosse’s national standards and best practices. One of the program’s primary goals is to help break down the barriers to participation by providing free and/or discounted resources to new teams.
Applicant groups were required to demonstrate a financial need and verify their status as a community based youth team or organization, or an elementary, middle or high school team in order to be considered.
“We congratulate each of these recipients because they emerged from a very competitive application process as excellent candidates for the First Stick Awards,” said Wendell Lee, director of programs at US Lacrosse. “We look forward to partnering with these teams over the next two years to help them emerge as self-sustaining, model programs committed to our organization’s best practices.”
All told, 75 boys’ teams and 50 girls’ teams were awarded grants as part of the 2013 First Stick Program group. The full listing of recipient teams is included below.
Boys’ High School Programs
Averill Park Youth Lacrosse – Wynantskill, N.Y.
Big Sky Eagles Lacrosse – Missoula, Mont.
Bossier Panthers Lacrosse – Bossier City, La.
Cocoa Beach Jr./Sr. High School JV Team – Cocoa Beach, Fla.
Cranston East High School – Cranston, R.I.
Gloucester High School – Hayes, Va.
Glynn Academy Lacrosse Club – St. Simons Island, Ga.
Gompers Preparatory Academy – San Diego, Calif.
Gulf Breeze High School – Gulf Breeze, Fla.
Handley High School Club – Berryville, Va
Jefferson High School – Lithia, Fla.
Lake Forest High School JV – Harrington, Del.
Long Creek Youth Development Center – South Portland, Maine
Lutheran West Lacrosse Club – North Royalton, Ohio
Madison Middle School Lacrosse Association – Madison, Miss.
Maranacook-Winthrop Hawks – Manchester, Maine
Martha Layne Collins High School – Shelbyville, Ky.
Meadowcreek High School – Atlanta, Ga.
Middletown High School – Middletown, Conn.
Newark Memorial High School – Newark, Calif.
Pawling Boys Lacrosse – Pawling, N.Y.
Pensacola High School – Gulf Breeze, Fla.
Plantation High School – Plantation, Fla.
Republic High School – Republic, Mo.
School Without Walls – Washington, D.C.
Sequoia High School – San Carlos, Calif.
Shenandoah County High School – Fort Valley, Va.
Southeastern Lacrosse – Detroit, Mich.
Sussex Central High School – Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Tampa Bay Tech High School – Tampa, Fla.
Valley Vista Lacrosse Club – Surprise, Ariz.
Voyager Academy – Durham, N.C.
Watkins Glen Senecas – Hector, N.Y.
Winnebago Boys Lacrosse – Winnebago, Neb.
Girls’ High School Programs
Campbell High School – Litchfield, N.H.
Carlmont High School – Belmont, Calif.
Cocoa Beach Jr./Sr. High School JV – Cocoa Beach, Fla.
East Side High School – Montclair, N.J.
Edgewood Indians Girls Lacrosse – Merritt Island, Fla.
Franklin Lacrosse Club – Franklin, Wisc.
Greater Omaha Girls Lacrosse Club – Omaha, Neb.
Gulf Breeze High School – Gulf Breeze, Fla.
Hollywood Hills High School – Weston,Fla.
Holy Spirit High School – Egg Harbor Township, N.J.
Jefferson High School – Lithia, Fla.
John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls’ High School – Philadelphia, Pa.
Meadowcreek High School – Atlanta, Ga.
Middletown High School – Middletown, Conn.
Newark Memorial High School – Newark, Calif.
North Fort Myers High School – North Fort Myers, Fla.
Norwin Girls Lacrosse Club – Irwin, Pa.
Pawling Girls Lacrosse – Pawling, N.Y.
Pensacola High School – Gulf Breeze, Fla.
Pittston Area High School – Pittston, Pa.
Plantation High School – Plantation, Fla.
Sequoia High School – San Carlos, Calif.
Tampa Bay Tech High School – Tampa, Fla.
Westside High School – Omaha, Neb.
Whitney Point – Whitney Point, N.Y.
Boys’ Youth Programs
Achievement First Bridgeport Academy – Bridgeport, Conn.
Apopka Lacrosse Club – Apopka, Fla.
Bonners Ferry Lacrosse Club – Bonners Ferry, Idaho
Brooklyn Chiefs Lacrosse Club – East Elmhurst, N.Y.
Champions of Boerne Lacrosse Club – Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas
Charlotte Secondary School – Charlotte, N.C.
