Growing up in the Bronx, the harsh realities of Muhammed Krubally’s environment included violence, gangs, and crime. The opportunities and temptations to go down the wrong path were easy and plentiful. But for a chance encounter with former Tufts University player Dan Leventhal when Krubally was 11 years old, he may have been victim to those realities.

“It was during recess when I was in the sixth grade and Dan was playing Wall Ball,” Krubally recounts. “Dan saw in me what others overlooked – my potential as a student and an athlete.”

Ira Blumenthal, a native New Yorker, has been around the game of lacrosse for his entire life. As a retired consultant with Coca-Cola, he has spent the past 30 years in Atlanta, helping to grow the game at different levels. Through all his experiences, Blumenthal says he’s never met a person with more passion for lacrosse than Mark Ryan.

The strangest part of that is that Ryan has never played lacrosse.

Bryan Beverly played for the illustrious Morgan State men’s lacrosse program in the mid-1970s and operates a Facebook group that’s committed to preserving the Ten Bears legacy. In 2021, USA Lacrosse Magazine and Blaxers Blog named him one of “The Most Influential Figures in Black Lacrosse History.” In this op-ed, Beverly presents a model for growing the game such that marginalized populations can leverage existing sports programs to initiate participation in lacrosse.

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Four decades ago, as a senior on the lacrosse team at Unity College in Maine, Rick Roy made a promise to his coach.

“Never let me hear that someone asked you to teach them the game and you refused,” coach Wilson Hess instructed his graduating players. “If you do, I will haunt you.”

It started, quite simply, with a random phone call.

Robert Russell, an active-duty military father of two, contacted Ronnie Morales to ask about the potential of facilitating a lacrosse clinic for kids in military families. Morales, the director of sport growth at USA Lacrosse, seemed to be the right person to call based on his job title.

Little did Russell know how right he was.

INDIANAPOLIS — Tony Resch stood in the cage, his eyes fixed on the action before him.

A National Lacrosse Hall of Fame coach and a former All-American and gold medal-winning defenseman, Resch added adaptive goalie to a lifetime of lacrosse experiences as he fielded shots at an Able Athletics clinic Oct. 12 in Indianapolis.

“I gave up a lot of goals,” Resch said as he laughed. “I loved it. I’ll put it on my resume.”

Everyone should have the opportunity to play lacrosse and feel included, accepted, and valued, regardless of their ability or disability. Some athletes with disabilities can and do participate in “mainstream” lacrosse programs at all levels of play.

For many others, it is beneficial to participate in a modified version of the game that is designed specifically for the inclusion, safety, and enjoyment of people with disabilities. This is known as Adaptive Lacrosse. 

Wheelchair Lacrosse USA (WLUSA), the governing body of wheelchair lacrosse in the United States, is hosting its annual national championship tournament in Milwaukee this week, with the three-day event running from Friday through Sunday.  

Founded in 2010, WLUSA has helped start dozens of wheelchair lacrosse programs across the country, and will have 10 teams gathering this weekend to compete for the 2024 championship.

It’s no secret that the history of lacrosse is quite unique and features a deep spiritual connection to Native American culture. Natives believe that lacrosse was gifted to them by the Creator, with purposes that extend beyond just fun and recreation.

In a notable first-time collaboration, Uplift Project, Inc. (UPI), the Beta Phi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, and USA Lacrosse jointly sponsored their first-ever lacrosse clinic last week as part of the 6th District Boys Leadership Camp on the campus of Winston-Salem State (NC) University.

The annual week-long camp seeks to provide enrichment opportunities for 8-14 year-old African-American boys from North and South Carolina. Over 250 boys participated in the lacrosse clinic, which was added to the camp’s line-up of activities for the first time this year.