Westfield Boys Lacrosse Spring Program

Soft Toss Program - Grades: Kindergarten through 1st

6 Sessions (starts in April - 1 hour session -weekly). An entry-level instructional lacrosse program. The children use only a lacrosse stick and soft Swax Lax balls to participate in basic skill practice such as catching, throwing, cradling, and scooping. We do cone drills and simple games to help their coordination and confidence. It is designed to be a lot of fun, good exercise and a great introduction to Lacrosse. Kids will only need a regular lacrosse stick (i.e. no fiddlesticks). Gloves are recommended but not required.

2nd & 3rd Grade Lacrosse

In-town league with some scheduled games with nearby towns (starts in late March and runs through early June)
Full Equipment Needed: Lacrosse Stick, helmet (see helmet policy), gloves, shoulder pads, arm pads, cup, mouthpiece -- most players use regular sticks (not long defense sticks)
2nd and 3rd graders will practice twice per week (clinic style) and generally play one game per week.
Games are 7 vs 7 on a short field.
For players who are interested and prepared, a few games may be organized with neighboring towns.
Focus is on teaching fundamentals, everyone plays multiple positions
All teams are created evenly. WLC does not flight players at this age.
Check out the Wall Ball drills in the Coaches Corner

4th Grade Lacrosse

This is an In-town league with scheduled games with nearby towns (Starts in March and runs through early June).
Everyone will practice twice per week and generally play one game per week.
Games will be 10 vs 10 on a large field.
Focus is on teaching fundamentals, everyone plays multiple positions
All teams are created evenly. WLC does not flight players at this age.
Midway through the season, a few games will be organized with neighboring towns and possibly entering festival-style tournaments. An additional time commitment and additional fee may be required. Travel games are only recommended for players who are prepared.

5th - 8th Grade Travel Lacrosse (White and Blue Teams)*

Players will be placed on teams based on ability and selected through independent evaluation and prior-year coach feedback. We plan to have 2 travel teams at each grade level, a “White” team and a “Blue” team.
In 5th grade, all teams are created evenly. WLC does not flight players at this age.
For 6th-8th grade, the teams will be flighted with our most developed players on the "A" team and our developing players on the "B" team. This flighting is done to place the player on the team that WLC evaluators believe the player will most benefit from.
Approximately 8-10 games played on full fields (with older teams playing close to 20 games during season)
Each team will have 18-22 players.
The “Blue” and “White” teams will practice 3 days per week and play one travel game per week. The Blue and White teams will participate in two Tournaments. If numbers permit, WLC may create a third "Red" team.
Commitment is expected to prioritize Westfield lacrosse as the primary in-season sport, playing time in games is earned by demonstrating AAA in practices (aptitude, attitude, attendance).

Boys Youth Lacrosse Rules

The Westfield Lacrosse Club is a member of both the USA Lacrosse and the North Jersey Junior Lacrosse League (NJJLL):

USA Lacrosse -- https://www.usalacrosse.com/ and https://www.usalacrosse.com/youth-lacrosse
North Jersey Junior Junior Lacrosse League (Boys) - https://www.njlacrosse.com/rules-faq and www.njlacrosse.com

Have the goals of WLC changed?
- No, WLC’s goal of introducing and supporting the game of Lacrosse to Westfield youth players of all ability levels and teaching sportsmanship to youth athletes remains unchanged. We believe that the WLC programs help us better accomplish this mission in response to the rapid growth of the sport and the different commitment levels of players.

Are players required to attend the fall Travel Team Evaluations?
- No. WLC encourages all players to attend fall Travel Team Evaluations. However, if a player cannot participate in both sessions due to injury/illness or does not want to be evaluated, the player will be rostered on the "B" team in the flighted grades (6th, 7th, and 8th). Suppose a player did not attend because of injury/illness -- In that case, the player will be evaluated during the beginning of the spring season to determine whether the player should be moved to a different team. If a player does not want to be evaluated and wants to play on the "B" team during the spring, we ask that the player still register for evaluations. Registration will allow WLC to order the proper number of practice pinnies and include the player in communications during WLC winter training sessions. If a player does not register, WLC will not have the ability to communicate with the player/family.

Do players need to attend both Travel Team evaluations?
- No. WLC encourages all players to attend both Travel Team Evaluations as it provides the program with a better ability to evaluate the players. Players may attend one or both sessions. Each session will be similar in structure.

How will Travel Teams be determined?
- Based upon evaluations from prior year coaches and travel team evaluations.

Who will conduct Travel Team Evaluations?
- Our intention is to use 1) Independent Evaluators, 2) Former WLC coaches with children no longer in the program and 3) WLC Board members to perform the evaluations, subject to availability.

Can defense use short sticks in Travel Team Evaluations?
- Players should use whatever stick they feel comfortable with.

What is expected weekly time commitment for Travel team players?
- Four days a week. Practices and games will be the player’s equal priority. While certain conflicts are unavoidable, missing practices and games will result in less playing time and may be unfair to other participants in the Travel and In Town program.

What is the typical week for Travel Team player?
- 3 practices and 1 travel game

Will players move between teams during the season?
- While we would not expect players to move between teams, player availability (due to injuries, poor attendance, attitude etc.) may require roster changes.

Will outside coaches be used?
- When needed, WLC will hire outside coaches to support the various programs.

How many players will be on each Travel team?
- Minimum of 16, target of 20-22.

Why a registration fee for player evaluations?
- To cover cost of equipment, pinnies, insurance and evaluators. Pinnies will be used in spring season.

Does the WLC offer financial assistance?
- Yes, for this program and all programs.

How many Travel games in a season?
- 10-20 games. All travel teams will play in 1-2 tournaments during the spring.

What activities will be included in the Travel Team Evaluations?
- 1) Stick work including, Line Drills, throwing and catching with both hands, Scooping,
- 2) Position specific drills including shooting, dodging, defense, clearing, goalie work and 3)Field play including fast break and controlled scrimmages

Can the dates be rescheduled for conflicts?
- We are constrained by field availability and can only support these activities tryouts on the dates and times available to us.