US Lacrosse

US Lacrosse
Sport Lacrosse
Jurisdiction National
Founded January 1, 1998 (1998-01-01)
Affiliation Federation of International Lacrosse
Headquarters Baltimore, Maryland
President Steve Stenersen[1]
Chairman Lee Stevens[1]
Chief Exec Steve Stenersen[1]
Secretary Tim Clark[1]
Men's coach Richie Meade[2]
Women's coach Ricky Fried[3]
Official website
www.uslacrosse.org
United States

US Lacrosse is the national governing body of men and women's lacrosse in the United States, primarily serving the youth game. It provides a leadership role in virtually every aspect of the game, boasts 64 chapters and more than 400,000 members throughout the United States, and offers programs and services to inspire participation while protecting the integrity of the sport. The US Lacrosse national headquarters is located on the campus of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland along with the Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of Fame. US Lacrosse also oversees the U.S. National Teams, which have won a combined 27 world championships.

History

US Lacrosse was founded on January 1, 1998. It resulted from the merger of many different groups, including the Lacrosse Foundation, the United States Women's Lacrosse Association, the National Junior Lacrosse Association, the United States Lacrosse Officials Association, United States Lacrosse Coaches Association, United States Club Lacrosse Association, the US Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates, the Central Atlantic Lacrosse League and National Intercollegiate Lacrosse Officials Association.

Structure and function

US Lacrosse policy is determined by a national board of directors, the officers of which meet monthly to monitor the progress of the organization. Nine board committees have a comprehensive responsibility for strategy, planning and design of initiatives with direct board access for support and approval. These committees are Executive, Board Development, Strategic Planning, Sport Development, Women's Game, Men's Game, Finance, Human Resources and Regional Chapters.

While serving as the sport's national governing body, US Lacrosse works in collaboration with both the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) to oversee the game. NCAA and NFHS activity in lacrosse is almost exclusively focused on rules, with the additional NCAA focus on staging a postseason tournament. US Lacrosse is essentially responsible for everything else related to the development of and service to the sport as its national governing body.

The NCAA governs college post-season play and writes rules for college post season play…which have traditionally been adopted for regular season play by all men’s and women’s college lacrosse conferences and independents.

The NFHS is a body that provides support and coordination to each independent state high school athletic association. However, each state association operates independently of the NFHS and sets its own regulations and policies. The NFHS has committees that write/review rules for sports. The NFHS has an independent rules committee for boys’ lacrosse on which US Lacrosse is represented. The NFHS also has an independent rules committee for girls’ lacrosse, but the NFHS has adopted US Lacrosse rules for girls and women’s lacrosse. US Lacrosse also has formal representation on this committee. The NFHS rules committee for girls’ lacrosse provides feedback to the US Lacrosse Women’s Division Rules Committee annually.[4]

US Lacrosse also publishes Lacrosse Magazine monthly, with a circulation over 300,000 US Lacrosse members. Its mission is to "connect the sports community, educate players, coaches and officials, entertain fans and keep the membership of US Lacrosse informed." In addition to the print magazine, US Lacrosse maintains LaxMagazine.com, which features daily lacrosse news, information, and scores, along with original features.

Membership

Fans, players, parents, coaches and officials can all be members of US Lacrosse. US Lacrosse members receive access to a variety of programs and services, discounts on books, videos, educational materials and U.S. National Team merchandise. Additionally, all members receive Lacrosse Magazine, comprehensive lacrosse insurance, membership in their local chapter, free admission to the Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of Fame and discounts on products and services.

