Lacrosse legend Al Blau of Long Island will visit Seattle 29 and 30 January and participate in the Washington Lacrosse Association (WALOA) 2005 Official's Training Clinic at Seattle Pacific University. "I am really looking forward to this Training Session," said Blau. "This is the inaugural training session for the Lacrosse Association Mentorship Program (LAMP), and we have high expectations for this program."

"We are very pleased to have AL Blau headed out here to assist in the training session for 2005" said Erik Smith, WALOA Chairman. "Having NCLOA as a mentor organization has really been beneficial for WALOA. Al and NCLOA have helped us with some of the organizational processes, and Al is now headed out to help us in the training programs. By aligning our organization with NCLOA, we hope to rapidly improve the recruiting, training, skills, and retention within WALOA. After all, Nassau County high school lacrosse is always top ranked in the US. It only makes sense for WALOA to use the best officials organization for our mentors."

Lacrosse is growing exponentially in Washington State. WALOA is charged with providing trained and capable officials for college, high school, middle school, and 4-5 grade programs. The lack of traditional recruiting sources available on the East Coast, combined with this phenomenal growth, puts tremendous pressure on the WALOA staff. Football and basketball officials from Washington high school leagues are joining up, but there is a critical shortage.

"We need more bodies!" laments Smith. "We now have the tools to turn out top-notch officials, we just need more guys to join up and learn the trade. Officiating is a great way to earn some money, stay or become involved in lacrosse, and learn a new appreciation for this great game. I urge anyone interested in becoming a lacrosse official to attend the training session at Seattle Pacific University on 29-30 January."  Read Here for more details

Blau will be one of the trainers, and will also return to Washington to participate in officiating and training during the season. "Al will be calling some games here, and working with the WALOA training staff during the season in order to "calibrate" our officials with the officials calling games at Manhassett, Farmingdale, Massapequa, and Garden City. We expect our Washington officials will use this experience to improve their performance." said Smith.