Community Corner

Commentary: Youth Lacrosse Arrives in the San Fernando Valley

The sport is finally catching on locally, say enthusiasts.

Lacrosse has been the fastest-growing sport in the country for several years, and participation in Southern California has sky-rocketed, with more than 250 high schools playing the sport, including 80 in the Los Angeles area. Locally, lacrosse is played in the San Fernando Valley at Birmingham, , Crespi, and high schools, and at the area’s newest school, the Valley Academy of Arts & Sciences (aka Valley regional #4).

My kids have played for several years and really love the sport, but we’ve had to travel to the West Side to play. We thought it was time to bring lacrosse to the kids of the San Fernando Valley and give them a chance to play this great sport.

The San Fernando Valley Lacrosse League (SFVLL) has just formed and is now holding clinics to introduce local boys and girls in 3rd to 8th grades to the sport, leading up to the inaugural season this Spring.

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Although newly formed, the SFVLL is an offshoot of an established youth lacrosse program—the Los Angeles Lacrosse League (LALL) which boasts more than a thousand boys and girls playing in chapters in Pasadena, Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and Whittier.

Lacrosse is known as the first American sport, as it originated with Native American tribes hundreds of years ago. The modern version has grown because parents and kids alike enjoy the fast-paced play with end-to-end action and frequent scoring.

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Practices and clinics will be held though out February, with the first games in March. All are welcome, especially beginners.  Anyone wanting information about youth lacrosse, can visit the league’s web site at www.sfvlacrosse.org. Upcoming games are planned for Woodland Hills locations, with more to follow in Encino and throughout the Valley.

-Randy Parker


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