Anything boys can do girls can do better; and now they’ll get their chance.
The Barrie Minor Lacrosse Association has its first ever girl’s box team and they are starting a local grassroots system for younger age groups in Grades 3 through 6. The sport is beginning to grow at that age as there are approximately 16 teams across the province. Jim Lowe is the director of competition for the BMLA and with daughter Morgan as the team’s goalie he is also serving as the head coach for the squad.
“Me as the head coach is certainly by default as our other coaches here would be a much better choice,” said Lowe. “But this is our new team and we have a combined novice/pee-wee age group which is quite common in girl’s lacrosse being that it’s a newer sport. We have room for maybe two or three more girls but only if they sign up quickly as we have our first game here at East Bayfield on May 3 against Orillia.”
The ages are those born in the years 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 and the team currently has 13 girls, some with little to no previous experience in the game of lacrosse. Barrie decided to add a team when the idea was brought up by the Orillia organization that was looking for some local competition to help grow the game.
“Orillia has had girl’s lacrosse for about five or six years but always at the older age group and last year was the first year they brought in this age group,” said Lowe. “They were big supporters and motivators of us getting the girls program going so as to grow the sport in the region; teams right now are pretty spread out around the province as it is.”
A clinic in February brought out approximately 25 girls which showed the BMLA that the interest was clearly there. Most players have a hockey background, which Lowe says is very typical of a lacrosse player, and while some of the girls miss a couple practices because of hockey tryouts, their enthusiasm makes up for any lost time.
“Today is a smaller practice as some of the girls are trying out for hockey as well, but when they are here they are focused but having fun too,” said Lowe. “It’s truly amazing to sit back and watch some of these really small kids out there with some of the girls much bigger but yet they play just as hard as anything. The really cool thing is that this maybe our fifth or sixth formal practice and the skill level in that time has improved so well, it’s a great thing to see as they learn to play the game.”
Lowe believes that the advancement of the skill happens so quickly in part because unlike some of the boys who have had the opportunity to play for years and maybe think they know enough of what they’re doing, these girls are soaking in every piece of knowledge they can. One of the most enthusiastic seems to be 9-year-old Nadia, who is also on a local football team and never seems to stop smiling.
“I like how the game is fun and you have to work together with teamwork,” said Nadia. “I hope to keep making friends on the team and I also like to hit people a little so that’s what I like about lacrosse.”
With sponsors in place, the Assisting You Social Pee-Wee Girl’s Box Lacrosse team will begin playing May 3 and also have three tournaments throughout the year in Kitchener-Waterloo, Whitby and then the Ontario Lacrosse Association Provincial Championships which is one of the largest sporting events in the world.
For any and all information check out the BMLA website.