Chattanooga Lacrosse – Hixson, Tenn.
Elm City College Prep Middle School – New Haven, Conn.
Fairfax United Lacrosse – Fairfax, Vt.
Frank Black Middle School – Houston, Texas
Frederick Douglass Academy – New York, N.Y.
Greater Rumford Community Center – Rumford, Maine
Greenville Youth Lacrosse – Greenville, S.C.
Helena Boys Lacrosse Club – East Helena, Mont.
Hilton Head Island Recreation Association – Hilton Head Island, S.C.
Indy Southside Junior Rebels Lacrosse – Indianapolis, Ind.
Jackson Hole Lacrosse Club – Jackson, Wyo.
Johnstown Lacrosse – Johnstown, Pa.
Kuna Middle School – Meridian, Idaho
Living Classrooms Foundation – Baltimore, Md.
Lovejoy Leopard Lacrosse – Lucas, Texas
Merritt Island Lacrosse Club – Merritt Island, Fla.
Mid Maine Lacrosse – Hartland, Maine
Middletown Youth Boys Lacrosse – Middletown, Conn.
Mississippi Delta Lacrosse Association – Leland, Miss.
New Horizons Lacrosse Fund – Austin, Texas
Northampton Area Youth Boys Lacrosse – Northampton, Pa.
Oakland Lacrosse Club Boys Lacrosse – Oakland, Calif.
Pensacola Lacrosse Association for Youth – Pensacola, Fla.
Plattsburgh Lacrosse Club – Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Positive Understandable Coaching for Kidz – Chula Vista, Calif.
Quad City Lacrosse – Milan, Ill.
Rogers Activity Center – Rogers, Ark.
St. Cloud Tech Boys Lacrosse Association – St. Joesph, Minn.
Tampa Parks and Recreation Department – Tampa, Fla.
Tribal Sovereignty Inc Black River – Dunn, N.C.
Tribal Sovereignty Inc Cumberland County – Cumberland County, N.C.
Tribal Sovereignty Inc Drowning Creek – Pembroke, N.C.
Tribal Sovereignty Inc Haliwa-Saponi – Hollister, N.C.
Virgo Preparatory Academy – Wilmington, N.C.
Wabanaki Confederacy – Indian Township, Maine
Girls’ Youth Programs
Anna Julia Cooper Episcopal School – Richmond, Va.
Brooklyn Chiefs Lacrosse Club – East Elmhurst, N.Y.
Cornerstone Academy Lady Ducks – Orlando, Fla.
Dayton Lacrosse Club – Centerville, Ohio
Exeter Girls Youth Lacrosse Association – Kensington, N.H.
Frank Black Middle School – Houston, Texas
Frederick Douglass Academy – New York, N.Y.
Helena Girls Lacrosse Club – East Helena, Mont.
Jackson Hole Lacrosse Club – Jackson, Wyo.
Living Classrooms Foundation – Baltimore, Md.
Mechanicsburg Youth Lacrosse Club – Mechanicsburg, Pa.
Merritt Island Lacrosse Club – Merritt, Fla.
Middle Township Girls Youth Lacrosse – Belleplain, N.J.
Middletown Youth Girls Lacrosse – Middletown, Conn.
Mississippi Delta Lacrosse Association – Leland, Miss.
Mobile Youth Lacrosse League, Inc. – Mobile, Ala.
New Horizons Lacrosse Fund – Austin, Texas
North Orange County Girls Lacrosse – Yorba Linda, Calif.
North Warren Girls Lacrosse – Blairstown, N.J.
Northampton Area Youth Girls’ Lacrosse – Northampton, Pa.
Oakland Lacrosse Club – Oakland, Calif.
Pleasant Valley Youth Association – Saylorsburg, Pa.
Rogers Activity Center – Rogers, Ark.
Tampa Parks and Recreation Department – Tampa, Fla.
Virgo Preparatory Academy – Wilmington, N.C.
For more information about the US Lacrosse First Stick Program, please visit www.uslacrosse.org/FirstStick.
About US Lacrosse
US Lacrosse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, is the national governing body of men’s and women’s lacrosse and the home of the nation’s fastest-growing sport. US Lacrosse has more than 415,000 members in 64 regional chapters across the country. Through responsive and effective leadership, US Lacrosse provides programs and services to inspire participation while protecting the integrity of the game. Bookmark, like and follow US Lacrosse atuslacrosse.org, fb.com/uslacrosse and @uslacrosse, respectively.
