So we're trying lacrosse this year!
I originally wanted to sign up for a Scottsville soccer club, but it turned out to be fall only. I knew a guy from wrestling who coached lacrosse and I've always been a little curious, so I texted to ask what options there were for a 3rd grader.
We missed the first week, but we're jumping in feet first. I bought Shane a bunch of used gear on Saturday and had him try it on.
He thinks it looks really cool!
The shoulder pads were too tight and Shane cried about getting them off. "They hurt my ears!" The gloves were on the small side and the compression shorts........when they said they'd fit an 18-22 inch waist I counted on something much, larger.
I had to do another run to Play it Again Sports after work Monday. The total tally of gear was around $65 for shoulder pads, cup, gloves, elbow pads, mouth guard, and a pair of lacrosse balls to practice with. I got the helmet and stick from Tony and I'm hoping Shane's old soccer cleats still fit. The season was $175 and I had to buy a $30 membership to US Lacrosse, so this is the most expensive sport Shane has done to date (it took me two hours of driving, shopping and research to get everything and sign up, too!).
Our first practice was Monday night, 6:30 PM at the Park at UVA. It was all new to both of us!
Mental note: Long sleeves are warmer and make the elbow pads fit better. Also, fix the helmet so that it sits straight.
I was a little nervous, but Shane didn't seem to be in the least. I told him to run up and introduce himself to the coach.
He told the coach that he got plenty of lacrosse practice by scooping horse poop!
There were three coaches for the 3rd and 4th graders. They lined them up and I heard "If you're standing still, you're doing lacrosse wrong!"
Shane looked like the only kid who didn't have any prior experience.
There was a fair sized group of kids. The coaches split the kids into three groups for three different drill stations.
The first station did an 'Oklahoma drill' where two kids laid down and then rushed to get the ball and return it before the other.
"Everyone was really serious," Shane said when practice ended.
He wasn't wrong either. It was a fairly focused set of young boys.....not that they were all angels. If anything, a few of them looked hyper competitive. One of them came up and bumped Shane after a drill. It looked like Shane was able to handle himself and turn it into some kind of game, though!
So we did! Tuesday was beautiful, so Shane and I played a little pass and he scooped up some grounders.
He had to find some poop free patches to lie down in for the other drill.
I warned Shane that he was going to have a lot of catching up to do. I didn't want him to get discouraged that he was "the worst one."
"Just by showing up, you're already better than everyone who stayed at home," I said. I wanted him to focus on giving an effort and having fun. If he had fun with the process, results would show up naturally (or not and that'd be okay, too!).
"Just by showing up, you're already better than everyone who stayed at home," I said. I wanted him to focus on giving an effort and having fun. If he had fun with the process, results would show up naturally (or not and that'd be okay, too!).
Wednesday was the second practice. The coaches had the kids line up across from each other and play catch to start. One coach tried to help Shane out with his technique.
He's got a long way to go, but he already looks a little better!
I've learned a lot more about strategies like boxing out, kicking the ball, checking, why players spin, and how rough you're allowed to be. Shane hasn't absorbed all of that yet. He gets distracted and gets frustrated when he doesn't do as well as he imagines he should.
He got really frustrated during the final whole group drill. There were four groups of boys. It was supposed to be a 2 v 2. The ball was thrown and whichever side recovered it first became the offense. Their job was to have one clean pass and then try to score while the defense tried to shut them down.
Shane didn't even run out the first time. He threw a small fit at the end, but managed to get back in line for the next round.
Afterward, Shane was mad and told me people kept talking to him and expected him to listen to them, but somehow also know when to run out. "That's impossible!" he said.
Shane was slow to run out the second time, but he managed to get out there. He wasn't really sure what to do yet. The other kids were yelling things like "Check him!"
The coach yelled something and there was a big dog pile in the goal when practice ended. I was surprised Shane didn't dive in. He went over to where the coach was instead. I think he's still trying to figure out exactly where he fits in.
That said, Shane likes lacrosse so far. I always try to point out positive things. I won't shy away from topics like, "Don't hit the stick we borrowed on the ground," but I want there to be an emphasis on fun and growth.
I expect the first game will be interesting whenever that is.
However it goes, we're in for the season. I'm looking forward to learning more myself. I may need to get a stick for myself to practice with Shane.
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