The following article appeared in the Mountain version of the April print edition of USA Lacrosse Magazine. Help fuel the future of the sport and have the magazine delivered right to your mailbox by becoming a USA Lacrosse member today.
Situated on the Arkansas River about 100 miles south of Denver is the city of Pueblo, long recognized as the largest steel-producing city west of the Mississippi River. Due to the employment opportunities offered by the steel industry, Pueblo became a true melting pot through the decades and developed into Colorado’s most diverse city.
Reportedly, at one time, more than 40 different languages were spoken in this working-class city. And while the steel industry is not quite as prominent today as it once was in Pueblo, its cosmopolitan character remains.
Against that backdrop, the Pueblo Heroes Lacrosse Club, now in its 15th year, sports a truly diverse community of athletes.
“We get kids from a lot of different backgrounds,” said Rochelle Archuleta, program director for Heroes. “We’re a very diversified club.”
USA Lacrosse has helped to provide a blueprint for the club. From TryLax clinics to Flex6 Lacrosse, Heroes has implemented most of the programs and best practices outlined by the national governing body. “We use all the tools that USA Lacrosse offers,” Archuleta said. “We would be lost without them.”
Staying in constant communication with Shawn Maloney, USA Lacrosse manager for the Mountain Region, helps keep the club’s leadership aware of the latest resources that might be available.
“There’s no doubt, they are using our resources really well,” said Maloney, based in Denver. “Pueblo might be a newer lacrosse area, but Heroes has had a lot of success. They are doing all the right things.”
Requiring USA Lacrosse certification ensures that Heroes’ coaches are teaching the game in a positive, safe and age-appropriate manner. Implementing USA Lacrosse’s diversity, equity and inclusion resources, including the USA Lacrosse Cultural Competency training tool, allows club leaders to create an inclusive environment that is welcoming of all participants.
One of the most recent examples of its all-in-on-USA Lacrosse commitment was the club’s participation in National Celebrate Lacrosse Week. Heroes introduced the game to many school-aged children who had never played before during a Pickup and Play clinic in November.
Archuleta says more than half of the clinic’s participants registered for league play this spring.
“The parents were blown away with that event,” Archuleta said.
Local partnerships have also served as a catalyst in fueling the club’s growth. Collaboration with the Pueblo West Parks and Recreation Department and the Pueblo Police Activities League (PAL) have further expanded the club’s footprint and presence in the community.
“Everyone is welcome, and once they join us, we make it a priority to know our families,” Archuleta said. “Being under the PAL umbrella allows us to incorporate kids who might not otherwise be involved.”
This spring, under the direction of David Krenz, Heroes is sponsoring seven boys’ teams across various age groups. The club also fields 3-4 girls’ teams. Games are mostly held in Pueblo and Colorado Springs with occasional games in other parts of the state.
A partnership with CSU-Pueblo’s lacrosse teams, which compete as members of NCAA Division II, provides additional coaching support and the use of field space. The college players frequently volunteer their time to help with practices and clinics.
“The growth of the Heroes program has been great to see,” said Sean Blair, a Michigan native who has been the head coach of the CSU-Pueblo men’s program since 2013. “Being able to provide service to the lacrosse community has been a valuable experience for the student-athletes in my program as well as those in our women’s lacrosse program.”
Blair notes that the work is far from done.
“Lacrosse in Pueblo is still in its infancy, but the development of the Heroes program for girls and boys is creating a promising future,” he said.
Just like the steel industry did for years, lacrosse in Pueblo has proven transformational.
“If you help one kid, you’ve done a good job,” Archuleta said. “If you help 10 kids, you’ve done a great job. We’re very blessed that we have such a great lacrosse community here.”
MOUNTAIN REGION SPOTLIGHT
IOWA
Nearly 500 people attended a men’s lacrosse game between Cornell College and William Penn University and 100 boys and girls stayed afterward for a free clinic led by members of the Iowa Lacrosse Association and players from both schools.
NEBRASKA
The DEA Educational Foundation partnered with Cheyenne Lacrosse Club (Cheyenne, Wyo.) to host a week-long lacrosse camp in Alliance — one of the first-ever lacrosse events in western Nebraska.
NORTH DAKOTA
Grand Cities Lacrosse Association hosted a Learn to Play clinic for 50 new players at the University of North Dakota’s High Performance Center.
SOUTH DAKOTA
The Northern Plains Lacrosse League welcomed USA Lacrosse Sankofa Clinic Series trainer Jing Peng as the new league commissioner for the 2022 season.
UTAH
Intermountain Lacrosse hosted a USA Lacrosse TryLax clinic for 80 new players at the University of Utah’s Spence Eccles Field House.
