Sunday Sports: Watertown lacrosse league hones kids‘ skills

WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – Lacrosse has become a year round sport for many players in the North Country with a number of opportunities available to play in the off season.

One of those opportunities for younger players takes place in Watertown at the end of each school year.

On Wednesday nights in the months of May and June, the fields at the Alex Duffy Fairgrounds are full of lacrosse stars of the future honing their skills with the 1812 Lacrosse League presented by Powell Lacrosse taking place.

Featuring boys in kindergarten through 8th grade, the league runs for 8 weeks, with the K-6 teams playing on Wednesday nights and the 7th and 8th graders hitting the field on Mondays.

”It’s a great opportunity for kids to get out, play somebody that’s not at their school, gives a good league-tournament style feel every Wednesday night. It gives them the opportunity just to get more touches, more time with the stick to develop their game and spend time with their teammates and friends,” said Chad Green, President of 1812 Sports and Entertainment.

All the Frontier League schools that offer lacrosse are in attendance, along with Canton from the Northern Athletic Conference.

The teams play multiple games each Wednesday night with the final week of the season crowning champions and league all-stars.

Green says getting kids started at such a young age is key to making them not only better players, but teaching them the proper skills on the lacrosse field.

”Yeah, I mean it’s a great opportunity for teaching, learning how to take direction, learn something at a young age, practice it, get better at it and then come out here and show off what you’ve learned at practice from your coaches,” said Green.

The success of lacrosse programs around the area rely on opportunities like this and being able to play in the off season along with having the benefit of top level instruction has been key in the improvement of the level of play locally.

”This is definitely a big help for the play of lacrosse up here. It’s a big jump to go from kindergaeten to 3rd and 4th grade, 5th and 6th grade and up. This right here gives you that opportunity to develop and work on what you’re doing. We’ve really made it our mission at 1812 to be the home of lacrosse for the North Country. I feel like that’s what we’re doing. We’re providing opportunities for kids of all ages, all skill levels through the league, through the Shootout, through skill sessions, camps. We do offer everything, the whole range,” said Green.

1812 Sports and Entertainment and Powell Lacrosse, keeping the future bright for budding lacrosse stars in the North Country.

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