Lacrosse, considered to be America's first sport, was born of the North American Indian, christened by the French and adapted and raised by the Canadians. Modern Lacrosse has been embraced by athletes and enthusiasts of the U.S. and the British Commonweath for over a century.
The sport is a combination of basketball, soccer and hockey. The game requires and rewards coordination and agility, not brawn. Quickness and speed are two highly prized qualities in lacrosse. An exhilarating sport, lacrosse is fast-paced and full of action. Long sprints up and down the field with abrupt starts and stops, precision passes and dodges are routine in men's and women's lacrosse. Lacrosse is played with a stick, the crosse, which must be mastered by the player to throw, catch and scoop the ball.
Growth in Popularity
Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing team sports in the U.S. No sport has grown faster at the high school level over the last 10 years and there are now more than 130,000 high school players. Lacrosse is also the fastest-growing sport over the last five years at the NCAA level. There are more than 500 college club programs, the majority of which compete under the umbrella of U.S. Lacrosse and it's "intercollegiate associate" levels.
In November of 2006, Family First Sports Park officially began it's lacrosse program. This progam has Indoor Leagues and a Youth Instructional Academy. Come and join this fast-paced and exciting sport that is growing all across America. All programming is indoors on our newly re-turfed fields. The sport of lacrosse is a combination of basketball, soccer and hockey. Anyone can play lacrosse -- the big or the small. The game requires and rewards coordination and gaility, not brawn. Quickness and speed are two highly prized qualities in lacrosse.
Dr. Bruce Gebhardt will be the first Boys Lacrosse Director here at Family First Sports Park. Dr. Gebhardt is an Erie native who began playing lacrosse in college and has played on and off over the past 20 years. He and his family have recently moved back to Erie from the Cincinnati area. While in Cincinnati he helped develop the youth lacrosse program in his community, in which both of his children played. Gebhardt was also a coach of the program’s boys team for two years. The team was made up of boys in grades 3 through 6 that had never played lacrosse before. Gebhardt’s coaching philosophy entails learning the game of lacrosse, learning how to be good teammates, and most importantly having fun, “I focus on stick skills and fundamentals, not hitting.” Under Gebhardt every kid will play, and will have the opportunity to play every position. “I have found lacrosse is a great sport for kids. You run a lot, get to hit some, use hand eye coordination, and you don’t have to be big. There is a position for every body type and athletic ability. Plus, the sticks and gear are cool.”
Lauren Schweiger will be the first Girls Lacrosse Director here at Family First Sports Park. Schweiger began playing lacrosse in 1995 when her family moved to perpetual lacrosse hot bed Annapolis, Maryland. There she attended Queen Anne’s High School. In 1997 her family moved to Pittsburgh and she attended North Allegheny High School. There she played an important role in developing the women’s lacrosse program which did not exist prior to her attending the school. In their inaugural season she was awarded a spot on the Western Pennsylvania All-Star Team and was recruited to play college lacrosse at Gannon University. While attending Gannon she helped the women’s lacrosse team achieve a national number one rank in her freshman season, as well as an appearance in the semi-finals of the first ever NCAA Division II women’s lacrosse tournament. Schweiger was also awarded the Coach’s Award for her performance in her freshman season. “Playing for Gannon is still one of my most memorable achievements and extending these opportunities to other girls in the Erie area would be an honor. I look forward to helping Family First Sports Park in making this vision a reality.”
Find Job Opportunities at Family First.
8155 Oliver Road • Erie, PA 16509
1-888-8GO-PARK • 866-5425 • 866-8066 (F)
info@thesportspark.com
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