Hello 12U Lacrosse families! Here's the information that we have so far on the current season.

1. Coaches: There will be two "Classic" travel teams. will head coach the BLUE team. will head coach the RED team. We will have high school coaches throughout the season including Lindsay Schiebel and Erin Catania! We have a great roster of assistant coaches, but if you are interested in coaching and haven't notified us, please email Abbie and Rebekah ASAP.

2. March Indoor Practice Schedule: We know that many are winding down Winter sports commitments, so please do not stress if your kid cannot make all of these times. The focus will be shaking off the rust, learning age level game rules and figuring out roster parity. These all take place at the Field House in Sudbury Ma (31 Union Ave Sudbury Ma 01776)

• Sunday, 3/5: 5-6pm
• Sunday, 3/12: 11am-12pm
• Saturday, 3/18: 5-6pm 
• Sunday, 3/19: 11am-12pm

3. Team Rosters: Will be decided by the coaches on 3/20 after indoor practices conclude.  Once teams are made, we will assign assistant coaches to each team. Teams will be evenly balanced for skill level. There is no "A" team and "B" team on travel. Please note that Abbie is also the Select coach, but this has no bearing on travel team placement. Team game schedules will be posted on the league website March 15. 

4. Scrimmage:  On Sunday March 19, the league is hosting scrimmages from 12:00-4:00p to give programs a chance to scrimmage and to provide EMWLUA (Eastern Massachusetts Womens Lacrosse Umpire Association) a way to evaluate our junior and adult officials. WE NEED YOUR HELP! We have room for 1 5/6 grade team - Rebekah will be coaching. All games are 8v8. Rosters of 10-12 are ideal. Please email ASAP if your player is interested

5. Outdoor Practice Schedule (note that as the evenings stay lighter, we may shift these a half hour later). Reminder that we have to wait for the town of Natick to give us a start date for field use, so stay tuned. 

• Mondays: 6-7pm
  • Select practice only: 7-7:30pm
  • NHS JV Field
• Wednesdays: 6-7:30pm
  • Kennedy MS Turf Field

6. Save The Dates (all optional and FYI only for now- you will be hearing more about it):

• Team Clean: U12 and U14 Saturday, April 15 or 22: 8am (Sign Up Genius to come)
• April Break: 5v5 Tournament LS HS: date/time TBD
• Youth Game Harvard: Saturday, April 22: 1pm (sign up link pending) 
• Youth Game HS: Tuesday, May 9: 6pm 
• Jamboree: Sunday, May 21: time/location TBD
• Youth to Support Senior Night: Thursday, May 25: 6pm
• End of Year: Saturday, June 10, 8th grade v Coaches, & other fun! Sargent Field: 3-6pm
•  

7.  Check Your Gear:  Please make sure you have a Jersey - Natick lax has sent emails about this, but if you missed them, contact the head coaches ASAP. You aren’t required to buy a new uniform if your player has one from last season that fits! Check that your cleats fit, mold a new mouth guard (and grab a spare!). Given the growth spurts around this age, make sure your stick is the right length; for new players, please reach out to one of the head coaches if you need equipment advice

8. What can your kid do to get ready for the season?

• Play catch with a baseball, softball or tennis ball (without a stick, just with their hands or a mitt) - our whole program has room to improve basic throwing skills and ball sense. Have them think about which foot they are stepping with and how they generate power for far, accurate throws.
• Practice stick skills. Use this 5 minute routine; copy the individual drills in this video; or continue to work on last season’s Blue team routine. They can also make their own up - but make sure to be using BOTH hands!
• Be a wall-ball warrior - 15-20 minutes three times a week will yield enormous gains. Here are two excellent routines: Taylor Cummings  and  EdgeLax  (note that the higher level skills in these routines includes the more challenging stick skills from the cradling videos- so helpful to be doing both)
• Watch women's lacrosse. Very few of our kids have a strong mental model of how the women’s game is played at the highest level. ESPN is doing a better job of showing women’s college games. Watch college highlights on youtube, follow women’s lax on Instagram and Twitter - the highlight clips are usually amazing

See everyone soon! - Abbie and Rebekah