Flag Football Inspires Lacrosse the Bay Youth Program

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Schuyler Horn, founder and executive director of the Lacrosse the Bay youth program in Monterey, California, has no problem with that philosophy. After all, one of the program’s most successful initiatives, its K-2 introductory experience for the youngest kids, came from flag football.

“I view other sports as our competition, so I’m always looking to see what they are doing,” Horn said. “Flag football is a great example. They are doing some things that are driving their enrollment, so I started thinking about how we can emulate that. Using the same format as flag football, we started our K-2 intro program that’s been successful and has served as a feeder for the rest of our program.”

During the fall, the K-2 intro experience offers beginning players a weekly two-hour session, with the first hour focused on skill work and the second hour featuring 3v3 scrimmages. Horn believes the key to improvement is repetition and touches. “Our goal is that in every practice, every kid is getting at least 100 repetitions and that they’re touching the ball 100 times,” he said. “If we can do that, then we’re going to be successful in our teaching.”

Horn says that a commitment to teaching the fundamentals of the game is the foundation. High school players serve as coaches.

“We found that station work is incredibly effective with the younger age group because we’re able to break the kids into smaller groups, which are easier to manage, and then help them focus on a specific skill at each station,” Horn said. “One station will be focused on ground balls, while another station will be focused on passing and catching, and another on shooting.”

The two-hour sessions are intentionally designed to keep the young participants engaged and active.

“We try to keep the kids moving and use the stations to teach them the basic skills of the game,” Horn said. “Then we move into small-sided scrimmages, and with the K-2 group, we use the smaller nets. This intro program has been super popular over the past couple of seasons. It’s a great starting point for young athletes.”

As an East Coast transplant, Horn initially moved to Northern California a decade ago for college. After graduating, he recognized a need for lacrosse programming in the Monterey region and launched Lacrosse the Bay. The fledging organization survived the disruption caused by the COVID pandemic and has blossomed in recent years with a renewed focus on K-8 programming.

Today, LTB runs two local town programs — the Salinas Lacrosse Club and the Peninsula Lacrosse Club — and had over 200 youth players during this past spring season, supported by a staff of 20 coaches.

Camps, clinics and after-school programs that target underserved areas help to keep players engaged throughout the calendar year.

“It was our best year yet,” said Horn, who also tries to help newer players and families overcome barriers to entry by providing equipment and support. With assistance from USA Lacrosse, Lacrosse the Bay supplied 100 sets of equipment and $20,000 in scholarships in 2025. “Our priority is getting kids on the field. If a kid wants to play but they can’t afford it, we’re going to find a way.”

Lacrosse the Bay’s growth, fueled in part by the success of the K-2 intro experience, has been encouraging, but Horn is quick to note that there’s always more work to do.

“We have to stay active and keep spreading the word so that our programs are front of mind,” he said. “There’s a lot of elbow grease that goes into the process, but I think that lacrosse, as a sport, has a great value proposition. It’s fast-paced, played by both boys and girls, and offers a lot of fun. We have to just keep putting the game out there so people will see it. Once they try it, they get hooked.”

THREE STARS

Highlighting three local contributors helping to spread the love of lacrosse.

Steve Hurley — Cambridge, Md.

Hurley introduced and nurtured lacrosse in Dorchester County, founding the county youth program in 1996, coaching Cambridge-SD for 24 years, launching a boys’ club at North Dorchester and helping stage the county’s first intra-county high school match. He was honored publicly with a plaque, a USA Lacrosse commendation and a post-game ceremony.

Bruce Lincoln — New York, N.Y.

A former Princeton player, Lincoln founded Uptown Lacrosse in Harlem to give children ages 5-12 free exposure to lacrosse. He launched L-Ball, a 3-on-3 non-contact game, runs weekly skills sessions, open houses and partners with USA Lacrosse & STX. He emphasizes fundamentals and fun.

Amanda Hope — Barrington, R.I.

Hope launched East Bay Adaptive Lacrosse, a four-week program for children with disabilities. Her daughter Emerson, a 12-year-old special needs student, inspired the effort and participated herself. Hope leveraged her background as an occupational therapist and collaborated with USA Lacrosse.