Sport Development and Programs
Name Description
Bridge BRIDGE (Building Relationships to Initiate Diversity, Growth and Enrichment) affiliated programs and the BRIDGE leadership committee, in conjunction with US Lacrosse, work collaboratively to introduce and expand the sport of lacrosse in nontraditional and undeserved communities to embody diversity of players, coaches, officials and supporters. BRIDGE Affiliates provide integrated lacrosse instruction and life skills enrichment to youth.[5]
Fast Break The Fast Break program targets an area which has a limited amount of lacrosse being played, but displays strong enthusiasm for the sport and a willingness to learn and work with US Lacrosse to grow the game responsibly.[6]
New Start The New Start Program is a developmental assistance program for first year men's and women's lacrosse teams or programs at any level. The program offers a package of information including: The New Start Manual, a CD of helpful documents such as a lacrosse PowerPoint presentation to show your school or community administrator, a 10-minute promotional video "This is Lacrosse",[7] an official men's or women's lacrosse rulebook, a sample copy of the Parents' Guide to the Sport of Lacrosse and sample issues of Lacrosse Magazine.[8]
Equipment Grants Equipment grants are funded by US Lacrosse thanks to the support of members and donors, as well as the contributions from participating Lacrosse Industry Council members. These grants minimize the expense of launching new girls’ and boys’ programs, and help to establish a legacy of lacrosse opportunity that will benefit young players.[9]
Emerging Groups In 2008, the US Lacrosse Board of Directors approved the launch of the program, Emerging Groups, in order to allow US Lacrosse to better serve groups in inner-city or underserved communities. This program provides those groups with financial and resource assistance to build and sustain a lacrosse program.[10]
AED Grant Program In 2006, US Lacrosse entered a strategic alliance with Cardiac Science, a leading manufacturer of AEDs, to provide greater educational resources and special AED pricing for US Lacrosse members. US Lacrosse and Cardiac Science are offering an AED Grant Program which provides comprehensive management of AED/CPR training to awarded leagues and chapters. Through the grant, US Lacrosse will subsidize a significant portion of the cost of a one-year partnership with Cardiac Science.[11]
Camp Scholarship The Camp Scholarship Program provides educational lacrosse opportunities for children between the ages of 6–18, made possible through generous tuition waivers by camp directors across the country. Since the inception of this program, over 900 children have attended camps through spots donated by camp directors nationwide.[12]

U.S. National Teams

The United States participates in the Federation of International Lacrosse competitions. US Lacrosse oversees all aspects of the U.S. Men's and Women's National and Under-19 Team programs.

The U.S. Men's National Team has won nine FIL World Lacrosse Championships, and won six straight World Championships from 1982 to 2002. The last World Championships were held in Manchester, England, in 2010. In the Under-19 World Lacrosse Championships, the United States has won every tournament to date with a total of six championships.

The U.S. Women's National Team has won seven Women's Lacrosse World Cups. The most recent World Cup was held in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada in July 2013, where the U.S. defeated Canada 19-5 for the championship.

Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of Fame

US Lacrosse operates the Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of Fame on the campus of Johns Hopkins University. The museum is adjacent to Homewood Field, home of the Blue Jays. Each year, members are inducted into the Hall of Fame for their contributions to the sport.[13]

US Lacrosse is a Founding Sports Partner of the Sports Museum of America, joining more than 50 other single-sport Halls of Fame, National Governing Bodies, Museums and other organizations across North America.[14]

Chapter halls of fame

Thirty-one chapters of US Lacrosse have a chapter hall of fame.[15]

Youth lacrosse growth

Lacrosse is currently one of the fastest growing youth sports in the United States. From 2006 to 2014, lacrosse participation at the youth, high school, and collegiate level increased by over 80%. Among only youth athletes (15 and under) participation almost doubled, with an increase of 92%. During the same time period, no other youth sport had a participation increase of over 20%.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Annual Report 2008" (PDF). US Lacrosse. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  2. ↑ 14, 2011 "Meade Named Coach of 2014 MNT" Check |url= value (help). US Lacrosse.
  3. ↑ "Coaching Staff". US Lacrosse. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  4. ↑ "US Lacrosse and Other National Organizations". US Lacrosse. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
  5. ↑ "US Lacrosse Bridge Program". US Lacrosse. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  6. ↑ "US Lacrosse Fast Break Program". US Lacrosse. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  7. ↑ "This is Lacrosse" on YouTube. US Lacrosse. September 5, 2008. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
  8. ↑ "US Lacrosse New Start Program". US Lacrosse. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  9. ↑ "US Lacrosse Equipment Grants". US Lacrosse. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  10. ↑ "US Lacrosse Emerging Groups". US Lacrosse. Retrieved 2010-12-02.
  11. ↑ "US Lacrosse AED Grant Program". US Lacrosse. Retrieved 2010-12-02.
  12. ↑ "US Lacrosse Camp Scholarships". US Lacrosse. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  13. ↑ "Lacrosse Hall of Fame Nomination & Election Procedures" (PDF). USLacrosse.org. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
  14. ↑ Dan Barry (2003-12-03). "About New York; The House that Ruth Didn't Build". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  15. ↑ US Lacrosse Chapter Halls of Fame. National Lacrosse Hall of Fame webpage. US Lacrosse website. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
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