Posted: Mar 01, 2016

Women's Lacrosse Partners With Alum For Youth Clinic

HOLYOKE, Mass. – The Elms College women's lacrosse team partnered with former women's lacrosse player, Ellie Wilson to host a girl's youth lacrosse clinic at the Dr. Marcella R. Kelly School. Wilson and Elms College Head Coach Maureen Ruane joined forces to develop a clinic with the goals of teaching the fundamentals of lacrosse to local girls in grades 3-5.

"Ellie reached out to area coaches looking for help and I jumped on the opportunity as fast as I could," said Elms Head Coach. "Any way we could give back to the community is a win in my book, and the fact that we could spark interest in a little laxer is an added bonus."

With the assistance of members of the Elms Women's Lacrosse team, more than 20 girls from the community participated in drills to improve their shooting, passing and ball control.

"The team really shined while we were there," stated Ruane. "They were smiling the entire time. Our team was open, inviting and informative. They really got to know the younger girls (grades 3, 4, 5) and by the end of the day, the gym was loud with talking and laughter. It was truly a heart-warming experience."

According to US Lacrosse in 2015, Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing sports in the nations, seeing the number of players on organized teams rise to 772,772 in 2014, a growth of 3.5 percent from the 2013, with the youth segment representing the largest segment of the population with 425,000 participants. At the collegiate level, lacrosse has seen solid growth with 39 schools adding varsity programs in 2014 alone. From 2009-14, NCAA men's lacrosse grew at a rate of 37.3 percent, while women's lacrosse saw a 38.9 percent increase. Since keeping participation records in 2001, the number of organized lacrosse players has grown 204 percent, from 253,901 to 772,772.

"I am going to continue to keep chatting with Ellie, and would like to invite our "prodigies" to come to one of our games and get announced on the field," continued Ruane. "Keeping kids involved in sports, no matter what age, is extremely important for providing structure, teamwork, communication and discipline. Now thanks to Ellie, lacrosse can provide all of those things to the young ladies in Holyoke."

The Blazers will open the 2016 season at home against Wells College Wednesday at Leary Field at 4:00 p.m.

Click HERE for photos from the clinic

ELMS LACROSSE