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They say that Lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in the country and
that was evident this past weekend at Curtis HS Stadium in University
Place, the site of the second annual TYLA WinterLax Camp. Last year�s
camp drew 62 players, most of them from the TYLA teams and local high
school players. This year there were 152 lacrosse players in attendance
ranging in age from second grade to seniors in High School. Players came
from Lake Tapps, Puyallup, Vashon Island, Tacoma, University Place,
South Kitsap, Gig Harbor, Silverdale, Bainbridge Island, Bellevue and
Stanwood. That�s right, lacrosse players from Camano Island made the
trip to UP to attend a two-day lacrosse camp in February.
Coaches at the camp included University of Washington Lacrosse Coaches
Dejon Hush and Jack Visco (Bainbridge Island Head Coach), along with
five UW players; Curtis High School Lacrosse Coaches Kevin Leary and
Ryan Staley, along with TYLA Coaches Todd Thorpe, Bob Hodge, and Tim
Jones. All the coaches ensured that drills were run properly and the
players were getting individual instruction on some of the finer points
of the game. Keeping warm seemed to be the order of the day Saturday as
the morning started out with light drizzle that turned into brief
showers. A number of hearty souls stuck around after the camp to watch
the University of Washington take on Pacific Lutheran University in a
great goal swapping game. The UW rallied in the fourth quarter for an
exciting come from behind win. Sunday started and ended in the sunshine
with specialized drills and scrimmages all day.
Of course the coaches would not have been able to do their part without
the tremendous support of the Camp Staff who took care of registration,
equipment handout/fitting/repair, water, lunch and a couple of upset
stomachs. THANK YOU to the TYLA Parent Volunteers and Board Members who
took on the behind the scenes responsibilities necessary for success.
With a late rush of registrants and a number of kids showing up the
morning of camp, we scrambled to make sure that every player was
properly fitted with equipment. This meant that at least one player was
wearing TYLA Executive Director/Camp Director Todd Thorpe�s high school
helmet. We are talking old school helmet with the laces in the back.
TYLA would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to WALAX.com for their last
minute loan of helmets for the younger players (they do not like being
called �the little guys�).
Good luck to all 152 of the campers and coaches with their upcoming
seasons. Thank you all for making TYLA Winter Lax 2 such a success.
By Todd Thorpe
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